-- KIDAWA AND KIERWIŃSKI ON VICTORY, ADVOCATE GENERAL OF THE CJEU ON THE DISCIPLINARY CHAMBER - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2019/06/27/ -- JĘDRZEJ BIELECKI IN RZ ON BREAKTHROUGH IN RELATIONS WITH LITHUANIA: “On July 16, four days after his inauguration, President Gitanas Nausėda will pay his first visit to Warsaw. This marks the beginning of a new opening in Lithuanian foreign policy. (...) It turned out that for Berlin, isolating aggressive Russia has its limits: business cannot suffer too much from it. Resistance to the gas pipeline was another factor that brought Vilnius and Warsaw closer together.” https://www.rp.pl/Dyplomacja/306269896-Rosja-pcha-Litwe-w-objecia-Polski.html -- BARTEK GODUSŁAWSKI AND GRZEGORZ OSIECKI IN DGP ON CONTEXT FOR THE PRIME MINISTER'S ELECTORAL DISTRICT: "There is a game underway in PiS about where Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki will run in the autumn parliamentary elections. Katowice is the favorite, because – as one of our interlocutors says – whoever wins in Silesia, wins in the whole country. So far, incumbent prime ministers have usually run from Warsaw, but this district is reserved for Jarosław Kaczyński. Where will the prime minister run from? Katowice is the favorite, but Wrocław, Warsaw II, and Kielce are also mentioned." https://wiadomosci.dziennik.pl/polityka/artykuly/601159,morawiecki-listy-slask-wygrana-wybory-parlamentarne.html -- PIOTR MIĄCZYŃSKI AND LESZEK KOSTRZEWSKI IN GW ON WHY PIS WANTS EARLY ELECTIONS: “Jarosław Kaczyński wants the elections to be held as soon as possible, preferably in October. Immediately after them, the screws will start to be tightened, first of all – on the wealthy. Companies and employees will pay additional contributions.” -- IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO RAISE TAXES BEFORE THE ELECTION - CONTINUES GW: “Most likely, it will be October 13. Why the rush? One of the reasons is certainly the continued optimism in the party and high support after winning the European Parliament elections. Therefore, the sooner parliamentary elections are held, the greater the chance that PiS's ratings will not fall. But there is also a second reason – budgetary. Taxes and contributions cannot be raised before the elections. After the elections, it's a completely different reality. And this must be done before the end of this year. Moreover, PiS has come up with a clever idea for this. What is it?” -- GW ON RAISING CONTRIBUTIONS: “The Ministry of Finance calculated that the trick with abolishing the limit will bring an additional PLN 5.1 billion to the budget. Jeremi Mordasewicz from Konfederacja Lewiatan admits that PiS's idea – high earners pay contributions all year round – has only advantages for the government: the state budget receives a lot of money now, and others will worry about the potential consequences in the form of expensive, high pensions (even PLN 20-30 thousand per month) in 10-20 years.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,155287,24934189,kaczynski-chce-jak-najszybciej-wyborow-jesli-pis-wygra-rzad.html -- WŁADYSŁAW KOSINIAK-KAMYSZ IN AN INTERVIEW WITH JACEK NIZINKIEWICZ ON TWO OPPOSITION BLOCKS: “If the wings are too wide, they simply break, lessons must be learned from this. By proposing the Polish Coalition, I am proposing two blocs, I am working for the opposition, not against it. I believe that if a single bloc were formed for the Polish parliamentary elections, there would be no chance of winning against PiS. There will be such a mobilization of PiS's electorate, and undecided people, who, seeing only two blocs, will more often choose PiS, and this could be their gigantic victory. Two blocs may not have a chance to take first place in the race, but they can co-govern after the elections.” -- WKK ON KUKIZ: “We are talking with Kukiz’15. I like the idea of a referendum day.” -- WKK ON PAWLAK'S RUN: “I spoke with Waldemar Pawlak and encouraged him to run, all hands on deck. Pawlak would win a mandate from any constituency. I also invite Janusz Piechociński to the PSL lists.” -- WKK ON THE OPPOSITION'S PROGRAM: “Pension without