-- SUNDAY MARKS THE 5TH ANNIVERSARY OF TADEUSZ MAZOWIECKI'S DEATH. A mass will be held in his intention at St. Martin's Church on Piwna Street.

-- JAN ŚPIEWAK IS RAISING FUNDS FOR COURT COSTS: “If it’s not going, it’s not going. I am the first person who has just been finally punished for the reprivatization scandal. The matter of clarifying the reprivatization scandal has reached a critical point after the elections in Warsaw. This verdict is a step backward and a harbinger of the lack of accountability and lessons learned from this scandal. Poles, nothing has happened.” https://zrzutka.pl/vnntms?fbclid=IwAR344j0LDsc6h4PwU2fCN1N_Zd_8SeaM8p9YYKXuNH-i9-xO2XW9nBN90zc

-- KRZYSZTOF MAZUR ON HOW LOCAL GOVERNMENTS FAILED: “You are not able to artificially animate civic activity from the top. And you certainly won't achieve it through a civic budget (activism and plebiscite nature), by creating online platforms (or does society really form there?) or by funding additional positions (so-called ‘civic centers’). The only thing you truly can and should do is to ensure space for repeatable, grassroots interactions between people. And it is in this area that, over the last 30 years, you have failed the most. You have not built, together with central-level elites, an effective spatial planning system. You have allowed our cities to sprawl so much that housing estates are being built even in the middle of nowhere. A huge portion of the creative middle class, which should be the driving force of our social initiatives, has ended up in gated communities, without any public infrastructure around. For the next thirty years, their lives will be spent commuting between home, work, their children's school, and their favorite gym in the city. This is good news for the automotive and refining industries. Terrible news for our sense of happiness and interpersonal closeness.” http://opinie.ngo.pl/wiadomosc/2192788.html

-- WITH KURON, POLAND WOULD LOOK DIFFERENT – ANNA BIKONT REMEMBERS JACKA KURONIA – in conversation with Michał Danielewski in GW: “Above all, if Jacek hadn't been ill for the last ten years of his life, if he had continued to be active in politics, Poland's history would look different. He specialized in changing the course of Polish history. So, there wouldn't be two hostile camps, but political opponents, and the left would rule under his banner. We would have a country of social justice, we would lead Europe in the number of refugees accepted, and we would have the best social and educational programs.”

-- BIKONT ON DANIELEWSKI'S QUESTION WHETHER KUROŃ DIED BITTERLY: “Jacek was not a person who looked back. He didn't ponder, didn't dwell on why, what for, or if it was worth going to prison. He thought forward. He wondered why he built capitalism, whether he did well participating in the Balcerowicz reform, but that was much less important than considering how to make the world better and fairer in the future. He was not bitter. That was not his style.” http://wyborcza.pl/magazyn/7,124059,24095137,jacek-kuron-dlaczego-tak-nam-go-brakuje-rozmowa-z-anna.html

-- FRAGMENT OF A BOOK ABOUT KUROŃ: “They took him to the ZOMO headquarters in Gdańsk, brought him down to the basement. He saw the floor covered in sand, a wall with bullet holes, and ZOMO officers standing along the opposite wall in field uniforms with submachine guns slung over their shoulders (other accounts mention handguns and grenade launchers). - To the wall! - someone shouted. Kuroń thought this was the end, and it crossed his mind that blood soaks well into sand. He started to move quickly so as not to get shot in the back, so he could turn around and look them in the face. But he stood there, and nothing happened. Finally, he reached for a cigarette to hide his fear. - I'd have one too - he heard. He understood that an execution was unlikely.” http://wyborcza.pl/magazyn/7,124059,24094496,jacek-kuron-i-stan-wojenny-posadzili-tez-gajke-i-macka.html

-- PIS HAS STALLED A BIT - PIOTR ZAREMBA IN RZ: “Because although there is no defeat, PiS has indeed stalled a bit, considering that these elections were given the nature of a plebiscite. One can, of course, point to the specifics of local government arrangements, where the Peasants' Party always received more than in parliamentary elections. To the fact that committees not participating in national politics (Non-Partisan Local Government Officials, possibly PiS coalition partners here and there) are running in these elections. But the anxiety in Jarosław Kaczyński's eyes indicates that he has not lost his political instinct.”

