-- KRZYSZTOF PACEWICZ ON THE FIRST CAMPAIGN FOR THE SENATE OF ITS KIND - writes in GW: “The race for the Senate resembles elections in the USA, where the results in most states can be predicted even before voting, and the winners are decided by so-called swing states, i.e., wavering districts where both main parties enjoy similar support.” -- WILL SILESIA DECIDE? - PACEWICZ CONTINUES: “Silesia will largely decide who will govern the Senate; it is there that the fiercest battles for every voter will take place. From this perspective, the decision of the Law and Justice party to move this year's Polish Army Day parade from Warsaw to Katowice becomes more understandable.” -- PACEWICZ ON HOW EVEN IN 2015, THE SUM OF OPPOSITION VOTES WOULD HAVE GIVEN A MAJORITY IN THE SENATE: “However, if Civic Platform, Polish People's Party, and the United Left had fielded joint candidates in 2015, they could have counted on 59 seats (including Marek Borowski's committee) – this is the result we get after summing up all the votes cast four years ago for the current opposition candidates. In such a scenario, PiS would have had to settle for 40 senators. One seat would have gone to independent Lidia Staroń, previously in Civic Platform.” -- PACEWICZ ON 25 SWING DISTRICTS: “The majority electoral system favors committees whose voters have a slight advantage in many districts, not those that have a large advantage, but in fewer districts. This means that the current electoral law for the Senate favors the opposition over Law and Justice. PiS achieves a gigantic advantage, for example, in Podkarpacie (in some districts, they win by even 50 percentage points!), but the overall number of districts where the opposition leads is slightly larger. Predicting based on the European Parliament elections, the opposition can count on a certain victory in 41 districts, PiS in 34, and the remaining 25 are swing districts.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,25105099,prognoza-wyborczej-wybory-do-senatu-chwiejne-okregi-zdecyduja.html -- THE OPPOSITION SHOULD GO FOR THE WHOLE PRIZE, NOT JUST DEFENSIVELY FOR THE SENATE - PAWEŁ WROŃSKI IN GW: “Focusing on the Senate campaign is defensive in nature. It assumes the opposition is content with a minimum goal. It's like focusing on reaching the final in the Olympics, when only Olympic medals count. The opposition should fight for at least 231 seats in the Sejm. Therefore, the agreement on the Senate slate should also be accompanied by a kind of non-aggression pact in the elections to the lower house. If you don't want to vote for KO, vote for The Left; if you don't want to vote for KP-PSL, vote for KO. Since all parties have recognized PiS as a threat to the country, the opposition's goal should be the full prize.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,25105185,senat-to-nagroda-pocieszenia-opozycja-musi-grac-o-pelna-pule.html -- CZARZASTY ON THE FINAL TOUCH FOR THE SENATE SLATE, LUBNAUER ON DISPUTED SEATS, ZGORZELSKI ON LACK OF AGREEMENT - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2019/08/21/ -- PMM'S FB PROFILE GAINS 10,000 LIKES IN 24 HOURS: https://www.facebook.com/MorawieckiPL -- NEW REVELATIONS BY ONET - AS MAGDA GAŁCZYŃSKA WRITES: “A trusted associate of Deputy Minister of Justice Łukasz Piebiak, who resigned after Onet's article, provided the online hater Emilia with dirt on Krystian Markiewicz, head of the Iustitia association. This is Judge Jakub Iwaniec from the Ministry of Justice. In correspondence, he provided precise information about Markiewicz's child, and also sent phone numbers of Markiewicz's alleged lover and her husband.” https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/tylko-w-onecie/farma-trolli-w-ministerstwie-sprawiedliwosci-cz-2-tak-czlowiek-piebiaka-polowal-na/xmx6d4c -- GW ON THE FRONT PAGE AFTER ONET'S PUBLICATIONS: “- I was supposed to spread dirt online about rebellious judges. I received ready-made documents from the Ministry of Justice - says the woman who, as 'Emi,' led the campaign to discredit judges opposed to Zbigniew Ziobro's team.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,25105218,ludzie-od-ziobry-i-hejtowanie-sedziow-swoje-miejsce-juz-znam.html -- THE CASE BORDERS ON ORGANIZED CRIMINAL GROUP CATEGORY - BOGUSŁAW CHRABOTA IN RZ: “If, indeed, a group of people within the Ministry of Justice was involved in organizing hate campaigns against judges, i.e., an informal structure, the case borders on the category of a criminal group.” -- ZIOBRO IS STANDING ON THE EDGE OF A PRECIPICE, ONLY PROSECUTORIAL ACTIONS CAN CLEAR HIM OF THE ACCUSATION OF PUTINISM - CHRABOTA CONTINUES: “It is much more important to continue the necessary procedures in the Ministry of Justice, and especially to initiate prosecutorial proceedings. Only the actions