-- PRIME MINISTER MORAWIECKI AT THE MINE DISASTER SITE AND IN HOSPITAL WITH INJURED MINERS: https://300polityka.pl/live/2018/12/21/

-- THE PRESIDENT DECLARED NATIONAL MOURNING FOR SUNDAY.

-- DANIEL OBAJTEK IN RZ: ORLEN IS A GLOBAL CORPORATION: “We are a global corporation and we must think about our sponsorship activities in this way. We have numerous assets in foreign markets and we want to develop there. Sports marketing also helps to create added value, as it binds customers more strongly to a given brand. Therefore, we treat it as an investment that will bring profit.” https://energia.rp.pl/surowce-i-paliwa/ropa/15048-obajtek-jestesmy-koncernem-globalnym

-- DEPUTY MINISTER JACEK CICHOCKI TO BE AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE - Bartosz T. Wieliński and Roman Imielski in GW: “Cichocki has so far been a Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and had a wide range of responsibilities. He was responsible for relations with Russia, Ukraine and other former USSR countries, as well as for European and security policy. In March, at the peak of the Polish-Israeli conflict over the amendment to the IPN law and the introduction of prison sentences for attributing shared responsibility for the Holocaust to Poles, he headed the negotiating team tasked with resolving this dispute. According to unofficial information, he will soon move to Kyiv. The Polish side has already informed Ukraine that he is a candidate for the new Ambassador of the Republic of Poland. The current ambassador, Jan Piekło, was recalled as of January 31.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75399,24297223,nowy-ambasador-w-kijowie-z-problemami-na-twitterze.html

-- PIOTR SKWIROWSKI IN GW REPORTS ON RENATA HAYDER'S EXPLANATIONS: “I definitely want to emphasize. I did not draft bills. I did not lobby. I did not work for clients. I ceased to practice as a tax advisor and never returned to this profession – Hayder stated firmly on Thursday. (...) – I used my EY mailbox. And that was not the happiest solution – Hayder confessed on Thursday.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,155287,24298976,najbardziej-tajemnicza-bohaterka-afery-vat-przemowila-renata.html

-- MONIKA OLEJNIK ON PAD'S INTERVIEW FOR 300 AND WP - writes in GW: “The President admitted on Wirtualna Polska that the CJEU is overstepping: ‘It is grabbing more and more competencies for itself. This is a serious concern for EU countries. For me, an alarm bell has rung.’ Not a lightbulb? The President is suffering, suffering and pouring out his grievances about the head of the European Council, Donald Tusk. He says that he does not represent Polish interests. The President feels that Tusk does not have respect for our country. The President has forgotten how our country lost the vote for the President of the European Council 27:1. And I wonder if the President would have a chance to become the President of the European Council in the future?” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,24300036,andrzej-duda-przezyl-niezwykle-meczarnie-musial-po-raz-siodmy.html

-- FAKT ON THE PEOPLE'S AMBULANCE SERVICE: “It saves money on medics and drivers, but has plenty for management, which is appointed based on party affiliation. According to our findings, the Provincial Ambulance Service and Sanitary Transport Meditrans SP ZOZ in Warsaw has been almost entirely taken over by the Polish People's Party (PSL). Director Karol Bielski (41) ran in the last local elections on the PSL ticket. Unsuccessfully, but since the Peasants' Party still governs in the regional assembly, he retained a comfortable position in the ambulance service. He earns about PLN 12,000 a month. – Director Bielski says he has no money, but he creates fictitious positions for his colleagues – one of the rescuers is furious.” https://www.fakt.pl/wydarzenia/polityka/ratownicy-maja-grosze-dyrektorzy-z-psl-kokosy/j3e7v0s

-- FAKT ON ORBAN'S RIFT WITH PIS: “First, the Hungarian government decided to buy Caracal helicopters from France. The same ones that PiS – specifically then-Minister of National Defence Antoni Macierewicz – rejected, heavily criticizing them. Now it turns out that the machines we criticized so much, the Hungarians found ideal. Incidentally, the manufacturer Airbus will build a helicopter parts factory on the Danube. It is to be completed by 2021, and 130 people will find employment in the plant. This is to strengthen cooperation between Germany, France, and Hungary. And to think that Poland froze contacts with Germany and France within the Weimar Triangle in favor of the Visegrád Group, of which Hungary is a member.”

