-- NATURE HAS STRUCK AT THE ELEMENTARY VALUES OF CIVILIZATION - JAN ROKITA IN A COLUMN FOR TEOLOGIA POLITYCZNA: “Nature has launched an attack not only on our sense of security and belonging in the world, but has struck at the elementary values upon which we try to build our societies. Who knows, perhaps the most important of these is the postulate of protecting, aiding, and extending the lives of those who are weak, old, and sick. A postulate deeply rooted in Christian thinking about culture and politics, which sees in weakness and suffering perhaps the most perfect manifestation of human dignity. But it has also been adopted in modern times by the Western welfare state, which for decades – despite the growing threat of bankruptcy – has been allocating an ever-larger portion of public revenue to healthcare and pensions and social benefits. Meanwhile, the plague has revealed Nature to us in its most 'Darwinian' guise, as a mortal enemy of all these principles.” -- THE STATE PROVED TO BE THE DEFENDER - GUARDIAN OF IDEALS AND PROVIDER OF SECURITY - JAN ROKITA CONTINUES: “Surprised by this attack, which (in our opinion) in the era of geometric progress in biological science should not have happened, after a short time we realized that we ourselves, as well as our humanitarian ideals, do have some defender. It turned out to be the state – in the moment of crisis, the sole guardian of ideals and provider of security. Admittedly, it too was bewildered by the unexpected attack, slow and delayed in its actions. But ultimately ready to impose a state of emergency solely to resist the blind force of natural selection. And to not surrender our weak, sick, and elderly to the plague without a fight.” -- IN EUROPE, THE CANON OF EFFICIENCY, TREATED AS THE HOLY CRITERION FOR EVALUATING EVERYTHING, HAS COLLAPSED WITH A BANG - ROKITA CONTINUES: “Within two weeks, the canon of efficiency, treated since the dawn of globalization as the paramount... no, almost holy criterion for evaluating everything: government, public finances, administration, corporations, universities, etc., etc., has collapsed with a bang in Europe. Deliberately, individual countries decided to take steps leading to recession, unemployment, public debt, and stock market crises.” -- ROKITA REFERS TO MANZONI'S NOVEL ABOUT PLAGUE-RIDDEN MILAN IN THE 17TH CENTURY: “What is fascinating in all this is observing how easily nature's attack forces us to consciously shatter the fragile foundations of our lives. And this is not even a particularly cruel attack, if we compare contemporary Milan to the plague-ridden city from 1630, brilliantly described in Manzoni's novel. Nature used the plague to kill our weak, sick, and elderly.” https://teologiapolityczna.pl/jan-rokita-europa-stanu-wyjatkowego-felieton-1 -- ALESSANDRO MANZONI'S NOVEL IS AVAILABLE FOR FREE AS AN EBOOK: https://virtualo.pl/ebook/narzeczeni-i23094/ -- Photo: Christ Halting the Plague with Saints Roch and Sebastian - Paolo Veronese: “Christ was identified with Apollo decimating the Achaeans in Homer's 'Iliad,' and in the Middle Ages, references were made to the legend of St. Dominic from 'The Golden Legend' by Jacobus de Voragine, in which Christ brandished spears in heaven aimed at humanity for its sins, impurity, and greed. An example of Christ depicted as an archer is the painting 'Christ Halting the Plague' by the Italian painter Paolo Veronese (1528–1588). Veronese depicted Christ in majesty, seated among clouds with angels and saints, holding a red arrow in his hand, the color of which resembled fire. In the background, a city is visible, along with its inhabitants. Saints Roch and Sebastian are also present in the painting as intercessors on earth. Most often, a plague-ridden city was also depicted as a symbol of God's wrath directed at the entire community.” https://historia.org.pl/2014/11/04/dzuma-w-nowozytnej-europie-w-wymiarze-moralno-spolecznym-oraz-w-motywach-malarskich/ ***** -- CONTROVERSIES SURROUNDING THE LEGAL CONSEQUENCES OF A POTENTIAL ELECTION POSTPONEMENT - TOMASZ ŻÓŁCIAK WRITES IN DGP THAT THE NATIONAL ELECTION COMMISSION HAS A DIFFERENT OPINION THAN PROF. ŁĘTOWSKA AND W. HERMELIŃSKI: “Postponing the vote, according to the National Election Commission, would only mean a temporary 'freezing' of procedures.” https://www.gazetaprawna.pl/artykuly/1463849,koronawirus-w-polsce-wybory-prezydenckie.html -- ŁĘTOWSKA AND HERMELIŃSKI'S OPINION FOR 300 - NO FREEZING, THE ENTIRE ELECTION CALENDAR STARTS ANEW: “The opinion of legal authorities is unequivocal. Both the first Ombudsman, Prof. Ewa Łętowska, and the former Constitutional Tribunal judge