-- IF I WENT TO KO, I WOULD GET A SEAT AND POLAND WOULD GAIN NOTHING - ROBERT BIEDROŃ in an interview with Magdalena Kozioł in Gazeta Wyborcza’s Lower Silesian edition: “Today, people tired of the Polish-Polish war are also looking for it. They want to feel a sense of community in the country. They don’t want politicians in their current form, who speak to them from entrenched positions. If I were to join the Civic Coalition, formed by PO and Nowoczesna, Poland would gain nothing from it. Only I would, because I would get some seat or a good spot on the electoral list. That’s not what I’m after. If we want to get rid of PiS, we have to look at the polls over the last three years. PiS’s ratings keep rising, PO has a glass ceiling above it and is unable to make a move to do something about it. No Biedroń will help that party. I also don’t believe Grzegorz will become a progressive politician and vote for projects like 'Save the Women.' I won't be fooled again, and I hope Poles won't be either.”

-- BIEDROŃ ON CREATING A PROJECT TO HAVE REAL INFLUENCE: “No, I want to win in Poland. That’s why I’m creating this project. To have real influence on nationwide decisions, I have to become Prime Minister. Next autumn, I will field a team that will win the elections.”

-- I WON'T CREATE A NEW PROJECT WITH GRZEGORZ AND KATARZYNA, ONLY BRICK BY BRICK - BIEDROŃ continues: “I won’t write a program in my office. I won’t create a new project with Grzegorz and Katarzyna. By the end of the year, I will visit 40 cities in Poland. Big ones, like Wrocław and Gdańsk, but I will also appear in tiny ones, including Lębork and Czersk. I know what I did in Słupsk, and now I'm listening to the residents to jointly build a new socio-political project with them, 'brick by brick.' In February, I will present it at the founding convention.”

-- BIEDROŃ RESPONDS TO LUBNAUER'S CRITICISM - SPOKEN BY A PARTY LEADER WITHOUT STRUCTURES AND WITH A LOAN: “And she says this as the leader of a party that once created a new party, which today no longer has structures, only a 5 million PLN loan. So she had to latch onto PO... You can't build a democratic society from a position of strength, and no one should dictate which parties should exist and which one a citizen should join. We've lived through times like that before. People must have a choice, which is what the leaders of existing groups fear.” http://wroclaw.wyborcza.pl/wroclaw/7,142076,23916539,biedron-zeby-zmienic-polske-musze-zostac-premierem.html

-- JACEK ŻAKOWSKI ON THE NOMINAL LEFT THAT DOES NOT SEE WORKERS' RIGHTS: “The challenge of ideological clarity is particularly important for left-wing politicians entering a coalition with the democratic right. For this coalition to help democracy, they must convince social voters that they understand and represent them at least as well as PiS and the left-wing parties that are not joining the coalition. Contrary to Nowacka’s thesis, this does not require searching for any 'new values.' It's enough to come down to earth and see that, for example, 'the existence of trade unions, the defense of workers' rights, the eight-hour workday,' etc., are as real in Poland as democracy under PiS. A nominal left that fails to see this will not help Polish democracy, no matter how loudly it proclaims its left-wing credentials.”

-- THE LEFT MUST BE CLEARLY LEFTIST - ŻAKOWSKI continues: “In a united front that will remove the enemies of democracy from power, conservatives must be clearly conservative, liberals must be clearly liberal, and the left must be clearly leftist. A programmatic compromise extending beyond a community of democratic values may be necessary if democrats win and have a chance to form a common government. For now, smoothing over ideological edges helps the enemies of democracy.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,23927966,przypominam-barbarze-nowackiej-tylko-lewicowa-lewica-pomoze.html

-- BIEDROŃ WANTS TO ESCAPE THE ROLE OF A LIBERAL FOOTMAN - RAFAŁ WOŚ in an interview with Agnieszka Wiśniewska, Editor-in-Chief of Krytyka Polityczna: “Let’s trace, using Biedroń as an example, the typical path of a leftist who wants to escape the role of being just a liberal appendage. First, there's an offer of cooperation ('come to us! we're together here, we're similar, unlike those guys'). Barbara Nowacka accepted it. She wasn't the first. I wish her luck, although unfortunately, we know many examples from the past of leftists who took the offer of cooperation from liberals at face value and then dissolved into their program. Biedroń resisted this. The second move is moral blackmail ('whoever is not with us is against us. You have one last chance to change your mind'). The third move is very unpleasant ('it could have been nice, but now it will be unpleasant'). Hence the attack on Biedroń in 'Newsweek,' based on the disgusting association that pedophilia equals gay. When I saw that, I couldn't believe a liberal medium could go that far. And I can't believe that on the left, liberals are still considered the cooler and default partner for a political tango.”

-- THE LEFT SHOULD REMEMBER WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE AN ACTOR - WOŚ continues: “You’re right, I’m generalizing. My text is based on some intuition that the left should finally remember what it's like to be a participant in a real political game. But as with intuition, it's all built more on impression than on certain knowledge.

