-- 300LIVE: THE PRIME MINISTER ON THE NEED FOR EU CONSENSUS, PETRU ON THE IMPENDING SLOWDOWN: https://300polityka.pl/live/2019/07/02/ -- MORAWIECKI FIGHTS LIKE A LION, BUT CAUTION IS NEEDED - MICHAŁ KARNOWSKI: “Prime Minister Morawiecki fights like a lion, but one should be cautious with predictions. What is this Brussels battle really about? Someone close to the negotiations tells me: Morawiecki fights like a lion, but caution is needed. If the biggest players decide to break the spirit of compromise and negotiation, they will push through whomever they wish. But everyone also knows that this will have negative consequences for an already battered community. Thus, nothing is decided yet today. It's hard not to get the impression that not only the appointment of the head of the European Commission is being decided in these hours, but also the shape and formula of the European community. Have the great European powers forgotten that this was supposed to be a barrier against a concert of powers, not a new form of it?” https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/453207-morawiecki-walczy-jak-lew-ale-nalezy-byc-ostroznym -- A PERFECT JOKE, I WAS FOOLED - ADAM LESZCZYŃSKI WRITES TO ROBERT BIEDROŃ IN CRITIQUE: “Oh, Robert. Robert. Such a joker you are. A jester. A prankster. I thought that what you said about 'breaking the duopoly' ruling Poland was serious. That this whole show, which can be seen in the photos, of smashing the wall with 'POPiS' written on it with a hammer – meant something. That you genuinely cared about it. But it was just a joke! A perfect one, I admit. I was fooled. Ha ha ha! Now you've announced that you're starting 'talks about talks' with Civic Coalition, which, let me remind you, is part of the duopoly you were supposed to break. I laughed my head off. Do you still remember what you said about 'changing the face of this earth'? How you offered Grzegorz Schetyna a position in your government? I understand that this is what these talks are about? -- LESZCZYŃSKI ON A SPRING FLOWER FOR THE WINTER COAT: “You'll become a nice spring flower for the conservative PO's heavy winter coat. A tiny flower, mind you, because you won't get many seats.” -- THE AUNTS AND UNCLES OF DEMOCRACY FROM THE BOURGEOIS PRESS WILL PAT YOU ON THE BACK - LESZCZYŃSKI CONTINUES IN CRITIQUE: “The aunts and uncles of democracy from the bourgeois press, who couldn't stand Wiosna from the beginning and dreamt that all anti-PiS voters would have no choice but to vote for a coalition around Platforma, will pat you on the shoulder and write that you 'came to your senses.' But in their hearts, they'll think: 'what a sucker.' 'You came to your senses' means: 'you understood your place in the queue.' https://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/adam-leszczynski-robert-biedron-prze-wyborami-2019/?fbclid=IwAR3zKE_y0GIf8L85D2pDQJGykCciGJVq6UE76iSztgNsoAwbncHBwj72MOk -- DESPITE DISAPPOINTMENTS, I STILL RESPECT PETRU - LESZEK JAŻDŻEWSKI: “The fall of this party was in some sense inevitable due to the mistakes made right at the beginning: a rather random composition of the club, a lack of cohesion on issues beyond general support for entrepreneurship, a leader lacking several fundamental qualifications beyond popularizing economics, including understanding the principles of politics. It was and is easy to joke about the gaffe-prone Rysiek. Besides Kwaśniewski, he was perhaps one of the most meme-able politicians of his time. However, despite all these disappointments and amusements, I still maintained respect for Petru. He was from a different era, not only in terms of his economic program, which seemed to be from before the economic crisis, but also in his approach to public debate, in the idea that beyond narratives, arguments are worth using and that they can convince public opinion.” -- HE BUILT A PARTY FROM SCRATCH - JAŻDŻEWSKI CONTINUES: “His egocentrism, combined with obvious weaknesses, also had a certain charm, despite everything. Without that audacity, he wouldn't