-- DO POLISH TEACHERS REALLY EARN THE LEAST IN EUROPE - CHART ON 300GOSPODARKA: http://300gospodarka.pl/wykres-dnia/2019/04/09/czy-polscy-nauczyciele-naprawde-zarabiaja-tak-malo-w-porownaniu-do-innych-krajow-wykres-dnia/

-- OBSERVANCES OF THE 9TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SMOLENSK CATASTROPHE, BIELAN MAINTAINS HIS OPINION ON A STRIKE AGREED WITH THE OPPOSITION - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2019/04/10/

-- POLAND STILL AMONG THE LEADERS IN ROAD ACCIDENTS - GW: “Last year, Poland recorded 76 fatal road accident victims per 1 million inhabitants. This is one and a half times more than the average for the entire EU, which was 49 fatal victims per 1 million inhabitants – according to the latest data from the European Commission. Only the Balkans (in Romania, Bulgaria, and Croatia) and Latvia fared worse than Poland. We are far from the safety levels on the roads of Great Britain (28 fatal victims per 1 million inhabitants) or Denmark. However, roads are safer in other Central European countries, as well as in the Baltic states, which joined the EU with Poland 15 years ago.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,155287,24633431,fatalnie-z-wypadkami-drogowymi-w-polsce-a-rzad-pis-zataja-niewygodne.html

-- DON'T UNDERESTIMATE SCHETYNA - MARCIN FIJOŁEK: “Such an opponent cannot be underestimated, because sometimes matches – including political ones – are won (and lost) by fluke goals, due to simple mistakes, or despite a clear visual advantage. One thing is certain: Coach Grzegorz Schetyna will not get another four years, unlike Jarosław Kaczyński in Law and Justice, who received them despite losing elections. And this prospect ties the hands of the Civic Platform leader, although on the other hand, it means his motivation will be not so much four years in opposition, but a political make-or-break situation. No one will remember moderate successes (local government elections) or the immense work done in the field and in the Sejm offices if this 'rag', as Schetyna calls it, doesn't go into the net. Or if it turns out to be a goal for an honorable 1:4 at best.” https://wpolityce.pl/m/polityka/441834-czyszczacego-przedpole-coacha-schetyny-lekcewazyc-nie-mozna

-- LET US BE PATIENT - WOJCIECH MUCHA ON THE 9TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SMOLENSK CATASTROPHE: “What must happen for us to finally see the return of the Tu-154 wreckage, the black boxes, for it to finally become clear what or who caused us to speak of President Lech Kaczyński, Janusz Kurtyka, Władysław Stasiak, and so many other outstanding Poles, only in the past tense? How much longer will the KGB agents from Moscow laugh in our faces, repeating lies about an investigation supposedly ongoing there? Unfortunately, if today, at a time when the government is theoretically most determined to discover the truth, nothing groundbreaking is still happening – we will have to wait. But we will wait, we will wait. We waited for the truth about Katyn, for the heroes to be exhumed from Łączka. And we will find out here, with patience.” https://m.niezalezna.pl/266918-badzmy-cierpliwi-doczekamy

-- PIS DOES NOT SOLVE PROBLEMS, IT COMBATS THEM - EWA SIEDLECKA in Polityka: “PiS does not solve problems. PiS combats them. Currently, it is combating the teachers' strike. It continues to combat the independence of judges and the independence of the justice system. It managed to combat the Constitutional Tribunal, it is combating the European Commission.

-- THE TEACHERS' STRIKE COULD BE THE NAIL IN THEIR ELECTORAL COFFIN - SIEDLECKA CONTINUES: “But the way it is combating the teachers' strike could be the nail in its electoral coffin. It has made every possible mistake, starting with so-called image-damaging ones, like advising teachers to have more children to get 500 PLN for each, or announcing the 'piglet plus' program (quite unfortunate, considering how fat they've already gotten in power). It is creating enemies out of successive social groups: teachers, parents, and students, who are future voters – students organized a protest in front of the Ministry of National Education on Tuesday, supporting the teachers' demands. The list of groups classified by PiS as 'second-class citizens' is growing.

-- SIEDLECKA ON THE GENE FOR SELF-DESTRUCTION: “PiS is well on its way to mobilizing more social groups and structures against itself. It has a gene for self-destruction built-in.” https://siedlecka.blog.polityka.pl/2019/04/09/autodestrukcja-pisu/?nocheck=1

-- WITH SUCH WORKLOAD, SALARIES WILL ALWAYS BE LOW - JACEK KARNOWSKI: “With such a large number of employees, with such a small number of required hours, even the wealthiest country would not be able to provide decent salaries. It is simply impossible. The government proposes increasing the workload in exchange for a quick and truly noticeable salary increase. Trade unions are rejecting its proposals, but if it turns out they are unable to break the government or provoke a social revolt, they may find themselves cornered. Mr. Broniarz should carefully consider this direction – more workload in exchange for higher salaries – because any other solution is a temporary patch to the problem, and thus perpetuates the low financial status of teachers.” https://wpolityce.pl/m/polityka/441899-bez-ruszenia-pensum-zarobki-nauczycieli-zawsze-beda-niskie

-- NO QUICK DECLINE IN TEACHERS' DETERMINATION IS FORESEEN - PRZEMYSŁAW WILCZYŃSKI in TP: “The strike could fade away organically as teachers, frightened by income losses, withdraw from it (not all local governments have declared a financial buffer for the protesters). However, in classrooms temporarily filled by teachers – as in SP3 in Krakow – a quick decline in determination is not anticipated.” https://www.tygodnikpowszechny.pl/ile-wytrzymaja-nauczyciele-158352

