-- PRE-CAMPAIGN TO END TUESDAY, OFFICIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN TO BEGIN - 300POLITYKI NEWS: According to 300POLITYKI information, the Prime Minister is expected to call local government elections by Tuesday. Initially, Tuesday, August 14th was considered, but Monday is also a possibility – we hear from our sources in government circles. https://300polityka.pl/news/2018/08/10/najpozniej-we-wtorek-skonczy-sie-prekampania-i-rozpocznie-sie-oficjalna-kampania-wyborcza-news-300polityki/

-- CZARZASTY: 9 MONTHS AGO I DIDN'T KNOW TRZASKOWSKI WAS A BAD CANDIDATE - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2018/08/10/

-- THE OPPOSITION IS IN A STATE OF LETHARGY, NOW FURTHERMORE LOUNGING ON THE BEACH BEYOND A FEW OFF-DUTY POLITICIANS VISITING THE MEDIA - Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz in an interview with Jacek Nizinkiewicz in Rzeczpospolita: “The opposition is still in a state of lethargy. Now, it seems to be lounging on the beach, apart from a few off-duty politicians who visit the media. The opposition is lazy and lacks imagination. This contributes to a lack of initiative. The Supreme Court's questions to the CJEU, or the action of putting 'constitution' t-shirts on monuments, including Winnie the Pooh, are a signal that one can intelligently block and mock PiS's lawlessness. Despite this, the opposition doesn't have to lose any elections. Even the latest major poll forecasting PiS's success in local elections shows that a united opposition, with the participation of PSL and SLD, could win a majority in regional assemblies. The formation of a European Coalition before the EP elections should be considered an obvious necessity. Similarly, before parliamentary elections. This needs to start being created this autumn. If there is enough wisdom, imagination, and realistic restraint of ambitions, success is possible. If, however, it remains as it is, defeat is almost guaranteed.”

-- MEDIA SERVING PROGRAMS FOR IDIOTS DESERVE NO DEFENSE - Cimoszewicz continues to Nizinkiewicz: “If the majority of Poles want authoritarianism or are willing to allow it, then that's what will happen. Without democrats, there is no democracy. However, if the majority does not want this, then media must be defended in various ways. Through protests, subscriptions, etc. However, journalists and managers of media companies also bear significant responsibility. You must perform your work at the highest level. Television stations that, in order to maximize profit, not for financial survival, serve programs for idiots in the vast majority, deserve neither defense nor will they receive it from their audience.”

-- CIMOSZEWICZ ON THE PRIVATIZATION SCANDAL AND MOMENTS OF TRZASKOWSKI'S BRAINLESS BUFFOONERY, FACILITATING JAKI'S SUCCESS: “I hope this won't happen, although the entire scandalous privatization affair and moments of Trzaskowski's brainless buffoonery facilitate it. In Gdańsk, the opposition's situation is uncertain, as is in Wrocław. The opposition still lacks a candidate for President of the Republic of Poland. The presidential elections are still over two years away. There is time. Almost any candidate nominated now would be destroyed in the most indecent way by PiS and this entire media-internet gang, which can even turn the Pope into Lucifer. But next year, this step should be taken.”

-- CIMOSZEWICZ SHARPLY ON THE RAZEM PARTY: “The Razem party does not consist of serious politicians. I observed such things as a student. One could dismiss it if it weren't for the fact that their sectarianism can sometimes greatly harm matters of infinitely greater importance.” https://www.rp.pl/Wywiady-i-rozmowy/180809394-Cimoszewicz-PiS-bedzie-probowalo-zniszczyc-media-prywatne.html

-- GARBAGE IS OVERFLOWING FROM APARTMENT BUILDING TRASH CHUTES, MAYOR: I WOULDN'T CALL IT A CRISIS - TVN WARSAW: “For another day, residents of Mokotów have to deal with waste overflowing from garbage bins. They speak of an unbearable stench and scurrying rats. The district mayor claims that one cannot speak of a 'crisis.' (...) – There has never been such a mess as there is now. I think it will stabilize slowly. For now, it is as it is – summarized Mr. Leszek. The TVN24 reporter heard many similar voices, and a glance at the mountains of garbage proves that the residents are not exaggerating.” https://tvnwarszawa.tvn24.pl/informacje,news,smieci-wylewaja-sie-z-altan-burmistrz-nie-nazwalbym-tego-kryzysem,268356.html

-- MOKOTÓW IS DROWNING IN GARBAGE - headline in Gazeta Wyborcza.

