-- JAROSŁAW KACZYŃSKI ON KEEPING PROMISES, KOSINIAK ON THE POPULISM AUCTION - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2019/07/20/ -- CIVIC PLATFORM COPIES PIS - PIOTR ZAREMBA IN RZ: “In the clash between PiS and PO, the Polish state, its condition, and its costs are pushed to the margins. PiS seemed to genuinely care about its ailments. It put aside solving some of them because it couldn't afford everything. Schetyna, trying to outbid Kaczyński, will have to do the same.” -- USING THE EXAMPLE OF THE DISABLED, ZAREMBA ASKS IF THE CURRENT GOVERNMENT IS TRULY SOCIALLY SENSITIVE: “Often, non-voting disabled people and the sick, even with their families, are not a constituency that needs to be overly courted. That is why they ended up at the bottom of the list. And that is why there wasn't enough for everyone, which prompts the question of whether the current government is truly socially sensitive.” -- VOTERS ASSOCIATE CIVIC PLATFORM WITH THE OLD "WE HAVE NO MONEY FOR ANYTHING" PHILOSOPHY - ZAREMBA CONTINUES IN RZ: “But there is another reason for this ineffectiveness. Polish voters have short memories, but not so short that they don't associate Civic Platform with the golden days in Polish hospitals or educational institutions. Meanwhile, the formation's old philosophy of 'we have no money for anything' has been replaced by a new, perhaps even more controversial, philosophy.” -- ZAREMBA WRITES ABOUT GADOMSKI'S COMMENTARY AS A POLITICAL ORDER: “At the same time, on the other side… Precisely. Witold Gadomski, one of the most liberal economic commentators for 'Gazeta Wyborcza,' provided a lot of entertainment. He apparently, on political orders, superficially and unconvincingly praised Schetyna's package. 'Without handouts, yet socially sensitive' – that's how the former KLD MP sees it. It's no surprise that extravagant ideas like wage subsidies were not described by him at all, nor was the announcement of the permanent 13th pension. Gadomski sought solace in marginal matters: in the intention to give more money to local governments or to depoliticize State Treasury companies (Schetyna, incidentally, has a great record in politicizing them). The essence, which is a complete capitulation to the handout principle, the publicist didn't even touch upon.” -- THE OPPOSITION LACKS SOMEONE WITH AUTHORITY TO BREAK THE HANDOUT SPIRAL - ZAREMBA'S CONCLUSION: “PiS initiated this bidding war, and today both main parties are locked in a desperate clinch. The opposition's weakness is that it has no one with sufficient authority who could break this spiral. We knew this even before both conventions, and perhaps nothing will change in this regard by October. At best, even bolder and more absurd promises will be made.” https://www.rp.pl/Plus-Minus/307189902-Piotr-Zaremba-Platforma-Obywatelska-kopiuje-Prawo-i-Sprawiedliwosc.html -- DOMINIKA WIELOWIEYSKA ON PO'S CALCULATIONS THAT IT WILL CHOOSE LEFT-WING "RAISINS" - WRITES IN GW: “The essence of PO's calculation, however, is primarily the assumption that the SLD, Wiosna, and Partia Razem will not agree. Then, it will be possible to pick and choose the 'raisins' from the left-wing camp and offer them a spot on the KO lists. Schetyna emphasizes at every opportunity that he is creating a coalition not of parties, but a civic coalition where everyone will fit.” -- PO IS WAITING FOR THIS - WIELOWIEYSKA CONTINUES: “And when the coalition starts to form, problems with list arrangements will begin. And if it turns out that it polls around 8 percent, then the concept of a left-wing bloc will lose its charm. And that's what PO is waiting for. It may not happen, but one thing is certain: we will only know for sure how the opposition's campaign will look in the first half of August.