-- IT'S FUNNY THAT POLITICIANS LIKE TERLECKI, WHO THEMSELVES TEND TO LOWER SUPPORT FOR PIS, ARE TAKING ON ACCOUNTABILITY, REGARDLESS OF WHAT THEY SAY - ZAREMBA FURTHER IN RZ: “Various figures, sometimes interested in weakening the new prime minister (Zbigniew Ziobro), sometimes marginalized after the formation of the new government (Beata Szydło), and sometimes acting on their own impulses (Deputy Speaker Ryszard Terlecki), were ready to hold Morawiecki accountable for promising an increase in voters, which he did not deliver. This is, by the way, amusing, considering that the head of government, who was the face and, to some extent, the martyr of this campaign, traveled primarily to smaller towns, spoke about bringing them up to the level of Poland A, and appeared as an orthodox PiS member in his constant attacks on liberals. It is even more amusing when politicians like Terlecki, who themselves tend to lower the party's support regardless of what they are currently saying, undertake accountability.”

-- ZAREMBA ON RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE REFUGEE SPOT – THE SPIRIT OF A PARTY INCAPABLE OF NUANCE PREVAILS: “Politically, the chief of staff, MEP Tomasz Poręba, is behind all of this. But in reality, the spirit of the entire party, as bureaucratic as it is militant, prevails over it. Incapable of nuance.”

-- MOST PIS OFFICIALS APPEARED HIGHLY UNBELIEVABLE, WILL THEY BE MORE BELIEVABLE NEXT YEAR? - ZAREMBA FURTHER: “Perhaps Małgorzata Wassermann in Krakow or Kacper Płażyński in Gdańsk still retained some charm when they took on the task of crushing various urban lobbies. Most of the PiS officials, weary of power, appeared highly unbelievable in this role. Will they be more credible next year?”

-- SCHEMATIC MILITANCY MOBILIZED THE CITIES - ZAREMBA FURTHER: “It is quite possible that this schematic militancy mobilized a few additional percent of urban voters who, otherwise, would not have gone to the polls or would not have succumbed so readily to the logic of polarization, and thus felt compelled to counter the PiS threat. It is possible that without this circumstance, in several places, starting with Warsaw, the fight for city presidencies would have ended in a second round.”

-- ZAREMBA ON THE CAMPAIGN THAT COULD HAVE HAD GREATER NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE: “I am not at all sure whether reminding about reprivatization swindles did not – in the era of the dominance of national media – have some influence on the mood of all of Poland. But of course, politicians have the right to wonder if it was necessary to illuminate the capital's buildings taken over by the mafia in red.” https://www.rp.pl/Plus-Minus/310259857-Piotr-Zaremba-Szalenstwo-nie-jest-ani-lewicowe-ani-prawicowe.html

-- PRESIDENT ANDRZEJ DUDA ON EUROPEAN COMMUNITY – IN RESPONSE TO PIOTR WITWICKI'S QUESTION IN RZ: “That was a statement taken out of a broader context. A true community must be based on solidarity, mutual respect, respect for national interests, not dictates. If someone imposes a verdict on us and believes we must agree to it, what kind of community is that?”

-- PARADOXICALLY, WESTERN EUROPE IS FOLLOWING THE IDEAS OF THE VISÉGRAD GROUP – SAYS PAD: “We have our proposals. Paradoxically, it is Western Europe that is following the ideas of the Viségrad Group today. This was the case with immigration. Even though for three years they hurled insults at us, calling us anti-European. Today they talk about the priority being to help people as close as possible to their actual place of residence and to strengthen external borders. Today, the EU is saying what we said in 2015, because political correctness has led them astray.”

