-- PRIME MINISTER'S WEEKEND - CYCLING WITH FAMILY: https://twitter.com/MorawieckiM/status/1137755553692901377 -- NOWACKA ON THE GRAND COALITION AND THE SPRING'S VOTERS' DISAPPOINTMENT, KOMOROWSKI ON PSL'S ROLE - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2019/06/10/ -- GW WRITES ABOUT BREJZA HEADING THE PO CAMPAIGN TEAM: “The campaign team is to be led by MPs Krzysztof Brejza (Civic Platform) and Adam Szłapka, the general secretary of Modern, as well as the mayor of Sopot, Jacek Karnowski. Brejza is tipped to be the head. What is his plan to defeat PiS? – Humility and work – he says. – Everyone must examine their conscience. I have done so: I received 85,000 votes, I know I could have fought for more. That's why we are going out into the field, first to the areas where we performed weakest. Time is of the essence. This year, we are all crossing holidays off our calendars.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,24881601,opozycja-uklada-sie-do-wyborow-co-zostanie-z-koalicji.html -- PRESIDENT DUDA GAINS FOLLOWING TRUMP'S VISIT - POLSAT NEWSROOM AND WP: https://wiadomosci.wp.pl/andrzej-duda-rosnie-w-sile-jest-cos-co-pomoze-mu-w-kampanii-6390223026681473v -- WHAT HAPPENED TO SARYUSZ-WOLSKI? - NEWSROOM: https://wiadomosci.wp.pl/andrzej-duda-rosnie-w-sile-jest-cos-co-pomoze-mu-w-kampanii-6390223026681473v -- SARYUSZ WITHDRAWS TWEET ABOUT TUSK: https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/450295-saryusz-wolski-nie-docenilem-tez-zlej-woli-hejterow -- FINAL AGREEMENT BEFORE TRUMP'S VISIT FOR WWII ANNIVERSARY OBSERVANCES - RZ ON SUCCESSFUL NEGOTIATIONS WITH AMERICANS - as written by Jędrzej Bielecki: “The agreement, which the presidents will sign on Wednesday, adopts the formula of “enduring presence” of Americans. This meets Polish expectations, although an agreement between the Pentagon and Congress on how far in advance the financing of Fort Trump would be set has not yet been reached. Until now, this has been done on a year-by-year basis within the framework of financial laws. A technical agreement defining all the details of the American military presence is to be signed between the Ministry of National Defence and the Pentagon in the coming months, most likely before the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, on September 1, which President Trump is expected to attend. This would be the culmination of four years of efforts by the Ministry of Defence.” https://www.rp.pl/Swiat/306099966-Nie-zbankrutujemy-przez-Fort-Trump.html -- ON THE CALCULATIONS SURROUNDING GERMAN SUPPORT FOR EBC HEAD - Bartek Godusławski in DGP: “– Jens Weidmann is a good choice, and furthermore, his nomination will block another German candidate for other key positions at the EU's top level – a significant Law and Justice politician tells us, immediately adding that there are also important economic reasons for this. He is perceived as more of a “hawk” than the current ECB head Mario Draghi, which is expected to ensure that the ECB's policy is not too loose. – He will not agree to ideas of common debt for the euro zone – our interlocutor emphasizes. These are the main reasons why we would gladly see a German in the position of ECB head. Although, of course, he and other PiS politicians emphasize that the final decision is to be an element not only of the personnel puzzle at the EU's top level, but also a sum of games of interests in other areas, e.g., regarding the multiannual financial framework.” https://wiadomosci.dziennik.pl/polityka/artykuly/599865,jens-weidmann-niemiec-polski-kandydat-szef-ebc.html -- PRESIDENT DUDA IS CLEARLY WINNING - PRESIDENTIAL POLL FOR WPOLITYCE: “Almost 30 percent of respondents declare their intention to vote for the current head of state – precisely 29.7 percent. Donald Tusk was indicated by 17.3 percent of those surveyed. Robert Biedroń enjoys the support of 6.6 percent of respondents. Rafał Trzaskowski is performing poorly, increasingly mentioned as the most serious candidate from the opposition – his name was indicated by 3.4 percent of respondents. Grzegorz Braun received 2.4 percent of