of the prosecution can clear the Ministry of Justice of suspicions of abusing the law against political opponents, i.e., practical 'Putinism.' This is also the only path for Zbigniew Ziobro, the Prosecutor General himself, who must prove to the public that he is not the 'boss' from the correspondence of Łukasz Piebiak – his closest associate – with 'Emilia.' It is important that he understands that he is now standing on the edge of a precipice and has no other path to salvation.” https://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/190829955-Boguslaw-Chrabota-Putinizm-w-Ministerstwie-Sprawiedliwosci.html -- CERTAIN STANDARDS STILL APPLY IN POLAND - BARTOSZ WĘGLARCZYK IN ONET: “We don't know yet if and who, besides Mr. Piebiak, participated in the Ministry in the hate campaign against judges disliked by the United Right, but today I thank the Minister of Justice, Zbigniew Ziobro, for showing that some standards still apply in Polish politics. And that one can start adhering to these standards from oneself, not from political opponents. Politicians, journalists, judges, and voters share one thing: we are all human. It is the duty of politicians to indicate some, even very loose, boundaries of what is permissible in public discourse. I am sure that the prosecution will now thoroughly examine how Emilia's hate campaign operated and what role Ministry officials played in this disgusting practice.” https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/opinie/lukasz-piebiak-zrezygnowal-weglarczyk-dziekuje-ziobrze/cztdsdd -- SCANDALS, WHETHER REAL OR EXAGGERATED, WON'T CHANGE CAMPAIGN OUTCOMES - JACEK KARNOWSKI: “PiS will win the elections. Of course, they might lose power; it's not an improbable scenario. A lot depends on the details, the quality of the campaign, and sheer luck. But one thing seems clear: the scandals and controversies created by the left-liberal, opposition media, whether real, amplified, or fabricated from nothing, will not change the outcome of this campaign. This time, it's a different game; it's not 2007.” -- FOR VOTERS, POLAND IS HEALED; WHAT WAS SERVED EARLIER WAS SICK - KARNOWSKI CONTINUES: “The opposition responds with an even greater dose of the same. The election slogan of Civic Platform – whether final or temporary is unknown – namely 'Heal Poland,' is a big mistake in the current context. It means appealing to the frustration strongly present in strongly opposition circles, but completely absent among most ordinary voters. For them, a Poland that cares for families, poorer regions, and children is a healed Poland. What was served to us earlier was rather sick.” https://wpolityce.pl/m/polityka/460101-afery-realne-czy-wymyslone-losow-tej-kampanii-nie-zmienia -- MARCIN MAKOWSKI ON A POLITICAL RESET IN THE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE: “From a moral and legal perspective, the matter is obvious and should be followed by a personal reset in the justice system. It is hard to believe that someone so highly placed would act without agreement from 'above.' In politics, beyond what should be, unfortunately, what is, i.e., brutal pragmatism to gain and maintain power, has greater influence. And this suggests that since it has worked so far, this scandal can also be hushed up and moved on from.” -- ZIOBRO IS TOO BIG TO FAIL - MAKOWSKI CONTINUES: “Regardless of what happens, Zbigniew Ziobro will not lose his position. This is a result of scale, described in economics as 'too big to fail.' A politician enjoying great popularity among his electorate and the head of one of the three parties making up the United Right, less than two months before the elections, cannot disappear from the scene. His protection costs less than the revenge he might be motivated to seek.” -- THE MEDIA HAVE PASSED THE TEST - MAKOWSKI CONTINUES: “However, it is good that we, as media and society, have not lost the ability to call things by their proper names. I am also glad that my colleagues from Onet have highlighted this issue, and despite everything, I hope it will have a just follow-up and a fair conclusion. The Minister announced he would sue the editorial office and 'defend his good name.' The courts will decide.” https://opinie.wp.pl/makowski-afera-piebiaka-jest-skandaliczna-ale-pis-u-nie-zatopi-pokazuje-jednak-po-co-sa-niezalezne-media-opinia-6415594475337857a -- KRZYSZTOF BREJZA ON WANTING TO COMPETE WITH FATHER RYDYK'S MAN - says in an interview with Jacek Gądek in gazeta.pl: “It was my decision. I like challenges, and competing with PiS candidate, current voivode, Father Tadeusz Rydzyk's protégé, Mikołaj Bogdanowicz, is one.” -- I WOULDN'T FEEL GOOD ON THE SAME LIST AS JASKIERNIA - BREJZA CONTINUES: “Personally, however, I won the elections against Janusz Zemke – a very popular politician from the SLD – while being on the same list. I received over 30,000 more votes than him, and I was running from the last place. Perhaps this is a sign of the times. I admit honestly that I wouldn't feel entirely comfortable on the same list as Jerzy Jaskiernia.” -- BREJZA ON CARDINAL DZIWISZ'S DRIFT TOWARDS FATHER RYDYK: “Unfortunately, the current Archbishop of Krakow has radicalized, and Cardinal Dziwisz also supports him in this. They are drifting towards Father Tadeusz Rydzyk. It's not good that the Church is so clearly politically defined, instead of standing with the weaker, with minorities, and defending human dignity – as Pope Francis does. There are many clergy, especially those not holding the highest offices, who disavow political involvement.” -- BREJZA ON A MILLION ZŁOTY FROM THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH FOR FATHER RYDYK: “Meanwhile, the issues that Poles are concerned with are rising prices, high cost of living, increasingly higher electricity bills, lack of medicines in pharmacies, queues at emergency rooms and for specialists, and lack of access to oncological drugs. And at the same time, the Ministry of Health transfers almost a million zlotys to Father Tadeusz Rydzyk's foundation.” http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114884,25087669,krzysztof-brejza-dla-gazeta-pl.html -- MARCIN FIJOŁEK ON SURPRISES ON PIO LISTS AND A SMOOTH PROCESS: “There are a few surprises (like Adam Andruszkiewicz's poor placement, Krzysztof Mazur's nomination to the Senate), but by maximizing gains, i.e., internal rivalry, PiS leadership has managed to maintain stability regarding the influence of individual circles and factions. And again – the process was not always as smooth as it is this year.” -- FIJOŁEK ON SENSIBLE PSL LISTS: “Against the backdrop of Civic Coalition lists and the growing sense of resignation among Platform activists, the lists of the PSL-Koalicja Polska committee are starting to look more sensible, serious, and politically significant. The People's Party is largely relying on local politicians – former and current mayors, councilors, marshals, district governors. Individually, each of them is not a major figure on the political chessboard, but each will also bring two, three, sometimes eight thousand votes to the PSL list (or at least that's the expectation). And this, even if it doesn't contribute to the individual winning a mandate, can translate into crucial votes for crossing the electoral threshold.” -- FIJOŁEK ON OPTIMISTIC CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THE STATE OF DEMOCRACY IN POLAND: “This is the starting point. Regardless, it seems (also considering the rather puzzling lists of The Left, combining old comrades and barons with young wolves from Together), that democracy in Poland is doing very well. All parties and coalitions – including the opposition ones – operate on established and known principles, and the pathetic and emotional upsurges about 'the most important elections in the Third Republic' and the need for a general mobilization and 'restoration of democracy' have nothing to do with reality, where MPs and candidates simply convince voters, just like four years ago. But this is perhaps quite an optimistic conclusion.” -- FIJOŁEK ON SCHETYNA'S CHAOTIC LISTS: “What's more, it seems that Grzegorz Schetyna has slept through the last four years, even in terms of strengthening (personally) the Platform itself. Reaching for activists from the former PJN, Nowoczesna, or Inicjatywa Polska is a forced move, seasoned with a large dose of political helplessness. Krzysztof Brejza's resignation from the Sejm elections in favor of the Senate (at the cost of Tadeusz Zwiefka…) – who was being promoted as the first reformer of the Platform – looks strange at best, and certainly demotivating for the already dwindling morale among Platform supporters. Finally, the low, even humiliating, positions on the electoral lists for politicians like Bogusław Sonik or the resignation of MPs like Marek Biernacki – this does not serve the party itself. It is not surprising that, considering all these arguments, one increasingly hears that Schetyna is choosing the path of waiting until 2023 and entrenching himself so that he cannot be removed from the position of PO leader this autumn. But even in this context, the presented lists are too chaotic, lacking even elementary consistency, and additionally burdened with strange candidacies like Klaudia Jachira's.” https://wpolityce.pl/m/polityka/460077-listy-smierci-pis-chaosu-po-ko-nadziei-psl-k15 -- PSL IS GAINING FROM THE ALLIANCE WITH KUKIZ ANYWAY - SŁAWOMIR SOWIŃSKI IN RZ: “Paradoxically, the People's Party's chance, similar to the years 2005–2007 when they improved their election results by over 0.5 million votes, might be the