-- POPULISM IS THE WORK OF POLITICIANS, NOT CITIZENS - PROF. MARCIN KRÓL IN GW: “Let us emphasize, however, with full force: populism is the work of politicians, not citizens. Modern media and the colossal numbers of recipients to whom statements are addressed also drive populist behaviors, i.e., making very simplified promises, and hence the inevitably simplified, concise, and banal nature of these promises. In this understanding, the populist component is also present in prudent politics, but it does not dominate in it.” -- THE ACCUSATION AGAINST LIBERALS IS NOT ABOUT A LACK OF EMOTION BUT A LACK OF POPULIST EMOTIONS - KRÓL CONTINUES: “In essence, it is therefore about accounting for populist emotions, not emotions in general. Populist emotions, however, are the product of populist leaders, and this is where the threat to both reason and political practice emerges. Critics of liberalism and – more broadly – reason and moderation in politics mistake primitive reactions to slogans planted by politicians for emotions. They believe that keywords such as “nation” or “well-being” are more emotion-inducing than “prudence” or “moderation.” On a very superficial and primitive level, they are right, but they are mistaken when they believe that this is the essence of the social world. False politics breeds false emotions.” -- KRÓL ON HOW EXECUTIVE POWER BECAME INCREASINGLY STRONG IN "COLD DEMOCRACY": “However, step by step, executive power became stronger, legislative power weaker, and the judiciary was not dared to be touched, although the first attempts appeared. Legislative power in an efficient and cold democracy had no particular tasks, so it was subject to general disregard, never directly expressed. This is also the case with the European Union, where the role of parliament – despite constant attempts to change it – is secondary. But it was the rulers who submitted the drafts, and the representatives, after a discussion significant only to them, approved them. Hence, we stopped being interested in our MPs, and most often we know nothing about them at all, or – like me – we don’t even know their names. However, everything functioned until the government felt it had the majority behind it, and – a debatable argument – a democratically elected one.” -- DEMOCRACY REQUIRES WARMTH, I.E., PARTICIPATION - MARCIN KRÓL CONTINUES: “Democracy requires warmth (this does not mean emotion), and its only source can be the real participation of citizens. Participation, not the feeling of participation. While I value the idea and practice of local governments, I have doubts whether they represent the "warm" side of democracy when, after elections, local authorities cease to consider citizens. Restoring participation – this is a prescription proposed from Aristotle to Hannah Arendt. A prescription disregarded by prudent politicians (excessive civic engagement will cause problems) and by populists (the masses are to be manipulated, not listened to). However, we cannot do without the warmth of democracy. This is not the heat of emotions, but the satisfaction of real participation in the democratic process.” -- DEVASTATION OF LANGUAGE MEANS WE ARE UNABLE TO DISTINGUISH WISDOM FROM FOLLY - KRÓL CONTINUES: “Above all, take care of language. The devastation of political language means we are unable to distinguish wisdom from folly. The devastation of language occurs on many levels. From the sheer stylistic and grammatical horror that reaches us from television screens, from the level of the prime minister to some random expert, to the level of highly – theoretically – qualified specialists who seem to forget what they learned and what they taught others at universities, and zealously spout nonsense (like that about populism). And without good language, there is no conversation, and without conversation, there is no democracy. It's seemingly so simple, but it has been forgotten. Churchill received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953, and rightly so, because his speeches can still be admired today, while our contemporary politicians completely disregard language, which degrades them and plunges us into a state of boundless chaos. Therefore, language first.” https://wyborcza.pl/magazyn/7,124059,25584205,populisci-to-te-miliony-rzekomo-zglupialych-polakow-nonsens.html -- PRESIDENT DUDA AND HIS CAMP ARE RIGHT, THEY JUST NEED TO SEEK BROADER CONSENSUS - PIOTR ZAREMBA IN PTT: “Could such a campaign have been avoided? Is there no context here of claims against property, including non-heritable claims, from which not specific heirs but Jewish organizations would benefit? Opposition politicians know this, as they themselves may find themselves in a similar situation, so their criticism of the Polish authorities is not so unscrupulous. Tomasz Siemoniak and Władysław Bartoszewski even expressed solidarity with the president. Although, of course, the official narrative of PO or PSL about PiS's "shared guilt" returns again and again. They cannot afford the magnanimity of Weiss or the Polish Jewish Forum. The climate of immediate political infighting still