-- PAD ON THE NOVEMBER 11TH MARCH AS HIS CONVERSATION WITH TUSK AT THE UN: “I would like us to march together in the Independence March, and it is a matter of responsibility towards society. Let's stand side by side and show people that it is possible to be together. It is possible not to quarrel. Just as I sat down with Donald Tusk and did not discuss my stance on the decisions being made in the European Council.”

-- PAD ON WITWICKI'S QUESTION ABOUT HIS OLD IDEA FOR A LAW ON THE STATUS OF THE NEAREST PERSON: “The topic will probably resurface, because there are people interested in it.” https://www.rp.pl/Plus-Minus/310259854-Andrzej-Duda-Pokazmy-Polakom-ze-mozemy-byc-razem.html&template=restricted

-- ZIOBRO HAS UNLEASHED A MECHANISM THAT MAY TRIGGER THE DOWNFALL OF PIS - LUDWIK DORN ON TVN24 MAGAZINE: “Previous accusations by the opposition of the ruling camp's striving for Polexit could have been dismissed by them, as there was no evidence. After Ziobro's motion, it is different. PiS's attempt to declare the treaty contrary to the constitution is a fact, and a significant one. And if the Constitutional Tribunal, controlled by PiS, declares the treaty unconstitutional, then what? Will it not then be necessary to either amend the constitution or leave the Union? Many Poles were seriously frightened and went to the polls. This pro-European increase in turnout resulted in a higher percentage of votes cast in regional assemblies for non-PiS lists (about 1-1.5 percentage points), which cost PiS the loss of an absolute majority in at least the Mazovian assembly and brought victory to Civic Coalition candidates in several metropolises in the first round. The government's step towards Polexit?” https://www.tvn24.pl/magazyn-tvn24/ziobro-zwolnil-mechanizm-ktory-moze-rozpoczac-upadek-pis,181,3097

-- THE CIRCUS ON FREE NOVEMBER 12TH - Piotr Mączyński and Leszek Kostrzewski in GW: “Józef Piłsudski, the father of Polish independence, had a very poor opinion of Polish parliamentarians. He also used to say: 'You should be herding chickens, not doing politics.' This saying perfectly fits the authors of the law concerning November 12th. One of the most important anniversaries for every Pole has been reduced to a circus that divides Poles instead of uniting them. Shame.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,24097010,pis-majstruje-w-kalendarzu-z-wolnym-12-listopada-bedzie-cyrk.html

-- ŁUKASZ ROGOJSZ ON JAKI'S SITUATION: “Theoretically, Jaki's defeat in the capital would offer an opportunity to sideline him or at least significantly marginalize him. However, this is a double-edged sword. Our contacts within PiS admit that Jaki has indeed broadened the party's electorate, and if he had competed against Rafał Trzaskowski nationwide, he would have defeated him. He is therefore an asset for Nowogrodzka and, even despite temporary difficulties, worth keeping, as he will be useful many times in the future.” http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114884,24095137,jest-teraz-kukulczym-jajem-z-ktorym-nikt-nie-wie-co-zrobic.html

-- NEXT YEAR'S CLASHES HAVE NO OBVIOUS WINNER TODAY - JAKUB MAJMUREK: “In summary, neither PiS dealt – as it hoped – a knockout blow to Civic Coalition, nor did KO perform as well as initially thought. The results show that both electoral clashes next year have no obvious winner. Especially since new players will certainly emerge in them.” https://www.newsweek.pl/opinie/to-w-koncu-kto-wygral-te-wybory/34nsqfy

-- MAJMUREK ON 63% OF YOUNG VOTERS WHO DO NOT VOTE: “If there is indeed a war of tribes between PiS and KO in Poland, then the youngest generation is certainly in no hurry to join its trenches. They choose various forms of desertion. 63 percent of the youngest voters, meaning over 3.5 million people, did not go to the polls at all, and almost half of those who did vote did not support either of the two main blocs. Who will manage to reach the youth in the upcoming election marathon is the most exciting political unknown of the next dozen or so months.” https://www.tvn24.pl/magazyn-tvn24/mlodych-nie-obchodzi-wojna-polsko-polska-3-5-miliona-nie-poszlo-na-wybory,181,3106

-- SZYDŁO TRAVELS AROUND POLAND, BUT MOST OFTEN TO HER OWN CONSTITUENCY, FROM WHERE SHE IS SUPPOSED TO RUN FOR THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT - Monika Waluś in GW.