indications, and Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz – 2.2 percent. The list is closed by Barbara Nowacka (1.8 percent), Janusz Korwin-Mikke (1.3 percent), and Bartosz Arłukowicz (1.1 percent).” https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/450190-andrzej-duda-dystansuje-rywali-w-wyscigu-prezydenckim -- PIS WINS AGAINST THE ENTIRE OPPOSITION FROM PO TO WIOSNA - DGP POLL: “PiS wins against the entire united opposition from PSL to Biedroń – according to the latest IBRiS poll for Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, dziennik.pl, RMF FM, and rmf24.pl. The ruling party can count on 41.5 percent of support, while the opposition would receive 38.2 percent.” https://wiadomosci.dziennik.pl/polityka/artykuly/599843,wybory-wygrana-sondaz-pis-opozycja.html -- POLL BY RZ - ONLY A GRAND COALITION CAN SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE SCALE OF DEFEAT AND PREVENT PI'S FINAL RESTRUCTURING OF THE STATE - ZUZANNA DĄBROWSKA IN RZ: “Only a grand opposition coalition can significantly reduce the scale of its defeat and prevent PiS's final restructuring of the state. At the dawn of the parliamentary election campaign, a poll conducted by IBRiS for Rzeczpospolita leaves no room for doubt: PiS is the biggest beneficiary of the opposition parties running independently. We examined the support for the main political factions in the scenario of independent runs, as well as (in a second scenario) projecting two separate opposition coalitions: a centrist one and a leftist one. PiS runs independently in every scenario and wins in all of them, gaining almost 41 percent of the vote.” https://www.rp.pl/Polityka/190609398-Sondaz-Tylko-wielka-koalicja-moze-zmniejszyc-porazke-opozycji.html -- ARŁUKOWICZ, IN RESPONSE TO JACKA NIZINKIEWICZ'S QUESTION IN RZ ABOUT WHETHER HE COULD BECOME A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: “You won't run for parliament, but can you become a presidential candidate? - Now we're moving forward with parliamentary elections.” https://www.rp.pl/Platforma-Obywatelska/190609394-Arlukowicz-Czasem-trzeba-tanczyc-i-spiewac.html -- THE SITUATION IS EXTRAORDINARY - JACEK KARNOWSKI IN DGP - interviewed by Tomasz Żółciak: “We see that the situation is extraordinary, and this is not a fight about who will fall and who won't. If PiS hadn't been breaking the constitution, hadn't been destroying local government and the courts, such a move on our part would certainly not have happened. We have opposed previous governments many times, on various issues.” -- KARNOWSKI ON THE IRONY OF HISTORY WITH KWAŚNIEWSKI: “The question is, how many times did President Aleksander Kwaśniewski break the constitution, and did he liquidate the independence of Polish courts? For me too, this is a certain irony of history, but let's remember that the Kaczyński brothers also sat at the Round Table. In 1989, we could have adopted the Chinese or Romanian variant, i.e., started fighting each other. But there was an agreement. And on the other hand, let's recall under whose presidency we joined the European Union. President Kwaśniewski was elected by Poles, just as President Kaczyński was later. As far as I remember, Aleksander Kwaśniewski said a good farewell to his office, handing over power to Lech Kaczyński in a very smooth and friendly atmosphere.” -- PUTTING FORWARD MILLER WAS A MISTAKE - JACEK KARNOWSKI IN DGP: “I believe that putting forward Mr. Miller's candidacy was a mistake, as confirmed by his statement after the elections. Let's also remember that his recent presidential candidate, Ms. Magdalena Ogórek, is where she is today. Leszek Miller made many mistakes.” https://wiadomosci.dziennik.pl/opinie/artykuly/599866,jacek-karnowski-sopot-wybory-start-samorzadowiec.html -- IS THE OPPOSITION PREPARING TO WAIT OUT A CRISIS? - JAKUB MAJMUREK IN WP: “Even if the alliance of the Civic Coalition and Modern opens up to young people, to residents of smaller towns, to regions that do not vote for the Civic Coalition, voters may conclude that all of this is “too little, too late.” All the things Schetyna announced today should have been started a year ago – or