-- WE MUST NOT LET THEM INFECT US - JACEK ŻAKOWSKI IN GW: “Authoritarian populist rulers drag democrats through courts to destroy us with ruinous fines and legal costs. From Venezuela to Hungary and Poland, this is their universal strategy to silence us. My hand itches to retaliate. But that's not a good idea. In this regard too, we must not let them infect us.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,24511493,przedwyborcza-licytacja-swietych-mikolajow.html

-- BEATA GOSIEWSKA IN AN INTERVIEW WITH SUPER EXPRESS SPEAKS HARSHLY ABOUT TARCZYŃSKI - GIERTYCH'S COLLEAGUE, WHO PARTYED WITH TUSK'S WIFE: “These are only unofficial press reports, and the dirty anonymous pre-election campaign has been going on for at least a year. Of course, I am upset because these reports suggest that I would be replaced by a political globetrotter, Roman Giertych's colleague, a man who as late as 2014 was partying with Małgorzata Tusk. A man known not for his substantive work, but for scandals and insulting others. As a PiS MEP in the European Conservatives and Reformers group, I worked in committees: Agriculture and Rural Development and Budgetary Control. I submitted over 5,000 amendments, I fought for agricultural issues, as well as the protection of Polish families. For the good name of our country. My office provided several thousand legal consultations. In the European Parliament elections, I received over 50,000 votes, running from the fourth 'non-winning' position on the list. I hope my loyalty and honest work will be appreciated by the party authorities.”

-- GOSIEWSKA DOES NOT RULE OUT RUNNING ON A LIST SUPPORTED BY FATHER RYDZYK: “PiS is a formation that my late husband, Przemysław Gosiewski, built from scratch. He was a Member of Parliament, chairman of the parliamentary club, and deputy prime minister from this party. I have also been associated with PiS from the beginning; I always supported my husband. There are many of our friends in PiS. For many years I was a councilor, then a senator, and an MEP representing this party. It would be an unimaginably difficult and unpleasant decision for me.” https://www.se.pl/wiadomosci/polityka/europosel-beata-gosiewska-pis-zastapi-mnie-ktos-kto-balowal-z-zona-tuska-aa-WSA6-LeST-oEzV.html

-- TOMASZ SAWCZUK IN KULTURA LIBERALNA WRITES THAT NO ONE KNOWS WHAT PLATFORMA STANDS FOR: “The issue is rather that everyone today is indifferent to what will be written in PO's program. It doesn't matter because no one believes that Platforma has specific thoughts on the most important contemporary issues. I'm not even talking about matters like the transformation of contemporary capitalism or the climate crisis, because expecting the majority of PO politicians (the same is true for PiS, of course) to have a developed opinion on such matters borders on sadism. Worse, no one knows what Platforma stands for today, even on more traditional issues like healthcare or social policy, including 500+.”

-- PO'S PROGRAM FORESEES INCREASED SPENDING AND TAX CUTS, SO ACCUSATIONS OF BIEDROŃ'S POPULISM ARE RIDICULOUS - SAWCZUK FURTHER IN KL: “It’s about something else. PiS has chosen a policy of high social transfers and decaying public institutions – and it is credible when it announces further transfers. The program postulates of Biedroń's Spring are not implementable within a year, or even within a term. And they can be liked or not. But at least they form a relatively consistent perspective organizing this formation's thinking about politics. It's hard to have the impression today that Platforma possesses such a perspective. That is why its assurances on issues like 500+ sound false, regardless of what the party's politicians say on the given topic. PO's program currently foresees increased spending and tax cuts, which is why any accusations from the party's politicians regarding Robert Biedroń's populism are laughable.” https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2019/03/04/platforma-obywatelska-program-2019/

-- DOMINIKA WIELOWIEYSKA IN WYBORCZA ON PLATFORMA'S CONTRADICTORY TRAP: “Now PO has fallen into a trap of contradictions. On one hand, it says that President Kaczyński stole its very good ideas – which is a senseless accusation, as one should only be happy that the rulers are implementing them. On the other hand, Schetyna's people argue that PiS is buying voters' votes with taxpayer money. This sounds like a self-accusation, as PO also wanted to 'corrupt' the electorate in this way. Andrzej Rzońca, responsible for PO's program, explains that there is a significant difference between these proposals because Platforma wanted to give PLN 500 for the first child, provided that the woman is professionally active.”