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,25010212,po-ma-chytry-plan-przejac-przed-wyborami-czesc-lewicowych-dzialaczy.html -- PIOTR TRUDNOWSKI WRITES ON THE Jagiellonian CLUB PORTAL THAT KOSINIAK MADE A RATIONAL DECISION: “This means that over four years, the PSL lost over 420,000 voters, meaning 30% of its holdings, while Kaczyński's party gained over 1,416,000 new voters (not counting another half a million from May 2019), increasing its holdings by nearly a third. What conclusion can be drawn from this? Kosiniak-Kamysz, observing the downward trend in support for his party, made a rational decision. A solo run is the only chance to fight for those voters who in 2015 (Sejm), 2018 (regional assemblies), and 2019 (EP) drifted to the United Right. This would not be possible in a broad coalition with Civic Platform and left-wing formations, which is unacceptable to a significant portion of former peasant party voters.” -- IT WAS KUKIZ WHO NORMALIZED VOTERS FOR THE IDEA OF VOTING FOR PIS - TRUDNOWSKI CONTINUES: “It was Paweł Kukiz's run and collecting over 20% in the presidential election that allowed many former Civic Platform and Bronisław Komorowski voters to 'break through' and abandon their previous party, and in subsequent elections, after crossing the previous psychological barrier, to partially support Kaczyński's party.” -- TRUDNOWSKI ON THE NEW-TO-THE-RIGHT VOTERS AND THEIR NEEDS: “Considering the above premises, one can hypothesize that a significant portion of the 'new' voters for the United Right are not strongly attached to their recent choices. These are moderately center-right voters – such views, contrary to the incantations of the progressive opposition, remain dominant in Poland. These 'new' voters from 2018 and 2019 voted for PiS as the 'lesser evil' with an added 'greater good' in the form of credibility, the 500+ program, and a good economic situation. They have never read 'Gazeta Polska' nor watched TV Republika. They are not zealous fans of Jarosław Kaczyński. They do not expect Donald Tusk to be brought before the State Tribunal. They do not believe that the cause of injustice and inefficiency in Polish courts is mainly the post-communist establishment. They simply decided that since life in Poland has been getting better in recent years, it is worth supporting the party under whose rule the 'good change' began to be felt by them.” -- THE PSL CAN BE AN IMPORTANT CENTER OF POLITICAL ORDER AFTER KACZYŃSKI'S ANNOUNCED DEPARTURE - TRUDNOWSKI CONTINUES: “The strengthening of the PSL in a Christian Democratic position may make it an important center for shaping a new political order after 2023, when, in connection with Jarosław Kaczyński's recent announcements about a potential retirement, tectonic shifts in the political scene may reshape the Polish right.” https://klubjagiellonski.pl/2019/07/19/czy-opozycja-odbierze-glosy-pis-wszystko-w-rekach-psl/ -- SAMUEL PEREIRA ON THE OPPOSITION LIKE AT A WEDDING PHOTO WALL: “Photo walls are increasingly popular at weddings. Guests dress up and make faces, posing next to each other in various configurations. This is pretty much what the arrangements are like among: PO, PSL, SLD, Razem, Kukiz’15, Wiosna, etc., etc. This approach to politics and to voters will certainly not raise the level of trust in the opposition and its credibility.” NOWACKA COULD BE EVERYWHERE - PEREIRA CONTINUES: “A month after the last elections, Barbara Nowacka (currently playing in Grzegorz Schetyna's camp, but could just as well play anywhere) admitted that for the European Coalition (then still formally existing), 'the composition of the coalition, to be honest, is secondary. The larger it is, the better.' I think that today, Zandberg, Czarzasty, and Biedroń would sign under her words without hesitation. For these gentlemen, what they said about themselves not long ago is not important, what they (allegedly) differ on in views is not important, because there are more serious things than ideas – parliamentary seats to be won.” https://www.tvp.info/43574455/my-wam-wszystko-wyspiewamy-wygibasy-opozycji-jak-przy-fotosciance-na-weselu -- JACEK KARNOWSKI ON THE LEFT POTENTIALLY GETTING A DOZEN PERCENT: “The joint run of the three left-wing parties significantly changes the entire landscape. SLD, Wiosna, and Razem can fight for a good, perhaps even double-digit percentage result. Especially since the aforementioned loss of hope for an easy victory over PiS will push some media circles to support