at least a good few months before the European elections. Now, even the best ideas for the opposition centered around the PO leader will be difficult to implement. This is also because, observing the leaders of PO and Modern, one can sometimes get the impression that they themselves do not very much believe in their chances and are preparing to wait out PiS's rule until an economic slowdown or crisis undermines the foundations of Kaczyński's government, which is based on social transfers. And nobody likes to bet on a horse that gives up before the race has even begun.” https://opinie.wp.pl/majmurek-opozycyjna-herbata-nie-zrobi-sie-slodsza-od-samego-mieszania-opinia-6389758838036609a -- PROGRAMS ANNOUNCED SO FAR BY PO DO NOT INSPIRE OPTIMISM - TOMASZ SAWCZUK IN KL: “Meanwhile, the election programs announced so far by PO do not inspire optimism regarding whether the proposals announced in August will be sensible and truly respond to popular expectations – many of them will likely be a repeat of moderately successful ideas that we encountered, for example, during the local government elections. Moreover, the opposition needs not only a set of electoral products artificially placed in a campaign basket, but also a certain authenticity and strength in action to gain credibility and mobilize people. This is a big challenge for the new campaign team.” -- LET SCHETYNA FEEL LIKE A LEADER, HE DOESN'T NEED TO COVER HIMSELF - SAWCZUK CONTINUES: “As for Schetyna, it's probably high time he felt like an authentic leader. He doesn't need to aspire to anything, he doesn't need to cover himself every time as if something were threatening him; he doesn't need to try to prove he has the best idea, which only reinforces the impression that everyone doubts it. Schetyna is at the top. If he wants to be at the head of the opposition, he should take a deep breath, say something personal from himself, say why he wants to be prime minister, what is important to him – and lead in a natural way. And if he wants to organize but not lead – he should give up the leader's jersey.” https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2019/06/08/schetyna-restart/ -- MANIPULATION NO LONGER WORKS - MICHAŁ KARNOWSKI: “So, instead of an honest discussion about the quality of individual governments, the state of the budget, and how hundreds of billions of zlotys were stolen from us under PO-PSL, we will still have accusations of “handouts.” The elementary pluralism in major media (everyone has a choice on the remote, though the III RP's dominance is enormous) will still be called an attack on democracy. There is no chance for Civic Platform and the Third Republic establishment to account for feeding Poles lies about “Polexit” for the last four years, and for baseless defamation of Poland's good name abroad. Unfortunately, Poles are still not treated seriously by the opposition, but as a mass to be manipulated. In this sense, they are avoiding confronting the main post-election conclusion: the manipulation of the Third Republic camp no longer works. Reflection has not gone in this direction, they have not even considered changing their approach to voters, but have chosen to seek even better ways to manipulate them. That's how I interpret it.” https://wpolityce.pl/m/polityka/450119-schetyna-zapowiada-wywolywanie-ducha-watpliwy-plan -- MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI IN RZ ON THE OPPOSITION'S GYMNASTICS: “On Saturday morning, liberal circles joined forces – Modern and Civic Platform announced a joint run in the autumn parliamentary elections and the merging of their clubs – both these moves are more of a confirmation of the existing situation than a new change. Grzegorz Schetyna announced an opening to new generations, while Rafał Trzaskowski delivered a decent, centrist speech about the need for tolerance towards minorities on the one hand, and respect for those for whom tradition is important on the other. However, all of this was overshadowed by the subsequent equality parade. And it was precisely this parade that showed the trap in which the liberal opposition has found