-- RZEPECKI ON THE SURPRISE AT THE PSL-KUKIZ CONVENTION, POMASKA ON DEATH THREATS RECEIVED AFTER TVP REPORTS - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2019/08/16/ -- PIOTR ZAREMBA ON PIS'S TEMPORARY CONCERN ABOUT AUTUMN RESULTS: “It was also emphasized, however, that a temporary concern about the autumn results emerged within PiS. A shift of even two percent of voters would threaten their absolute majority in parliament – at least potentially. After all, the right-wing owed its complete victory in 2015 to the SLD not entering the Sejm. Now, with a rather exotic alliance with the anti-establishment Razem and the socially progressive Spring party, Włodzimierz Czarzasty's party is pushing hard to meet every threshold. Even the peasant party, which recently seemed to be facing political death, has been strengthened by an alliance with the remnants of the Kukiz 15 movement. Hence the caution of the current authorities in their decisions and their sensitivity to 'public opinion', which they recently did not consider a significant factor.” -- ZAREMBA ON THE PSL AND KUKIZ FUSION: “The question arises as to what the other opposition blocs bring to Polish politics. The marriage of the strongly social, party-aligned PSL with the free-market, anti-party Pawel Kukiz is a masterfully inconsistent one. It will likely retain those rural and small-town voters of the peasant party who haven't fled to PiS, but it's uncertain whether it will be an interesting offer for the young, rebellious former supporters of the rock singer who are against the oligarchic Third Republic. Of course, a few programmatic common points were quickly found. Kukiz signed on to exempting pensions from taxes, and Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz vouched for utopian manifestos of direct democracy, such as mandatory referendums under all circumstances, universal election of the prosecutor general, and the recall of MPs. But it's a rather mechanical, hard-to-digest mix – just right for a fusion cuisine amateur.” -- AN OPPOSITION COALITION WOULD BE STRONGLY LEANING LEFT – ZAREMBA'S CONCLUSION: “Let's not fool ourselves – the only alternative to another four years of PiS's sole rule is a colorful and inconsistent, but strongly left-leaning, coalition of the entire current opposition. In this sense, we are far from breaking the bipolar division, even if some people can talk a little easier with others, across the divides. However, the 'everyone against PiS' scenario de facto strengthens PiS, which is also worth remembering. This is a clear foreshadowing of how things will end on October 13th.” https://polskatimes.pl/piotr-zaremba-psl-z-lewica-duopolu-nie-zlamia-choc-go-urozmaica-wybory-parlamentarne-2019/ar/c1-14349465 -- THE CHURCH HAS FORGOTTEN ABOUT PEDOPHILIA SCANDALS – MONIKA OLEJNIK IN GW: “The ruling party has made LGBT its political agenda. They travel around Poland, sowing dislike for difference. The Church is so engaged in the fight against gays and lesbians that it has already forgotten about pedophilia scandals.” -- OLEJNIK FURTHER ON THE CHURCH'S TIES WITH POWER – PERHAPS TIES WILL TIGHTEN FURTHER AFTER THE ELECTIONS: “As we recall, the Polish Church would gladly abolish the anti-violence law. Archbishop Hoser: 'A wife should trust her husband and present an attitude of submission towards him.' So, perhaps a woman, when she is beaten by her husband, should be submissive and think: maybe he had a bad day, or maybe I deserved it? Perhaps this government, if it wins the election, will tighten its ties with the Church even further and ban IVF, and further tighten abortion laws.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,2509791,czego-dobry-pis-chcialby-zakazac-ale-zla-unia-mu-nie-pozwala.html -- WHEN THE CHURCH SPOKE ABOUT REFUGEES, IT WAS MET WITH SILENCE – TOMASZ KRZYŻAK ON POLAND ON THE BRINK OF RELIGIOUS WAR: “It is symptomatic, for example, that today the Church receives enormous political support in its fight against LGBT ideology, but a few years ago, when it spoke about the necessity of accepting refugees, it was met with silence. When it raised the issue of increasing protection for unborn children, those who made promises in this regard during the previous election campaign hid their heads in the sand after winning the election, and today they say that the climate is not right and it's not the time yet. 