have built a completely new political initiative from practically nothing.” https://liberte.pl/rys-z-okienka/ -- IF SOMETHING DIDN'T WORK, OBVIOUSLY, YOU HAVE TO TRY IT AGAIN - KINGA DUNIN IN CRITIQUE: “The greatest asset of PO and Schetyna's advantage was supposed to be creating a broad anti-PiS coalition. As we know, that wasn't enough. But if something didn't work, obviously, you have to try it again – and probably no incantations like 'let a significant left-wing coalition finally be formed' will help.” -- AN EVEN MORE MEDIOCRE AND VAGUE CREATION - DUNIN CONTINUES: “And PO wants to have it all – the cake and eat it too. An interesting challenge for Schetyna, a master of internal party games. But if this succeeds, a creation even more mediocre and vague than before will emerge, despite the grand announcements that they will spend their holidays in the Polish countryside. Choosing Brejza, an annoying PiS-hater – with all due respect for his actions – as campaign manager seems like a fitting decision if the slogan is: Hey, whoever is a Pole, follow Kmicic, onward to Pisowice!” -- NOWACKA HAS BEEN DEPRIVED OF THE RIGHT TO ANY DISTINCTIVENESS - KINGA DUNIN ON POLISH DEMOCRATS: “And what if PO had chosen Wiosna? Without PSL? They might do it to devour Wiosna and continue to avoid any self-definition, or finally decide – the Greens will likely remain in the coalition, the more socially progressive Nowoczesna (okay, pathetic remnants of Nowoczesna), Barbara Nowacka, who has been deprived of the right to any distinctiveness – for a clearer self-definition. From this, one could build some version of the American Democrats. Perhaps the duopoly cannot be defeated, but not today, in any case. (Yes, the 'duopoly' is awful, unproductive, it builds political tribes that are at each other's throats).” https://krytykapolityczna.pl/felietony/kinga-dunin/osiolkowi-w-zloby-dano/ -- W DGP POLL ON OPPOSITION BLOCKS, BUT IT'S IBRIS...: “The study also indicates that if the anti-PiS opposition consolidates, the ruling camp's advantage over it decreases. One of our polls, assuming the anti-PiS opposition runs in two blocs – a centrist-populist one (PO with PSL) and a left-wing one – shows that the gap between the combined opposition's results of 40.6% and PiS's 42.4% narrows to 2 percentage points. Two weeks ago, we presented another poll which indicated that if the entire opposition ran as a single bloc, it could count on 38.2% support, while PiS would get 41.5%.” https://wiadomosci.dziennik.pl/polityka/artykuly/601536,opozycyjna-konsolidacja-czy-anihilacja.html -- ANDRZEJ MACHOWSKI ANALYZES THE D’HONDT METHOD - as written in GW: “As can be seen, running in three blocs offers a theoretical possibility of defeating PiS, which enjoys almost 41% support. However, Mr. D’Hondt’s requirements are such that to win minimally, by even one mandate, opposition voters must divide their votes differently than they have so far. The point is that the 'smaller' ones (Lewica and PSL-KP) – to escape the D’Hondt guillotine that cuts off mandates for the weak – must gain support exceeding at least 14%. Because if they get less support, their losses in mandates will not be compensated by KO's gains, and PiS, the largest party, will benefit the most from the losses of Lewica and PSL. In other words, if they do not achieve about 15% support, the 'three blocs' variant will not differ from the 'opposition runs separately' variant. Perhaps such a division (about 20% for KO and about 15% each for Lewica and PSL-KP) would be more appealing to anti-PiS voters than the current dominance of KO, but with less than four months until the elections, there is little time for such a rearrangement of the opposition political scene.