-- COVER OF THE DAY - KIELECKIE ECHO. -- CUTTING OFF WARSAW IS NONSENSE - MICHAŁ DWORCZYK - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2020/03/13/ -- ELECTIONS SHOULD BE SHIFTED - PAWEŁ WROŃSKI IN GW: “The current situation is beneficial for the President. Strategists believe that the 13th pension, which will be paid out in April, will boost the President's chances, and the ceremony for its signing was transformed into a grand celebration with cheering pensioners. The President announced that work on the 14th pension is already underway. Now, during the epidemic, the President can make another promise, even though he himself has no formal means to fulfill it”. https://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,25783097,wybory-dopiero-we-wrzesniu.html -- POLITICS IN EMERGENCY MODE - LESZEK JAŻDŻEWSKI IN LIBERTE: “When people are wondering whether to stock up on supplies or stay home, pretending that this is a time for electoral competition not only makes no sense – it is downright dangerous. Conducting a campaign in the shadow of overflowing hospitals and new cases would be indecent and unnecessary. Politics, like society as a whole, needs to be put into emergency mode”. -- ELIMINATE COMPETITION FOR THE SAKE OF COOPERATION - JAŻDŻEWSKI CONTINUES: “During a crisis, support for the government from the opposition is essential – and to facilitate it, the key area of competition, namely elections, must be temporarily removed. With candidates pushed into the background by events, presidential candidates will be able to return to their interrupted campaigns without feeling they must, at all costs, be present in unfavorable conditions. The government, in turn, instead of fending off attacks, will be able to focus on fighting the pandemic”. -- THE VIRUS WILL NOT RESET THE RULE OF LAW ISSUE - JAŻDŻEWSKI CONTINUES: “The coronavirus will not reset the disastrous record of the current government in destroying the rule of law. But this issue, like others, will need to be revisited at some point. Today, politics must be judged by one criterion only: whether a given statement or action serves, or conversely, effectively controls the pandemic”. -- A BILL FOR THE AUTHORITIES WILL COME ONLY AFTER THE PANDEMIC ENDS - JAŻDŻEWSKI'S CONCLUSION: “It is obvious that the authorities will benefit from airtime, regulations, and conferences. But they will also be held accountable for every emerging problem – with supplies, with shortages of medical personnel and equipment. After the pandemic is brought under control, it will be time to present them with the bill – but not before it ends”. https://liberte.pl/wybory-trzeba-przelozyc/ -- ELECTION DATE UNMAINTAINABLE - BOGUSŁAW CHRABOTA IN RZ: “The organizational deadlines are even more challenging for maintaining the election date. District election commissions must be appointed 48 days before the election date, and circuit commissions 21 days before. What guarantee is there that people appointed to these commissions will not be excluded due to illness or quarantine? None. The same applies to polling stations. Quarantining even one city means the inaccessibility of polling stations, which are usually organized in schools. Internet voting could resolve this, but Poland is not yet prepared for it. And finally, elections cannot be canceled at the last minute; this must be done in advance to avoid unnecessary engagement of people and funds. Real technical preparation would begin in mid-March. It is difficult to be optimistic that the epidemic will already be on the decline by then. Therefore, a decision to change the date should be made precisely then. In what manner? The Constitution leaves no room for doubt; only by declaring a state of emergency (Article 228, Section 7 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland). And since there is only one path, the rumor, rapidly spreading across Poland about the introduction of a state of emergency, must be true. Unless the coronavirus suddenly slows down. However, it only has a few days for that”. https://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/200319675-Chrabota-Termin-wyborow-nie-do-utrzymania.html -- PROF. RYSZARD PIOTROWSKI IN RZ ON STATE OF CATASTROPHE AND ELECTIONS: “According to Prof. Ryszard Piotrowski from the University of Warsaw, a state of natural disaster is more appropriate for the current catastrophe and should be introduced when participation in elections, particularly voting, poses a threat to health and life. Postponing elections should involve suspending activities planned in the electoral calendar and resuming them not only after the state of emergency ends but after an additional 90 days have passed – as stipulated by the constitution. This would allow all suspended electoral activities to be completed”. https://www.rp.pl/Ustroj-i-kompetencje/303129860-Koronawirus-pozniejsze-wybory-prezydenckie.html -- IF A CORRECTION AT TVP WAS EXPECTED, IT IS NOW KNOWN IT WILL NOT HAPPEN - PIOTR ZAREMBA IN CONVERSATION WITH FAKT: “Certainly, the President has shown that he is temporarily effective, that he was able to cause the resignation of someone who seemed untouchable. And this happened against the will of Jarosław Kaczyński, who at one point was strongly involved in defending Kurski. The only question is, what next? If a course correction at TVP was supposed to come out of this, it is now clear that it will not”. -- TVP WILL REMAIN JUST AS AGGRESSIVE, PROPAGANDA-DRIVEN, AND PIS-ALIGNED - ZAREMBA CONTINUES: “Kurski himself has become an advisor to the TVP management board, and the acting president is Maciej Łopiński, the chairman of the supervisory board, who has supported him all along. It will be the same aggressive, propaganda-driven, PiS-aligned television as before. Besides, the President himself probably didn't believe that such a change was possible. The gain of showing he is independent was more important than any real change at TVP”. -- THE TARGET TVP PRESIDENT WILL BE A POLITICIAN - ZAREMBA CONTINUES IN FAKT: “This is a temporary solution. I can say with one hundred percent certainty that it will not be anyone from the journalism profession. Not even from those most ardently supporting the right wing. It will likely be a politician or someone on the fringes of politics, because Jarosław Kaczyński, after his experience with Bronisław Wildstein as TVP president, who did not follow party orders, distrusts media people. There was talk of Mateusz Matyszkowicz, who is an excellent journalist, but also a pragmatic person, as he supported Jacek Kurski. And yet, he has no chance of becoming president. And most importantly, this person will satisfy Kaczyński's psychological needs. Kurski well understood the type of propaganda Kaczyński himself likes”. -- KACZYŃSKI HIMSELF CALLED KURSKI WITH INSTRUCTIONS - ZAREMBA CONTINUES: “Kurski knew how to do that. He could call Kaczyński and tell him that a broadcast was coming up that the chairman should see. The reverse also happened, that Kaczyński himself called Kurski with instructions that someone should not be shown or something should be shown differently. It must be someone who can sense even Kaczyński's aesthetic tastes. I called it 'television for one viewer.' The question is whether such hard propaganda is actually effective. After the parliamentary elections, there were voices within PiS that the Senate was lost precisely due to excessive militancy. But this is unknown. It cannot be proven either way whether one is more effective. The key, however, is that such television appeals to the PiS chairman. It is a television of revenge against opponents. And nothing will change in this regard. Łopiński will not oppose it. And since Kurski himself edited 'Wiadomości' and often wrote the on-screen text, he will continue to do so”. https://www.fakt.pl/wydarzenia/polityka/zaremba-o-kurskim-kaczynskim-i-dudzie/56wk6wx -- KURSKI WAS THE DIRECTOR, SCREENWRITER, AND PRODUCER OF THIS FILM - MONIKA OLEJNIK IN GW: “On March 7th, the premiere of a film took place, for which Jacek Kurski was simultaneously the director, screenwriter, and producer. He also starred in the main role. It was something between a thriller, a melodrama, and a romantic comedy. One might think it was a cheap film, as it was shot in only two locations: the Presidential Palace and Woronicza. Seemingly modest means, yet large sums of money, PLN 2 billion, were involved”. https://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,25785097,andrzej-duda-zagral-w-filmie-jacka-kurskiego.html -- THIS WILL NOT BRING KIDAWIE ANYTHING GOOD - MARCIN FIJOŁEK: “The emotions in the Marshal's camp must be even greater, because the repeated appeals for 'universal access to tests' are being criticized not only by the government, experts, or doctors, but even by politicians from other opposition parties, including Lewica and PSL. Seeking political emotions at all costs will not bring Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska anything good, but – as it appears – the need for a political blow is greater than a factual assessment of what is happening in the country”. -- UNEXPLAINABLE BEHAVIOR ALSO AMONG PiS MEMBERS - FIJOŁEK CONTINUES: “Exaggerated, and sometimes simply inexplicable, reactions were also not avoided by PiS politicians, who – in the midst of the fight against coronavirus – brought up the issue of recalling the Marshal of the Senate. It is also worth quoting PiS MEP Prof. Zdzisław Krasnodębski, who assessed the possible consequences of the epidemic in a surprisingly frivolous manner”. https://wpolityce.pl/m/polityka/490841-przyjdzie-czas-na-rozmowe-o-tym-jak-reaguja-dzis-politycy -- PiS IS LUCKY THAT ITS OPPOSITION IS NOT