dominates. This does not change the fact that President Duda made a colossal mistake by not seeking to legitimize himself, some form of validation for his stance in a forum with the opposition. Namely, the National Security Council. This also concerns another topic: tensions in US-Iran relations. If not in this case, then when does consultation with opposition circles make sense?” -- WHAT IS MORE EFFECTIVE FOR POLAND'S INTEREST THAN EVEN THE ILLUSORY PRESENCE OF AMERICANS ON POLISH SOIL? - ZAREMBA CONTINUES: “It is easy to treat Poland's zeal in supporting America, for example, in organizing the anti-Iranian conference in Warsaw, as a trap. And again to repeat about Polish incompetence. However, proponents of such theses can be answered with one question. What other means of securing Poland's geopolitical interest do you propose? What is more effective, more stable, than even the illusory presence of Americans on Polish soil?” -- THE RULERS DEFEND THEIR POSITION WITH THE DEXTERITY OF AN ELEPHANT IN A CHINA SHOP - ZAREMBA'S CONCLUSION: “If the president had obtained at least conditional support declarations from the Platform leaders, he might have gained a few extra points in the election. But most importantly, he would have built the foundation for a difficult, partial, but some consensus on foreign policy matters. Perhaps he would have stopped at least some opposition supporters from a juvenile anti-Americanism. Because we are dealing with such a wave, we know that, just look at the internet. The president and his camp did not take advantage of this opportunity. Apparently, they feared that the opposition would be impertinent and malicious during the National Security Council meeting. But such obstacles are overcome by marching forward, not by burying one's head in the sand. It's a shame, because in these two matters: the reaction to the Kantor conference and maintaining the pro-American course, the rulers are fundamentally right. They just defend it with the dexterity of an elephant in a china shop.” https://polskatimes.pl/prezydent-duda-i-jego-oboz-maja-racje-tyle-ze-powinni-szukac-szerszego-kompromisu/ar/c1-14706641? -- SUMMER RURAL POLAND KEY IN ELECTIONS - MARCIN FIJOŁEK: “Moreover, I believe that in the second round of elections (if it comes to that) and another referendum on the rule of the Kaczyński camp (de facto a duel between PiS and Anti-PiS), this summer rural Poland may prove to be key. These several hundred thousand votes (or rather, over a million) will be decisive, because the Senate elections (and the number of votes cast in the parliamentary elections as a whole) showed that in a direct confrontation, the forces are relatively balanced. These 800,000 votes (if we stick to Dorn's calculations) could prove invaluable: these voters will either cast their vote for Duda despite their remarks and complaints about PiS people, or they will not vote for the president's opponent if their dislike for the United Right camp is too great. With his visits – apart from building solid popularity and trust – the president has eliminated the possibility of a negative wave that could hit his campaign.” -- DUDA'S ARSENAL FOR RE-ELECTION IS MUCH LARGER THAN HIS PREDECESSOR'S - FIJOŁEK CONTINUES: “No, the May presidential elections are not a done deal, and Andrzej Duda will not have a pleasant stroll, but a tough fight, in which the election campaign can change a lot. However, the current president's arsenal is much larger (and more rooted) than what Bronisław Komorowski possessed five years ago (media, financial, political, establishment). This, of course, does not mean that this arsenal cannot be squandered. Visits like the recent one to Kolno – almost completely unnoticed in the major media – are evidence that Andrzej Duda understands the importance of the tools he has developed over the past five years.” https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/481430-dorn-ma-racje-letnia-polska-powiatowa-bedzie-kluczem-w-2020 -- DUDA FEARS DEMOBILIZATION - PIOTR WITWICKI: “When one of the internal polls showed that Andrzej Duda was winning the elections in the first round, the president's entourage did everything to prevent the survey from reaching the media. The fear of demobilization is enormous. The strong words directed at judges in December are intended to rally the most loyal supporters. In the previous campaign, Andrzej Duda flooded voters with promises. Today, he can boast that he has kept most of his commitments, but there is nothing left to promise.” -- PIS HAS NOTHING TO PROMISE, SO PAD WILL BE THE GUARANTOR, PAD DOES NOT WANT PEOPLE FROM SOLVERE - WITWICKI CONTINUES: “There will be no major social programs. Nor will there likely be additional billions for Duda's ideas, because a balanced budget is too important for Mateusz Morawiecki. The president will therefore remind people that he is the guarantor of PiS's commitments. The personal composition of the campaign staff is not yet decided. Certainly, the president does not want to cooperate with Solvere, the company responsible for several PiS campaigns. Contrary to media