-- CBA ENTERS BANAS'S APARTMENTS - KAMIL DZIUBKA ON ONET: https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/tylko-w-onecie/afera-banasia-cba-weszlo-do-mieszkania-mariana-banasia-i-mieszkania-jego-corki/fpf288t -- THE LICHOCKA EFFECT - NITRAS ON CBA ACTIONS - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2020/02/19/ -- PIS TRANSFORMS A DEMANDING ELECTORATE INTO AN ELECTORATE OF FEAR - PAWEŁ WROŃSKI IN GW: "Therefore, in the current situation, Law and Justice counts on those voters who believe that the most important thing is to maintain everything that has been achieved through the rule of Law and Justice over the last five years. The demanding electorate, which it relied on in 2015 and 2019, is being transformed into an electorate of fear. It counts on those who fear political turbulence, which would be caused by electing Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska as president, who is 'throwing sand in the gears' of the system of governance." -- PORTRAYING OPPOSITION CANDIDATES AS SABOTAGING GOVERNMENT ACTIONS - CONTINUED BY WROŃSKI: "However, it will likely be more effective to portray opposition candidates as individuals who will sabotage all actions of the PiS government, solely to bring about a political crisis and the collapse of the power system. The voter will then face the prospect that, in the context of a deteriorating economic situation, a new president wants to lead to a 'war at the top' that deepens chaos. That is why, during his speech, Andrzej Duda painted visions of a prosperous state, managed with prudence." https://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,25707040,elektorat-roszczeniowy-przeksztalca-sie-w-elektorat-strachu.html -- COLDLY LOOKING AT IT: PIS MADE A REAL MOVE TOWARDS THE FIGHT AGAINST CANCER - JACEK GĄDEK IN GAZETA.PL: "Looking at it coldly: PiS has made a real move towards fighting cancer as a civilizational challenge. Of course, the oncology community is divided in its assessments. Among the critics are, among others, excellent oncologists, Prof. Jacek Jassem and Prof. Cezary Szczylik. - If we want to achieve all these goals, we truly need these two billion [zloty] every year - emphasized Prof. Jacek Jassem on TVN24. Indeed, any amount of money can be pumped into healthcare." -- LICHOCKA'S GESTURE AS A DETONATOR - CONTINUED BY GĄDEK: "And looking equally coldly: the problems of oncology are today a narrative in political struggle. The detonator was the gesture of MP Joanna Lichocka (PiS), who, with her middle finger, rubbed her eye, and shortly before had justified the payout of 1.95 billion PLN to public media, mainly TVP. The opposition publicly posted for this money to go not to TVP, but to oncology. The uproar around the extended finger gave the narrative about two billion for oncology, not for TVP, a powerful emotional charge and social reach." -- A NARRATIVE DEFEAT DESPITE A REAL ACHIEVEMENT IN ONCOLOGY - GĄDEK'S CONCLUSION: "So what is the effect? PiS and Andrzej Duda have a real merit - although the National Oncology Strategy is, of course, just a beginning - in the fight against cancer. However, the scandal with the MP's gesture and the pouring of money into propaganda on TVP means that PiS and Andrzej Duda are losing due to the narrative about the 2 billion PLN that could go to the fight against cancer but will go to public media. This is an example of a spectacular narrative defeat, despite having a real achievement in this area. https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114884,25707967,pis-i-andrzej-duda-gina-od-narracji-o-raku-na-wlasne-zyczenie.html -- THE ONCOLOGY STRATEGY IS DECEPTION - OKO.PRESS: "Two billion went to pro-government media instead of oncology. TVP has been explaining for three days that the government cares for Poles and will allocate not 2 billion, as the opposition wanted, but as much as 5 billion PLN to fight cancer. Indeed, it will allocate it, but not this year, but over the next 10 years, and not 5 billion, but 2 billion. And for this year, the budget has an additional... 