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,24952976,do-wyborow-razem-czy-osobno-niech-opozycja-policzy-na-co-moze.html -- MAREK BELKA RIDICULED THE ŁÓDŹ AIRPORT AND THEN FLEW FROM IT - LOCAL GW: “But it is needed! Today, Marek Belka, Member of the European Parliament, flew from Łódź on a Lufthansa plane via Munich to Strasbourg” – a photo with such a caption was posted on the Facebook page of the Łódź Airport. This recalled Belka's famous statement, where in the Sowa and Przyjaciele restaurant recordings, he spoke about the Łódź airport: “A tiny airport, who the hell needs it, but it exists.” http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114884,24954078,marek-belka-jednak-skorzystal-z-lotniska-w-lodzi-na-tasmach.html -- DULCINELLA! WOJTUNIK AND HIS WIFE OPENED A CONFECTIONERY IN URSYNÓW: “Desserts, cakes, tortes, cookies, and other sweets, both in traditional and vegan, gluten-free, and sugar-free versions – this is what Paweł Wojtunik, former head of the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA), will now deal with daily. He and his wife have just opened a confectionery in Warsaw. 'The situation forced us to retrain. We both worked in the services before, now we've become confectioners,' Wojtunik told Onet.” https://warszawa.onet.pl/wojtunik-z-zona-otworzyli-cukiernie-sytuacja-zmusila-nas-do-przebranzowienia-sie/2zt3xxp -- KRAKÓW'S PLATFORMA WANTS A CITY WITHOUT PLASTIC: “On Monday, Kraków PO activists Grzegorz Lipiec and Aleksander Miszalski handed out leaflets (printed on ecological paper, of course) at Stary Kleparz, encouraging residents to change their consumption habits and reduce the amount of waste produced, including plastic. They also offer practical advice, for example, that on hot days you can carry water bottles and fill them from the tap, which – contrary to common belief – can be drunk directly without health concerns. They also recommend choosing toys, clothing, and cosmetics made from natural materials, cotton bags instead of plastic ones, and avoiding straws for drinks.” http://krakow.wyborcza.pl/krakow/7,44425,24952942,akcja-po-mniej-smieci-mniej-plastiku-w-krakowie.html -- PIS WILL GIVE FARMERS EVEN MORE THAN PROMISED IN KADZIDŁO - GAZETA.PL: “The Ministry of Agriculture has announced changes to the Animal Welfare program. Farmers will be able to receive up to PLN 612 per pig and PLN 595 per cow. More than Jarosław Kaczyński promised.” http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114883,24954240,pis-podbija-stawke-nie-500-a-600-zl-na-krowe-na-swinie.html -- VEGA COULD HELP PIS WIN - JACEK GĄDEK: “After the premiere of 'Ucho prezesa' (The President's Ear), support for PiS dropped. Then PiS lost local elections because Wojciech Smarzowski's 'Kler' (Clergy) hit cinemas. PiS's defeat in the European elections was just caused by the excellent documentary 'Tylko nie mów nikomu' (Just Don't Tell Anyone) by the Sekielski brothers. And ultimately, PiS will lose power because of Patryk Vega's 'Polityka' (Politics). There is as much truth in each of these sentences as there is in Vega's films.” -- THE DIRECTOR MIXED UP THE NUMBERS ON DŁUGA STREET - GĄDEK CONTINUES: “Looking at snippets of the film, Vega will provide PiS with fuel to mobilize voters and may turn a potential threat into an advantage for PiS. The film is said to include scenes suggesting a romance between Antoni Macierewicz and Bartłomiej Misiewicz. In the revealed scenes, the former Minister of National Defense is seen fawning over his squire's calves, and a kiss is also mentioned. And in other scenes, they are seen snorting white lines. If, according to Vega, this is what the backstage of Nowogrodzka looks like, then the director has mixed up the numbers on Długa Street.” http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114884,24952162,film-patryka-vegi-moze-pis-owi-jeszcze-pomoc-analiza.html -- BEFORE RESUMING THE STRIKE, A REFERENDUM MUST BE HELD - SŁAWOMIR BRONIARZ IN CRITIQUE: “But according to lawyers, with whom I agree, before resuming strike action, a referendum must be held – even for procedural caution, so that no one can accuse us of exposing strike participants to disciplinary responsibility for violating labor law. But of course, we are not going through the entire process: mediation, negotiations, talks – only the referendum