-- CZARZASTY SAID ON WP'S TŁIT PROGRAM THAT SCHETYNA IS TOO SOFT TO HOLD PIS ACCOUNTABLE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2018/07/30/

-- THE LACK OF DIALOGUE CONTRADICTS JOHN PAUL II'S TEACHINGS - PRIME MINISTER HANNA SUCHOCKA IN AN INTERVIEW WITH KAI: “Well, at the moment, there is simply no dialogue. This worries me greatly. Not so long ago, it seemed that there were various political forces in Poland and a societal division that reflected this arrangement. Now I see that we are two camps, as if closed under plastic domes: we see each other, but there is no longer communication between us, with the majority camp imposing solutions on others without considering their voices. There is no dialogue. And yet, this contradicts the teachings of John Paul II.”

-- THE LANGUAGE OF CLOSURE DOMINATES CONVERSATION - PRIME MINISTER HANNA SUCHOCKA CONTINUES: “Aggression is replacing dialogue. I fear that, unfortunately, we have interpreted the Pope very superficially. When John Paul II spoke of dialogue, he demanded an authentic, internal "plowing over," a readiness to give up some of one’s own arguments and focus on listening to the other side, without forcefully pushing one's own agenda. Accusatory arguments and aggressive formulations dominate. The use of falsehoods. The language that excludes rather than opens up conversation prevails.”

-- PRIME MINISTER SUCHOCKA ON THE CHURCH'S NECESSARY INITIATIVE: “Indeed, I wonder whether the Church should act here only as a mediator or rather as a participant. I think rather as a participant in a general societal debate about what, in the conditions of such a deeply divided and aggressively disposed society, the cooperation of the state and the Church for the common good means. Probably such an initiative would be well received, because I have the impression that people are already very tired and lost. It even seems to me that many people are desperate, seeing no force to whom they could turn for salvation. Once, everyone would have rushed to John Paul II.”

-- JOHN PAUL II WOULD URGE US TO DIALOGUE - PRIME MINISTER SUCHOCKA FURTHER: “I am convinced that he would seek a way for us to start talking. He himself, moreover, did everything to foster dialogue, despite various voices advising him against it. This was the case, for example, in 1983, when despite martial law (then suspended), he came to Poland, although some said that this would legitimize General Jaruzelski. He also came in 1987. He realized that if he did not talk, even with those who introduced martial law, such a rift could arise that no bridges would help later. In our current reality, this rift is already truly enormous, and, in my opinion, it is widening with each month. I think that, despite everything, John Paul II would urge us to dialogue.” https://ekai.pl/dialogu-brak-to-sprzeczne-z-nauczaniem-jana-pawla-ii/

-- ESSENTIAL! "Solidarity - Facts and Myths" is a new video series by Krzysztof Mazur dedicated to the history of "Solidarity" from the end of martial law to the Round Table. The series consists of nine episodes in which the president of the Jagiellonian Club debunks the myths that have accumulated around the trade union movement. In the first episode, Krzysztof Mazur argues that paradoxically, "Solidarity" in Poland remains an untold story.

-- OVERLY FIERCE PROTESTERS GIVE PIS FUEL - Dominika Wielowieyska: “In addition to providing TVP's 'Wiadomości' with nice visuals, radicals make people wonder whether to attend such demonstrations at all.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,23732278,wy-zbyt-krewcy-demonstranci-dajecie-pis-paliwo-ta-nieznosna.html

-- PAWEŁ ŚPIEWAK TELLS WPROST THAT HIS SON WILL CHANGE POLITICS - Onet discusses the interview: “He assured that he would vote for Jan Śpiewak not because he is his son, but because, as he claims, Poland needs a general change of elites. - I wish my son to prepare for the next political stage, i.e., the establishment of a new political force. Because this is the only chance for something to change in Poland - emphasized Śpiewak. In his opinion, this is difficult because his collaborators from the previous elections "turned out to be the same crooks as those from PiS and PO." - It turns out that you don't have to belong to a political party to behave like former party functionaries,” he noted.

-- PROFESSOR ŚPIEWAK SPEAKS HARSHLY ABOUT HIS SON'S RIVALS: “According to Śpiewak, Rafał Trzaskowski 'feels more comfortable in the company of books and diplomats than ordinary Varsovians.' - He is poorly suited to be the mayor of Warsaw - he assessed. - He gives the impression of an illiterate person with higher education - he added.” https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/kraj/pawel-spiewak-o-synu-zycze-mu-zeby-powolal-nowa-sile-polityczna/4eh4ytz