10 million PLN." https://oko.press/srodkowy-palec-dla-onkologii-i-balamucenie-narodowa-strategia-onkologiczna-dudy/ -- PIS IN A QUAGMIRE - MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI IN RZ: "Meanwhile, PiS has allowed itself to be drawn into a territory that is dangerous for it – and, more broadly, for the entire public services sector. The underinvestment in this sector is evidenced not only by protests from teachers, doctors, and nurses, but also by vacancies in offices (e.g., in building supervision, as revealed by the tragedy in Bukowina). The situation in public schools or healthcare facilities is rather a challenge for the next term of government, not a reason for PiS's glory. Engaging in a bidding war on this subject at the dawn of the official election campaign could prove to be a big mistake." -- AFTER 5 YEARS IN POWER, THE ARGUMENT ABOUT PREDECESSORS SHOWS THE INDOLENCE OF THE RULERS - CONTINUED BY SZUŁDRZYŃSKI: ": "Even assuming that the PO governments were worse for the situation in Polish healthcare than the PiS governments – and this is a questionable assumption – it rather points to the indolence of the rulers. If, in the fifth year of PiS's rule, the main argument is that PO did something wrong during its term, it rather proves that PiS has failed in its reformist zeal. And here we come to the most dangerous point from the perspective of the election campaign – where PiS politicians begin to boast about their successes in healthcare, for example, a significant increase in funding for the National Health Fund. The thing is, this argument is already extremely distant from the public perception of the healthcare situation." https://www.rp.pl/Analizy/302189898-Szuldrzynski-2-mld-zl-problemem-dla-PiS-u.html?cid -- THE ATTACK ON LICHOCKA CROSSES THE BOUNDARIES OF ORDINARY HUMANITY - MICHAŁ KARNOWSKI: "Everyone has the right to evaluate the behavior (or the impression it caused) of the MP. Voices of criticism have also appeared in these pages. However, criticism must be distinguished from an attempt to hound a person. Photomontages show the MP allegedly in an oncology hospital, sending billboards with her altered image around town, and wishing that she 'dies in torment' are crossing the boundaries of humanity. It is worth remembering and worth protesting, even if someone holds a grudge against the MP. This has really gone too far." -- KARNOWSKI SUGGESTS THE ACTION MAY HAVE BEEN PLANNED: "The rules of politics are ruthless. The gesture of MP Joanna Lichocka, perceived as drastic, found itself at the center of political struggle, and she herself and her formation paid a high price for this mistake (perhaps made unconsciously, perhaps resulting from emotions). Personally, I think the opposition was hunting for something like this – they decided they needed such fuel. It is possible that the MP was deliberately provoked, because many aggressive formulations were directed at her earlier in the chamber. The express speed of launching the action may indicate that it was prepared, they were just waiting for the 'input'. https://wpolityce.pl/m/polityka/487495-to-juz-nie-krytyka-to-proba-zaszczucia-czlowieka -- NO ONE WILL TAKE PRISONERS IN THIS CAMPAIGN, PIS ALSO BENEFITS FROM IT - MARCIN FIJOŁEK: "However, this does not change the fact that ruthlessness and shortcuts are characteristic of essentially every campaign, and sometimes PiS benefited from them, and other times their opponents did. One thing is certain: the May battle is a game of everything for many, and no one will take prisoners in this total campaign, even if they are cancer patients." -- THE PLUS IS THE DISCUSSION ABOUT HEALTHCARE - CONTINUED BY FIJOŁEK: "The only positive aspect of the whole uproar may be that the issue of healthcare quality, its spending, and the matter of oncology will become one of the main topics of this campaign. If, in the end, it turns out that the availability of specialist doctors, the structure of spending, and the condition of individual institutions in this regard will be something that politicians, the media, and voters focus on, we will all benefit. https://wpolityce.pl/m/polityka/487482-w-totalnej-kampanii-jencow-nikt-bral-nie-bedzie -- ONCOLOGY DOES NOT DESERVE A FINGER - Dominika Sikora and Klara Klinger in DGP: "The wolf's law of the opposition is to criticize. And the government should not be offended. From the patients' perspective, it is good that the issue of cancer treatment has made the front pages of newspapers." https://serwisy.gazetaprawna.pl/zdrowie/artykuly/1454622,onkologia-nie-zasluguje-na-palec.html -- DUDA NEEDS A MILLION MORE VOTES THAN PIS, AND