-- SŁAWOMIR MAZUREK, DEPUTY MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT AT A DUMP IN A HOUSING ESTATE IN MOKOTÓW:

https://twitter.com/SlawekMazurek/status/1027814973517570048

-- MICHAŁ WOJTCZUK FROM GAZETA WYBORCZA PRAISES JAKI'S CAMPAIGN: Campaigns are about images. And that's why #100iMyPodBlokiem is a great idea from @PatrykJaki's team, regardless of whether some of the meeting participants are plants. https://twitter.com/MichaWojtcz/status/1027814973517570048

-- WITHOUT YOU, NO MEETING COULD TAKE PLACE - JAKI TO KOD ACTIVISTS - NEWSWEEK REPORTS ON JAKI'S CAMPAIGN - as written by Rafał Gębura: “Patryk Jaki is in an excellent mood. Not even residents standing in the front row in t-shirts saying 'CONSTITUTION' can spoil it for him. – I welcome friends from KOD. Without you, no meeting could take place – jokes the deputy minister. This is another day of the #100iMyPodBlokiem campaign, during which he visits residents of all 18 districts of Warsaw. On Wednesday, residents of Bemowo had a chance to meet the presidential candidate. (...) Senior women sitting on a neighborhood bench are delighted. – Has anyone from the government ever come here to you? – one of the deputy minister's assistants asks the seniors. – I've lived here for over 30 years and never – she admits. – We will definitely vote for you! – she says to the deputy minister. He thanks them, wishes them all the best, and moves on.” http://m.newsweek.pl/polska/polityka/patryk-jaki-na-spotkaniu-z-mieszkancami,artykuly,431262,1.html

-- A SCENE FROM A GAZETA WYBORCZA REPORT ON JAKI'S VISITS TO HOUSING ESTATES: “Jaki wanders around a deserted market. He enters the few open kiosks. – Perhaps an apple? – he smiles at an Asian manicurist at the Nails salon. At another stall, a saleswoman complains that no one knows what will happen to the market. Traders are negotiating contracts with the district office. Jaki consoles them: – I will do everything for you to stay. We will end the rule of developers.”

-- AN APPLE FOR THE LADIES - GW CONTINUES ON JAKI'S CAMPAIGN MACHINE: “On the tram, on the bus, in the metro, Jaki tirelessly distributes apples. Some accept the fruit, but passengers are generally not talkative. Older residents are more willing to engage in conversation. – Oh, I saw you on Powązki. With that other MP, you know, Krajewski. He's also my favorite, I vote for him. I wish you victory – says a woman waiting for a bus at a stop.

Her friend: – And may Trzaskowski be struck by lightning.

Kiss, kiss on the hands. An apple for the ladies. A photo. And the candidate moves on. And very soon on Twitter, you can watch a video starring the elderly ladies.” http://warszawa.wyborcza.pl/warszawa/7,54420,2377070,jaki-idzie-w-miasto-z-akcja-100imypodblokiem-rozdaje-jablka.html?disableRedirects=true

-- DUDA'S VETO INCREASINGLY LIKELY - Agata Kondzińska and Paweł Wroński in GW: “Currently, there was a fear within PiS that a similar maneuver – an attempt to run separately in the European Parliament elections – might be attempted by a group of PiS politicians associated with Radio Maryja, who were dismissed from ministerial posts in December, led by Jan Szyszko and Antoni Macierewicz. However, the recent reconciliation with Macierewicz, symbolized by the dismissal of President Arkadiusz Siwka from the position of CEO of Energa (Siwko, a former close associate of Macierewicz as head of the Polish Armaments Group, opposed the appointment of Bartłomiej Misiewicz to the concern), and then the President's participation in the lavish 70th birthday of the former minister, has averted this threat.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,23770084,duda-przygotowuje-sie-do-weta-w-poniedzialek-spotkanie-w-sprawie.html