-- WIELOWIEYSKA ON THE POPULISM TRAP THAT ALL OF POLISH POLITICS HAS FALLEN INTO: “Morawiecki himself has probably given up and is doing what PiS leader instructs. Since Jarosław Kaczyński's image has been tarnished by the machinations around the two towers, the president had to be presented as a benevolent leader, distributing money. In turn, PO feels the breath of Biedroń's Spring on its back and also doesn't want to appear stingy. Small parties, e.g., Nowoczesna, advocate for a modification of 500+ that would effectively mean its liquidation. And this is simply harmful because 500+ in its current form has more advantages than disadvantages, and moreover, the long-term trust of citizens in the state is important. Since the government has committed to paying these benefits, it cannot withdraw them.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,24511493,przedwyborcza-licytacja-swietych-mikolajow.html

-- NATIONALISM, HOMOPHOBIA, SOCIAL WELFARE - PIS LOVES THIS TRIO - Marek Beylin in GW: “This is good news: while PiS is mired in oppressive obscurantism, Polish society is becoming more tolerant. (...) PiS has therefore proven counterproductive in terms of propaganda. It has not captured Polish attitudes and aspirations. On the contrary, the party's nationalism is increasingly a minority view. Tolerance is becoming a significant value in society. PiS, with its nationalism, is helpless against this. The greater the fear of electoral defeat, the more persistently Kaczyński's party will escalate its nationalist rhetoric. This will put more and more Poles at odds with PiS. Social policy will not compensate for this.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,24512955,nacjonalizm-homofobia-socjal-pis-trojcu-lubit.html

-- SCHOOLS WILL SHUT DOWN - GW Lead Story (Justyna Suchecka): “As many as 78% of schools and kindergartens are preparing for the April strike in education. Today, the Polish Teachers' Union will decide whether it will occur during the final exams in primary and middle schools.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,24513450,szkoly-stana-dzis-znp-oglosi-kiedy-i-na-jak-dlugo.html

-- URBANIZATION AS A CONDITION FOR POLAND'S MODERNIZATION - JANUSZ A. MAJCHEREK in GW: “It is no coincidence that the authoritarian and anti-democratic PiS achieves higher results in rural areas than in cities. Urbanization is a condition for Poland's modernization. Meanwhile, EU agricultural policy preserves a backward social structure. (...) In addition, suburbanization processes are occurring. Migrants to the countryside do not change their mentality or associated political preferences, but these are dispersed among the dominant rural population. The urban newcomer and voter is outvoted by the local community. The effect of dispersing the urban electorate among residents of surrounding villages and towns was recognized by PiS strategists, hence the idea of redrawing electoral districts that exploit this, a move – fortunately unsuccessful – pushed by MP Sasin.”

-- MAJCHEREK WRITES ABOUT THE POSITIVE SNOBBISHNESS OF VOTING AGAINST PIS, WHICH CAN RADIATE TO SMALLER CENTERS: “The mechanism of positive snobbery may prove helpful: since it has been widely declared that cities are anti-PiS and the social base of this party is the countryside, many residents of smaller urban centers may feel inclined to identify with the urban electorate, expressing this by voting against PiS. It was likely this mechanism that caused this party to lose power in many medium and small cities. If this trend continues, it could lead to a shift in political preferences and, consequently, election results. This would help to halt the march of authoritarianism, proceeding under the banner of strengthening local traditions and supported by its provincial adherents and admirers.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,24512876,liberalna-demokracja-mieszka-w-miescie-nie-na-wsi.html

-- MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI IN RZ WRITES ABOUT THE MORAL TSUNAMI: “Paradoxically, it is precisely today that our Church hopes that the storm will pass and 'it will be as it was again.' Only, it won't be as it was. The changes occurring in society seem very profound. A glance at discussions on social media is enough to see that the hatred for everything connected with the Church, which was once reserved for extreme circles – such as readers of the weekly 'Nie' – is slowly becoming part of the mainstream, and even people we previously considered cultured are losing all inhibitions regarding church matters.” https://www.rp.pl/Analizy/190309862-Szuldrzynski-Obyczajowe-tsunami-uderza-w-Polske.html&template=restricted