HIS CAMPAIGN IS TURNING RIGHT - JAKUB BIERZYŃSKI ON ONET: "To keep his office, the president must gain at least a million more votes than PiS in the last parliamentary elections. Meanwhile, Andrzej Duda is not even trying to present himself as an independent politician who can resolve disputes, act as an arbiter in a divided Polish society, 'unite rather than divide.' On the contrary, his campaign is turning to the right, as if the main opponents were nationalists like Krzysztof Bosak. The president clearly supports the 'gag law' and the continuation of the war over independent courts. Meanwhile, he had a number of other options that could have convinced moderate and wavering voters to him. He could have 'signed but not smiled': signing the law and at the same time referring it to the Constitutional Tribunal. The outcome would have been predictable, but the message would have strengthened the president's 'independent' image. Instead, Andrzej Duda is doing everything to blend into the background of his political base, unequivocally siding with one side of the political divide. Such a policy is a big electoral experiment, undermining the basic principle of successful election campaigns: elections are won by those who can convince wavering or ambivalent voters." https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/opinie/jakub-bierzynski-palec-lichockiej-jest-dla-pis-u-zabojczy-opinia/b7kjvcy -- ELECTIONS WITH THE INVOLVEMENT OF PUBLIC MEDIA WILL NOT BE FAIR, WHAT ABOUT THE NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION? - AGNIESZKA KUBLIK IN GW: "So I ask the National Electoral Commission if it wants to be an accomplice to the National Broadcasting Council? Does it care about fair elections? Because it should. Its duty is to 'supervise compliance with electoral law.' And the electoral code states that 'the elections of the President of the Republic are universal, equal, and direct and are held by secret ballot.' Equal, with such involvement of public media in defending the authorities, they are unlikely to be. Andrzej Duda receives powerful support almost daily from TVP's main bulletin, 'Wiadomości.' His competitors also receive it, but on the head. At best, they are ridiculed; at worst, they are scorned." https://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,25706873,czy-panstwowej-komisji-wyborczej-zalezy-na-uczciwych-wyborach.html -- "GOOD CHANGE" MAY HAVE A GREATER IMPACT ON LOWER EU FUNDS THAN OBJECTIVE FACTORS WOULD SUGGEST - JANUSZ LEWANDOWSKI IN GW: "The 'good change' may have a greater impact on lost benefits from the EU than objective factors, which are not lacking, as usual. (...) By demanding more in budget disputes, the PiS government renews the threat of a veto. A veto is the weapon of the weak, unable to build alliances. It is evidence that an isolated Poland has weak cards in the budget game." https://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,25707824,decydujace-starcie-o-fundusze-europejskie.html -- MICHAŁ OKOŃSKI IN TP ON GLIŃSKI AND PROF. STOLA'S GESTURE: "One can certainly argue whether Piotr Gliński resembles a character from a Bareja film more than, for example, from Gogol's 'The Inspector General,' but one thing is undeniable: Joanna Lichocka, with her infamous gesture, was not the first. The Minister of Culture showed it to us for many months." https://www.tygodnikpowszechny.pl/gest-stoli-162095 -- YOU SHOWED THE FINGER - MACIEJ STUHR IN GW: "You showed the finger to the disabled, homosexuals, refugees, alcoholics (bravo, Borys, for your wonderful post today!!!), judges, scientists, gimnazjum students, drivers, and pedestrians, by constantly speeding around in your relentlessly driven limousines, to doctors, teachers, and artists. That's how we feel. As if you were constantly telling us politely and kindly: 'Fuck off, have a great time in your ass.' As you can see, about 40 percent of voters like it. Apparently, they want to say the same thing, show the same finger, exactly as you do. But don't be surprised that many people are furious at your arrogant, insensitive rule. And they will eventually show you the finger too. Not on the internet, not on the street. In the near future, in May." https://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,25707900,pokazaliscie-faka-niepelnosprawnym-homoseksualistom-uchodzcom.html