-- FRAGMENT OF WPROST INTERVIEW WITH PROF. ŚPIEWAK ON PARLIAMENT'S DECLINING IMPORTANCE: “It is said that parliament plays no role today. When I sat in it, I also had the feeling that real discussions took place in parliamentary committees. There were interesting speeches on the plenary floor, but party discipline was absolutely paramount. Then, just as now, if the leader insisted that the earth was flat and supported by two elephants, the outcome would be obvious: the earth would turn out to be flat.” https://www.wprost.pl/kraj/10142456/pawel-spiewak-po-nie-moze-zadac-uczciwosci-od-pis.html

-- FRAGMENT FROM JACKA WOJCIECHOWICZ'S BOOK ABOUT HOW HGW ROLLED ON THE FLOOR OF HER OFFICE: “On the construction of the Northern Bridge: '…when the deadline for submitting appeals for the bridge construction offer passed, I quickly flew to Hanka to tell her. And her reaction was extraordinary. She lay down on the floor in her office, and then rolled over one way and the other, then got up and probably threw herself around my neck. This rolling had its justification, but I was so shocked that I still don't remember what it was about.'” https://tvnwarszawa.tvn24.pl/informacje,news,wojciechowicz-prezydent-przeturlala-sie-po-podlodze-i-rzucila-mi-na-szyje,267748.html -- GAZETA WYBORCZA'S DUŻY FORMAT JOURNALISTS DESCRIBE A MEETING WITH RAFAŁ TRZASKOWSKI (Ludmiła Anannikova, Rafał Wójcik): “Trzaskowski is on the couch, looking at messages on his phone. We sit opposite. Niklewicz – behind the boss's desk. He doesn't interfere with the conversation but listens. Trzaskowski is slightly tense; the hate is crushing him. He just said in an interview that he owes everything he has achieved in life to himself. He keeps specifying what we can't quote, talks about his election program, countless meetings, and Niklewicz signals that time is up. This isn't how conversations work. We want to persuade him to let us into his home or to go out with us. Home is out of the question because his wife guards their privacy. He'll go out. And at five in the morning.”

-- BARYCKI ORDERS THE REMOVAL OF PLATFORM BADGES - FURTHER IN THE GW REPORT: “Lech Barycki, a councilor from Ochota, aged 71, is in charge of the bus. He was Ewa Kopacz's chief of staff when she was Minister of Health, but he was fired after allegations that he had ties to a medical company that was taking over state clinics and hospitals. He was also removed from the Ministry of Sport because, according to the media, he pressured local government officials to support a company managed by his wife. Barycki orders calls to activists waiting at subsequent stops. – Tell them to take off their Platform badges, because this is a citizens' meeting, not a party one!”

-- ŻEBROWSKI SAYS TRZASKOWSKI IS LIKE BERNIE SANDERS: “He says about his friend: a leader, liked by colleagues and teachers, the Polish Bernie Sanders (American left-wing politician), honest and idealistic – he doesn't fight for personal gain, he just wants to change Polish politics and the country. In high school, he organized trips, he knows how to cook. Overly mature, and at the same time crazy. He worked as a waiter in the Old Town, and when Żebrowski didn't have money for a trip, he advised him, among other things, to collect bottles.”

-- FRAGMENT ABOUT A NOTE FROM NIKLEWICZ: “Niklewicz hands Trzaskowski a note with information on what to say. – Read it, does anything here strike you as odd. Trzaskowski says he remembers everything. He pulls out a sandwich. He made it himself.” (...) Niklewicz tells Trzaskowski what to say at the next press conference on security: that he will reorganize the city guard, give raises, and there will be new pedestrian crossings.”

-- ANECDOTE ABOUT TRZASKOWSKI, WHO WAS ALLOWED TO VISIT A CHURCH IN SPAIN: “He replies that he believes in Spinoza's God. That is, he is a pantheist, meaning God is everywhere. He disapproves of how the Church treats partnerships. For Trzaskowski, it's a matter of civil rights, not worldview. However, compared to the Spaniards, he came across as a true Catholic. As a Member of the European Parliament, he visited the conservative city of Burgos, where a procession took place on the feast of Saints Peter and Paul. During the liturgy, led by an Opus Dei prelate, Trzaskowski was the only one to kneel. The Spaniards no longer do this. Thanks to this, he became a favorite of an ultra-conservative priest, and all of Burgos watched on screens how he was being hugged. The next day, he was allowed to visit a church that was only accessible to clergy. One of the monks let him in with the words: 'El Polaco, for you, OK!'”

-- TRZASKOWSKI WATCHED A TRANSMISSION FROM JAKI'S MEETING: “Trzaskowski returns, watches a transmission from Jaki's meeting for a moment. He turns it off, as if not wanting to spoil his mood. We drive to Wola. Two women on a step under a closed shop are drinking beer. They ask what this excursion is. We reply that it's a candidate for president. – What's his name? – Trzaskowski. – I didn't know such a person existed – says one.”