-- ON NEWSWEEK PORTAL ABOUT ALEKSANDRA DULKIEWICZ AND HER CONSERVATIVE ROOTS: “Aleksandra grew up in a home where conservative views were always paramount. Aleksandra started attending meetings in high school, and during her law studies at the University of Gdańsk, she joined the Young Conservatives. Members of this organization included not only current PO politicians but also PiS MPs, including Patryk Jaki, Bartosz Kownacki, and Adam Bielan. Dulkiewicz also emphasizes that the Church is extremely important to her. – Sunday mass is extremely important to me; I feel close to Father Ludwik Wiśniewski's Church. The way Dominicans preach the Gospel has shaped me. It's a Christianity that speaks of the dignity of the other person and excludes no one – she stated in an interview with 'Wysokie Obcasy'.”

-- ON HOW DULKIEWICZ MET ADAMOWICZ: “Aleksandra Dulkiewicz met Paweł Adamowicz in childhood – they met in the early 90s at a funfair in Plac Zebrań Ludowych in Gdańsk. In an interview with 'Wysokie Obcasy,' she recalled that Adamowicz lent her a book about Margaret Thatcher. By chance, someone at a summer camp spilled some liquid on the book. – Attempts to replace it failed, and I decided to return it. I was ashamed, but Paweł reacted wonderfully then. He said he likes books that are used and well-read – Dulkiewicz said.” https://www.newsweek.pl/polska/polityka/otwarta-konserwatystka-kim-jest-aleksandra-dulkiewicz/pesl2rn

-- ON THE FRONT PAGE OF FAKT, KACZYŃSKI'S NIECE WITH BIRGFELLNER: "Politicians will probably be very surprised by Fakt's findings. Because Karolina Tomaszewska (34) spent the weekend with her husband in a villa near Warsaw. Gerald Birgfellner's interrogation in the Warsaw prosecutor's office on Friday ended very late. The Austrian returned to rest in a room booked at a prestigious Warsaw hotel where he had been staying since arriving from Vienna on Wednesday. On Saturday morning, he had breakfast, spoke to someone on the phone, packed his bags, and went outside the building. Did a taxi take him to the airport and back to Austria? Nothing of the sort!" https://www.fakt.pl/wydarzenia/polityka/bratanica-geralda-birgfellnera-wspiera-meza/w379bt2

-- HEAD OF ZUS IN RZ ON THE COSTS OF THE 13TH PENSION: “Given that 7.7 million people received pensions and annuities from the Family Support Fund in December, and another 470,000 people received other long-term benefits paid by ZUS, we estimate that expenditures on the thirteenth pension may reach PLN 9.1 billion, depending on the final assumptions. We also have to account for approximately PLN 1.2 billion for the payment of thirteenth pensions to 1.2 million beneficiaries in the Agricultural Social Insurance Fund and PLN 440 million for the payment of the thirteenth pension to uniformed service retirees. We are awaiting details regarding the payment procedures for the 13th benefit.” https://www.rp.pl/Praca-emerytury-renty/303039936-Trzynastka-dla-emerytow-moze-kosztowac-nawet-91-mld-zl.html&template=restricted

-- ONLY 19% NOW SUPPORT THE SUNDAY TRADING BAN - RZ: “Meanwhile, the number of opponents of the restrictions is already growing. According to ARC Rynek i Opinia, only 19% support the ban in its full form. The law has been in effect for a year, and assurances that the consequences of the new law are being analyzed have been made several times, even by the government.” https://www.rp.pl/Handel/303039942-Handel-w-niedziele-Zamkniete-sklepy-coraz-mniej-sie-podobaja.html&template=restricted

-- BIRTHDAYS: Joanna Sokolińska, Barbara Bubula, Marta Kuligowska, Michał Kania, Piotr Markiewicz.