time spent in opposition. Knowing the specifics of agriculture perfectly and having a large share in the success of its integration into the European Union, the People's Party can very effectively highlight the problems and neglect in rural Poland, which were not lacking, especially in previous years. To all of this, the political alliance with Paweł Kukiz from a few days ago is added. It is difficult to determine how many of the over 1.3 million Kukiz'15 voters from 2015 will support their leader's alliance with the People's Party today. But even if it were only a third of them, it would still be significant support for both Koalicja Polska and the People's Party – who have little chance of reaching young, anti-establishment voters.” https://www.rp.pl/Rzecz-o-polityce/308209907-Tradycja-z-rebelia-w-tle.html -- SOLDIERS ARE NOT A BACKDROP FOR POLITICIANS TO TAKE PHOTOS - MAREK KOZUBAL IN RZ: “One might wonder whether to introduce, for example, some regulations that would close barracks gates for election campaigning. But would that be justified? It seems that the rules regarding the apolitical nature of the military are clear. They stipulate that no political activity or agitation can be carried out in the army, military personnel cannot be members of political parties or associations, organizations, or civic movements aiming for political goals, and the army cannot be involved in political activity.” https://www.rp.pl/Rzecz-o-polityce/308209911-Zolnierze-tonie-scianka-dorobienia-zdjec.html -- BIEDROŃ GAVE THE PARTY TO BE DEVOURED BY SLD, 14 MILLION TOGETHER VANISHED - JAN ŚPIEWAK IN CONVERSATION WITH ŁUKASZ PAWŁOWSKI IN KULTURA LIBERALNA: “One could say so. Robert Biedroń gave his party to be devoured, which is confirmed by leaked information from negotiation outcomes. And Together, without money and with one leader on the fringes of high politics, also effectively ceases to exist. This party received 14 million zlotys in subsidies over four years, and that money vanished. It turns out that the work of thousands of people and all these funds are to lead to a few seats for people close to Adrian Zandberg, who is responsible for the failure of this project.” -- TOGETHER SHOULD HAVE GONE WITH SPRING TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT - ŚPIEWAK CONTINUES IN KL: “For instance, pushing Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk out of the party and breaking the coalition with Spring for the European elections. Then it was still possible to save Together. Now, after what Spring has done, it will be very difficult.” -- THE CONCEPT OF "THE LEFT" MEANS NOTHING TODAY - ŚPIEWAK CONTINUES IN KL: “What is supposed to distinguish The Left from them? Zandberg, by going to elections together with post-communists, ultimately kills the concept of 'the Left.' It means nothing today. Whatever arises after the elections must be built with a new language.” https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2019/08/21/spiewak-lewica-czarzasty-zandberg-wybory/ -- GW ON THE DISAPPEARANCE OF PIOTR WOŹNIAK-STARAK: “Woźniak-Starak's estate near Kisajno covers about 200 hectares. It is a principality on the lake shore, decorated in the style of a Cossack settlement. Beyond the fence reigns luxury, accessible only to the chosen. The residence is protected by a double fence equipped with electric wires that react to pressure. – Now it might not be anything extraordinary, but years ago it was something special – a sailor from Giżycko tells us. – Behind the fence, there is a helicopter landing pad and an internal port. This area is poor, and there, money is dripping from everywhere. People from the front pages of newspapers, politicians, used to visit the estate. Once, sailors liked to moor wild here by the shore, but that stopped when security guards on quads appeared.” http://olsztyn.wyborcza.pl/olsztyn/7,48726,25104960,piotr-wozniak-starak-kochal-zaszalec-na-motorowce.html -- WITNESS QUESTIONS POLICE PROFESSIONALISM AFTER REPORTING A SOLITARY MOTORBOAT ON THE LAKE - ONET: “- Around 2 AM, my friends and I noticed a strangely behaving motorboat. It was circling as if with a blocked rudder and throttle. We immediately called the police, but no patrol showed up until 4:30 AM – recounts a man who participated in the annual 24-hour regatta in Giżycko in an interview with Onet. He saw the motorboat that Piotr Woźniak-Starak was allegedly on. The search for the 39-year-old has been ongoing since Sunday.” https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/tylko-w-onecie/poszukiwania-piotra-wozniaka-staraka-swiadek-o-szczegolach-wydarzenia/h6fe7r1 -- JAN PURZYCKI HAS DIED: https://film.dziennik.pl/news/artykuly/605585,jan-purzycki-scenarzysta-wielki-szu-zlotopolscy-nie-zyje.html -- BIRTHDAYS: Stefan Pastuszka, Hanna Majszczyk.