-- WHAT TRZASKOWSKI CARRIES IN HIS BACKPACK: “Rafał Trzaskowski began his tour of 18 districts at 6 a.m. in Ursynów. We get off at the Ursynów station. PO and Nowoczesna activists are waiting at the exit. They have set up a table, coffee in thermoses. It was meant for residents, but activists and journalists are drinking it. – What do you carry in that backpack? – we ask. – Keys, documents, a book. And medication for stomach ulcers.” http://wyborcza.pl/duzyformat/7,127290,23724013,trzaskowski-idzie-w-miasto-a-my-razem-z-nim.html

-- MICHAŁ WRÓBLEWSKI ON TRZASKOWSKI'S REBOOT: “Rafał Trzaskowski's people are waking up from their winter sleep. Admittedly, it's the middle of summer, but early enough to - as the classic says - silence the doubters. Or at least, that's what they believe.” https://opinie.wp.pl/rafal-trzaskowski-maszeruj-albo-gin-6277953476380289a

-- AGATA KONDZIŃSKA ON PIS'S AMBITIONS FOR 5 REGIONAL MARSHAL OFFICES - writes in GW: “- We expect to win four to five regional marshal offices in the autumn local elections - says one of Jarosław Kaczyński's advisors. Today, PiS only governs in Podkarpacie.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,23731691,pis-idzie-po-samorzady-chcemy-zdobyc-cztery-do-pieciu-sejmikow.html

-- WHO IS HAPPY ABOUT ANDRZEJ ROZENKA'S CANDIDACY - Wojciech Karpieszuk in Gazeta Stołeczna: “After the change of the SLD candidate for the president of Warsaw, Patryk Jaki can sleep soundly. Andrzej Rozenek, more dynamic than Celiński, can stir up the campaigns of Trzaskowski and Śpiewak.” http://warszawa.wyborcza.pl/warszawa/7,54420,23732048,wybory-samorzadowe-w-warszawie-kto-sie-cieszy-z-kandydata-andrzeja.html

-- OPERATION SEJM AND HUNDREDS OF PLAINCLOTHES OFFICERS - Bianka Mikołajewska in GW (OKO press investigation): “Hundreds of plainclothes officers, including from the criminal division – who on a daily basis pursue murderers, drug traffickers, and thieves – were deployed for a supposedly solely preventative action. And they were ordered to "supervise" participants of the demonstration, as well as people not participating in the protests. In some cases, it was classic police surveillance – which may only be used against criminals. The officers reported on every step of the "supervised" and "observed" individuals, forcefully seeking threats that would justify their involvement in this strange operation.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,23730733,operacja-sejm-jak-policja-sledzila-manifestantow-pod-sejmem.html

-- WHAT NEXT, CITIZEN? - Jarosław Kurski on GW's front page: “Let the change of the electoral law to favor the large not become a trap for PiS. Let it be a motivation for the democratic camp to unite and utilize the mechanisms that the political mafia, in its unwavering confidence, is preparing for itself. If the democratic camp goes to these elections divided, then all subsequent elections will be meaningless.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,23732928,co-dalej-obywatelu.html

-- RÓŻA THUN ON MARCIN ANTOSIEWICZ'S QUESTION ABOUT WHO SHE WOULD COMPARE KACZYŃSKI TO: “What Kaczyński is doing in Poland now strongly reminds me of the Portuguese dictatorship of António Salazar. Besides, I know that he is very interested in Salazar.”

-- THUN ON KACZYŃSKI AND SALAZAR:“When Jarosław Kaczyński was prime minister, I was the representative of the European Commission in Poland and facilitated all visits of the most important representatives of the European Commission. I remember when Kaczyński met with the head of the European Commission, a Portuguese man, José Manuel Barroso, in Warsaw, who already knew Poland. At first, he was extremely confused because he didn't know which Kaczyński he was meeting, as Jarosław Kaczyński – the prime minister – received him at the Belvedere Palace, and Barroso knew that the Polish president resided there. Well, we enter the Belvedere, Jarosław Kaczyński greets us in the hall with a glass of wine. Beside him, the inseparable Ms. Fotyga and Mr. Starzyk, who we later learned was a secret collaborator of the PRL special services. We stand there, and suddenly Kaczyński starts questioning Barroso about Salazar, not hiding his admiration for the dictator, saying he was such an impressive figure, so effective. And he asks Barroso how Salazar managed to wage war in Africa while having excellent economic results in the country. Kaczyński cited specific data from memory, and Barroso became increasingly embarrassed because he was involved in the opposition and, as a young boy, ended up with the Maoists. I signal to Barroso to calm down, that it's difficult, that he has to listen. Finally, however, Barroso said, 'Excuse me, but I wasn't a supporter of Salazar, and he's not someone whose achievements impress me.'”

