-- PIOTR ZAREMBA REMEMBERS THE LATE PRIME MINISTER JAN OLSZEWSKI: “I dedicated my novel ‘Scars’ to Jan Olszewski. Why? Because in 2017 and 2018, I had several harrowing conversations with him about the early post-war years. I sometimes criticized him as a politician in the Third Polish Republic, and now he has become very dear to me. He was active in Mikołajczyk’s PSL youth wing. His closest school friend, Józek Łukaszewicz, was expelled from high school for this activity. In 1948, he went into hiding in the woods. He was caught after a few months, and in 1949, after torture and a trial, he was sentenced to death and executed. After 70 years, the Prime Minister, lawyer, and opposition activist’s voice broke as he remembered his friend. This shaped him. It is worth mentioning that he himself had urged Józef not to go into the woods. He believed one should wait for the next war, but after the opposition lost the elections, when it became clear that England and the USA would not help, there was no point in shedding blood in vain. This is an important contribution to the discussion about those times. At the same time, he always believed in a free Poland and sought paths to it: as a journalist for ‘Po Prostu,’ a participant in the ‘Krzywe Koło’ Club, a defense lawyer in political trials, a participant in the Polish Independence Agreement, an expert for ‘Solidarność,’ and after 1989, a politician of the Polish right. I could not find my most shocking interview with him – for the weekly ‘Sieci’ – online. I am attaching an interview from less than a year ago for ‘Polski Times,’ on the occasion of the Cursed Soldiers Day. I still remember his voice when he recalled his friend. He represented an important Polish tradition of independence socialism, but also recalled that after the war, people fought for Poland within the framework of so-called civil resistance, precisely within the PSL.”

-- WORDS OF KACZYŃSKI, DUDA, MORAWIECKI, TUSK AFTER THE DEATH OF PRIME MINISTER OLSZEWSKI: https://300polityka.pl/live/2019/02/08/

-- RZ ON HOW LUKASHENKO IS SENDING HIS MOST TRUSTED MAN TO POLAND: “The President of Belarus, who has been in power for a quarter of a century, has delegated one of his most trusted men to Poland. On Monday, he will arrive in Poland as the chairman of the upper chamber of the Belarusian parliament at the invitation of Senate Marshal Stanisław Karczewski. He will have a very busy schedule. He will meet with, among others, the President, Prime Minister, Head of Diplomacy, and the Marshals of the Sejm and Senate.” https://www.rp.pl/Polityka/190209440-Bialorus-Polska-Warszawa-wysyla-sygnal-Lukaszence.html&template=restricted

-- POLES ARE MORE PROGRESSIVE THAN POLITICIANS THINK – JAN ŚPIEWAK IN CONVERSATION WITH AGATON KOZIŃSKI IN PTT: “But the polls show that tens of percent of Poles are in favor of easing the current abortion law. Poles are much more liberal and progressive than politicians think today.

-- ŚPIEWAK ON HOW NOWACZYK MISLED PEOPLE: “There were many moments when Nowaczyk did not tell the truth. It is worth remembering that we are talking about a person who is the main defendant in the reprivatization scandal. He spent three years in custody, and at one point it seemed he was cooperating with the prosecution – although I don’t know how that cooperation actually looked.”

-- WE HAVE ACCEPTED THE FACT THAT WE LIVE IN A STATE WHERE SCANDALS LEAD TO NOTHING – ŚPIEWAK CONTINUES:“It is strange, however, that almost nothing has been established – neither in the case of Jolanta Brzeska, nor in any of the hundreds of cases that made up the reprivatization scandal. The slogan ‘Poles, nothing has happened’ still holds. It's a separate matter that the local government elections showed that we have accepted the fact that we live in a state where scandals regularly erupt, leading to nothing.” https://polskatimes.pl/jan-spiewak-o-partiach-wiosna-roberta-biedronia-i-razem-wiezowcu-kaczynskiego-przy-srebrnej-aferze-reprywatyzacyjnej-i-wyborach/ar/13872549#opinie