PiS - DOMINIKA WIELOWIEYSKA IN GW: “PiS is lucky to have the opposition it has. First and foremost, almost the entire opposition has taken co-responsibility for the special act that gave the government tools to fight the coronavirus. Yes, questions and critical remarks arise, but generally, opposition politicians are restrained in their criticism. Nevertheless, the Karnowski brothers on their portal are whipping up hysteria, accusing the opposition of all evils. If someone from outside PiS speaks about the government's actions in a tone other than admiration, they will read a headline like: 'They will stop at nothing!' The propaganda disseminated by wPolityce.pl is precisely the political exploitation of the coronavirus. The aim is to present every question and remark as an attack on the state in a crisis situation”. -- PiS WOULD HAVE GIVEN THE RULING PARTY HELL DURING THE EPIDEMIC IF IT WERE IN OPPOSITION - WIELOWIEYSKA'S CONCLUSION: “So, one can say to the PiS government: it's good that you don't have a PiS-style opposition today, because it would have given you hell”. https://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,25785058,epidemia-koronawirusa-pis-ma-szczescie-ze-jego-opozycja-nie.html -- POLITICIANS FIND IT HARD TO SWITCH GEARS - ZUZANNA DĄBROWSKA IN RZ: “But the fight against the epidemic is also politics, and we must get used to this idea. Only different politics than before. Different, because one can gain points from it by acting positively and efficiently. Hate sessions appear when there is nothing else to offer. And now, something must be offered. Like, for example, the Minister of Health. This is a difficult time for the opposition, because the authorities have the means to present themselves in a good light. But – fortunately for the opposition – only some ministers of the United Right are utilizing their advantages. The coronavirus forces politicians to focus on their work, which should involve solving or at least mitigating problems. Perhaps this is why politicians seem so helpless: it is difficult to suddenly switch gears…” https://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/200319640-Zuzanna-Dabrowska-Kto-przelozy-wajche.html -- ON THE HATRED TOWARDS CATHOLICS - MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI IN RZ: “Let's discuss how to prevent the spread of the virus, but let's not force Catholics to renounce their faith. Perhaps the bishops could have reacted better and faster, but this does not justify the unbelievable hatred”. https://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/200319643-Michal-Szuldrzynski-Gory-antykatolickiego-obskurantyzmu.html -- GW ON MIŁOSZ KŁECZEK FROM TVP INFO: “Miłosz Kłeczek, who hunts judges on TVP in the program 'Kasta,' was involved in multi-million dollar businesses until 2017. As the president of one of the companies, he failed to comply with a legally binding court ruling. A bailiff tried in vain to collect the debt”. -- GW ON KŁECZEK'S BUSINESSES: “How did Kłeczek reconcile business with journalism? A former editor of Superstacja tells us that it was common knowledge in the newsroom that 'Miłosz has a wealthy father who does business.' The 'wealthy' one is Krzysztof Kłeczek, mentioned earlier. In Częstochowa, he is a well-known figure in many court disputes. In 2011, he was presented as an 'uncompromising entrepreneur' in 'Gazeta Częstochowska,' a weekly associated with the local PiS and its MP Szymon Giżyński. According to the article, Kłeczek senior began to be persecuted by the law 'when he started criticizing local judges and accusing some of them of breaking the law.' And for his stance, 'he was convicted of unlawful threats (...). And this was by no means the end of his troubles, as further cases are pending in which he is accused.' ” https://trojmiasto.wyborcza.pl/trojmiasto/7,35612,25785345,jak-pogromca-kasty-z-tvp-uciekal-przed-prawem.html -- OKO ON THE SITUATION OF ARTISTS: “Not only event agencies suffered, but also artists, photographers, technicians, warehouse workers, suppliers, security guards, various subcontractors, and people working in the industry on a temporary basis. The cancellation of current events is not the only problem. The virus has destroyed the cyclical and seasonal nature on which employers and employees depend for their livelihoods. What next? How do they intend to survive? Who will be hit first? And what do they expect from the state?” https://oko.press/w-branzy-artystycznej-panika-10-historii-o-tym-jak-koronawirus-pozbawil-ludzi-srodkow-do-zycia/ -- NEWSPAPER FRONT PAGES WITH ADS ABOUT PZU RESULTS, AND AT NIGHT THE SUPERVISORY BOARD DISMISSED PAWEŁ SURÓWKA: https://businessinsider.com.pl/firmy/prezes-pzu-pawel-surowka-odchodzi-beata-kozlowska-chyla-nastepca/ts58tdt -- BIRTHDAYS: Bartłomiej Wróblewski, Artur Soboń, Łukasz Pawłowski, Piotr Borawski.