the Left, which is much closer to their hearts than the Civic Platform, which sticks closer to the center and is not very credible in this sphere. The stake will be to set the opposition's agenda for the next four years.” -- KARNOWSKI ON THE PSL BEING ATTACKED FROM ALL SIDES: “The PSL will find itself in a very difficult situation, being attacked from all sides and having the fewest arguments to attract voters. Including psychological ones. Opposition voters will lean either towards the leader, which is Civic Platform, or towards a strong left-wing formation that gives an impression of freshness.” -- KARNOWSKI CLAIMS WE ARE FACING A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT CAMPAIGN: “It cannot be ruled out that due to the division of the opposition, the election campaign will be somewhat more thematically diverse than the one before the European Parliament elections. Perhaps it will no longer be just a witch hunt against Law and Justice, perhaps other axes of dispute will appear, breaking, even fragmentarily, the current two-bloc structure. This is even more likely as the Left will certainly want to distinguish itself from the Civic Platform 'liberals' on social issues. So, we are in for a completely different campaign than in May. It could be truly interesting.” https://wpolityce.pl/m/polityka/455713-podzial-opozycji-to-wynik-braku-wiary-w-zdobycie-wladzy -- MICHAŁ KARNOWSKI ON THE SADNESS IN THE III REPUBLIC WORLD: “In 'Gazeta Wyborcza,' there is weeping and sadness, Jarosław Kurski's appeals sound dramatic, calling for activism despite everything. Perhaps even greater regret in 'Rzeczpospolita,' which raises the question of why these newspapers don't simply merge if they prefer Mr. H.'s positions, already being the same? It would be cheaper. In 'Super Express' - there is no mourning, but it's also a bit sad and bitter. In 'Fakt' and 'Dziennik Gazeta Prawna,' nothing about the matter, but yesterday, when the division was looming, it was very sad. I turn on TVN - there is only despair. On TOK FM - as reported on the internet - there are copious tears and dark predictions are being spun.” https://wpolityce.pl/m/polityka/455686-dlaczego-w-swiecie-iii-rp-zrobilo-sie-tak-smutno -- THE PSL IS TALKING WITH HALL PRACTICALLY EVERY DAY, LESS OFTEN WITH BALAZS - A PSL POLITICIAN IN ROMAN IMIELSKI'S ARTICLE IN GW: “We talk with Halle practically every day, with Balazs less often. And it's untrue that Balazs tried to persuade us into a coalition with PiS. Such a coalition would be suicide; we are fighting for the same electorate. – If we wanted to cooperate with PiS, we would have done it long ago, even at the regional assembly level. Here, we cooperate with Civic Platform, and it will remain so.” http://wyborcza.pl/magazyn/7,124059,25010475,za-pojscie-z-pedalami-dostaliscie-od-nas-po-dupie-dlaczego.html -- JAROSŁAW KURSKI WRITES THAT HE CHEERS FOR THE LEFT BUT WON'T VOTE FOR IT: “It's time for a common, coherent message. And for a non-aggression pact towards other democrats. Not only because without an alliance with democrats, the Left will not realize any of its social and systemic programs. Also because it will have to form a single list to the Senate with the PSL and Civic Coalition. I will not vote for the Left myself, but as a democrat, I cheer for every democratic formation. And I wish it the highest possible result.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,25010607,jaroslaw-kurski-lewicy-dobrze-zycze.html -- ALEKSANDRA JAKUBOWSKA ON SCHETYNA'S FIGHT ON TWO FRONTS: “Grzegorz Schetyna, who has cut the umbilical cord from both the SLD and Biedroń for a common coalition, rightly assuming that in a situation where he is unlikely to win the election, he should strengthen his own base, now faces a significant dilemma: whether to fight for the left-wing electorate with 'Lewica,' promoting worldview postulates with the support of Barbara Nowacka, or to secure the remaining scraps of the PO's conservative coop, from which the PSL wants to steal voters.” -- AND WHAT'S THE CERTAINTY THAT A NEW ZANDBERG OR PALIKOT WON'T APPEAR - JAKUBOWSKA CONTINUES ON THE LEFT'S