-- PIS COUNTERATTACKS - SZYDŁO ON THE WAY TO WĘGRÓW - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2019/07/08 -- POLITICAL PLAN FOR THE WEEK: https://300polityka.pl/news/2019/07/07/polityczny-plan-tygodnia-forum-programowe-ko-rzad-o-500-dla-niepelnosprawnych-pad-na-slasku-senat-o-muzeum-westerplatte/ -- WITH POLAND, REGARDLESS OF WHO GOVERNS - GERMAN AMBASSADOR ROLF NIKEL IN CONVERSATION WITH JĘDRZEJ BIELECKI IN RZ: “We are bound by strategic relations with Poland, and this means we cooperate on their development regardless of who is in power. We achieved good results with the previous administration and are achieving equally good results with the current one! Our close relations are also evidenced by numerous meetings at the political level: on July 5th, Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Poznań, on July 31st, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas will come to Warsaw, and on September 1st, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, together with President Andrzej Duda, will participate in the commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II in Wieluń and Warsaw. It’s incredible how far we have come since then, despite history. We are forever grateful to Poland for the reconciliation between our countries.” -- AS GOOD WITH CZAPUTOWICZ AS WITH SIKORSKI - CONTINUES THE GERMAN AMBASSADOR: “As I said: we had very good relations with Radek Sikorski, but we also have very good relations with Minister Czaputowicz, who, incidentally, also delivered a very interesting speech in Berlin on June 18th.” -- POLAND SHOULD PLAY AS KEY A ROLE AS FRANCE - CONTINUES NIKEL IN RZ: “In Europe, we want to play a moderating role, a mediating role. Sometimes, as in the case of strengthening the euro, we have taken the initiative. But we always believe that other countries, especially Poland, should play a key role in these initiatives together with France.” https://www.rp.pl/Dyplomacja/307079958-Ambasador-Rolf-Nikel-Niemcom-dobrze-sie-wspolpracuje--i-z-PO-i-z-PiS.html -- UNITED RIGHT ON THE WAY TO WINNING PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS - title on the front page of RZ. -- RADIO ZET DID NOT INFORM THAT IT WAS PUBLISHING AN INTERNAL CIVIC PLATFORM POLL - WE WRITE ON 300: “300POLITYKA has confirmed with Kantar Public that such a poll was indeed conducted. The client was Civic Platform, which Radio Zet's website failed to mention. – I confirm, the poll was indeed carried out. The client was Civic Platform – wrote Urszula Krassowska from Kantar in an email. – If the opposition goes into the elections separately, Civic Platform can count on 26% of the votes, Spring – on 6%, and PSL and SLD would be outside parliament. Kukiz’15 also has a chance to enter the Sejm – Radio Zet quotes the poll results.” https://300polityka.pl/live/2019/07/08/tylko-zjednoczona-opozycja-ma-szanse-powalczyc-z-pis-radio-zet-publikuje-sondaz-kantar-zlecony-przez-platforme/ -- KACZYŃSKI AS A PROPHET SETTING MORAL GOALS - MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI IN RZ: “PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński knows that the mere promise that things will continue to be good may not be enough to mobilize voters. Contrary to what he himself said, negative emotions mobilize people to vote the most. That is why he appealed to a higher, ethical sanction to legitimize his party's rule. His main message was an appeal to extend PiS's mandate to govern not only to – as he put it – utilize the good times for Poland, but also to stop the ‘offensive of evil.’ Jarosław Kaczyński does not want to be just the leader of a group that has made the economy grow, that limits itself to managing the state. He wants to be a prophet setting moral goals and implementing them. An instrument of History. Mere competition with political opponents is so ordinary. PiS does not compete; PiS fights evil.” -- WHAT APPEALING VISION DOES THE OPPOSITION HAVE? - ASKS SZUŁDRZYŃSKI: “In 2015, PiS won the elections because it presented society with a vision of Poland alternative to what they knew from the PO-PSL era. What appealing vision of Poland do liberal opposition politicians have to offer Poles, other than wanting to remove PiS from power?” https://www.rp.pl/Wybory-parlamentarne-2019/307079967-Szuldrzynski-Co-powiedziec-sytemu-Polakowi.html -- IN WĘGRÓW, THE CIVIC PLATFORM IS LIKE RICH WHITE BUSINESSMEN IN AN INDIAN RESERVATION - JACEK KARNOWSKI: “If left-wing sociologists were to momentarily abandon their studies of oppression in families, combating patriarchy, and fighting Catholic faith, and devoted a few minutes to analyzing the Civic Platform's staff visit to Węgrów, they would have to conclude that it was something akin to an expedition of rich white businessmen into an Indian reservation. Or perhaps a Vistula-side copy of Western tourists' trips to Brazilian favelas, considered by