-- IF THE LEFT WANTS TO BE AN ACTOR, IT WILL HAVE TO ADDRESS PIŚ -- WOŚ continues in KP: “This only pleases me, because earlier young liberal economists spoke about economic 'wosizm' [referencing Woś’s economic views]. A greater role for the state and redistribution. I have many flaws, but perhaps I also have some kind of ear and sensitivity for emerging trends? Although I must say, I didn't expect such a reaction. I wrote a text that seemed obvious to me and went on vacation. I return, and there's a storm. I think now that I've touched a nerve, and treating this tooth will be painful. If the left is to be a political actor, it will have to address PiS. This is a strategic issue.” http://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/rafal-wos-rozmowa/

-- 300LIVE: SASIN AND BIELAN ON THE CRITICISM MORAWIECKI FACED FOR HIS WORDS ABOUT ROADS: https://300polityka.pl/live/2018/09/17

-- GRZEGORZ SCHETYNA CALLS ON DUDA TO SPEAK IN THE USA AS PRESIDENT OF POLAND AND REPRESENTATIVE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION - in an article for GW: “I call on Andrzej Duda to appear in Washington both as the President of Poland and as a representative of the European Union – a community of which Poland, despite the president’s recent harmful words, is a proud member and whose continued existence in good standing is the basis of Polish national interest. Voices from both sides of the Atlantic about the supposedly inevitable divorce of the USA and Europe are dangerous for Poland. Poland will not change its place on the map and will always be part of Europe.”

-- PIS HAS TURNED PARTNERSHIP WITH THE USA INTO ONE-DIMENSIONAL CLIENTELISM - SCHETYNA continues: “For this to happen, the president must try to change the flawed model of Polish-US relations, cultivated for three years. This model, previously based on a productive, albeit asymmetrical, partnership, has been transformed by PiS into one-dimensional clientelism. The current government has unfortunately linked ideological declarations and admiration for the new style of American governance with buying the favor of its leader, generously paying for lobbyists' services and military equipment.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,23927862,grzegorz-schetyna-podrzuca-prezydentowi-sciagawke-przed-jego.html

-- ON THE MATTER OF IMMIGRANTS, THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD SHOW A STRATEGY INSTEAD OF FIRING DEPUTY MINISTERS - Grzegorz Osiecki in DGP: “On vacation, I saw an agritourism farm where Ukrainian women were employed. In the nearby seaside towns, it was evident that without immigrants, half of the fish fry shops, shops, bars, and small stores would come to a standstill. Not to mention what would happen to the entire economy. This shows that there should be no discussion about whether to bring in immigrants. The question can only be about how to manage this process. The government should present a strategy (it was even announced in the Strategy for Responsible Development), instead of firing ministers whose only mistake was a lack of political tact.” http://wiadomosci.dziennik.pl/opinie/artykuly/581290,wiceminister-chorazy-dymisja-imigranci-migracja-rzad-pis-mateusz-morawiecki.html

-- THE SUPREME COURT WILL OPERATE WITHOUT DISRUPTION - Paweł Mucha in DGP: “We know the powers of the presidents of the chambers and we know that these actions are necessary. I am an optimist. I am convinced that the Supreme Court will soon function without disruption. There is one thing I am not sure about – when the new First President of the Supreme Court will be elected.”

-- WITOLD JURASZ WRITES ON ONET THAT THE DISCUSSION ABOUT POLEXIT IS DANGEROUS: “The atmosphere is becoming tense. Pro-government trolls online are creating an atmosphere that what matters to Poles is standing up from their knees, not developing and strengthening the country. The liberal opposition, which could oppose the anti-European paranoia affecting increasingly large masses of PiS supporters, is taking the opportunity to show its superiority, and sometimes even worse, contempt for ordinary people.”

-- JURASZ ON THE DISTURBING LEVEL OF CELEBRITIES: “Celebrities supporting the opposition, whose intellectual level is otherwise alarming, mention every few days on social media, alternating between how Poles are drinking away the 500+ benefit, how it's impossible to find a cleaner, or how there was no privatization scandal in Warsaw at all.”

-- DUDA HAS PROVED TO BE NEITHER A STATESMAN NOR A SERIOUS ACTOR ON THE POLITICAL STAGE - JURASZ continues: “The President of the Republic of Poland has not proven to be a serious actor on the political stage, let alone a statesman whose moderating voice could be counted on, not only in this matter but in any other. Andrzej Duda’s entourage also offers no hope that the presidency will be a factor counteracting Poland’s slide towards Russia. In Europe, it so happens that unless you are Norway or Switzerland, you are either in the EU or in Russia's sphere of influence (alternatively: you are at war with Russia).” https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/tylko-w-onecie/witold-jurasz-polexit-z-przypadku-czyli-o-tym-dlaczego-sytuacja-w-polsce-jest-dzis/db1dswf.amp

