-- INVITATION WAS SENT, WHY DID TUSK NOT ACCEPT IT - PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESPERSON - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2019/09/02/ -- 10 POLITICAL TOPICS FOR SEPTEMBER:https://300polityka.pl/news/2019/09/01/10-politycznych-tematow-wrzesnia-2/ -- UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO KRYNICA - 300GOSPODARKA: http://300gospodarka.pl/explainer/2019/09/02/forum-ekonomiczne-w-krynicy-praktyczny-i-nieoficjalny-przewodnik-300gospodarki/ -- ANDRZEJ DUDA'S BEST PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH, TUSK MADE A MISTAKE - JACEK GĄDEK IN GAZETA.PL: “Andrzej Duda stepped into Lech Kaczyński's shoes and delivered the most important speech of his presidency. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier movingly asked for forgiveness. Mike Pence even spoke of Poland's messianism. Mateusz Morawiecki harnessed the anniversary for the election campaign. Aleksandra Dukiewicz unnecessarily spoke of a war between the "rulers and society," and Donald Tusk made a mistake by not accepting the invitation, even if its form was dismissive”. http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114884,25143805,andrzej-duda-w-butach-lech-kaczynskiego-i-pierwsze-takie-niemieckie.html -- A DIGNIFIED CEREMONY, GOOD SPEECHES - ALEKSANDER KWAŚNIEWSKI IN CONVERSATION WITH PIOTR PACEWICZ IN OKO: “The ceremony was dignified. Perhaps that bell, which all the guests struck in turn, was a bit... But well, it was a new element. It had a symbolic meaning, the whole thing turned out nicely. The speeches were good. The Polish president, in the final part, took a strong stance on Russian matters, appealing for sanctions to be maintained. Frank-Walter Steinmeier's speech was powerful, stating without any ambiguity that despite the passage of time, the responsibility for World War II lies with Germany. It was very personal”. -- SOMEONE HAD TO REPRESENT THE THIRD REPUBLIC, I DID IT ALONE - KWAŚNIEWSKI CONTINUES IN CONVERSATION WITH PACEWICZ: “…two European visits in a short period, long flights, time difference – that must have discouraged him. If he could have stayed after Biarritz [G7 summit, August 26-27 – editor's note], that would be different. I think that was the main reason. Plus the hurricane, because a hurricane is a hurricane, a politician should be present. Let's not overreact. I felt a little sad, there was a place waiting for Bielecki [Jan Krzysztof, Prime Minister in 1991] and Pawlak [Waldemar, Prime Minister in 1992 and 1993-1995], they didn't come. It was clear that Donald Tusk wouldn't be there. Someone had to represent the Third Republic, I did it alone. Such an anniversary should be unifying; it's a celebration of Poland as a whole and the nation as a whole. I don't absolve the authorities of protocol errors, of inviting such a high-ranking politician as the President of the European Council too late, but I miss moments when the political class rises above divisions. When I organized major events, I tried to ensure everyone was present, even those who were not inclined towards me”. -- A HURRICANE IS A HURRICANE, A POLITICIAN SHOULD BE PRESENT - KWAŚNIEWSKI ON TRUMP'S ABSENCE: “…two European visits in a short period, long flights, time difference – that must have discouraged him. If he could have stayed after Biarritz [G7 summit, August 26-27 – editor's note], that would be different. I think that was the main reason. Plus the hurricane, because a hurricane is a hurricane, a politician should be present. https://oko.press/kwasniewski-o-rocznicy-1-wrzesnia-z-iii-rp-bylem-tylko-ja-duda-szarzowal-z-rosja-pence-mowil-jak-pence/ -- POLAND MUST BE MORE AMBITIOUS AND HAS BEEN HEADING IN THAT DIRECTION FOR YEARS - JACEK KARNOWSKI: “September 1 reminds us that Poland has no other choice but to build its own strength. Poland cannot be, as part of our establishment would like, a 'normal, boring country.' No, Poland – if it wants to draw lessons from its history – must be a more ambitious country than the European norm. It must demand more of itself. It must think independently. It cannot be bored with itself; it can never lose its vigilance. It's good that for several years we have been moving in this direction, towards an ambitious Poland”. https://wpolityce.pl/m/historia/461854-polska-ktora-przezyla-swoja-smierc-musi-byc-polska-ambitna -- ŁUKASZ WARZECHA ON THE CHILDISH CATEGORIES OF POLISH POLITICS: “How does this matter resemble the 'Czajka' case? Just like there, this time the other side of the political war has decided to think and speak only in partisan terms. Meanwhile, Trump's absence from the September 1 commemorations – regardless of the reasons – simply harms the interests of the Polish state. We had a unique (literally unique, as there will be no other 80th anniversary) opportunity to attract the attention of practically the entire world and to tell it, partly through the words of the American president, about our history. Trump's absence is our failure – ours in the sense of 'Polish,' not 'PiS' – which must be considered from the perspective of Polish interests rather than rejoicing that Kaczyński failed. These two matters are not the first of their kind. However, they show the degeneration of political life. Like in a sandbox – Janek hit Franek because earlier Franek hit Janek on the head with a shovel, and