reports, Beata Szydło's involvement in the president's campaign is still an open matter.” https://opinie.wp.pl/piotr-witwicki-wybory-prezydenckie-2020-kandydaci-zaskocza-polakow-opinia-6465603786455169a -- KONRAD SZYMAŃSKI ON POLAND EXPECTING ACCELERATION OF EU BUDGET ISSUES - SPEAKS TO MARCIN FIJOŁEK: “After eighteen months of talks, we are at square one, losing a lot of time. All EU capitals should understand that Poland will not agree to a budget that is unfair to our country and the entire region. We understand the objective arguments: like the loss of funds due to Brexit, we understand that Poland is becoming richer and the role of direct transfers must decrease. We also understand the EU's new objectives, but as of today, all these factors have created a budget proposal that is unacceptable. We can lose more time, but it's a shame – as Poland, we want to move on to a constructive phase of talks, and that's what we expect primarily from the new President of the European Council.” -- POLAND WILL NOT SUBMIT TO PRESSURE REGARDING THE EU BUDGET - SZYMAŃSKI CONTINUES: “That would be unprecedented and politically costly. It would show the world that the EU is losing its ability to build compromise. It would be bad for everyone. Poland will not submit to any time pressure directed solely at us. We are ready to close these negotiations at any moment, but on the basis of a reasonable compromise. Neither the European Commission's nor Finland's proposals constitute such a compromise.” -- SZYMAŃSKI ON HOW THE NEW PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL APPROACHES HIS ROLE DIFFERENTLY THAN TUSK: “Even if we acknowledge that there are differences between us, which is natural, these contacts are not difficult by definition, and this is progress, because the domestic opposition emotions that often prevailed with President Tusk are absent.” https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/481570-nasz-wywiad-szymanski-kontakty-z-ke-i-re-sa-konstruktywne -- PRESIDENT MAJCHROWSKI'S DOUBLE STANDARDS - JEDYNKA DZIENNIKA POLSKIEGO: “The prosecutor's office has brought serious charges against the director of the Bagatela Theatre – he faces up to 3 years in prison. As soon as this happened, the Krakow city hall began the procedure to remove him from office. The Mayor of Krakow does not apply the same standards – quick and decisive actions – to his other subordinates who have faced serious prosecutorial charges. These include the current deputy director of the Municipal Cemeteries Administration (formerly head of the Housing Department of the Krakow City Hall), who – according to investigators – in exchange for bribes, along with other female officials, helped in obtaining the right to municipal commercial and residential premises.” https://dziennikpolski24.pl/krakow-podwojne-standardy-prezydenta-majchrowskiego-niejasne-decyzje-personalne-w-urzedzie-miasta/ar/c1-14708697 -- ATTACKS ON GRODZKI ARE AN ECHO OF HATRED FOR THE MURDERED PRESIDENT OF GDAŃSK - BOGUSŁAW CHRABOTA IN RZ: “The attacks on Grodzki are an echo of that hatred for the murdered president of Gdańsk. I have no doubt that the hate campaign against Tomasz Grodzki is a child of politics. The right cannot come to terms with the opposition's majority in the Senate. Grodzki has therefore become a symbolic target. The entire propaganda mechanism of the government media is engaged against him, they incite, they dredge up old matters, publicize them without evidence, journalistic investigations, presenting them as if they were indisputable facts. And so, people defenseless against propaganda accept them from the hands of journalists.” https://www.rp.pl/Plus-Minus/301109986-Ataki-na-Grodzkiego-Smierc-Adamowicza-niczego-nas-nie-nauczyla.html -- A CHECHEN WOMAN SUFFERED FROM LUNG CANCER, TOMASZ GRODZKI WAS WITH HER THE ENTIRE TIME - WP REPORTAGE: “A year ago, Heda received a diagnosis. A tumor in her lungs. She was terrified, she couldn't get any information from the doctors at the hospital where she was staying. She needed an urgent consultation with a specialist, but she didn't have the money for it. Tomasz Grodzki came to her aid.” https://wiadomosci.wp.pl/czeczenka-chorowala-na-raka-pluc-tomasz-grodzki-byl-z-nia-caly-czas-6465435219507329a -- WE ARE ALL LOSERS AS LONG AS A CORPORATION CEO PAYS 19% TAX - ADRIANA ROZWADOWSKA IN A CONVERSATION WITH MICHAŁ SUTOWSKI IN KRYTYKA POLITYCZNA: “Tomek Stachewicz, a programmer and the protagonist of my recent article, put it very sensibly: he stated that he would even pay 50% PIT if he were sure that the CEO of Comarch, Janusz Filipiak, would also pay it, because without it he would feel like a loser. And indeed, we are all losers as long as some corporation CEO pays 19% on two million.” -- EMPLOYER ORGANIZATIONS HAVE MORE EMPLOYEES THAN TRADE UNIONS - ROZWADOWSKA CONTINUES: “It irritates me endlessly that even a 10-year-old in our country knows that we have an oversupply of unions in mining and 75 unions at the Polish Post. Because they heard it from their parents, and their parents from friends or also from parents. These are worn-out