itself.” https://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/190609400-Michal-Szuldrzynski-Szpagaty-opozycji.html -- RZ FRONT PAGE ON FALENTA'S REQUEST FOR PARDON TO THE PRESIDENT: “The handwritten letter is eight pages long and dated April 12. From the Presidential Chancellery, it was sent through the prosecutor's office to the District Court in Warsaw, which granted us permission to inspect the files. But before that, the court itself notified the prosecutor's office of the suspicion of crimes resulting from the letter. The investigation is to determine whether – as Falenta claims – Stanisław Kostrzewski, an advisor to Kaczyński, encouraged him to organize the recordings (which he allegedly approved), and whether unidentified individuals from government circles promised Falenta a pardon for his services.” https://www.rp.pl/Prawo-karne/306099945-Afera-podsluchowa-Falenta-proponuje-uklad-za-ulaskawienie.html -- TOMASZ PIETRYGA ON FALENTA'S PROBLEM WITH CREDIBILITY - writes in RZ: “At the same time, this does not change the fact that Falenta has a significant credibility problem. Convicted, evading justice, desperately trying to avoid prison, and offering to become a crown witness – all of this suggests that the businessman's revelations should be treated with great caution. Especially since there are logical gaps in his account. It is not entirely clear when the alleged promises from PiS politicians were supposed to have been made. If they were made before the elections and before the recordings in the famous restaurant – they were greatly exaggerated. Not to mention the promise of a pardon. Did Falenta, even before the affair broke out, assume that he might be accused and convicted, and that a politician from the right would become president? Some of the recordings took place as early as 2013, when Andrzej Duda hadn't even dreamt of becoming the President of the Republic of Poland and winning the election against Bronisław Komorowski. And this is a weak point in Falenta's story.” https://www.rp.pl/Opinie/306099948-PiS-nie-moze-tego-przemilczec.html -- GW FRONT PAGE: PIS DISARMED POLISH INTELLIGENCE - write Wojciech Czuchnowski and Bartosz T. Wieliński: “The names of several hundred foreigners working for Polish intelligence have been revealed on the website of the Institute of National Remembrance. Their files are available to everyone. The disclosure of “illegals” means the dismantling of Polish intelligence work. It also puts these people in danger – explains an officer quoted at the beginning. Currently, the catalog contains data on 62 officers of the “N” section. Anyone can find out the names under which they operate or have operated abroad. Given that the training and running of “illegals” is exceptionally expensive and there aren't many of them, it can be assumed that the revealed group comprises all spies from this section.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,24881435,pis-rozbroil-polski-wywiad-tylko-szaleniec-chcialby-z-nami.html -- ADAM ZAGAJEWSKI ON SZYDŁO AS A DEPRESSED KINDERGARTENER - in an interview with Katarzyna Janowska on Onet: “Exactly. Mrs. Szydło is the ideal of humanity for half a million people. She doesn't know languages, dresses terribly, speaks with the voice of a depressed kindergartener, clearly doesn't do sports and doesn't read Carl Schmitt's treatises like her mysterious boss – but she is liked. I think only Gombrowicz could explain this to us.” -- TVP LIKE RUSSIA TODAY - ZAGAJEWSKI CONTINUES: “To some extent, yes. But on the other hand, the very existence of this abominable state television should prompt every self-respecting person to protest. It is a medium from which contempt flows daily, in which a lack of elementary respect for truth prevails. And if something happens that is not to the liking of the authorities, TVP simply will not report it. Just like Russia Today – we have Poland Today.” https://kultura.onet.pl/wywiady-i-artykuly/oslepiajacy-blask-wolnosci-rozmowa-z-adamem-zagajewskim/ejqqt6l -- BIRTHDAYS: Alicja Grześkowiak, Jan Łopuszański, Michał Boni, Paweł Suski, Maciej Warsiński, Andrzej Brachmański.