tax, clean air, cheap energy, environmental protection and energy security. Focusing on renewable energy sources, photovoltaic panels, wind and water energy. Restoring what PiS has turned upside down, i.e., a clean Poland, these are our flagship projects. We will submit a bill to the Sejm on the establishment of a commission for the quality of life, the fight against smog, and climate change.” https://www.rp.pl/Polskie-Stronnictwo-Ludowe/306269905-Wladyslaw-Kosiniak-Kamysz-Zapraszamy-PO-do-Koalicji-Polskiej.html -- ECOLOGY IS A TOPIC TO GRAB - JAKUB BODZIONY IN KULTURA LIBERALNA: “It's worth it, because this issue has much greater electoral potential than Krystyna Janda's political appeals, the debate about Patryk Vega's new film, or another return to disputes over the PRL heritage. A smart climate policy can bring victory to the opposition. Especially since pro-ecological solutions complement other country's needs. An increasing share of renewable energy sources in our energy mix will allow us not only to clean the air but also to gradually become independent of imports from Russia. Similarly, better public and intercity transport means not only fewer cars and exhaust fumes (and thus better health) but also a fight against transport exclusion.” https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2019/06/27/ekologia-bodziony-polityka-kampania-wyborcza/ -- MARCIN FIJOŁEK WRITES THAT PLATFORMA WILL NOT QUICKLY CONQUER LOCAL POLAND: “From the photos and video materials published on social media by Platforma, it is not evident that these meetings enjoyed great interest; attendance is meager, and Schetyna himself looks like he's from the marketing models of Igor Ostachowicz, who, by the way, has started appearing in the PO leader's entourage. He's not in too many photos, but his presence is not accidental. The advisor, considered one of the creators of Donald Tusk's PR successes, has started advising Schetyna. -- NOT ENOUGH TIME FOR A POLITICAL RESET - FIJOŁEK CONTINUES: “Even disputes surrounding the statements of the Ombudsman (as well as the Children's Rights Ombudsman) are rather substitute topics, where assessments often go against daily party divisions. If we subtract the holidays (during which, even so, the expansion of the 500+ program or the PiS program congress, for example, comes into play), Schetyna will have a month, maybe a month and a half of actual campaigning left. That's not enough to think about a reset.” -- PLATFORMA HAS NOT YET LEARNED THE NEW RULES OF THE GAME - FIJOŁEK'S CONCLUSION: “The lull in politics and neglected four years (and more broadly: twelve, given the policy towards local Poland) cannot be made up in two summer months by rolling up one's sleeves. Perhaps the effect of such PR juggling would be more noticeable someday, but it's simply not like that today. It's a different Poland, a different dispute, and a different game than years ago. And Schetyna and his people still haven't learned the new rules of the game.” https://wpolityce.pl/m/polityka/452430-ostachowicz-podwija-rekawy-koszuli-schetyny-nic-to-nie-da -- SCHETYNA IS FIGHTING RATHER TO REDUCE THE SIZE OF THE DEFEAT - ZUZANNA DĄBROWSKA IN RZ: “However, as indicated by the picket of Citizens of the Republic of Poland outside the PO headquarters during the board meeting, this is not a good way for all the other smaller and larger opposition groups, who would be most pleased if the Platform leaders shared power with them and the opposition lists were selected in primaries. However, it is too late for that, and Grzegorz Schetyna is fighting rather to reduce the size of the defeat than to build a new, democratic opposition camp that could effectively compete with PiS.” https://www.rp.pl/Polityka/306269899-Idee-trzeba-miec-nie-za-nia-umierac.html -- PROF. ŁĘTOWSKA ON THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL TRIBUNAL RULING: “Professor Ewa Łętowska assessed that she is "saddened by such a ruling of the Constitutional Tribunal." - In practice, this means more or less that we have granted conscience clauses to all service providers. I fear that soon there will be pharmacies only for Catholics