the left-wing world to be an extreme example of bad taste and lack of class.” https://wpolityce.pl/m/polityka/454098-wyprawa-do-faweli-czyli-drugi-spot-po-z-panem-andrzejem -- MICHAŁ KARNOWSKI ON PIS'S AMBITION FOR RAIDS ON POLITICAL COMPETITORS' REAR ECHELONS: “But observing the convention closely, talking to participants, I noticed something else. A plan is emerging from this meeting not only to defend the status quo, strengthen the already enormous social support, and continue the line of governance in a (potential) next term, but also to launch raids on the political competitors' rear echelons.” -- KARNOWSKI ON THE OFFENSIVE TOWARDS THE URBAN MIDDLE CLASS: “I believe that from all this will emerge a programmatic offensive by Law and Justice, precisely towards this urban middle class. Not by abandoning its current base, which would be an idiocy in the PSL style, but by trying once again to reach this group with an offer to participate in the state's repair. I would not be surprised if the autumn campaign offensive of Kaczyński's camp went in this direction, rather than the commonly expected pro-family and social sphere. This is, of course, only my analysis, but the feeling that the new PiS offer will not be a simple repetition of the May one, that it will be an attempt to strike at points that the opposition considers its own, is very strong after the Katowice convention.” https://wpolityce.pl/m/polityka/453997-oboz-kaczynskiego-wyprawia-sie-wlasnie-na-teren-konkurentow -- ANDRZEJ GAJCY WRITES IN ONET THAT PIS IS LEAVING THE DIVIDED OPPOSITION BEHIND: “Law and Justice has de facto already begun its campaign for the autumn parliamentary elections, leaving the divided opposition behind. The ruling camp announces the halting of the ‘great offensive of evil,’ pointing to worldview issues as the main axis of contention in the upcoming elections.” -- PIS POSITIONS ITSELF AS THE DEFENDER OF TRADITION - CONTINUES GAJCY: “Kaczyński is well aware, as confirmed by internal polls commissioned by the ruling party, that the worldview dispute helped the ruling coalition win, and win significantly, the European elections. With the Episcopate on its side, which is increasingly vocal in the ongoing discussion, PiS wants to position itself as the defender of faith and Polish tradition, which has yielded tangible electoral gains once before.” -- CIVIC PLATFORM HAS DECLARED CAPITULATION - WRITES GAJCY: “There are about four months left until the parliamentary elections. On the one hand, the ruling camp has already launched an informal campaign, in which it strongly outlines the perspective of another four years in government. On the other side is the opposition, trying to make up the lost ground with PiS by touring the country and talking to Poles. However, public attention is more focused on the gaffes of opposition politicians and appeals for unity than on any concrete vision of Poland as an alternative to the 'good change.' It looks as if Civic Platform has declared capitulation right at the start, realizing that it is impossible to win against PiS now.” https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/tylko-w-onecie/pis-zostawia-opozycje-w-tyle-analiza/nfcq9pt -- GOOD CHANGE 2.0, NOW INVESTMENT ACCELERATION - JACEK GĄDEK IN GAZETA.PL: “From the chairman's words emanates the conviction that investment acceleration is needed – development, large investments like the Central Communication Port, or international infrastructure within the Three Seas Initiative. This is because social and political acceleration has already become a fact.” http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114884,24970132,kaczynski-rysuje-dobra-zmiane-2-0-ale-nie-wielkich-programow.html -- THE PROBLEM FOR PSL IS NOT SLD AT ALL - ANDRZEJ STANKIEWICZ IN ONET: “In reality, it's a game of appearances. The problem is not SLD at all. It's a small party, not fiercely ideological. Moreover, it is disciplined and pragmatic – at the command of its leader Włodzimierz Czarzasty, it would not engage in ideological quarrels during the campaign, to which the Peasants are so sensitive.” -- CIVIC PLATFORM IS THE MAIN PROBLEM FOR PSL - CONTINUES STANKIEWICZ: “The problem is not Spring either, because Schetyna was ready to sacrifice the coalition with Robert Biedroń, who is disliked in Civic Platform and lost the European elections, just to keep the Peasants as the conservative wing of the anti-PiS coalition. The problem is Civic Platform itself, its ideological transformation, which began under Ewa Kopacz's government and was completed with the European elections. – After all, all the major problems we had in the European campaign stemmed from the actions of Civic Platform politicians. For example, the mayor of Warsaw, Rafał Trzaskowski, who signed the LGBT charter, or attacks by some Civic Platform politicians on the Church – says an important PSL