phrases that are repeated without elementary knowledge. Most of these people don't know a single trade unionist. And the media reinforce this – the first million Google searches for the phrase 'trade unions' are all stories about comfortable positions, unbelievable salaries, and a growing number of demanding activists. Yet, unions are dying in Poland, according to CBOS, unionization has already dropped to 10 percent, and salaries in the headquarters are in the lower-middle range. On top of that, employer organizations have more employees than trade unions! Is anyone outraged that employers also have their representatives? I could go on and on.” -- IS THAT WHAT WE HAVE THE PIS GOVERNMENT FOR, TO ARRANGING THE COUNTRY IN A PRO-SOCIAL WAY? - ROZWADOWSKA TO SUTOWSKI: “There is money for everything in this country, so there should be some for the survival of seniors too, right? At worst, we won't dig the Vistula Spit, we won't build the CPK, we'll have to limit funds for the Polish National Foundation that is squandering money left and right, we'll finally start pursuing the top few percent earners so they pay taxes according to the law. But seriously: the problem of an aging society is pressing, and finding that money will be extremely difficult, but allegedly that's what we have the PiS government for, to arrange the country in a pro-social way, isn't it?” https://krytykapolityczna.pl/gospodarka/rozwadowska-wszyscy-jestesmy-frajerami-poki-prezes-korporacji-placi-19-podatku/ -- AN INTERESTING FRAGMENT OF PIOTR ZAREMBA'S CONVERSATION WITH JAN KOMASA IN RZ ABOUT HOW FILMS ARE PROMOTED: “I've already spent a month and a half in the USA promoting 'Corpus Christi.' This promotion is primarily an opportunity to spend a lot of money. Screenings, catering for screenings… - Who pays for it? Poland, PISF. We received half a million zlotys for promotion. That's a considerable amount, but millions are spent on 'Parasite' or Almodóvar's film. For the promotion of 'Roma' last year, tens of millions of dollars were spent. It cost more than the film itself.” -- AMERICANS RECOGNIZE OUR CULTURAL SUBJECTIVITY - KOMASA TELLS ZAREMBA: “No one can fully explain this phenomenon, but they look at us differently than before. After the misery of the 80s and 90s, they recognize our cultural subjectivity. This is the result of hard work by new generations. Tokarczuk received the Nobel Prize, the thoroughly Slavic 'The Witcher' is number one on Netflix viewership…” -- 'CORPUS CHRISTI' HELPS AMERICAN LIBERAL BUBBLES UNDERSTAND TRADITIONAL RELIGIOSITY - KOMASA CONTINUES: “There is a lot of talk there about the need for authority. I've been to California, New York, Chicago – I've encountered liberal bubbles, people who always voted for Democrats. They are wondering why they lost the last election, where the Trump phenomenon came from. They look at the Bible Belt (states where conservative Protestants dominate – ed.) and don't understand where the traditional religiosity there came from. Sometimes they admit that they used to treat this region, these states, as inferior, and now something has changed. So they suddenly have to try to understand these people, start talking to them, and maybe even admit their own religious longings. That's where films like 'The Two Popes' come from. It already started with the series 'The Young Pope.' People who consider themselves agnostics, even atheists, have suddenly discovered a void within themselves resulting from a lack of conversation. 'Corpus Christi' also fit into this.” -- CONSERVATIVE CIRCLES DID NOT ATTACK ME, BUT I DID NOT ATTACK ANYONE EITHER - KOMASA CONTINUES: “Conservative circles may have been least enthusiastic about my vision of the Church. But no one attacked me, perhaps because I didn't attack anyone either. Indeed, however, the agreement around the film was relatively widespread. Many agnostics or atheists received it well. Apparently, this label does not mean a lack of spiritual needs. This film is, after all, about such a need. It is no less important than the need for acceptance or love. At some point, we stop thinking about what the Church is like. Reflection on spirituality remains – as something like a seventh sense. Atheists or agnostics have become fascinated by something they have often officially renounced.” https://www.rp.pl/Plus-Minus/301109995-Jan-Komasa-Boze-cialo-wpisalo-sie-w-amerykanskie-dyskusje.html -- DOROTA SZWARCMAN ON RÓŻYCKI'S CASANOVA AT THE NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC - writes on her blog: “Ludomir Różycki's work, performed in a concert version at the National Philharmonic under the baton of Łukasz Borowicz, sometimes resembles an operetta rather than an opera, so it was quite suitable for carnival.” https://szwarcman.blog.polityka.pl/2020/01/11/casanova-bez-casanovy/?nocheck=1 -- BIRTHDAYS: Bogdan Borusewicz, Jacek Kurczewski, Witold Gintowt-Dziewałtowski, Piotr Borys, Magda Fijołek, Lidia Gądek, Dobrawa Morzyńska, Piotr Grzymowicz, Ewa Malik, SUNDAY: Anna Fotyga, Piotr Serafin, Dariusz Joński, Łukasz Antkiewicz, Czesław Czechyra, Agnieszka Hanajczyk, Pola Dwurnik.