-- DUDA MERELY MIMICS PiS'S MARCHING STEP - Rafał Zakrzewski in GW:“Andrzej Duda has accustomed us that from time to time he deviates from PiS's marching step. After a moment, however, everything returns to normal, the president aligns with the ranks, and the direction of the ruling camp's march remains unchanged. This is also the case now.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,23771597,weto-w-sprawie-ordynacji-nie-zmienia-tego-ze-w-politycznych.html

-- THE MATTER OF THE ELECTORAL ORDINANCE IS NOT TRIVIAL - Jacek Karnowski:“Viktor Orbán's optimism is undoubtedly exaggerated and politically motivated; removing the '68 elite is not a matter of a single election. But he is right that next year's vote presents an opportunity for significant change. Parties that 5 years ago did not play such a significant role in Italy, Sweden, Germany, and Austria will enter the EP for the first time or significantly strengthen their position. The right will certainly be stronger, as will the liberals. Christian Democrats and Social Democrats will weaken. It is possible that a constellation will emerge where the votes of Polish MEPs will decide who takes up key positions and what the landscape will look like for the next 5 years. This also creates the context in which President Andrzej Duda makes a decision about the fate of the electoral ordinance for the EP, which strengthens the strongest parties.” https://wpolityce.pl/m/polityka/407262-sprawa-nowej-ordynacji-do-europarlamentu-nie-jest-blaha

-- MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI ON HOW DUDA'S VETO FOR THE ORDINANCE COULD ALSO HAVE POSITIVES FOR PiS: “However, the president's rejection of the new ordinance will also have certain advantages for PiS. Firstly, the ordinance would force close cooperation of the entire opposition, from PSL, through PO, Nowoczesna, to SLD, which might not necessarily be beneficial for PiS. Secondly, the veto announced by the president would be a signal sent to the centrist electorate. Similar to last year, after Duda rejected the laws on the Supreme Court and the National Council of the Judiciary, a large part of voters breathed a sigh of relief, thinking: 'Well, maybe this PiS isn't so bad, maybe they sometimes go too far, but there's Duda, who will act as a safety valve and veto overly radical ideas.'”

-- SZUŁDRZYŃSKI ON DUDA NEEDING THE VOTES OF THE SMALL RIGHT-WING - “Duda, to win a year later, needs over 50% of the votes. Voters of smaller parties – for example, Kukiz, Korwin-Mikke, or nationalists – may repay him for this veto in the second round in two years.” https://www.rp.pl/Polityka/180809411-Szuldrzynski-o-wecie-prezydenta-To-byloby-na-reke-i-Dudzie-i-PiS.html&template=restricted

-- THE SUPREME COURT HAS CREATED A PATH TO SERIOUS STATE ANARCHIZATION - Bartłomiej Radziejowski in Nowa Konfederacja: “Thus, the Supreme Court, with its resolution, has opened the way to serious anarchization of the state and law. Returning to the initial metaphor, this would no longer be a dragon merely awakened, but one sowing devastation in the country. In light of this, the recklessness of the decision itself pales: judging one's own case, applying interim measures and a whole series of other problems. It can be assumed that such an instrumentalization of law is justified in the face of the threat of systemic subordination of the judiciary to the ruling majority. However, systemic side effects remain, which a statesman cannot dismiss with a simple 'anything, as long as it's not PiS.' This is also because they may outlast the current government.”

-- THE VISION OF TRANSFORMING THE SUPREME COURT INTO A PARTY MACHINE IS ABSURD - writes Radziejowski:“The Supreme Court, with its August resolution, has hindered the final phase of preparing tools for this purpose by blocking the removal of the First President of this body and a small minority of thirteen other judges. The first issue is more significant. Anti-government hysterics will say that it prevents PiS from falsifying elections. But would a party with such a weak position among elites and so strong among the people even be inclined to do so? Would it be organizationally capable of it? I dare to doubt. Added to this is the question of whether PiS is capable of effectively controlling the majority, i.e., more than 60 Supreme Court judges. In the Constitutional Tribunal, uncertainty regarding the proceedings of several of its own appointees has led it to operate practically as a two-person entity (Przyłębska and Muszyński). Therefore, the forecast of transforming the Supreme Court into a party machine appears to be at least questionable, if not absurd.”