-- LET'S IMAGINE POLEXIT - Witold Gadomski in GW: “Polexit would mean not only a dramatic decrease in the flow of foreign investment but also, likely, the withdrawal of investors from some already built plants. Foreign trade, part of which occurs within multinational corporations that have plants in Poland, would shrink. The crisis would also affect small and medium-sized businesses, some of which are subcontractors for exporting companies. The exchange rate of the zloty would collapse, increasing the burden of debt for the state, households, and companies.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,23918054,wyobrazmy-sobie-polexit-co-widac-i-czego-nie-widac.html

-- SŁAWOMIR SIERAKOWSKI ON HOW THE FIGHT AGAINST POPULISTS CAN ONLY BE WON POLITICALLY: “The fight against populists can only be won politically. Law, and even economics (one can always accuse someone of economic problems), let alone the European Union, is not enough. Therefore, information like that about the use of bots to slander opponents in an election campaign is significant only to the extent that it mobilizes one’s own ranks and helps to understand the realities of Polish politics.”

-- KOMOROWSKI, UNLIKE THE PIŚ MACHINATORS, DID NOT ADAPT TO POST-POLITICS - SIERAKOWSKI continues: “Mockery of Komorowski continues to this day. The truth is that Komorowski lost mainly because he was an old-fashioned politician who couldn't promote himself in the era of post-truth and fake news. Unlike the PiS machiavellians, he didn't adapt to the realities of modern post-politics at all. Anyone who sticks to principles will prove incompetent in fighting against deceivers.” https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/tylko-w-onecie/slawomir-sierakowski-wszystkie-boty-prezydenta-andrzej-duda-uzywal-manipulacji/h90hcs9.amp

-- BARTOSZ MARCZUK, DEPUTY MINISTER OF LABOR, ON THE BONUS FOR PENSIONERS - speaks in an interview with Łukasz Kijak on next.gazeta.pl: “It's too early for details. Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński just said exactly that. The fate of pensioners is very important to us, especially those who really have low benefits. However, it is not decided how this would be handled in 2019.”

-- MARCZUK SPEAKS TO KIJKA ABOUT FACTORS INFLUENCING FERTILITY RATES: “Let me remind you what GUS [Central Statistical Office] said regarding the number of births in October 2014. At that time, it predicted that 346,000 children would be born in 2017. 402,000 were born. In 2018, it predicted that 344,000 children would be born, and around 400,000 children will be born. Of course, this is not solely thanks to the 500 plus program. The very good situation on the labor market, wage growth, general sense of security, and other family programs that we are implementing are important. Among them, a very significant expansion of childcare facilities for young children. This is a phenomenal increase in just 3 years, with 70% more childcare places for children up to 3 years old, thanks to our actions. To abstract from the fact that this program contributes to improving the demographic situation is dishonest.” http://next.gazeta.pl/next/7,151003,23918585,jaroslaw-kaczynski-obiecuje-emeryture-500-plus-minister.html#Z_MT

-- TOOLS CREATED BY PIS WILL ONE DAY BE USED BY THE OPPOSITION - STEFAN SĘKOWSKI in an interview with Jakub Bodziony in Kultura Liberalna: “The tools created by the current government will one day be taken over by the current opposition and used to achieve its goals. There is no reason why PO or Nowoczesna, after coming to power, would say: 'Okay, we'll reverse this!' I fear there will be no 'option zero.' PiS showed that one can storm the Constitutional Tribunal and staff it with their people in a way that is doubtfully legal. PO can do the same, and then no cries about breaking the law will help, because the precedent has already occurred. This is as real as the 'Democratic Package' for the opposition announced by PiS – possible, but politically completely unprofitable. Grzegorz Schetyna’s credibility is the same as Jarosław Kaczyński’s.”

-- IT'S A COMEDY-DRAMA THAT PEOPLE SAY COMMUNISTS SHOULD BE DEPRIVED OF POWER - SĘKOWSKI continues: “The slogan of the Fourth Polish Republic has been reduced to the level of primitive slogans. Three years after their victory, PiS MPs are still talking about depriving communists of power in Poland. I have the impression that we are living in a double reality, that we are dealing with some kind of theatrical comedy-drama.” https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2018/09/17/nie-zal-mi-jaroslawa-gowina/

-- PAWEŁ WROŃSKI ON THE DISMISSAL OF GENERALS - writes in GW: “According to the soldiers themselves, Macierewicz was hunting for real and imagined conspirators in the army. The current Minister of National Defence, Mariusz Błaszczak, unsure of his position, is pursuing 'nervous personnel policies,' removing all those who question his competence. However, the most important thing for him is that the dismissals happen quietly, so as not to give the impression that he is not in control of his ministry.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,23928455,jak-minister-mariusz-blaszczak-odwoluje-generalow.html

-- ZBIGNIEW WASSERMANN WOULD HAVE CELEBRATED HIS BIRTHDAY.

-- BIRTHDAYS: Waldemar Andzel, Robert Kozyra, Renata Janik, Sebastian Wierzbicki, Marcin Zydorowicz, Marcin Wrona, Michał Stuligrosz.