-- JAROSŁAW KACZYŃSKI WANTS QUICK REGULATION OF FLIGHTS FOR FAMILIES WITH SPECIAL GUESTS - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2019/07/30/ -- BASED ON A POLL (BY IBRIS), PROF. FLIS BELIEVES THE "PORTUGUESE SCENARIO" IS POSSIBLE, WHEREBY THE OPPOSITION TAKES POWER - as Grzegorz Osiecki and Tomasz Żółciak write in DGP: “The IBRiS poll for Dziennik Gazeta Prawna and RMF FM shows that while PiS has almost 42%, the combined votes of the groups that previously formed the European Coalition, now divided into three blocs, amount to 38%. However, it must be remembered that the 2.8% support the PSL has in the poll would not allow it to cross the electoral threshold. Kukiz’15, on the other hand, narrowly crosses the threshold. ‒ The PSL always performs worse in polls than in election results. In turn, choosing Kukiz’15 is often a convenient answer in polls ‒ comments Jarosław Flis. Therefore, in his opinion, a scenario is also possible where – as happened in Portugal in 2015 – despite the ruling party winning the election, the opposition took power.” -- UNITED LEFT SLIGHTLY ERODES PiS SUPPORT: “The poll confirms stable support for PiS. When the left is divided among individual parties, Jarosław Kaczyński's grouping has 44%. When the left is united, support for PiS is 42%: https://wiadomosci.dziennik.pl/polityka/artykuly/603838,pis-sondaz-opozycja-po-psl-kukiz-15-lewica-wybory-glosowanie-poparcie.html -- ANDRZEJ STANKIEWICZ ON THE LARGEST TRANSFER OF SLD POLITICIANS TO PLATFORMA IN HISTORY: “Today will be announced the largest transfer of left-wing politicians to Platforma in history. Grzegorz Schetyna has lured, among others, SLD deputy leader Jerzy Wenderlich, former deputy leader of this party Katarzyna Piekarska, former MPs and local government officials, among whom may be the popular mayor of Rzeszów, Tadeusz Ferenc. The goal is clear — Schetyna wants to break up the left before the elections.” -- STANKIEWICZ ON RESISTANCE WITHIN PO: “It is not only for this reason that the large left-wing transfer is meeting with considerable resistance within Platforma. Centrist and conservative politicians in PO fear that the party is moving too far to the left. — We lost the European elections because of LGBT. And Schetyna has drawn no conclusions. After all, Wenderlich is a symbol of SLD. Why do we need such transfers? — an influential PO MP says irritably. Another adds. — Schetyna clearly thinks he will lose the elections and wants to have pacified competition then, so that he remains the sole opposition leader.” -- CZARZASTY'S COMMENT IN STANKIEWICZ'S ARTICLE - SCHETYNA IS LIKE A SCORPION: “And just when we proposed a common Senate list for the entire anti-PiS opposition and a non-aggression pact in the campaign, Schetyna launched an attack on the SLD. This is some kind of paranoia. He is like the hero of a parable where a tortoise was carrying a scorpion across a river. They didn't reach the other side because the scorpion couldn't overcome its nature and bit the tortoise.” https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/tylko-w-onecie/wybory-parlamentarne-2019-grzegorz-schetyna-chce-rozbic-sld/2qs5pr2 -- FIRST SPEAKER OF THE SEJM - Fakt's lead story. -- 23 FLIGHTS OF "KUCHCIŃSKI AIR" - GW's lead story: “Not five, but at least 23 times did Sejm Marshal Marek Kuchciński fly on a government special aircraft with his family. All flights had special HEAD status and were conducted under the guise of an "official mission”. http://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,25040783,coraz-wiecej-lotow-air-kuchcinski-czy-kancelaria-sejmu-ujawni.html -- KUCHCIŃSKI SHOULD RESIGN - ROMAN IMIELSKI IN GW: “We can suspect that there might have been many more, which is why CIS must reveal all flights of the Sejm Marshal on a government plane to Rzeszów and back, along with a list of all passengers. Only then will we be sure whether the second person in the state is still lying to us. This does not change the fact that a person who treats the state as a private farm and whose services have lied to the public cannot head the Sejm.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,25040826,air-kuchcinski-do-dymisji-panstwo-to-nie-folwark-marszalka.html -- BIEDROŃ AS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE - KRZYSZTOF PACEWICZ IN GW:“This is the end of speculation: Robert Biedroń will not run in the parliamentary elections. Instead, he will be the joint candidate for Wiosna, SLD, and Razem in the 2020 presidential elections – informs a source close to the left's campaign staff. (...) According to 'Gazeta Wyborcza' information, the leader of Wiosna himself proposed that the left support his candidacy in the 2020 presidential elections, to which Zandberg and Czarzasty agreed. In almost all presidential polls, he achieved third place, behind Andrzej Duda and Donald Tusk.