CALCULATIONS: “Biedroń's conviction that 'in Poland, the Left always wins elections when it is united' did not quite work out in the past, when the left-wing coalition committee in 2015 did not cross the election threshold (8%), although it was close – it missed by less than half a percent. The blame for the failure of the left-wing formation was placed on Adrian Zandberg's young party, which took 3.62% from a pool seemingly belonging to those who finally united. And what's the certainty that a new Zandberg or a new Palikot won't suddenly appear on the left side of the political scene? (Three months to the elections is not enough? Let me remind you that Biedroń's founding convention was in February, and the elections – in May).” https://wpolityce.pl/m/polityka/455746-ostatnia-deska-ratunku-lewicowy-zw-partnerski-bez-milosci -- THE INTENTION WAS TO CREATE AN IMAGE OF SLD WITHOUT NEW FACES - ANNA MARIA ŻUKOWSKA IN AN INTERVIEW WITH KAJA PUTO IN KRYTYKA: “There was no such conversation at all. Negotiations with PO did not reach that stage: we discussed whether to continue the European Coalition project at all. I must admit that some of the names that appeared in the media in this context are names I haven't heard for a long time in terms of participation in active politics, although of course they are respected individuals with achievements. These were simply media leaks, possibly authored by Civic Platform. Perhaps the intention was to create an image of SLD as a party without new faces.” -- I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF CIVIC PLATFORM AND WORRYING ABOUT IT - ŻUKOWSKA CONTINUES: “Frankly, I've had enough of Civic Platform and worrying about it. I've unfollowed their Twitter account and have no desire to watch what's happening there or to bother with it. Therefore, I will neither attack Civic Platform nor promote it; let them do their thing. I don't want any 'smashing the concrete' campaigns, which, by the way, were first undertaken by SLD youth activists some 12 years ago. First and foremost, we are fighting against Law and Justice, because they are in power, and the goal of the election campaign is to win it. I am in favor of a positive campaign, though perhaps without some grand hype like some elements of the Wiosna's European campaign.” -- TVN IS FORMATTING ITSELF FOR CIVIC COALITION - ŻUKOWSKA CONTINUES IN AN INTERVIEW WITH PUTO: “I must honestly say that I have had good experiences cooperating with both public media and Polsat, but somewhat worse with TVN. TVN, in my opinion, is indeed formatting itself for Civic Coalition, and I suspect it will look the same in the upcoming elections. In any case, SLD never made a foolish decision to boycott public media, nor did Razem and Wiosna, so it will be present in these media. And that's good because our left-wing electorate also includes people who are digitally excluded, for example, and watch public media. In many towns in Poland, it is the only source of information…” https://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/sld-koalicja-lewicowa-wybory/ -- THE COALITION OF THREE PARTIES IS TO FIGHT PARTY POLITICS? - WŁODZIMIERZ CZARZASTY IN AN INTERVIEW WITH AGATA SZCZĘŚNIAK IN OKO: “A coalition formed by three parties to fight party politics. There are limits that even Nałkowska wouldn't write about. This is not a coalition of citizens, but a coalition of three parties (PO, N, and IP). This is a sham and a rigged game. For 3 or 4 weeks, we have observed a lack of faith in victory. First, the message appeared: we are fighting for the Senate. Since when is the Senate so important? Then: we are fighting so that PiS doesn't have a constitutional majority. This was giving up bit by bit. Outrageous. They spoke about coalition partners: difficult talks.” -- AT ONE PZPR MEETING, ŚWIĘCICKI, HUEBNER, AND ROSATI WERE PRESENT - CZARZASTY CONTINUES: “Controlled political agitators claim that these were the conditions. And I will even respond to them: Professor Jerzy Jaskiernia from Belwederska cannot run? Miller is terrible? He got 100,000 votes. At one PZPR meeting, Danuta Hübner sat between Dariusz