politician, a member of the party's highest authorities. Yes, Civic Platform is the main problem, not the left.” -- THE PEASANTS HAVE EVEN STOPPED CARING ABOUT PROPER RELATIONS WITH PO LEADERS - STANKIEWICZ'S CONCLUSION: “The Peasants have even stopped caring about proper relations with PO leaders. Contacts with Schetyna and his people are not very intensive; the Peasants do not inform Platform leaders of their plans, and recently they poached two MPs from the Civic Platform's parliamentary club. These are not signs of a coalition.” https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/tylko-w-onecie/ludowcy-grzebia-koalicje-przeciw-pis-analiza/6eek4l4 -- GW ON CIVIC PLATFORM'S IRRITATION - as written by Iwona Szpala, Paweł Wroński: “PSL will not join the coalition with SLD and Spring. – Either the left, or us – announced the Peasants on Saturday. PO politicians are furious. – No one will dictate terms to us – they tell 'Wyborcza'.” -- AT THE LAST MINUTE THEY WILL SAY THEY WANT TO GO WITH US - PO POLITICIAN QUOTED BY GW: “However, we hear unofficially that if the matter is pushed to the brink, Civic Platform will go with the left and local opinion leaders: – We have a programmatic convention in a week; by then, it must be clear where PSL stands. We want to hear that they are leaving the Platform, not that at the last minute they will say: actually, we are going with you.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,24972723,poklocona-opozycja-psl-stawia-pod-sciana-platforme-po-nie.html -- KOSINIAK FLEW SPECIFICALLY TO TALK TO ZDROJEWSKI - JACEK HARŁUKOWICZ IN LOCAL GW: “This is exactly what he discussed with the Peasants' leader, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, who flew to Wrocław specifically to talk to Zdrojewski last Thursday. – Bogdan Zdrojewski maintained his stance on not running for the Sejm. However, he declared that he is willing to run for the Senate as a candidate of the Polish Coalition we are forming – we hear from PSL.” -- GW ON THE POSSIBLE LEAD CANDIDATE IN WROCŁAW AFTER DUTKIEWICZ'S REFUSAL, WHO IS ON A RESEARCH SCHOLARSHIP IN BERLIN: “Therefore, although this concept is not very popular among local activists, the idea arose that the list here should be opened by a national politician with a recognizable name. Two names are being considered: former Deputy Prime Minister in Ewa Kopacz's government, Tomasz Siemoniak, and the head of the coalition's Initiative of Poland, Barbara Nowacka. Grzegorz Schetyna is to be the leader of the Civic Platform's list in Warsaw. He did not respond to 'Wyborcza's' request for an interview.” http://wroclaw.wyborcza.pl/wroclaw/7,35771,24972721,schetyna-szuka-lidera-wroclawskiej-listy-stanowcze-nie-bylych.html -- AGNIESZKA DZIEMIANOWICZ-BĄK URGES THE LEFT TO RUN TOGETHER - ON THE PAGES OF KRYTYKA: “The left has two options in the upcoming elections: run together, or divided. What it cannot do, regardless of the configuration, is to be afraid. Therefore, the lengthening waiting time for final coalition decisions cannot be wasted time. It is time to arm ourselves strategically and programmatically. Let's get to work.” https://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/dziemianowicz-bak-przedwyborcze-dylematy-lewicy/ -- BIEDROŃ IS SENDING SIGNALS THAT HE DOESN'T WANT TO - TOMASZ SAWCZUK IN KULTURA LIBERALNA: “Robert Biedroń should return his mandate to the European Parliament, return programmatically to Miastko, and announce his political goals for the autumn. Instead, he is sending signals that he doesn't want to.” -- HE BEHAVES AS IF HE WERE MANAGING A BANKRUPT ESTATE - CONTINUES SAWCZUK ON BIEDROŃ: “However, Biedroń gave up the field for nothing. He left for Brussels, did not provide any broader justification for the change in course towards a coalition, has not spoken in his own words about the new political situation since the May elections, and has not set goals for the autumn. The leader of Spring announced that his party would 'change the face of this land,' but lately he has been behaving as if he were managing a bankrupt estate, rather than developing a project.” -- SPRING STUCK IN THE RUT OF YESTERDAY'S POLITICS - SAWCZUK ON THE REASONS FOR BIEDROŃ'S PROJECT'S FAILURE: “The lack of a good idea for the period after the February convention resulted in the party's politicians intuitively drifting towards discussions on worldview issues. In practice, there were only two topics in the discourse: the clergy and minority rights. Step by step, Spring wasted its potential to offer something new and fell into the rut of yesterday's politics.” https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2019/07/08/biedron-oddaj-mandat/ -- COMPLETELY ABSORBED BY HIS MANDATE - ZUZANNA DĄBROWSKA IN RZ ON BIEDROŃ: “And only perhaps Robert Biedroń, who until recently raved about Spring being the 'third force in Polish politics,' still