-- PROTASIEWICZ ON THE VARIANT OF TUSK'S EARLIER RETURN - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2019/01/07

-- PIS IS SLIGHTLY GROWING, BUT CIVIC COALITION DROPS A TOTAL OF 8 POINTS - RZ POLL: “Law and Justice has 39.1 percent in the IBRiS poll from January 3-4. This is 1.9 percentage points more than in the December 7-8 poll. PO now has 26.3 percent. In December, Grzegorz Schetyna's party could count on 31.3 percent, which means a drop of 5 percentage points. Nowoczesna is also losing. Instead of 4.0 percent, it now has 0.9 percent. Thus, the entire former Civic Coalition has lost 8 percentage points of support.” https://www.rp.pl/Polityka/190109633-Sondaz-PiS-wciaz-ma-sie-niezle.html&template=restricted

-- THE MINISTER'S LOOSE TONGUE - DGP'S LEAD STORY ON SIKORSKI - as written by Zbigniew Parafianowicz: “Radosław Sikorski shared knowledge on sensitive state matters with the world. Without restraint. He points out where the CIA had its interrogation center. He returns to the proposal of partitioning Ukraine, which Vladimir Putin made to Donald Tusk. He speculates about diplomats having double jobs. No Polish official has gone this far before.”

-- ABOUT THE POLITICIAN WHO IS EITHER A MYTHOMANIAC OR BETRAYING STATE SECRETS - PARAFIA NOWICZ ON SIKORSKI: “It is highly probable that Radosław Sikorski belongs to a narrow circle of the most talented Polish politicians. His reportorial talent, which manifested itself in the excellent 'Holy Ashes,' describing the author's journey to Herat during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, rivals writers like Józef Mackiewicz in 'Kontra' or 'Lewa wolna.' It's the same surgical style and precision. However, the reader's satisfaction is one thing, and the awareness of the consequences of matters revealed from the position of a former minister (assuming, of course, that they are true) is another. It is not impossible that a politician from a superpower can afford such a move. For excessive honesty, former US presidents' collaborators may pay at most. When revealing the behind-the-scenes of our diplomacy, the Polish state's account will be debited.” https://wiadomosci.dziennik.pl/polityka/artykuly/588610,radoslaw-sikorski-wiezienia-cia-tusk-putin-rozbior-ukrainy-nord-stream-2.html

-- KOMOROWSKI AND KOPACZ ARE RIVALING FOR THE TOP SPOT IN WARSAW - MAGDALENA RUBAJ IN FAKT: “Grzegorz Schetyna (56) would prefer the former president on his list, but he fears that if he includes him, Kopacz will start talking in the media about what's happening in Platform. Negotiations began right after New Year's. And they concerned the arrangements on the election lists. The most important issues were filling the 'ones' and 'twos' for the European Parliament in this arrangement of combined forces. And, as it turned out, the biggest problem is with Platform filling the 'number one' spot in the capital. A stalemate continues because neither Kopacz nor Komorowski intends to back down, as both are determined to run from Warsaw. And the arrangements in other districts depend on this.” https://www.fakt.pl/wydarzenia/polityka/komorowski-i-kopacz-walcza-o-jedynke-w-warszawie/483heke

-- THEY'VE BARELY STARTED WORKING AND ALREADY HAVE THIRTEENTHS - FAKT: “Payments of 'thirteenth salaries' for employees in the public and local government sectors have begun. This year, the payments will be record-breaking and could amount to as much as PLN 6.5 billion. Interestingly, village administrators, mayors, city presidents, and regional marshals, who haven't even had time to work much because they only started their term a month and a half ago, will also receive extra money!” https://www.fakt.pl/wydarzenia/polityka/trzynastki-dla-wojtow-burmistrzow-i-prezydentow/6sgbx0n

-- SŁAWOMIR SIERAKOWSKI ON HOW PIS IS CRASHING AGAINST EUROPE - writes in Onet: “The entire Polish foreign policy rests on this same contradiction. The more 'hurrah patriotism' from the Kaczyńskis, Morawieckis, Andruszkiewiczs, the weaker Poland becomes. The more offended allies there are, the worse it is for our defense. The more often government representatives come up with ideas like asking German politicians what they think about the fact that the former or current opposition in Poland are German proxies, the more often Poland will evoke pity instead of the longed-for admiration. The only consolation is that all these initiatives are leading Law and Justice towards the European elections. A moderate voter, whom PiS has decided to win back, has surely missed Antoni Macierewicz, cannot be happy with the nationalist Andruszkiewicz in the government, will gladly welcome the neo-fascist Matteo Salvini, and will send a Chechen dissident to be tortured in Moscow. And in their free time, they will check with Minister Czaputowicz which Polish politicians are German and what the Germans themselves think about it. And if they don't choke with embarrassment, in May they will show our leaders the 'beating heart of Europe'.” https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/opinie/sierakowski-pis-rozbija-sie-o-ue-opinia/1npf8yz

-- PIOTR PACEWICZ ON HOW ANDRUSZKIEWICZ'S NOMINATION WAS MEANT TO SHOW THAT A FASCIST ANTI-EUROPEAN HAS A PLACE IN PIS AND DOESN'T NEED TO LOOK FOR OTHER FORMATIONS: “Prime Minister's Chancellery Chief Michał Dworczyk also picked up on the theme of broadening horizons: 'I am glad that PiS is an attractive enough political formation that it attracts other politicians to cooperate.' This means he is to be for contacts with others, not MPs. He is to be living proof that any energetic xenophobe and fascist anti-European can find their place in PiS. They don't need to look elsewhere, which is significant before the elections.” https://oko.press/andruszkiewicz-nadaje-sie-do-kontaktow-z-parlamentem-chyba-jako-straszak/