-- FAKT ON GERMANY RECEIVING A CONTRACT INSTEAD OF A POLISH COMPANY: “But that's not all! According to Fakt's information, the Hungarians have been negotiating for a year with the Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) for the purchase of Polish Krab self-propelled howitzers. But they left us in the lurch, as they will buy 24 self-propelled howitzers from the Germans. Mourning has set in at PGZ, as they were counting on the lucrative contract.” https://www.fakt.pl/wydarzenia/polityka/wegrzy-kupuja-niemieckie-czolgi-i-francuskie-caracale/9rp9v3m

-- GW ON ANDRZEJ JAWORSKI IN THE POLISH CURLING ASSOCIATION: “Andrzej Jaworski came to the rescue, currently suspended in PiS, but at the time still quite influential, close to Father Rydzyk. A few months after the party won the elections, he resigned from his parliamentary mandate and joined the management of PZU. He worked for a year, earned about PLN 2 million, and left insurance to join the management of PKOL. A few months later, he appeared in yet another management – the National Sugar Company. He became the president of the Polish Curling Association in April this year. – Nothing has changed, just more stooges have been appointed – assesses Walczak.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,154903,24299876,pis-krazy-nad-lodem-bardzo-osobliwy-zakatek-w-polskim-sporcie.html

-- PIOTR PACEWICZ IN OKO.PRESS ON HOW POLLS DO NOT PARTICULARLY PROMOTE ELECTORAL COALITIONS, BUT THE ELECTORAL SYSTEM DOES: “Comparing both variants leads to surprising conclusions:

in both variants, PiS performs the same (a difference of 0.79 percentage points is statistically insignificant);

the “liberal coalition” PO + .N + PSL + Teraz! gathers 0.87 percentage points less than the sum of KO, PSL, and Teraz! running separately (32 percent), so again statistically the same;

SLD in coalition with Partia Razem and Zieloni has the same result as the sum of their individual standings (a difference of 0.15 percentage points);

when wider coalitions are formed, Biedroń loses 0.63 percentage points, which is (statistically) nothing;

Kukiz’15's ratings are identical in both cases (a difference of 0.23 percentage points), as are the ratings of the “brown coalition” Wolność and RN (0.69 percentage points).

As can be seen, forming coalitions does not introduce particular dynamics in electorates; there is no bonus for unification. The political sense of forming coalitions is different: electoral systems – both for the European Parliament and for the Sejm – favor larger parties.” https://oko.press/liberalowie-plus-lewica-i-biedron-wygrywaja-z-pis-ale-nie-odbiora-wladzy/

-- ADAM LESZCZYŃSKI IN OKO.PRESS ASKS QUESTIONS ABOUT PLATFORMA'S "HIGHER WAGES" PROPOSALS: “Many details in the 'Higher Wages' project seem ill-conceived. Will wage subsidies also apply to the self-employed? If not, why should they be discriminated against? It is unclear whether the supplement paid by the state will count towards a pension (will pension contributions be deducted from it?). And finally – let's repeat the fundamental question – why not simply increase the amount exceeding the tax threshold? We did not invent some of these questions ourselves – Jacek Rakowiecki, a journalist and former KOD spokesperson, posed them in his Facebook comment.”

-- LESZCZYŃSKI SKEPTICAL ABOUT PO'S PROPOSALS: “Regardless of the assessment of whether PO's campaign ideas were good, this party governed until 2015 and had the opportunity to implement them. We know what came of it. The only significant exception is the increase of VAT to 23%, a change in the opposite direction of what was promised. A certain justification for those in power at the time – and the opposition today – was the global financial crisis, which made tax cuts very difficult. However, the party has not officially withdrawn from this and similar ideas; it has simply stopped talking about them. We will ensure that a similar curtain of silence is not lowered on the 'Higher Wages' program either. If only the opposition wins the elections in 2019.” https://oko.press/po-doplacac-po-500-zl-do-pensji-oko-press-pytania/

-- PLATFORMA IS STILL THE PARTY OF FAT CATS - JACEK NIZINKIEWICZ IN RZ: “It is evident to the naked eye that after winning the elections in the capital, Platforma has changed its language. Voters may feel cheated, because instead of fulfilling promises the day after victory, they are presented with announcements of increases and conflict.”