lacks the courage to face the truth and dreams of a 'grand opposition coalition' and the conversion of PSL to a left-wing or at least liberal sensitivity and openness to LGBT+ communities. Moreover, the leader of Spring gives the impression of being completely absorbed by the affairs of the European Parliament and the exercise of his brand-new mandate as a Member of the European Parliament.” -- TWO OPPOSITION BLOCKS ARE A DIFFICULTY FOR PIS - CONTINUES DĄBROWSKA: “An additional argument for such an arrangement is the difficulty for PiS, which would lose a lot of ammunition to attack Civic Platform, and in return gain an opponent criticizing it from the left, including for poorly spent money in the social and public spheres. This is also the only arrangement in which the left can risk running as a coalition, hoping to more easily cross the raised coalition threshold, without the need to create any 'umbrella party' or hire lawyers to develop a running formula.” https://www.rp.pl/Wybory-parlamentarne-2019/307079961-Dabrowska-Powstanie-lewicowej-listy-wymusza-Grzegorz-Schetyna-i-ludowcy.html -- WE ARE HAVING A SYSTEMIC TRANSFORMATION IN POLAND - PROFESSOR MACIEJ KISILOWSKI FROM SOROS UNIVERSITY IN CONVERSATION WITH GRZEGORZ SROCZYŃSKI: “Because the PiS leadership has already made its choice: it wants to move towards authoritarianism. And they don't like any compromise ideas that would allow both sides of the dispute to somehow reach an agreement and settle within constitutional democracy. A systemic transformation is currently underway in Poland.” -- KISILOWSKI ON ELECTORAL AUTHORITARIANISM: “If the completion of this process occurs after PiS wins the elections in the autumn, we will have to rewrite history textbooks at some point. We will look at the years 1989-2015 as another Polish interwar period between something and something. In this case, between the People's Republic of Poland and electoral authoritarianism.” -- KISILOWSKI EXPLAINS THE SYSTEMIC INNOVATION OF PIS TO SROCZYŃSKI: “This is an incredibly effective political innovation that is emerging in many places around the world. It involves the extensive use of democratic forms, with state structures arranged in such a way that it is virtually impossible for the opposition to win elections. The merger of the state apparatus with the party apparatus becomes so close that the entire state machine conducts a continuous election campaign. And there is no way to effectively compete with it. All those who say: 'Oh, it's the fault of that bad Schetyna, he lacks charisma and a good program' underestimate the structural elements of the new system. In electoral authoritarianism, it is as if Schetyna or not-Schetyna – it doesn't really matter. It is impossible to win against power.” -- LIBERALS WENT TOO FAR, CONSERVATIVES, WHEN CORNERED, ARE RETALIATING - CONTINUES KISILOWSKI AT SROCZYŃSKI'S: “Because the liberals went too far. It's hard for me to say this, I myself have clearly progressive views, I am in favor of the right to abortion or same-sex marriage – because for me, these are simply human rights. Yet, I believe that since the 1960s, we have moved too fast, and conservatives felt cornered. Now they are retaliating.” -- PERHAPS PIS WILL NEVER LOSE ELECTIONS AGAIN - CONTINUES KISILOWSKI AT SROCZYŃSKI'S: “Perhaps PiS will never lose elections again. That's what it looks like. My students said the same in Hungary during Orban's first term: don't be dramatic, let the opposition get its act together and beat Orban. They didn't understand the essence of electoral authoritarianism. It installs itself slowly and cleverly.” -- ELITES WILL ADAPT TO ELECTORAL AUTHORITARIANISM MOST QUICKLY - CONTINUES KISILOWSKI: “And what if they know languages? Are you mobile? Can you write this interview in English as skillfully as in Polish? Do you know British or American politics well enough to write a good column for an Englishman about it? A man working on an assembly line in a factory is more mobile than you. Elites have their position here, connections, merits, history. And there they would have to build their names from scratch. And it is the elites who will adapt to electoral authoritarianism most quickly. Of course, they will do it in a way that the cognitive dissonance is not too great. It is a great myth that Poland is somehow excellently defending itself against a change in the political system. In Turkey, the progressive side held on more strongly, Turkish courts resisted for almost a decade, and here, after three years, we have a breach. In January, new positions will be available in the Tribunal, soon Gersdorf will retire…” http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114884,24950931,prof-kisilowski-zdecentralizujmy-aborcje-niech-kazdy-region.html -- BIRTHDAYS: Mirosława Stachowiak-Różecka, Mirosław Drzewiecki, Stanisław Koziej, Jerzy Kopaczewski, Paweł Pudłowski.