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,25040644,biedron-rezygnuje-z-sejmu-bedzie-walczyl-o-prezydenture.html -- ŁUKASZ PAWŁOWSKI IN KULTURA LIBERALNA ON THE LEFT'S GAME ON PiS'S TURF: “If the new left wants to truly change Polish politics, not just crawl into the Sejm, it must dare to fight not only against PiS, but fight on the rival's field. The narrative that the ruling party's policies not only fail to equalize opportunities but perpetuate existing divisions while weakening the state, can sound convincing coming from the left.” -- PAWŁOWSKI ON THE COLLAPSE OF PUBLIC SERVICES UNDER PiS RULE: “Suffice it to say that while the number of people covered by private health insurance is constantly growing, queues for specialist doctors are continuously lengthening. The increase in waiting times in recent years can be measured in weeks. Not only doctors are lacking, but also other medical personnel, and the average age of those currently working is rapidly increasing. For nurses, it has already exceeded 50 years! Much has already been written about problems with the education system – a shortage of teachers, low salaries, overcrowded schools due to the reform introduced by PiS.” https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2019/07/30/pawlowski-lewica-bialystok-kampania-pis-polska-solidarna-liberalna/ -- THE LEFT IS THE ONLY ONE NOT TO BEAT AROUND THE BUSH OR JUSTIFY THE PERPETRATORS - KAJA PUTO in Krytyka: “There was enough sense, because the left, as the only political force (well, an as yet undefined hybrid), decided to unequivocally condemn the escalation of homophobic violence that occurred in Białystok, and the politicians who brought it about, by playing another episode of the show titled Poland – A Besieged Fortress for the voters. -- LEFT-WING VOTERS CAN BE GLAD WITH A CLEAR CONSCIENCE - PUTO continues: “But fortunately, that is exclusively their problem now. The reactions of Polish politicians to the events in Białystok show that left-wing voters can be glad with a clear conscience about the joint start of SLD, Wiosna, and Razem in the autumn elections – even if they have some reservations about this mix. If it happens – and if the parties compromise to announce a common program – the left has a great chance of representation in parliament.” https://krytykapolityczna.pl/felietony/kaja-puto/lewica-jako-jedyna-nie-kluczy-ani-nie-usprawiedliwia-sprawcow/ -- ANDRZEJ ZYBERTOWICZ ON A ZONE FREE FROM LGBT PROPAGANDA - Andrzej Zybertowicz interviewed by Tomasz Sawczuk in KL: “Firstly, the accusation of fascism has been so abused over the last four years that it is very difficult to discuss it rationally. I am not responsible for this situation, so you don't have to evade the question. Secondly, it's easy to be wise after the event, but I would prefer the stickers to bear the inscription “Zone free from LGBT propaganda.” With such an understanding of the meaning of these stickers, and I am convinced that the editor-in-chief of "Do Rzeczy", Paweł Lisicki, understood their meaning when he supported this idea, the meaning would be different.” -- ZYBERTOWICZ SPEAKS WITH DETACHMENT ABOUT ZIOBRO'S REFORMS: “I missed a certain legal mastery in this reform. Not all of its consequences, especially those related to social reception, were thought through, and it would probably have been more systematic from the beginning to draw on patterns that work well elsewhere in the reforms.” -- ZYBERTOWICZ TELLS SAWCZUK THAT THE LACK OF A SINGLE OPPOSITION LEADER IS A PROBLEM: “It seems to me that if the opposition had an undisputed leader and this leader said that we can quarrel on various fronts, but we should build a minimum consensus on the rule of law, through mutual concessions, then the matter would be solvable. The problem is that there is no leader with appropriate authority on the opposition's side. That is, there is no partner with whom such a pact could be made. Despite all the complexities associated with the history of the Round Table, the people who sat at it were recognized by a part of society, even if implicitly, as its representatives. Lech Wałęsa was able to quell social unrest. That is what is lacking today.” https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2019/07/30/andrzej-zybertowicz-tomasz-sawczuk-konserwatyzm-rewolucja-wywiad/ -- TICKET TO A PARTY IN A PRIVATE STATE - GALOPUJĄCY MAJOR in Krytyka: “It's time to finally understand that the entry ticket that PiS is offering to be able to party in a private state, despite many positive, perhaps overpriced, effects, does not have a social character for PiS. Therefore, no liberal and neoliberal recipes for the usual dismantling of "welfare" will help here (fortunately). The liberal opposition should get used to the new, non-social role of 500+, which is already starting to happen. What else is the platform's idea of a 500+ subsidy for those earning below 4500, if not another entry ticket? And the left opposition? Well, the left opposition should consider to what extent to improve this program, perhaps by introducing thresholds, and