-- CONSTANT LIES AND FABRICATIONS ARE THE DAMAGE MORAWIECKI IS DOING TO POLAND - Witold Gadomski in GW: “In March 2017, the state shipyard Gryfia signed a contract for the design and construction of an ocean-going ferry for the state-owned shipping company Polska Żegluga Bałtycka. Three months later, Mateusz Morawiecki, Joachim Brudziński, and several other PiS politicians laid the famous keel for a modern ferry for PŻB at the Szczecin Industrial Park. To this day, the keel rusts, a symbol of the failure of the 'Morawiecki plan.' Morawiecki's constant lies and fabrications undermine the state's credibility. It will take many years for Poland to be perceived again in the world as a serious and responsible country after PiS is removed from power, and citizens can trust that politicians' words have meaning.” http://wyborcza.pl/magazyn/7,124059,24094246,ekonomista-morawiecki-nikt-nie-opowiada-tak-jak-ty.html

-- RUMORS SERVE TO UNDERCUT MY POSITION - MAŁGORZATA WASSERMANN in conversation with Michał Makowski in WP: “In light of the above, the situation is such that such rumors serve to undermine my electoral position in Krakow, not to help in anything. It is even said that I am a pawn intended to help these elections pass somehow because a great future lies ahead of me. Really, thank you for such concern. Once again, I want to emphasize that I do not lose faith in the possibility of victory, that is my goal, and I ask all voters to mobilize. Because there is something worth fighting for.”

-- I AM NOT EYEING ZIOBRO'S POSITION - WASSERMANN FURTHER: “I would like to emphasize that I have never coveted and do not covet Zbigniew Ziobro's position, but please understand me. You in the media talk as if you know what I think and know my whole life. And I am the one who directs it.” https://opinie.wp.pl/malgorzata-wassermann-nie-czyham-na-stanowisko-zbigniewa-ziobry-ja-walcze-o-krakow-to-moj-cel-6310182548789377a

-- RAFAŁ WOŚ ON THE TREATMENT OF TRADE UNIONISTS - in an article for TP: “I don't want to say that 'it's great, and it will get even better.' On the contrary. The aforementioned cases show how difficult the Polish labor market is for someone ready to defend their rights as an employee. If even in state-owned companies, which should be a model, they face such harassment as in LOT. Let alone in private companies. Where the owner responds to any attempt to publicize the violation of labor rights with impatient 'it's mine, and I can do whatever I want here.' You cannot, dear CEO. Not only in LOT, but in any other company. And we will return to this topic more than once or twice.” https://www.tygodnikpowszechny.pl/prezesie-terrain-ahead-155971

-- MACIEREWICZ'S FATHER COMMITTED SUICIDE TO AVOID INFORMING - FAKT: “The story of the suicidal death of docent Zdzisław Macierewicz (†42), who poisoned himself when his son Antoni was just over a year old, was described by FAKT in April. Now, new, shocking facts about the father of the former Minister of National Defense are coming to light... They are revealed in his latest book, 'Macierewicz. How it happened' by Tomasz Piątek.” https://www.onet.pl/?utm_source=www.fakt.pl_viasg_fakt&utm_medium=referal&utm_campaign=leo_automatic&srcc=ucs&pid=8be5a5a2-7687-5c7f-89f8-d6199e7ca534&sid=f13b499b-dba8-44e4-a9ae-cb9ebb087cc8&utm_v=2

-- BIRTHDAYS: Janusz Korwin-Mikke, Igor Janke, Tomasz Kamiński, SUNDAY: Tadeusz Iwiński, Mieto Strzelecki, Andrzej Piłat.