-- WE KNOW THE DATE OF THE FOURTH EDITION OF THE 590 CONGRESS, IT'S EXPECTED TO BE A RECORD BREAKER: https://300polityka.pl/biznes/2019/06/26/innowacje-elektromobilnosc-i-solidarnosc-miedzypokoleniowa-tegoroczny-kongres-590-ma-byc-rekordowy-znamy-jego-termin/ -- BOGDAN PĘK'S SON IS THE NEW DEPUTY MARSHAL OF THE SENATE, GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON ON PAD'S DECISION REGARDING THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF RADIO AND TELEVISION, RZYMKOWSKI RULES OUT KUKIZ'15 RUNNING ALONE - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2019/06/26/ -- THE OPPOSITION IS DETERIORATING AT A FRIGHTENING PACE - MICHAŁ KARNOWSKI: “The opposition has not only wasted time since their electoral defeat but is deteriorating at a frightening pace. Whiny comments from Lisa, alarmist letters to 'Wyborcza', announcements of pickets at the headquarters of opposition parties organized by the so-called 'Citizens of the Republic' – these are just a few of many signals indicating this.” -- THE EUROPEAN COALITION LOST DUE TO A COMPARISON OF GOVERNANCE QUALITY - KARNOWSKI CONTINUES: “It is also worth looking back a bit. The primary reason for the European Coalition's defeat was not – as 'Wyborcza' suggested immediately after May 26th – a lack of organizational efficiency. Nor a lack of posters. Nor a lack of leadership charisma. These are convenient excuses for not changing anything. The EC's campaign was not as bad in terms of activity as it is portrayed. The entire country was flooded with posters (I saw it myself!). And the leader, Schetyna, has his deficits, but they weren't discovered yesterday, and he didn't fall because of them. The EC lost due to other factors – a comparison of the quality of the current government with the previous one, and a lack of intellectual processing of what happened in 2015.” -- WHEN IT CAME TO THE ELECTION, ALL THE STRONG WORDS WERE ALREADY USED UP - KARNOWSKI CONTINUES: “Michnik's group decided that from the first day, the Polish pot should be boiling, that they needed to pour gasoline and start a fire, stir up emotions, escalate epithets. As a result, when it came to the election, all the strong words were already used up, and people were tired of warnings that didn't pan out. Everyone saw it, but they didn't – from the glass palace of Agora, very little is visible.” https://wpolityce.pl/m/polityka/452385-czego-schetyna-nie-przemyslal-i-wciaz-nie-przemysliwuje -- JACEK KARNOWSKI ON THE RIGHT HAVING A CHANCE TO DEEPEN AND COMPLETE THE 2015 REVOLUTION: “The belief that 'it's already settled' works in favour of PiS – provided, of course, that it doesn't lead to the demobilization of the ruling camp. The right cannot afford complacency for another reason: it has a chance to deepen and complete the '2015 Revolution', and it cannot afford to waste it.” https://wpolityce.pl/m/polityka/452254-pis-gra-nie-tylko-o-druga-kadencje-stawka-jest-duzo-wieksza -- ALEKSANDER SMOLAR STATES IN A CONVERSATION WITH TOMASZ LIS THAT PSL RUNNING ALONE IS A CATASTROPHE FOR THE OPPOSITION: “If the PSL goes into the elections alone and doesn't even achieve 5% support, it will be a catastrophe not only for the Peasants but also for the entire opposition.” https://www.newsweek.pl/polska/polityka/samodzielne-pojscie-psl-do-wyborow-to-polityczne-samobojstwo/4ktsw5w -- MICHAŁ OKOŃSKI ON THE ROLE OF THE OMBUDSMAN: “Well, the task of the institution headed by Bodnar is to advocate for the civil rights of every citizen of the Republic of Poland, regardless of what crimes they are accused of, which party they support, or what they believe in. This is not a matter that requires recourse to Christianity [see Szymon Hołownia's text in the upcoming issue of 'TP' – ed.]. It is a matter of simple understanding of law and justice – as well as the obligations that stem from holding the position of ombudsman. Lawyers who undertake the defense of people whom public opinion has long…” https://www.tygodnikpowszechny.pl/jakie-rzecznik-ma-prawo-159346 -- RYSZARD BUGAJ STATES THAT THE CONSTITUTION IS BEING VIOLATED BUT CITIZENS DO NOT HAVE A CREDIBLE DEMOCRATIC GROUP AT THEIR DISPOSAL: “Critics of the current government's actions (including the undersigned) agree that the law (and especially the constitution) is being violated. So where does the assumption come from that it will be respected after decentralization is introduced? Provincial 'parliaments' will still – one must assume – be elected through political competition. The result of this competition will always – also now in Poland – be decisive. But elections are not an absolute