to what extent to supplement it with an offer of crumbling public services. Because no one else, as it turns out, will do it for them.” https://krytykapolityczna.pl/felietony/galopujacy-major/panstwo-prywatne-pis/ -- MARCIN FIJOŁEK ON THREE PUBLICATIONS THAT MUST BE READ AND THE GROWING IMPORTANCE OF GETTING TO KNOW GERMANS BETTER: “If Polish elites do not learn their lesson in this regard, do not understand the German phenomenon, but also the fields of action on which our western neighbors are playing this game, we may once again lose further discussions, which will translate into specific billions of zlotys, lost chances and opportunities. Wiech concludes his book with an appeal for a Polish version of Energiewende, but it is also a loud appeal for the professionalism of Polish state institutions. Discussions about the future of our planet, climate change, and Polish commitments and efforts in this area will be held in the near future and – whether we like it or not – will increasingly influence the political reality, including electoral reality. Either, thanks to books like Wiech's, we will understand at least part of the complexity of this mechanism, or we will again write in beautiful, indignant words about a theoretical state. This is, moreover, a common denominator of all three readings, which I very warmly recommend to you.” https://wpolityce.pl/m/polityka/456897-trzy-lektury-z-ktorymi-polskie-elity-zapoznac-sie-musza -- PZU AND ORLEN ESTABLISH A JOINT MEDIA HOUSE - RZ's lead story: “On Monday, the largest Polish fuel concern and the largest insurer submitted a request to the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection for consent to establish a company. 'Rzeczpospolita' has learned the details of the plan. The giants, in which the state holds significant stakes, want to create their own media house and thus eliminate the intermediaries who currently buy airtime on television, online campaigns, and press advertising on their behalf. Currently, PZU is serviced by Universal McCann group, and Orlen by Starcom.” -- HEAD OF ORLEN COMMUNICATIONS ON PLANS FOR THE MEDIA HOUSE LAUNCH: “As Adam Burak, Executive Director for Corporate Communications at PKN Orlen, tells us, the companies' plan assumes that the new entity will start operating within a few months. Its name is not yet known. Both the fuel group and PZU declare that they expect savings. – We believe that in this way we can manage the budget more effectively, obtaining better conditions, especially in the internet or press – says Adam Burak. He adds that from Orlen's perspective, important marketing projects include Formula 1 with Robert Kubica and a potential rebranding of gas stations in other countries of the concern's operations. According to Damian Ziąber, Director of the Corporate Communications Office and Spokesperson for the PZU group, today's economics show many examples of benefits from applying the economy of scale.” https://www.rp.pl/Biznes/307299899-Orlen-i-PZU-otworza-wlasny-dom-mediowy.html -- RZ POLL ON THE RATHER COOL RECEPTION OF LGBT POSTULATES - but it's Ibris: “The postulates of LGBT communities do not have much support among Poles. They do not want the introduction of registered partnerships (46%) or marriages for same-sex couples (56%). They also decisively (76%) reject the possibility of granting same-sex couples the right to adopt children.” https://www.rp.pl/LGBT/307299907-Sondaz-Adopcja-dzieci-nie-dla-gejow-sluby-tez-wykluczone.html -- IT'S GOOD THAT THE NORMAL RIGHT AND THE CHURCH HAVE CUT THEMSELVES OFF FROM VIOLENCE - MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI in RZ: “Homophobia is violence, discrimination, or aggression towards LGBT individuals solely because of their sexual orientation. One can respect someone while disagreeing with their views and postulates. So it is good that the entire normal right – as well as the Church – has distanced itself from the violence in Białystok. One can only hope that the left will distance itself from further anti-religious provocations flavored with rainbow sauce, such as the profanations by a Wrocław artist who announced the sale of rainbow "vagina-Maries" and allocated the profit to the Campaign Against Homophobia. The progressive left should recognize that Christophobia is becoming an increasingly serious problem that will further divide society on worldview issues.” https://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/307299905-Szuldrzynski-Inne-zdanie-to-jeszcze-nie-homofobia.html -- JACEK NIZINKIEWICZ in RZ ON THE PERVASIVE ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION IN POLAND - WRITES IN RZ: “It is easy to condemn and stigmatize, harder to talk about alcoholism and combat easy access to alcohol. It is high time to start a debate about the growing illness of Poles.” https://www.rp.pl/Spoleczenstwo/307299892-Pijanstwo-ponad-podzialami-klasowymi.html -- BIRTHDAYS: Jan Truszczyński turns 70, Marek Materek, Patryk Wild.