or hotels only for white people. Because every service provider will say that they will not serve those they do not like, who have a different skin color, who speak differently – emphasized the former Ombudsman and judge of the Constitutional Tribunal in TOK FM. http://www.tokfm.pl/Tokfm/7,103085,24939379,prof-letowska-o-decyzji-tk-ws-drukarza-z-lodzi-boje-sie.html -- PIS RELEASED A TEST BALLOON ON THE ISSUE OF CHILDLESSNESS TAX - Miłosz Węglewski in Newsweek: “Before the autumn elections, PiS will not risk introducing the so-called childlessness tax, i.e., an additional tax on seven million Poles who do not dream of having children. But if they retain power... The problem is that the 'childlessness tax' does not guarantee an increase in fertility. Regardless of which of its forms – an increase in social security contributions, an additional tax, or a progressive reduction of tax burdens for families with one or more children – PiS might choose. Because the additional cost of 'childlessness', in most cases around PLN 100-200 per month, is unlikely to influence the life choices of young Poles.” https://www.newsweek.pl/biznes/gospodarka/bykowe-rzad-chcialby-brac-pieniadze-od-bezdzietnych/er1xm5q -- ŁUKASZ PAWŁOWSKI WRITES ABOUT THE SECOND WAVE OF PRIVATIZATION - OF PUBLIC SERVICES THROUGH SOCIAL TRANSFERS - in Nowa Konfederacja: “Thus, funds obtained by the government from our taxes will return to the citizens only to then be transferred to private entities as payment for services that, in theory, the state should provide. This is one of several manifestations of a phenomenon I call the 'second wave of privatization.' Unlike the first one, from the early 1990s, it does not concern large state-owned enterprises, but services previously provided by the state. The policy of individual cash transfers, widely used by the current government, is one of the main driving forces of this phenomenon. Unfortunately, most of us still do not see, or do not want to see, the connection between the two.” https://nowakonfederacja.pl/spiecie/ochrona-zdrowia-pod-rzadami-pis-u-druga-fala-prywatyzacji-i-jej-skutki/ -- PIOTR SKWIROWSKI IN RZ ON THE FEAR OF A BLACK LENDING MARKET EMERGING: “There is no room for jokes here. The interests of all parties must be carefully balanced. The costs of loan products advertised by companies can sometimes be breathtaking. And there is probably some room for limiting them. Perhaps requirements for clearer informing clients about loan costs are also necessary. The gimnazjum exams showed that mathematics is black magic for Poles. Information about the annual percentage rate of charge (APR) expressed as a percentage means little to a large part of our compatriots. Perhaps it should be stated clearly and precisely that if a client takes out an PLN 8,000 loan, they will have to return PLN 10,500 after two months? However, breaking up the legal lending market is certainly a bad idea. It will push people in need into the clutches of shady lenders who will demand their money by sending their 'soldiers' on clients. This will take us back to the days of wild west on this market, which we thought we had forgotten once and for all.” https://www.rp.pl/Opinie/306269883-Rzad-obudzi-czarny-rynek-chwilowek.html -- THE RAINBOW RETURNS TO WARSAW - STOŁECZNA: “The 'straight rainbow' by Marek Sobczyk stood in front of Zachęta 28 years ago. In 1991, the artist showed it at the exhibition 'Epitaph and Seven Spaces. Paths, Traditions, Peculiarities of Spiritual Life in Poland Reflected in the Mirror of Art at the End of the 20th Century.' The rainbow, which differs from the traditional one in that it has straight angles and non-obvious colors, stood on Małachowski Square until 1993. We will see it again next Saturday at 6 PM. This is another of Zachęta's summer programs on the square, from which parking will be removed for the holidays.” http://warszawa.wyborcza.pl/warszawa/7,54420,24939464,tecza-wraca-do-warszawy-wazy-tone-i-nie-jest-latwopalna.html -- BIRTHDAYS: Władysław Ortyl, Krzysztof Hetman, Michał Ciechowski, Gabriela Masłowska, Andrzej Kraszewski, Andrzej Jaeschke, Janina Okrągły, Grzegorz Janik.