-- THE INVENTION OF THE MODERN HEART - KAROLINA WIGURA'S NEW BOOK ON THE ROLE OF EMOTIONS IN POLITICS (review by Rafał Wonicki in KL): “Wigura's book may be particularly important for people who identify with liberal thought. Reading it is a form of therapy, as it exposes liberal illusions about the role of rationality in politics. It also provides a good introduction to the intricacies of political practice, placing emotions at its very center.” -- DESCARTES, HOBBES, AND SPINOZA - FURTHER IN THE REVIEW OF WIGURA'S BOOK: “The author does not choose three important intellectual figures from the 17th century by chance for her analyses: Descartes, Hobbes, and Spinoza. Their considerations form a bridge between classical and contemporary approaches to emotions. She also aptly notes that these thinkers are characterized by a certain minimalism of goals compared to earlier times, when emotions were meant to lead to virtue and happiness. This is very evident again in the example of Hobbes, for whom obedience is the fundamental social value, and fear is the primary force to achieve it. Classical moral development, eudaimonia, or self-perfection in virtue disappears from the horizon here.” https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2019/07/23/rafal-wonicki-recenzja-wigura-wynalazek-nowoczesnego-serca/ -- SPYCHALSKI ON PRESIDENT DUDA'S DEADLINE FOR DECIDING ON RE-ELECTION BID, KONWIŃSKI CRITICIZES PIS FOR PARLIAMENTARY VOTES BLOCKING CLOSING TAX LOOPHOLES - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2019/09/05/ -- TANK TRUCKS FROM ORLEN AFTER ALL? - as Wojciech Czuchnowski writes in GW: “It turns out that the vehicle with registration number WGM 2TJ1, photographed on Tuesday as it was leaving a base near Bydgoszcz, belongs to Orlen Transport S.A. It serves Orlen. This is clear from a document from the Guaranteed Insurance Fund (UFG). In response to an inquiry made on September 4, 2019, the UFG stated that 'the vehicle has policy number 1036706341-2019 issued to OT S.A.'. That is, Orlen Transport. And this morning we received identification of another tank truck. It has registration number WND 3H16. And it also belongs to Orlen Transport SA.” -- TANK TRUCKS HAD COVERED LICENSE PLATES - FURTHER FROM GW: “PiS and the Orlen fuel concern have lied to the public. The propaganda tank trucks that the party launched across Poland on Wednesday belong to this fuel concern. That is why the vehicles were shown with covered license plates at Prime Minister Morawiecki's press conference.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,25159903,wyborcza-ujawnia-propagandowe-cysterny-pis-naleza-jednak.html -- THE STRENGTH OF THE LEFT LIES IN ITS DIVERSITY, SCHETYNA IS GOING TO THE ELECTIONS ALONE - ADRIAN ZANDBERG IN AN INTERVIEW WITH TOMASZ ŻÓŁCIAK IN DGP: “The strength of the left is its diversity. These are different environments, we won't pretend to be identical. We have different histories, there are matters where there is a protocol of differences, e.g., on energy. But we managed to reach an agreement. Older and younger, from different parties, we are going to the elections together. If we find ourselves in parliament, we will have our clubs or caucuses, but we will continue to cooperate. Because politics doesn't have to be just a fight of each against all. Problems with agreement, as it turned out, are on the other side, where there has always been a lot of talk about unity. And now Grzegorz Schetyna is going to the elections practically alone.” -- ZANDBERG ON A REVOLUTION IN DRUG REIMBURSEMENTS: “Let's clarify – prescription drugs. We will overhaul the reimbursement system. Today, there is supposed to be equal access to healthcare, but in practice, the richer can afford better healthcare, and the poorer cannot. A significant part of treatment costs are medicines. When we are in the hospital, we receive them for free as part of the treatment. But when we leave the hospital, we have to buy a prescription, spending hundreds of zlotys a month. In the case of chronic illnesses, this is a significant burden on the household budget. It results in many pensioners not continuing their treatment because they cannot afford it. This is inhumane. The right to treatment cannot depend on whether someone is poor or not. Therefore, we will introduce the principle that medicines prescribed by a doctor will be available for purchase for a maximum of PLN 5.” -- ZANDBERG ON CREATING A PUBLIC DEVELOPER AGAINST LOBBYISTS: “Yes, we will influence the developers' profit margins, which are too high today. We will ensure that new housing estates have space for a school, kindergarten, and a square with a playground. So they don't look like a post-apocalyptic film set, as is often the case today, but provide a sensible quality of life. Here too, there is room for a public developer.” https://wiadomosci.dziennik.pl/opinie/artykuly/606894,zandberg-wybory-parlamentarne-lewica-schetyna.html -- JACEK ŻAKOWSKI IN GW - LET KIDAWA TAKE A NEW PATH, THEN SHE HAS A CHANCE: "Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska, as the new face of PO, has a chance to lead the opposition to power. But a change of face can also be detrimental if the new face does not take a new path.” -- LET KIDAWA PRESENT HER GOVERNMENT - FURTHER ŻAKOWSKI IN GW: “The future prime minister should present an enthusiastic cabinet composition before the elections. Since we dream of a new quality of democracy, a government composed of leaders of social protests, opinion leaders, and local government officials who have emerged in recent years, rather than party colleagues whom people are mostly tired of, could count on an enthusiastic reception. Coalition party leaders could serve as deputy prime ministers without portfolios. This is difficult, but a government without politicians is what people want after the 'plundering reform'.” -- A NEW LANGUAGE IS NEEDED - FURTHER ŻAKOWSKI ON THE NEED FOR A "SYMMETRIST" LANGUAGE: “The new face of PO must have a new language describing Poland as more solidarity-based, more democratic, and more rule-of-law-abiding, not only than it is now, but also than before PiS. No sane person wants a litany of grand reforms from the opposition. But credibility of new priorities – yes. This requires the freedom to distance oneself not only from the PiS government but also from its predecessors. The language of 'symmetrists' will convince more people than the language of 'total opposition' claiming that all evil came with the PiS government.