-- VOTERS MAY CONSIDER 4 YEARS TOO SHORT A PENANCE FOR PLATFORMA - NIZINKIEWICZ'S CONCLUSION: “PO is convinced that Poles will overlook its mistakes and vote in the autumn to remove PiS from power. However, voters may consider that four years of PO in opposition is too short a penance for a party that disappoints them in local governments, right from the start. PiS will do everything to reinforce this and remain in power for another four years, which Schetyna's party is helping the current rulers with today.” https://www.rp.pl/Analizy/181229905-PO-wciaz-jest-partia-tlustych-kotow.html&template=restricted

-- MORAWIECKI STILL BELIEVES IN MAY BUT NOT AT THE EXPENSE OF COMMON EU INTERESTS - JĘDRZEJ BIELECKI IN RZ: “The head of government wants to save the British Prime Minister. But not at any cost. He will not sacrifice fundamental EU interests.” https://www.rp.pl/Brexit/181229918-Mateusz-Morawiecki-jeszcze-wierzy-w-May.html&template=restricted

-- TOMASZ KRZYŻAK IN RZ ON WAŁĘSA'S CABARET: “Then the Americans – at least that's what they write on their website – will close them for a year. You will, of course, concoct a conspiracy theory of history to this, that this closure is a deal with mysterious people who want to destroy you because they will have time to fabricate more documents against you and throw them into the 'Kiszczak Papers.' You have the right to spin such fantasies. And we should probably have gotten used to the fact that the former president is quite a comedian long ago.” https://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/181229909-Prezydencki-kabaret-w-sprawie-Kiszczak-Papers.html

-- MARK ZUCKERBERG HAS LOST CONTROL OF FACEBOOK - GUY VERHOFSTADT - in Krytyka Polityczna: “Control over the personal data of millions of people and over the flow of information online constitutes an evident and urgent threat to democracy. The assurances of Facebook's management that it will act responsibly have repeatedly proven worthless. We have no reason to trust the company's promises that it will adequately protect our data and fix its own irregularities.” http://krytykapolityczna.pl/swiat/mark-zuckerberg-stracil-kontrole-nad-facebookiem-verhofstadt/

-- WIRTUALNE MEDIA ON THE LOAN FOR FRATRIA TO ACQUIRE ZETKA: “According to unofficial findings by Wirtualnemedia.pl, Fratria has secured financing for the purchase of Eurozet from Czech Media Invest. The group has made such a declaration to the Czech owners of Radio ZET along with confirmation and an offer that is still on the table. According to our information, Bank Pekao SA has agreed to grant Fratria a loan to finance the acquisition of Eurozet. The value of the loan could be around 51 million euros. Does this mean that Fratria has already reached an agreement with the Czechs? According to our information – no. ZPR Media, Agora, and PMPG Polskie Media are still at the negotiating table. – Offers are now being formally compiled, along with financing confirmations. They will be analyzed again by the Czechs – we hear from people familiar with the behind-the-scenes of the negotiations. According to our findings, PMPG Polskie Media has reached an agreement with an investment fund. Agora sought financing from Soros. On the other hand, Zbigniew Benbenek, chairman of the supervisory board, is interested in buying Radio ZET from ZPR Media, and has submitted an offer independently, based on his own resources.” https://m.wirtualnemedia.pl/m/artykul/fratria-kupuje-radio-zet-dostala-kredyt

-- JUST BEFORE CHRISTMAS EVE IN: 1995: Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland, Józef Oleksy, was accused during a speech in the Sejm by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Andrzej Milczanowski, of ties to Russian intelligence. 2000: MPs Halina Nowina Konopka and Witold Tomczak removed a fragment symbolizing a meteorite crushing the figure of Pope John Paul II from an installation by Italian sculptor Maurizio Cattelan at the Zachęta gallery. 2007: Poland joined the Schengen Area.

-- BIRTHDAYS: Emmanuel Macron, Jakub Szulc, Włodzimierz Konarski, Mikheil Saakashvili.