he did it because Janek threw sand in his eyes earlier… and no one can figure out who started it. And it doesn't matter. When a gang of older kids comes to the playground, grabs Janek and Franek by the collar and throws them both out, they will still be hitting each other on the head”. https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/opinie/lukasz-warzecha-czajka-i-trump-pokazuja-degeneracje-naszego-zycia-politycznego-opinia/thk3mgz -- WE CANNOT BECOME A REDUNDANT COUNTRY ON THE PERIPHERY AGAIN - LESZEK JAŻDŻEWSKI IN LIBERTE: “Poland must be secured in its fundamental interests: in the strength of its own army, economy, and social cohesion. Nothing will secure us more than ourselves, but also membership in the hard core of the European project. We cannot, as we once did, find ourselves on the periphery, become a redundant country. Never again will the rulers lie about a powerful, inflated army and megalomaniacal fantasies that were shattered in two weeks. Never again will temporary partisan interests be placed above the raison d'état. But also never again will there be cheap joy at the failures of a disliked government in fundamental matters – security, development, foreign policy. This lesson should be inscribed in our national DNA. We owe it to the victims, we owe it to ourselves and our children. And to those who might, like Poland on September 1, 1939, become another victim of an unprovoked war. Never again hopeless resistance”. https://liberte.pl/nigdy-wiecej-beznadziejnego-oporu/ -- AGATON KOZIŃSKI ON MEETINGS BETWEEN TOP POLISH AND GERMAN POLITICIANS: “The three most important politicians in the structures of Polish power (Andrzej Duda, Mateusz Morawiecki, Elżbieta Witek) met on September 1 with the three most important German politicians (Angela Merkel, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Wolfgang Schäuble) – this gesture alone shows that the relations between Poland and Germany are at the antipodes of what happened 80 years ago. Furthermore, these meetings took place simultaneously in Warsaw and Berlin. This further strengthens the effect, emphasizing how far our countries have come in mutual understanding”. https://opinie.wp.pl/kozinski-o-wojnie-bez-eufemizmow-i-po-stronie-polski-i-niemiec-opinia-6419889040734337a -- IS SCHETYNA CORRECTING THE OPPOSITION'S LINE AND WANTING TO ABANDON TOTAL OPPOSITION - JACEK KARNOWSKI: “Is the leader of PO trying to significantly correct the opposition's line and wants to abandon total opposition, which he himself announced a few years ago? Has he realized that this is a dead end, as it only brings success in case of a complete victory (which seems distant), and in the current circumstances only strengthens the dominance of Law and Justice? Certainly, any correction of PO's line, an attempt to repeat PiS's political path from 2011-2015 (first internal consolidation, then painstakingly substantive and pragmatic policy) will not be easy. As Professor Waldemar Paruch rightly noted recently, opposition politicians have, over years of totality, in a way, educated and shaped their electorate, and they do not have an easy room to maneuver. They certainly cannot change course overnight without risking sharp tensions in the process. But step by step, yes, they can try”. https://wpolityce.pl/m/polityka/461830-czy-schetyna-chce-wyjsc-z-pulapki-opozycyjnosci-totalnej -- GERMAN HUMILITY, RUSSIAN DECEIT - RZ FRONT PAGE: “It was an attack by the Third Reich and the USSR on Poland. Today, Berlin asks for our forgiveness, and Moscow accuses us of lying”. https://www.rp.pl/Historia/190909941-Obchody-80-rocznicy-wybuchu-II-wojny-swiatowej-Pokora-Niemiec-zaklamanie-Rosji.html -- GERMAN PRESIDENT: FORGIVE US - GW front page. -- THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN DISPUTES OVER WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE POLITICAL SHIT - MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI IN RZ ON SEPTEMBER 1: “And this is much more important than our daily disputes over who started it and who is responsible for the political shit that overflows not only into the Vistula. More important than the ongoing election campaign. The message that came from the important speeches of Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Mike Pence, Andrzej Duda, and other politicians is more than an anniversary tribute – it is a repetition and dissemination of the foundations on which the Polish raison d'état rests”. https://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/190909939-Szuldrzynski-Racja-stanu-wazniejsza-niz-kampania-wyborcza.html -- THE UNION IS THE ANSWER - PAWEŁ WROŃSKI IN GW: “The European answer to the terrible legacy of World War II has become the European Union, which for years has ensured prosperity and stability, but above all peace in Europe. Unfortunately, for four years, our government's policy has been systematically weakening the EU”. http://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,25144097,odpowiedz-na-straszne-dziedzictwo-wojny-poczujmy-odpowiedzialnosc.html -- TRIBUTE TO POLISH HEROISM- GW headline. -- AMERICANS DON'T JOKE ABOUT HURRICANES- DGP headline. -- RESET OF RELATIONS WITH KYIV- RZ headline. -- OPTIMISM AFTER ZELENSKY'S VISIT - DGP headline. -- BIRTHDAYS: Senator of the OKP Prof. Jerzy Madej turns 84, Ryszard Terlecki and Bishop Krzysztof Zadarko turn 70.