-- THE SUPREME COURT'S RESOLUTION IS INEXPLICABLE TO THE CITIZEN - Radziejowski continues:“The August resolution itself is inexplicable to the ordinary citizen. For supporters of 'plowing up the caste,' it is another proof of its self-will. For 'defenders of democracy,' it is the salvation of the last bastion of the rule of law. It is unlikely to overthrow PiS or reverse the changes in the courts.”

-- THE CONFLICT WITH JUDGES IS POLITICALLY CONVENIENT - Radziejowski continues:“But there is also the other side of the coin: the conflict with judges is very politically convenient for the head of PiS: it maintains the invaluable polarization, covers up the immensity of incompetence, lack of skill, and corruption-proneness, allows him to play the role of a determined strongman against the dismal reality of these governments, rallies the ranks of the formation, and disorganizes the opponent. In essence, the 'extraordinary caste' has perfectly replaced Adam Michnik's circle in the role of the main public enemy and, simultaneously, a functional ally, justifying the purpose of Kaczyński's rule in the eyes of his voters. To quote a classic: if it didn't exist, the head of PiS would have to invent it. From this perspective, isn't it better for the rulers that President Gersdorf, along with the majority of former Supreme Court judges, remains in office?” https://nowakonfederacja.pl/wielkie-ryzyka-wygranej-sadu-najwyzszego/

-- SLD IN NEW GUISE IS SIMPLY UNBELIEVABLE - Jakub Bodziony in Kultura Liberalna: “SLD is diligently trying to shed the image of an older generation post-communist party – it shows up at Pride Parades, fields Andrzej Rozenek in the Warsaw elections, and announces progressive social solutions. Despite this, the Alliance has and will have problems with young voters. Not because of its PZPR roots, as that is less important to my generation. But because in its new guise, it is simply unbelievable. I have no intention of voting for SLD. The post-communist rust, time and again, peeks through the progressive varnish of the new Alliance. A comical illustration of this was Leszek Miller's recent reaction to his granddaughter's public statements admitting she is bisexual. 'Monika is a n o r m a l [emphasis – JB], heterosexual woman,' replied the former prime minister and dean of the Alliance, also publicly.”

-- IF RAZEM AND SLD DON'T WARM UP RELATIONS... - Bodziony's conclusion in KL: “Young people won't follow Czarzasty because they won't believe him, and Razem won't win over older left-wing voters. If both groups don't warm up relations, left-wing voters will only face more noble defeats.” https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2018/08/08/bodziony-zandberg-sld-czarzasty-mlodzi-wyborcy/

-- TOMASZ SAKIEWICZ WRITES IN GPC ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES OF RUCH'S POOR CONDITION: “Ruch's weak condition could lead to a further 30% reduction in press sales. Most Polish publishers will not survive this. German ones, with access to international media houses and credit lines, are just rubbing their hands. They will survive the apocalypse and take over the entire market. The state will be able to de-center the market at will, where they will reign supreme. They have already negotiated better margins and faster payment terms at Ruch.”

-- SAKIEWICZ OUTLINES HIS PLAN FOR A NATIONAL PRESS OPERATOR: “Action needs to be taken based on the current Ruch, which is indebted to a state-dependent bank. First, a financial investor is needed to sort out the situation (it could be PFR), and then an industry investor. In Poland, as an industry press distributor, Orlen, Poczta Polska, or one of the private distributors are options. This could happen with the participation of publishers. Creating a national operator would provide an opportunity to rebuild sales of newspapers, but also books, films, and music. Kiosks in provincial areas could offer Wi-Fi access or even sell electricity for vehicles. A large sales network with state participation also offers the possibility of assisting the population in case of disasters or war. It can be turned into a business, but first, support must be provided. Action must be taken very quickly; in fact, there is no time left.” https://gpcodziennie.pl/95865-dobrazmianaaprasapada.html

-- BIRTHDAYS: Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (turning 37), Jan Cieński.