guarantee of victory for a pro-democracy group. It happens that voters are tired of democracy, but it is also more often the case that voters do not have a democratic group at their disposal that credibly represents their interests. This cannot be remedied by taking 'shortcuts'.” https://www.rp.pl/Rzecz-o-polityce/306259905-Ryszard-Bugaj-Rzeczpospolita-dzielnicowa.html -- ADAM SZOSTKIEWICZ WRITES THAT GOVERNMENT PROPAGANDA IS STUMBLING… “This is indeed interesting, because it turns out that government propaganda is starting to falter. The opposition is gaining new electoral fuel thanks to this. Moreover, in neighbouring Slovakia and the Czech Republic, the right is also on the defensive. Thousands of Czech demonstrations against the Babisz government show that opposition to authoritarianism and corruption among ruling politicians is growing not only here.” https://szostkiewicz.blog.polityka.pl/2019/06/25/frekwencja-kochani/ -- JACEK NIZINKIEWICZ WRITES IN RZ THAT IT'S AN OPEN SECRET THAT PiS PLANS TO RAISE TAXES FOR THE RICHEST: “It is also an open secret that PiS wants to raise taxes for the richest. 'Financial reserves are enormous among the richest. After the elections, Poles will need to be shown that the poorest cannot be the ones paying the most taxes. But that's after the elections,' say politicians from the ruling camp, asking not to reveal their names. 'Redistribution is the key' – they add. 'The street will speak and support us. No one will defend business' – they claim and explain that 'the finance minister will do anything for political orders. And after the elections, we will have a renewed social mandate for broader changes.'” -- NIZINKIEWICZ WRITES THAT PiS SHOULD MAKE DECLARATIONS BEFORE THE ELECTIONS WHETHER IT WILL MAINTAIN TRANSFERS AFTER THE ELECTIONS: “Changes to 500+ are only a matter of time. But is this the only program that would be modified? PiS is already looking for money to cover numerous social programs that are intended to bring it re-election. Does Jarosław Kaczyński's party give guarantees on maintaining other transfers in their current form after winning the elections? Mateusz Morawiecki and the officials subordinate to him should answer these questions unequivocally today. Poles deserve this knowledge before the parliamentary elections.” https://www.rp.pl/Rzecz-o-polityce/306259903-Jacek-Nizinkiewicz-Jak-PiS-zmieni-500-plus.html -- PiS IS BUILDING A STATE OF HALF-MODERNIZATION, SIMILAR TO ISRAEL - ANDRZEJ WAŚKIEWICZ IN KULTURA LIBERALNA: “Could the unspoken – Bavarians are Germans after all! – ideal state of the ruling party's leader be the southern federal state of our neighbour? I must disappoint those who think this way: PiS is not building a second Bavaria, but a second Israel. (...) PiS is building a state of half-modernization, similar to Israel, because geopolitics itself suggests this choice. At the pre-election conventions of the current ruling party, Poland was presented as the heart of Europe, but in its policy, Poland emerges as a frontline country. Not just a border country, because on its borders, but within those borders, a civilizational cold war is taking place.” https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2019/06/26/waskiewicz-polska-pis-izrael-porownanie/ -- DOMINIKA WANTUCH WRITES IN GW ABOUT THE PANIC SURROUNDING THREATENED EU FUNDS FOR SMOG FIGHT: “PiS politicians, who hoped the letter would not see the light of day, fell into a panic and assure that the program will be changed. They also admit more and more often that the program, which was supposed to be the pride of the PiS government, is not working. Minister Jarosław Gowin said directly at a meeting with residents of Kartuzy: – The 'Clean Air' program is not working in practice, even though it is well thought out and there is money, but the inefficiency of public administration causes this money not to work, not to be usable by residents.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,155287,24933679,poploch-w-pis-po-liscie-komisji-europejskiej.html -- ON THE FRONT PAGE OF DGP ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT DECIDING TO GET RID OF NON-BANK LOAN INSTITUTIONS - PATRYK SŁOWIK: “The government has decided to get rid of loan companies from the market. The new rules of the game adopted yesterday, without consultation, will make the payday loan business unprofitable.” https://gospodarka.dziennik.pl/finanse/artykuly/601031,chwilowki-ustawa-antylichwiarska-nizszy-pulap-pozaodsetkowych-kosztow-kredytu.html -- BIRTHDAYS: Jacek Wojciechowicz, Natalia Radulska, Aleksandra Klimont, Ilona Antoniszyn.