-- BIEDROŃ COULD TAKE VOTERS FROM PIS – SŁAWOMIR SIERAKOWSKI IN CONVERSATION WITH ALEKSANDRA PAWLICKA: “There is a widespread belief that Biedroń will take votes from Platforma, but as far as I know, around Robert there are many ‘Biedroń loyalists,’ and I say this with full sympathy for the older ladies and gentlemen who come to meetings with Biedroń and fall under his charm. These are people who are often much more politically aware than young voters. Robert is touring cities and towns, so I hope that among his supporters there will also be people who have so far succumbed to Kaczyński’s charm. Some voters, after what they have seen now in Gdańsk or heard on the tapes, will be looking for alternatives to Kaczyński. Perhaps Biedroń will manage to reach these people with his social program? That would be the best scenario.” https://www.newsweek.pl/polska/polityka/eurowybory-sa-kluczowe-jesli-opozycja-je-wygra-zlamie-hegemonie-pis/9fe6vj7

-- PIS COULD LOSE 2-3 PCT. POINTS NEEDED TO GOVERN – KRZYSZTOF ŁAPIŃSKI IN CONVERSATION WITH AGATON KOZIŃSKI IN PTT: “With small differences, a few percentage points can be decisive, how many groups enter the Sejm, and finally the system of converting votes into mandates. Therefore, in an election year, one cannot underestimate even matters on which one can lose 2-3 points. Because this can determine who will rule.”

-- THE ELECTION CALENDAR FAVORS BIEDROŃ – ŁAPIŃSKI CONTINUES:“The election calendar is favorable for him, first the easier European Parliament elections, then the national ones. The question is whether Robert Biedroń will manage to capitalize on the opportunities ahead of him. I estimate his potential at 10-12 percent of the votes, which is the ceiling that new movements in Poland do not exceed in elections, even if they have more in the polls at the beginning.” https://plus.polskatimes.pl/krzysztof-lapinski-sprawa-wokol-spolki-srebrna-moze-rozstrzygnac-o-tym-kto-bedzie-rzadzil/ar/13872551

-- BIEDROŃ’S PARTY IS A TORPEDO AIMED AT THE HEART OF PLATFORMA – DR RAFAŁ CHWEDORUK IN RZ: “Biedroń’s party is a torpedo aimed at the heart of PO. Not at the fringes of the electorate, but at the most liberal voters who have moved from PO to Nowoczesna and back in recent campaigns. This is the electorate most inclined to accept moral revolution, and at the same time strongly market-oriented. Nowoczesna and Razem are effectively no longer in big politics, while SLD can sleep soundly, the Polish leftist voter has not yet heard key messages from Biedroń. Referring to already forgotten concepts, this is to be the Spring of the lemmings. Incantations about attracting non-voters are routine in Polish politics. Such potential voters are far from Spring’s avant-garde views on many issues.” https://www.rp.pl/Polityka/302079901-Prof-Chwedoruk-Czas-na-Wiosne-lemingow.html&template=restricted

-- WITHOUT A STRONG WIOSNA, PIS WILL RULE POLAND LONGER – MAREK BEYLIN IN GW: “Biedroń can also consolidate the electorates of the fragmented left. This is also a percentage that will not be wasted in elections. And he is able to mobilize some of those who have not voted so far. And by injecting fresh energy into politics, he makes it easier to mobilize various pro-democratic electorates. Therefore, the presence of Wiosna is worth those few percent less for KO. However, for the Civic Coalition and Wiosna to form a governing alliance in the future Sejm, a kind of ‘Democratic Agreement,’ politicians from both formations must do a lot of hard work. Because today’s situation, although quite optimistic, is only the beginning of the beginning.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,24439820,bez-silnej-wiosny-biedronia-pis-porzadzi-w-polsce-dluzej.html

-- ALEKSANDER HALL ON BIEDROŃ PROVOKING A WAR – WRITES IN RZ: “Therefore, he should not tell fairy tales about rebuilding the community of Poles, but honestly say that he is going to war not only with the Church but with a large part of Polish society. He should also not present himself as a defender of the constitution, as his vision of relations between the state and the Church, as well as marriage, is evidently inconsistent with the Polish constitution.” https://www.rp.pl/Publicystyka/190209450-Robert-Biedron-prowadzi-do-wojny.html&template=restricted

-- FAKT CHANGES THE NARRATIVE ON THE SREBRNA TAPES – WHO ARE YOU, MR. BIRGFELLNER – ON JEDYNKA: “It is high time for Gerald Birgfellner to reveal himself, speak out, and clarify all the ambiguities arising in the ‘Kaczyński tapes’ case. Since he has decided to wage a dispute in the media and not in court, he should lay all his cards on the table. The matter is becoming increasingly convoluted, and yet it concerns the ruling party and has a huge impact on how power operates.”