-- TOMASZ SAWCZUK ON KOSINIAK'S POPULARITY VERSUS THE UNPOPULARITY OF SCHETYNA AND LUBNAUER - writes in Kultura Liberalna: “Do these polls offer any conclusions for our politics? At first glance, it's clear that Schetyna and Lubnauer performed very poorly. They are, after all, the leaders of their parties. Schetyna aspires to set the tone for the entire opposition camp. And yet, it seems that even supporters of their own groups would prefer other politicians for the role of prime minister. One might also consider that this is not the end of Schetyna's troubles. According to another poll, commissioned by OKO.press in 2017, Platform voters would prefer three other politicians to lead the party: Rafał Trzaskowski, Ewa Kopacz, and Borys Budka. Recently, the results of new CBOS polls on trust in politicians were published. Grzegorz Schetyna ranks first in the category of politicians who inspire the least trust, alongside Jarosław Kaczyński. In this situation, it is not surprising that Kosiniak-Kamysz recently declared on Polsat News his support for building a 'broad bloc for the European elections from various political formations, from PO, through PSL, Nowoczesna, SLD, and other formations.' It might seem that he is an excellent candidate to be a leading player in such a coalition.”

-- SAWCZUK DEMYTHOLOGIZES SUPPORT FOR KOSINIAK - PERHAPS POLES LIKE POLITICIANS WHO BEHAVE DECENTLY AND ARE LIKEABLE, AND THEN STILL VOTE FOR PIS OR PO: “Furthermore, in the aforementioned CBOS poll, 18 percent of respondents expressed indifference towards the leader of PSL, and 33 percent of those answering the question stated that they didn't know who Kosiniak-Kamysz was. Therefore, it can be assumed that voters' answers to the question about a potential opposition prime minister do not directly concern the leader of PSL. Perhaps in their declarations, Poles simply prefer politicians who behave decently, are rather calm, evoke positive emotions, or at least don't annoy – and want to be likeable rather than combative. And then they still vote for PiS or Platform.” https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2019/01/07/sawczuk-kosiniak-kamysz-lider-zjednoczona-opozycja/

-- FOR RELIGION LESSONS, BOTH THE CHURCH AND THE STATE SHOULD PAY - DOMINIKA WIELOWIEYSKA IN GW: “Left-wing and liberal formations – at least in their declarations – are not radical on this issue, as they do not demand, for example, the removal of religion from schools. The reason is simple. A poll published by 'Wyborcza' last September showed that almost half of Poles are in favor of keeping religion classes in school, and a smaller portion – 39 percent – want to remove them. Many years ago, the SLD realized that the slogan of expelling religion from school was not popular. The SLD electorate – like most parents – prefers religion to be in school because it is more convenient for them. Taking children to catechism rooms seems like an additional complication to them, and they would like to send them for their first communion without unnecessary logistical troubles.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,159535,24337567,za-lekcje-religii-powinny-placic-i-kosciol-i-panstwo.html

-- I LOOK AT CZAPUTOWICZ AND IT'S A SAD SIGHT - JACEK ŻAKOWSKI: “Jacek Czaputowicz knows perfectly well that 'Poland' and 'government' are not the same, just as 'candidate' is not 'representative.' But he substitutes words to present a party conflict as an identity conflict and to portray a political rival as an enemy of Poland. This is not only a deceitful but also a disgraceful manipulation – harking back to the worst anti-democratic traditions. I am very sorry that Jacek Czaputowicz has stooped to this level.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,24337063,tusk-niemieckim-kandydatem-patrze-na-czaputowicza-i-smutny.html

-- BUDGET SURPLUS IN THIS ECONOMIC SITUATION IS NOTHING SPECIAL - PAWEŁ ROŻYŃSKI IN RZ: “Of course, the good condition of public finances should be celebrated, but let's add some grit to this honey. Achieving a budget surplus with such high economic growth, resulting from the global economic situation and the influx of substantial EU funds, is nothing special. What's more, roughly half of the EU countries are already deficit-free. Everyone realizes that lean years will follow fat years, and one must prepare a cushion, reduce debts, so that they can be slightly increased in case of an economic downturn, without risking a violation of EU criteria.” https://www.rp.pl/Blogi/301069945-Czas-zerwac-z-kultura-deficytu.html&template=restricted

-- CLEAN AIR ONLY ON PAPER - DOMINIKA WANTUCH ON GW'S FRONT PAGE: “Representatives of the European Commission and the World Bank come for meetings with government representatives every few weeks. And they have already announced that while they want to support the 'Clean Air' program, Poland should not count on subsidies for modern coal boilers. This is inconsistent with EU policy, which aims to completely phase out fossil fuels, and with the EU directive on the energy performance of buildings, which assumes that by 2050, no house in Europe should draw energy from them.”

-- AS PIOTR WOŹNY EXPLAINS IN A GW ARTICLE: “During the initial talks, we received clear information from the European Commission that in the next financial perspective, the European Union does not intend to finance and subsidize the replacement of household boilers with those that will use fossil fuels, meaning both coal and gas – admits Piotr Woźny, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki's plenipotentiary for the 'Clean Air' program, in an interview with 'Wyborcza'.”

-- BIRTHDAYS: Magdalena Środa, Halina Flis-Kuczyńska, Janusz Cichoń, Tomasz Garbowski.