-- GOVERNMENT WAITING GAME - Jedynka RZ: “Trade unionists are not interrupting the protest. Exams will most likely take place, which will facilitate Deputy Prime Minister Beata Szydło's negotiations with striking teachers.” https://www.rp.pl/Edukacja/304099910-Strajk-nauczycieli-Rzadowe-gry-na-przeczekanie.html

-- IF THE RULERS ARE SEEN AS FIRE FIGHTERS EXTINGUISHING THE FIRE IN SCHOOLS, PIS WILL MANAGE TO WIN ANOTHER SKIRMISH - JACEK NIZNNKIEWICZ in RZ: “The confirmation by the Deputy Prime Minister that teachers are not a potential electorate for PiS shows that for the authorities, they are not a group worth playing for, but one worth beating. If it turns out that public anger focuses on teachers, and the rulers themselves are seen as firefighters extinguishing the fire in schools, then PiS will manage to win another skirmish before the elections. The government hopes that the accumulated won battles will add up to victory in the autumn war.” https://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/304099909-Nizinkiewicz-Nauczyciele-nowa-elita-wedlug-PiS.html

-- INSTEAD OF THE PROMISED STRENGTHENING OF THE STATE, WE HAVE PHANTASMAGORIAS - Michał Niewiadomski in RZ: “Has healthcare improved? Anyone who has had to visit an emergency room knows how many hours one can wait for medical assistance. Not to mention the queues for specialists. Is it better in terms of security? Last year, police officers protested, and if not for the November 11th commemorations and the climate summit in Katowice, where they were essential, they would not have received any pay rises. And the planned multi-billion zloty budget of the Ministry of National Defence for the modernization of the Armed Forces has so far resulted in only a few contracts. And so, instead of the state strengthening promised by PiS, we have only phantasmagorias about a Polish electric car and nuclear power plants costing hundreds of billions of zlotys.” https://www.rp.pl/Blogi/304099900-Panstwo-PiS--hojne-ale-slabe.html

-- ONE CANNOT PRETEND THAT JUNE 89 WAS INSIGNIFICANT - KATARZYNA KOLENDA-ZALESKA in GW: “And finally, a major anniversary of the June elections. The government demonstratively bypasses Gdańsk and ratifies the shameful trick of NSZZ "Solidarność," which reserves Solidarity Square for the entire day. Signals from the authorities suggest they intend to primarily celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Pope's first pilgrimage to Poland. Yes, it was a wonderful pilgrimage, its historical significance is obvious to everyone. However, we must not pretend that nothing happened on June 4th, or that something not particularly important happened. Our contemporary identity was built on that June. The enthusiasm from those times, that sense of community, cannot be erased from memory.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,24630343,wladza-najwyrazniej-zamierza-udawac-ze-4-czerwca-1989-r-nie.html

-- DGP ON SHARP CUTS TO LOCAL CONNECTIONS DESPITE GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS: “According to the Institute of Rural and Agricultural Development of the Polish Academy of Sciences, in 2018, 26% of villages already lacked access to public transport. This means difficulties in getting to work, school, or the doctor. The government finally acknowledged the problem and, as part of Kaczyński's 'five,' announced the adoption of a law on the Public Transport Development Fund. It provides, among other things, for annual co-financing of deficit routes with the amount of PLN 800 million. The funds would go to local governments, which would contribute 30% of the amount needed to service the routes. Infrastructure Minister Andrzej Adamczyk announced that new regulations would come into force in May, and the first connections would be restored in June or July. At the same time, the government is working on the 11th amendment to the law on public transport.” https://auto.dziennik.pl/aktualnosci/artykuly/595405,piatka-pis-polaczenia-lokalne-ostre-ciecia.html

-- THE GAME FOR FREE SUNDAYS WILL CONTINUE - RAFAŁ WOŚ in TP: “The ministry's report certainly does not close the case. 'It is necessary to refine the regulations to strengthen small shops,' reads the government recommendation. Small shopkeepers, whom PiS promised an end to the dictate of foreign hypermarkets, can take this as both good news and a delay tactic. The report does not mention the so-called 'lex Żabka.' That is, the project that was supposed to prevent the leading franchise chain from posing as a post office, which allows it to operate on Sundays. A regulation that could curb this has been lying in the Sejm's freezer since December. So one thing is certain: the game for free Sundays will continue.” https://www.tygodnikpowszechny.pl/wolne-niedziele-na-razie-zostaja-158353

-- 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF JACK KACZMARSKI'S DEATH - A MEMORIAL IN GW: “He claimed he didn't apply himself to his studies, but it was enough for him to fall in love with the Enlightenment, as an era that was aware of the 'presence of the past in the present.' Such was his work. Erudite, packed with quotes and travesties, focused on history. Indifferent to pop culture, he moved freely among ruins and ghosts. Jacek Kaczmarski died 15 years ago.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,113768,24633428,byl-naszym-zbiorowym-wyrzutem-sumienia-mija-15-lat-od-smierci.html

-- BIRTHDAYS: Ewa Dałkowska, Halina Frąckowiak, Małgorzata Omilanowska, Tadeusz Truskolaski, Wojciech Olejniczak, Michał Tober, Beata Cholewińska.