-- FRAGMENT OF INTERVIEW WITH THUN ABOUT HER SURNAME: “So, you are Róża Maria Fürstin von Thun und Hohenstein. – Without the first name, without Róża Maria, because there can only be one princess in this family, so just Fürstin von Thun und Hohenstein. Now I am the only Thun princess. (laughs) – And does this have any practical implications for you? – The fact that they slander me in Poland. (laughs)”

http://m.newsweek.pl/polska/polityka/ksiezna-roza-thun-pis-wprowadza-dyktature-w-europie-apeluje-nie-skreslajcie-nas-,artykuly,430506,1.html

-- MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI ON KUCHCIŃSKI'S RECONSTRUCTION GROUP: “The weakness of Marshal Marek Kuchciński for adorning himself with the raiments of the past is puzzling. The more the Sejm resembles a correctional facility, where the opposition is treated like rehabilitated delinquents, the more the principles of parliamentarism are violated (shortening speaking time to 30 seconds or enabling the marshal to financially penalize the opposition), the more evident is the desire to transform the Sejm into a large reconstruction group, intended to help PiS legitimize its power.” http://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/307299953-Szuldrzynski-Sejmowa-grupa-rekonstrukcyjna.html&template=restricted

-- KRZYSZTOF ŚMISZEK ON ADAM LIPIŃSKI - THE SILENT ONE ON EQUALITY - writes in a text for GW: “According to some, it is probably good that he remains silent, because according to party standards of discussion on equality – set by MPs Pawłowicz, Pięta, or Tarczyński – he would have to join the hateful chorus.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,23732279,adam-lipinski-milczek-od-rownosci.html

-- WOJCIECH ORLIŃSKI RECALLS WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SUPREME COURT IN 1990: “However, the Mazowiecki government passed a law in the Sejm that shortened this term. In May 1990, all 109 Supreme Court judges were dismissed. Why is it a scandal today, but not then? Because during the PRL, judges were not irremovable. PRL judges were dismissed in accordance with PRL law. Only their successors were to be irremovable (as it turned out, for only 28 years). Contrary to what "Kaczynski propaganda" claims today, the judges underwent a purge. Only 22 out of 109 were accepted; Professor Łopatka himself was dismissed. He was succeeded by Professor Adam Strzembosz, the first First President of the Supreme Court in free Poland. If anyone believed in Ziemkiewicz's "Michnik-ism," they probably think that "Gazeta Wyborcza" defended PRL judges. I recall that Ziemkiewicz wrote that book based on what he thought he remembered – not on archival research. I recommend the article "Samo-sąd" from May 30, 1990, in which Wanda Falkowska described this purge and justified it by the fact that "some Supreme Court rulings were simply shameful," citing, among other things, the example of a political verdict from June 27, 1988. To summarize, is the Supreme Court post-communist? In a sense, yes. But in the same way that it was post-partition in the Second Polish Republic. And even less so, because there was no purge in 1918.” http://wo.blox.pl/2018/07/Czy-Sad-Najwyzszy-jest-postkomunistyczny.html

-- THE OMINOUS CHARM OF THE FOOTBALL FESTIVAL - BRONISŁAW WILDSTEIN: “It is difficult to find a more telling measure of degradation. Passive entertainment becomes the most important: staring at screens and fixating on who scores a goal against whom. I do not want to dwell on the phenomenon of fan support on this occasion, although the disproportionate emotions associated with it provoke one to perceive it as a substitute activity: life is being displaced by a substitute, and questioned, collective identities flee into substitute and trivial forms. In this case, however, the contrast between the real threat posed by Putin's Russia and the grotesque ecstasy of the "football festival" in this context is something special. The same passions were experienced by the fans of the 1936 Berlin Olympics. And Hitler at that time did not have what Putin has today. Let's put aside the scale of the threat and consider the phenomenon of playing with a bloody bandit. Sporting games are taking place during the aggression that their host is conducting against a neighboring country, and every day during the football carnival, he kills more of its citizens. Our participation in these football games justifies him and makes his task easier. But who would care about that. It's about the charm of kicking a ball, and its value is measured by the number of people experiencing the same emotions. A writer who likes dramatic effects recently said that football is more important than life. Exactly.” https://wpolityce.pl/swiat/405735-zlowieszczy-urok-swieta-pilki

-- RECIPE FOR JAKI'S WATERMELON GAZPACHO: https://wiadomosci.wp.pl/patryk-jaki-gotowal-dla-warszawiakow-znamy-przepis-jego-zony-na-gazpacho-pomidorowo-arbuzowe-6278377561659009a

-- BIRTHDAYS: Tomasz Pańczyk, Marek Materek.