remains.” https://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/slwomir-broniarz-czy-nauczyciele-zastrajkuja-we-wrzesniu/ -- EWA SIEDLECKA ON THE COURT WEIGHING IKEA'S ARGUMENTS: “LGBT individuals are not protected by Polish law against incitement to hatred or insult. Such protection is granted only on grounds of religion or non-belief, nationality, ethnic origin, and race. LGBT individuals are protected against discrimination only by the Labor Code (and the provision prohibiting refusal of service used to protect them). Therefore, an employer who cares about a non-discriminatory atmosphere based on non-heteronormativity acts in accordance with the spirit and letter of the Labor Code. On the other hand, the Labor Code also prohibits discrimination based on religion. But is dismissing an employee for discriminatory entries, which are – manipulated – quotes from the Bible, discrimination? The court will assess. It would be good if it tried to answer the question of whether spreading hatred towards other people using quotes from religious books deserves protection? The employee is represented by Ordo Iuris, whose lawyers are already sharpening their teeth to win another precedent for freedom of conscience – at the cost of equality and non-discrimination.” https://siedlecka.blog.polityka.pl/2019/07/01/sumienie-wladzy-rzadzi/?nocheck=1 -- PKO BP IS THE TITULAR PARTNER OF EKSTRAKLASA: “PKO Ekstraklasa – this will be the name of the top football league in Poland for the next two seasons. As of July 1st, a refreshed league logo is in effect, incorporating the new Titular Partner. The entire visual identity of the competition will also change. Ekstraklasa, along with PKO Bank Polski and club representatives, also plans a series of marketing activities to be carried out throughout the upcoming season.” http://ekstraklasa.org/aktualnosci/pko-bank-polski-partnerem-tytularnym-ekstraklasy-13894 -- MARIUSZ CHŁOPIK - HEAD OF SPORTS MARKETING AT PKO BANK POLSKI ON ENGAGEMENT IN EKSTRAKLASA - SAYS WESZŁO.COM: “As the largest bank in Poland and one of the largest financial institutions in this part of Europe, we were looking for a project large enough to communicate with our clients or potential clients. We want to build our brand and promote the values that we ourselves adhere to in our bank. The fact that football is a good direction is shown by the examples of Western banks. There are many of them, but two flagship ones are Barclays, which sponsored the Premier League for many years, and Santander, which supports the Spanish league and the Champions League. This is business; we don't spend this money in vain. We hope our clients appreciate the engagement in Ekstraklasa.” -- WE DON'T ACHIEVE GREAT SUCCESSES, BUT WE LIVE AND BREATHE FOOTBALL - CHŁOPIK CONTINUES: “We Poles have football in our DNA. Perhaps we don't achieve great successes, but we live and breathe football. We constantly talk about it. You can see this even during our business meetings here at PKO Bank Polski. After big presentations, sometimes tough talks, there's time for so-called small talk, which usually concerns football.” -- WE WANT TO BE PART OF WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO POLES - CHŁOPIK ON PKO'S ENGAGEMENT IN EKSTRAKLASA: “Building social, civic value. We want to be a partner for clubs, for cities, for fans, and create ecosystems based on local communities that have local heroes. We have a slogan here: 'what is good for Poland is good for PKO Bank Polski.' We have even inscribed this in our strategy. We believe that if the league grows, if fan communities grow, which I interpret as an increase in quality of life and financial well-being, it will also be beneficial for us. Therefore, we are open to all environments and invite them to talk. Football is the national sport of Poles, and we want to be present at what is important to Poles.” http://weszlo.com/2019/07/01/chlopik-chcemy-byc-obecni-przy-tym-dla-polakow-wazne/ -- BIRTHDAYS: Zbigniew Janas, Tomasz Siemoniak, Błażej Strzelczyk, Jadwiga Wiśniewska.