'Truth is manipulated in various ways, just as gymnastics are replaced by cosmetics' – Pope Francis wrote in one of his documents, as if looking at the Polish backyard.” https://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/190819654-Krzyzak-Stoimy-na-krawedzi-wojny-religijnej.html -- AGATON KOZIŃSKI IN WP ON THE DEGLOMERATION OF THE PARADE: “The deglomeration of the military parade had an effect. In Katowice, the fact that over two and a half thousand soldiers marched through their city and 180 pieces of military equipment drove and flew through it, evoked an enthusiasm that is difficult to generate in the capital. Of course, in Warsaw, there are always crowds along the parade route – but in Silesia, there was an immediate sense of genuine excitement. It's much harder to evoke such emotions around the Palace of Culture.” -- IT WAS FELT THAT THIS WAS AN IMPORTANT SPEECH FOR MORAWIECKI – KOZIŃSKI CONTINUES: “It's no coincidence that Morawiecki spoke just before the parade began, emphasizing the patriotism of Silesians and praising their struggles during the uprisings 100 years ago. However, the most important speech was given by Andrzej Duda. During the general nominations, he dispelled rumors that anyone was considering lowering military pensions. From the first words, it was felt that this was an important speech for him. He prepared for it meticulously; his address was crafted with great attention to detail.” https://opinie.wp.pl/kozinski-deglomeracja-defilady-pis-pamieta-ze-kto-wygrywa-na-slasku-ten-rzadzi-w-kraju-opinia-6413862611990657a -- PIS HAS FALLEN IN LOVE WITH SILESIA – Przemysław Jedlecki on the front page of GW: “Not long ago, Silesia was a 'place of pathology' for Kaczyński, and Silesians were the 'camouflaged German option.' Today, PiS loves Silesians and invests in them, because their votes will be invaluable for the authorities in the October elections.” http://katowice.wyborcza.pl/katowice/7,35063,25089954,prawo-i-sprawiedliwosc-pokochalo-slazakow-i-ich-glosy.html -- FOR SCHETYNA, EVEN A FORMER PiS MEMBER IS WORTH MORE THAN A KOD ACTIVIST – MICHAŁ KARNOWSKI: “The so-called KOD has turned out to be not a training ground for cadres, but an energy black hole that drained the energy of hundreds and thousands of people, without transforming it into anything. On the contrary – they were taught a lesson in political cynicism. They, in turn, showed the political establishment of their camp how easily such grassroots activities (though co-organized and supported by Czerska) can be pacified. Moreover, as the desired moment of electoral confrontation for the marchers, the so-called KOD, approaches, the opposition leader, Grzegorz Schetyna, is taking Paweł Poncyljusz and Paweł Kowal onto his lists (likely paying them somehow, giving them prestigious 'number ones'), people who not so long ago (in the context of the ongoing political process) created the hated PiS.” -- IS KOD A DISCREDITING ELEMENT OF ONE'S BIOGRAPHY? – KARNOWSKI CONTINUES: “The lesson is therefore simple: it is better to be a PiS supporter, even a former one, than a member of the so-called KOD. One can even venture a bitter conclusion for many: even a former PiS supporter is worth more to political leaders than a former member of the so-called KOD. This applies to Grzegorz Schetyna as well. The former seems to be a valuable asset in the context of the PO leader's decisions, even in the Third Republic. The latter has evidently been recognized as a poor recommendation, perhaps even a discrediting element of one's biography. Is this why he did not give Mazgula, Kijowski, Kasprzak, or Jethon a chance?” https://wpolityce.pl/m/polityka/459490-dla-schetyny-byly-pisowiec-jest-cenniejszy-niz-aktywista-kod -- ROMAN GRACZYK SUGGESTS THAT PIS IS INTENTIONALLY CHANGING THE STRUCTURE OF ELECTORAL BODIES: “Today, voter sentiment is such that nothing affects PiS. Despite the Kuchciński scandal, despite the refusal to disclose the identities of those recommending candidates for the new National Council of the Judiciary (KRS), despite the mysterious deaths of three consecutive witnesses in the Podkarpacie sex scandal, PiS is doing well, leading high in the polls. PiS voters are such that they do not consider these matters a reason to withdraw their trust from the authorities. But opposition voters are also such that these matters do not mobilize them