-- FAKT’S QUESTIONS REGARDING THE AUSTRIAN: “1. The invoice was issued by Nuneaton Ltd., although on the tapes the Austrian said that all work was done through his company K-Towers (current name AREION). 2. Gerald Birgfellner was not registered by the KRS (registry body – ed.) as the owner or board member of Nuneaton Ltd. It is not him, but two other businessmen who appear in the company’s public documents. 3. The invoice is not accompanied by an acceptance protocol or any other document confirming the acceptance of services. Typically, invoices issued for large amounts are accompanied by such documents.” https://www.fakt.pl/wydarzenia/polityka/kim-jest-austriacki-inwestor-gerald-birgfellner/ehetsbb

-- WOJCIECH CZUCHNOWSKI AND IWONA SZPALA SUMMARIZE THE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE TAPES IN GW: “PiS cannot be pleased. A laudatory article turns into a stone, the invoice the prime minister wanted becomes an invoice of hatred. For years, Srebrna Ltd. has declared that it stays away from politics, wants to conduct normal business, and Jarosław Kaczyński has no influence on it. On the tapes, we hear something completely different. Kaczyński decides everything there, and the success of the investment depends on the political success of his party.”

-- AND THE WORKING CLASS STARES WITH WIDE EYES – THE GW AUTHORS CONTINUE: “We don’t know what will happen next. The ‘good change’ narrative was supposed to majestically dominate like two twin towers over Warsaw, but instead, it is falling apart like some flimsy ruin. Marek Hłasko used to say in such cases: ‘And the working class stares with wide eyes...’ http://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,24439805,tasmy-kaczynskiego-kapiszon-laurka-niewypal-czy-kamien.html

-- MONIKA OLEJNIK ON THE INCREASINGLY STRANGE THINGS SAID BY PIS POLITICIANS IN DEFENSE OF PJK: “We don’t know what is hidden at Srebrna. On the other hand, we know what the gardens of KRS judges hide. According to the head of Prime Minister Morawiecki’s cabinet, they ‘have hidden gold’ – he said so to members of the European Commission. I have the impression that the MaBeNa, the national security machine, has jammed, and PiS politicians have also gotten themselves tangled up, because they are saying increasingly strange things in defense of the chairman.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,24439813,polacy-nie-sa-idiotami-i-wiedza-ze-za-wykonana-usluge-trzeba.html

-- JACEK NIZINKIEWICZ ASKS WHERE JAROSŁAW KACZYŃSKI IS – IN RZ: “Unless the chairman’s silence is a sign of fear of what might still be revealed and turn out to be true? All the more it would be better if the most important people in the state did not put their authority on the line, defending blindly the leader of the political camp in a matter where much can still happen.” https://www.rp.pl/Analizy/302079894-Jacek-Nizinkiewicz-Gdzie-jest-Jaroslaw-Kaczynski.html&template=restricted

-- ROMAN GRACZYK ON WAŁĘSA’S AGENT PAST – WRITES IN INTERIA: “In the case of Lech Wałęsa, this irreducibility is particularly great – for obvious reasons. Wałęsa was an SB agent in his youth, and it was not superficial agency, I would call it quite disgusting (informing on colleagues from work, receiving remuneration), and later he played a historic role as the leader of ‘Solidarność’ – a movement that first (in 1980) changed Poles, and then (in 1989) changed Poland. Paradoxes occur in history. Such paradoxes happen very rarely, but this is precisely that very rare case. Lech Wałęsa is an epic figure – his life is material for a good film, but for this film to be truly good, it could not self-censor itself (like Wajda’s famous film). It is precisely this moral chasm between his agency and his leadership of ‘Solidarność’ that constitutes the scale and character of Lech Wałęsa’s persona. Well, when in the intellectual atmosphere prevailing in the country over the Vistula, this fact cannot be calmly accepted.” https://fakty.interia.pl/opinie/graczyk/news-walesa-i-dwa-obledy,nId,2823933?fbclid=IwAR0dWVI7DymtB1NJvtD8QPutyv2IcRzhysgpXQVDkxq3LFICdS32FA71FWM#

-- WPOLITYCE ON DOUBTS REGARDING ACCUSATIONS OF COOPERATION WITH SB DIRECTED AT THE HEAD OF NFOŚ BY THE MEDIA: https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/433045-uderzaja-teczkami-media-kujda-tajnym-wspolpracownikiem-sb

-- BIRTHDAYS: Piotr Apel, Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, Jan Śpiewak, Daniel Rzasa, Michał Woś, Tomasz Kacprzak.