Rosati and Marcin Święcicki – secretary of the Central Committee of the PZPR. All of them are currently associated with Civic Platform. Should I take seriously those who spread such stories? No names were mentioned; I learned about it from the media.” -- LIS WILL PRAISE SCHETYNA'S PROJECT, ARE THESE PEOPLE ON PO'S PAYROLL? - CZARZASTY CONTINUES TO SZCZĘŚNIAK IN OKO: “I will not criticize parties that stand on the side of democracy. I responded to the words spoken by the PO leader. I repeat: he destroyed the greatest project of my life and his. But it turned out that the greatest project we can undertake is building sports fields. That's also nice. I believed that I would win against PiS together with Schetyna. It was a really good project. Most media praised it. Suddenly now, media, Tomasz Lis, will praise Schetyna's different project? Are these people on PO's payroll?” -- I FELT LIKE I WAS IN TOO TIGHT ARMOR - CZARZASTY CONTINUES: “I will say something personal: For the last three or four months, I have felt like a medieval knight in armor that is too tight. I couldn't say everything – it was responsible, but uncomfortable. The issue of pedophilia has disappeared from the agenda. And I believe that regardless of whether someone is a police officer-pedophile, a bishop-pedophile, or an SLD member and a pedophile – they are a criminal. There is no money for education, while millions go to Rydzyk in a non-transparent way. This is not being discussed. Have women stopped fighting for their rights? We haven't talked about women's rights lately either.” https://oko.press/wlodzimierz-czarzasty-to-jest-polityka-zrobimy-to-wywiad/ -- THE GREENS WANT THEIR WORLDVIEW POSTULATES TO BE RESPECTED BY CIVIC PLATFORM - GREENS SPOKESPERSON MACIEJ JÓZEFOWICZ IN KRYTYKA: “I cheer for Barbara Nowacka and keep my fingers crossed that she plays the greatest possible role in Polish politics. For now, the role of a supplementary element to Civic Platform is likely the best path for her to achieve her goals. The difference between Inicjatywa Polska and the Greens is that Inicjatywa Polska has been functioning within Civic Coalition since 2018. We are negotiating an offer – therefore, it is important for us that our worldview postulates are respected in it.” https://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/zieloni-koalicja-wybory-parlamentarne-2019/ -- IWONA HARTWICH IS RUNNING FOR SEJM WITH KO: “Yes,” replied Iwona Hartwich to the question of whether she is running for Sejm. The mother of Jakub Hartwich, who has been fighting for the improvement of the situation of disabled people, will seek a parliamentary mandate on the Civic Coalition lists.” https://wiadomosci.wp.pl/wybory-parlamentarne-iwona-hartwich-startuje-do-sejmu-6404330249365121a -- TRZASKOWSKI MAY BE TOO LEFT-WING - A PO POLITICIAN IN ŁUKASZ ROGOJSZ'S ARTICLE IN GAZETA.PL: “Everything is fine and dandy, but he is too left-wing to win elections nationwide – believes one of the Civic Coalition strategists. In the provinces, respect for history, tradition, family, and religiosity is valued. General conservatism. And it is precisely in villages and small towns that the opposition must improve its results, because it practically has the votes of the metropolises secured. According to Gazeta.pl's information, circles within Civic Platform also have complaints about Trzaskowski's inability to control events of a strongly left-wing nature, for which he grants consent or whose patronage he provides.” -- ROGOJSZ ON PO'S DISTRUST OF DULKIEWICZ: “She is not treated as 'one of us' here. She is from Adamowicz, and I remind you that the National Board of PO had a serious beef with Adamowicz. Furthermore, her good relations with Tusk are no secret. Grzegorz wouldn't approve of this – a politician well-oriented in the situation within Civic Platform tells us.” http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114884,25009586,kto-jesli-nie-tusk-platforma-rozwaza-cztery-nazwiska-w-kontekscie.html -- BIRTHDAYS: Barbara Mikulski, Czesław Mroczek, Mirosław Barszcz, Przemysław Pająk, SUNDAY: Jacek Sauk, Adam Malczak, Wojciech Kasprowski.