sufficiently to vote against PiS. In a sense – such are Poles and such is Poland, that even in these circumstances PiS wins. However, if something were to change here, if Poles were to start giving victory to the opposition at the polls, there is already a ready mechanism to ensure that PiS still wins on paper.” https://fakty.interia.pl/opinie/graczyk/news-ostatnie-takie-wybory,nId,3150448 -- NO WASTED VOTES FOR THE LEFT – ADRIAN ZANDBERG IN AN INTERVIEW WITH GAZETA.PL: “Of course, I want to enter the Sejm. I have had thousands of conversations with people who wanted to vote for Razem but were afraid of 'wasting' their vote. They said: 'I agree 100 percent with your program, you are great, I identify with you and I would like you to be in parliament, but I'm afraid you won't make it.' I want them to be able to vote for Razem MPs – and not against their own will.” -- ZANDBERG ON WHY THE LEFT IS NEEDED IN THE SEJM: “One that will have a real impact on reality. Although it's clear that it doesn't depend only on us, but also on the results of other committees. I want Razem MPs to be in the next term's Sejm. People who will advocate for public housing programs, for the easing of the abortion law, for social justice, for Poland to be a secular state. I want it to be a courageous voice. Because that's what people expect from us – not to be cowards, not to be opportunists, not to look over our shoulder three times at the parish priest before every statement.” http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114884,25087553,zandberg-dla-gazeta-pl-odwage-ma-tylko-lewica-wywiad.html -- IZABELA KACPRZAK IN RZ ON CONTROVERSIES SURROUNDING FLIGHTS FOR THE MARSHAL'S SHIRT: “Full documentation of all flights would also allow verification of the alarming information circulating in the military about 'flights for a shirt' for the marshal. The Chancellery of the Sejm not only refuses access to materials for MPs – it no longer answers any journalist's questions on the matter. There are many more doubts. For example, in the list of documents obtained by PO-KO MPs from the Military Transport Aviation Base on December 22 last year, there was a flight of the marshal from Warsaw to Rzeszów on a G550 jet with three people on board. However, this course is not on the list revealed by the Sejm Information Center at all. Despite repeated urgings, we have not received an answer to the doubts raised by the official flight log of the marshal. So why is there a flight on March 29-31, 2019, in the marshal's HEAD-status flight log, authored by the Chancellery of the Sejm, at position 69, where the number of participants is missing (was it an empty flight? And if so, why and for what purpose?). Similarly, with the flight on June 13, 2017 (position no. 6) – one person is listed. It's impossible that the marshal himself flew alone without a State Protection Service officer – it would be a violation of procedures for protecting the most important people in the state.” https://www.rp.pl/Prawo-i-Sprawiedliwosc/308159933-Loty-po-koszule-dla-marszalka-Kancelaria-Sejmu-milczy.html -- LYING DISQUALIFIES – WOJCIECH TUMIDALSKI IN RZ ON THE AVIATION SCANDAL: “When one's mouth is full of declarations of constant contact with society, it would be appropriate to perhaps be seen from time to time without an entourage of assistants and security on a regular commercial plane or train. From its windows, one can clearly see what Polish households look like, what cars they drive and on what roads, and what good could be done for them. So far, the ruling PiS has been good at recognizing their needs. Hiding behind a cordon of guards creates a bad impression. And lying, when the matter has already come to light, is completely disqualifying.” https://www.rp.pl/Urzednicy/308169988-Oddzielic-panstwowe-od-prywaty---naduzycia-ws-lotow-politykow-komentuje-Wojciech-Tumidalski.html -- POLICEMAN WITH A NATIONALIST SYMBOL ON HIS VEST DURING DUTY – WYBORCZA.PL: “One of the policemen documenting the organizers of the Antifascist Christmas Picnic on Nowy Świat had the Bolesław Chrobry Sword emblem pinned to his vest. The command is silent for now, but a specialist has no doubt that this was unacceptable.” http://warszawa.wyborcza.pl/warszawa/7,54420,25091225,marsz-narodowcow-oslanial-policjant-z-mieczykiem-chrobrego-w.html -- BIRTHDAYS: Jan Łopata, Jacek Karnowski, Patryk Michalski.