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,25157443,trzy-deski-ratunku-dla-koalicji-obywatelskiej.html -- MAREK BEYLIN IN GW ON KIDAWA - SHE SHOULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF HOLDING THE APPARATUS IN CHECK: “Kidawa-Błońska thus holds Schetyna and the stagnant PO apparatus in check. She should take advantage of this by firmly focusing on a solidarity-based Poland of equal citizens. Not only on restoring the rule of law, healthcare reform, healing the wounds after the education reform, or preventing poverty. She should also clearly announce a secular state, the fight for women's rights, and an end to LGBT+ discrimination. http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,25157599,co-moze-zrobic-kidawa-blonska-wszystko.html -- PIOTR PACEWICZ ON 20 THOUSAND LITERS OF FUEL BURNED BY PIS TANK TRUCKS: “Four tank trucks (three were in Świecko and the fourth in Krynica, to provoke experts and PO politicians at the Economic Forum) are to travel across Poland until the elections. Assuming each of them travels an average of 6 hours a day, they will cover about 400 km, burning about 160 liters of fuel. Let's assume they travel for a total of 30 days (excluding weekends). This amounts to nearly 20,000 liters of fuel. The air pollution from burning 20,000 liters of fuel will not cause an effect that air quality monitoring stations would detect, but it is an expression of disregard for the problem of environmental pollution, likely out of thoughtlessness rather than arrogance.” -- TANK TRUCKS EVOKE NEGATIVE ASSOCIATIONS FOR DRIVERS - FURTHER PACEWICZ: “Tank trucks evoke negative associations as huge vehicles, troublesome on the road, dangerous for drivers, harmful to roads and the environment.” https://oko.press/cysterny-eko-wstydu-stoimy-z-taka-cysterna-kolo-szkoly-pis-wrobil-sie-w-ryzykowna-metafore/ -- WILL SCHETYNA LOSE THE ELECTIONS AGAIN? - Galopujący Major in Krytyka: “However, the Platform has not learned its lesson, and certainly Grzegorz Schetyna has not. Just as he has lost all elections in which he appeared as the head of the Platform, he will most likely lose the next ones because he is not learning anything at all. It started with torpedoing a joint list to the Sejm by poaching members from the center-left. Then former PiS stars, like Poncyliusz or Kowal, were placed on the electoral lists, to whom voters are supposed to vote while being constantly convinced how bad PiS is. In the case of the Senate pact, the candidacy of Kazimierz Ujazdowski in right-bank Warsaw is not even a mistake, but simply an insult to the voters of that city, who will remember it at the ballot box.” https://krytykapolityczna.pl/felietony/galopujacy-major/kidawa-blonska-warszawska-jedynka/ -- DISSATISFIED WITH A DISTANT PLACE ON THE LEFT LIST, DANUTA WANIEK RESIGNED FROM RUNNING: https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/462434-kandydatki-ko-opuszczaja-listy-rezygnuje-tez-waniek-z-sld -- THE FILM REINFORCES THE BELIEF THAT POLITICS IS A SWAMP - JACEK NIZINKIEWICZ IN RZ: “This is not a 'work' on which any side of the party dispute could lose or gain. 'Polityka' reinforces the belief that politics is a swamp, and one side is as good as the other. The viewer may get the impression that this is another of Vega's films about the mafia, only this time operating in parliament. The methods of mutual elimination are not bloody here, but dirty, political players are stripped of morality and principles, and the only idea driving them is the lust for power. Banale truths, known for ages. If 'Polityka' were to have any impact on politics, it would only be to discourage Poles from it even more. It will not positively affect voter turnout.” https://www.rp.pl/Analizy/309049915-Nizinkiewicz-Jak-Polityka-Patryka-Vegi-wplynie-na-polityke.html -- VEGA IS DOING POORLY - JACEK SZCZERBA IN GW: “The simplest thing would be to write: 'What's up, sir, in 'Polityka'? Patryk Vega is doing poorly.' Because Vega's 'Polityka' is, unfortunately, an unfunny satire and a moral lesson delivered with a sledgehammer. I don't think it will influence the outcome of the upcoming parliamentary elections.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,101707,25157051,sam-rechot-premiera-polityki-patryka-vegi.html -- WPOLITYCE.PL ON DETAILS OF CHARGES AGAINST THE FORMER ORLEN PRESIDENT: “The wPolityce.pl portal has obtained shocking findings from investigators, based on which Jacek K., former head of Orlen, was detained again today. It turns out that together with his current wife, former employees of the concern, and private event companies, they siphoned hundreds of thousands of zlotys from the company.” https://wpolityce.pl/kryminal/462397-ujawniamy-szokujace-kulisy-przekretow-bylego-szefa-orlenu -- BIRTHDAYS: Waldemar Pawlak, Grzegorz Zaleski, Bartek Godusławski, Łukasz Rzepecki, Bartek Milczarczyk, Patrycja Loose, Krzysztof Nakonieczny.