and head of the National Election Commission, in an interview with 300POLITYKA, say practically the same thing: 'After the state of emergency ceases and the 90 days following it expire, the procedure restarts. With a new election calendar and new candidate registrations.' This is a significant risk of complete uncertainty not only for those in power but also for the opposition, as it opens the entire electoral process anew, including collecting signatures and registering candidates. Added to this is the granting, in conditions of a state of emergency, even a 'mild' one – a natural disaster – of expanded powers for the government, devoid of oversight, and room for Constitutional Tribunal interpretations, to which the opposition has no elementary trust.” https://300polityka.pl/news/2020/03/21/rozwazania-o-stanie-nadzwyczajnym-i-wyborach-otwarcie-procedury-na-nowo-co-mogloby-oznaczac-na-przyklad-start-tuska-ale-i-furtka-do-ograniczenia-swobod-obywatelskich-jak-u-orbana/ -- LOYALTY OVER FEAR - GW ON THE ATTITUDE OF PIS VOTERS. -- KANTAR: 73% FOR POSTPONING ELECTIONS. -- ACCORDING TO IPSOS, 78% WANT ELECTIONS POSTPONED - STUDY FOR OKO. -- A KANTAR STUDY FOR GAZETA WYBORCZA SHOWS THAT PIS VOTERS ARE PARTICULARLY MOBILIZED AND ANDRZEJ DUDA WOULD RECEIVE 65% IN THE FIRST ROUND ON MAY 10 - AS WRITES KRZYSZTOF PACEWICZ: “We checked who would dare to vote despite the ongoing epidemic, and it turned out to be mainly Andrzej Duda's voters. If the presidential elections are held during the epidemic, Duda will get as much as 65% of the votes in the first round. If after the epidemic: 44%.” -- KIDAWA 10% - KANTAR CONTINUES: “Therefore, if the elections were held in May during the epidemic, Andrzej Duda would win in the first round with 65% of the vote, Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska would receive only 10%, and the remaining candidates between 4% and 6%. The turnout would be… 31%.” -- PROJECTION OF PREFERENCES IN POSTPONED ELECTIONS: “If the elections were held after the epidemic, Duda would receive 'only' 44% in the first round and would face Kidawa-Błońska (19%) in the second. She would be ahead of Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz – 8%, Szymon Hołownia and Robert Biedroń – 7% each, and Krzysztof Bosak – 5%. The turnout would then be 61%.” -- PROJECTION OF A POSTPONED SECOND ROUND: “In the second round, Duda would have an advantage over Kidawa-Błońska – 53% to 39%, but with 8% undecided, the outcome would still be open.” -- DETERMINATION OF PIS VOTERS - GW FURTHER ON THE KANTAR STUDY RESULTS: “When we asked Andrzej Duda's voters to rate how concerned they were about the coronavirus epidemic on a scale of 0 to 10, the most common answer was… 10. The same level of fear was shown by opposition candidates' voters. This means that Duda's voters are just as afraid as others, yet they may vote. This courage likely stems from loyalty to PiS: since the party claims that elections can be held, a significant portion of its supporters do not want to let their leaders down.” -- 73% RATE THE GOVERNMENT'S ACTIONS POSITIVELY: “At the same time, the vast majority of society – as much as 73% – evaluates the government's reaction to the epidemic positively, and only 23% negatively.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,25820060,dlaczego-pis-prze-do-wyborow-podczas-epidemii-zamowilismy.html -- NO PIS IDEA WAS SO REJECTED - OKO ON THE IPSOS STUDY: “As can be seen in the graph above (this time in the form of a horizontal bar), the assessment is crushing; never before has any PiS project been so widely rejected. Even the most controversial ideas, such as the 'education reform,' the felling of Białowieża Forest, clinging to coal instead of renewables in energy, let alone undermining the rule of law, found support among PiS's loyal electorate. Not this time.” -- EVEN THE MOST ZEALOUS PIS SUPPORTERS DO NOT WANT ELECTIONS - OKO ANALYZES IPSOS: “In a February Ipsos poll for OKO.press, 51% of rural residents chose PiS. However, now as many as 76% reject the idea pushed by Jarosław Kaczyński and the Morawiecki government, including 53% decisively! It turns out that the ruling party has managed to mobilize a huge wave of aversion against itself, even among ardent rural voters. In the largest cities, which are most at risk of the epidemic and at the same time most opposed to the authorities, as many as 90% are in favor of postponing the elections, including 76% decisively.” https://oko.press/niemal-wszyscy-przeciw-kaczynskiemu-nawet-mateczniki-pis-nie-chca-wyborow-10-maja-sondaz-oko-press/ -- HEADLINE NOT WORTH BOTHERING WITH - JAROSŁAW KURSKI IN GW: “KACZYŃSKI ORDERS TO LAND IN THE FOG.” -- EMBARRASSING ATTEMPT TO SHIFT BLAME TO THE OPPOSITION FOR THE SITUATION IN PARLIAMENT - MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI IN RZ: “Sejm Marshal Elżbieta Witek has changed her mind. MPs will not vote remotely on amendments to the Sejm's regulations that would enable... remote voting. And although there is an embarrassing attempt to blame the opposition for the Sejm operating according to procedures, it is good that the Marshal made such a decision. The legality of Sejm deliberations, as well as the laws passed by it – especially those as important as anti-crisis measures – cannot be called into question. Amidst the chaos we are observing in the Sejm, we can verify the propagandistic assurances about how well our country is prepared for the epidemic. As it turns out, no one previously thought about an exceptional situation where MPs would not be able to, or should not, physically meet at Wiejska Street. And reading the complaints of parents on social media about freezing e-diaries and other remote education tools, we see that digitalization is still a task to be done and we have years of backwardness here. Although in some areas – such as e-prescriptions – we have made progress. But returning to parliament, the first serious risk that emerged has been averted.” -- REMOTE SEJM SHOULD BE SURROUNDED BY CONDITIONS - SZUŁDRZYŃSKI CONTINUES: “Today, no one questions the need to enable a 'remote Sejm,' but it is worth surrounding it with special conditions. So as not to tempt in the future to suspend the institution, which is the heart of democracy, by a mere regulation of the Minister of Health to the Act on Infectious Diseases. And this is how a state of epidemic threat or epidemic is introduced, which is supposed to activate the remote mode.” https://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/200329435-Michal-Szuldrzynski-Sejm-zdalny-tylko-na-trudne-czasy.html -- PIS WANTS TO SHUT DOWN THE SEJM FOR MONTHS - A PO POLITICIAN IN THE TEXT BY AGATA KONDZIŃSKA AND IWONA SZPALA IN GW: “– Lewica and PSL are doing a bad job by agreeing to PiS's dictate. We all understand that there is an epidemic, but it is too easy for our opposition colleagues to agree to change democratic rules – says a politician from the Civic Platform leadership. – PiS is exploiting the situation and playing its game. When amending the regulations, it needs opposition votes. It doesn't have a majority itself, as some MPs had to go into quarantine at home. PiS is pushing for online voting by force, because it will give them the opportunity to effectively silence the Sejm debate for many months. Thus, they won't have difficult questions about the epidemic. In Civic Platform, we do not accept the version: for the sake of higher values, we don't care about the constitution. Let Marshal Witek provide masks, disinfectants, and if necessary – protective suits. Let epidemiologists have their say. Somehow, other parliaments in Europe manage to organize safe deliberations.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,25819707,sejm-w-piatek-glosowanie-grupkami-potem-chyba-juz-tylko-w.html -- THE GOVERNMENT SPENT WHILE OTHERS SAVED FOR HARD TIMES - PIOTR SKWIROWSKI IN RZ: “But today is the time for distributing money. Our government distributed it during good economic times, when others were saving for harder times. The government did not think about them, likely believing they would never come. Now it will have to take the blame for the sharp increase in debt. Perhaps voters will hold it accountable at the ballot box. But later, we and our children will pay for it when we repay these debts in the future. However, it is not the time to think about that. For now, we must think about survival.” -- WŁODZIMIERZ CZARZASTY ON PLATFORM-ASCENSION - in conversation with Agata Szczęśniak in Oko: “Neither PiS, nor PSL, nor Lewica convinced us of anything. It was Civic Platform that withdrew from a joint agreement; Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska made a Platform-ascension. There is no agreement, so there is a session.” -- CZARZASTY IRONICALLY ABOUT THE SMS TO TRZASKOWSKI AFFAIR: “Do you believe that? I don't know. I listen to what Civic Platform says with open eyes, because I hear something different every day. I am not accusing President Trzaskowski of anything. If it happened, it's good that it happened at this moment, because there are three days to eliminate it. Should we abandon it and gather 600 people in the Sejm because the system will fail for the first two or three hours? I do not agree with that.” https://oko.press/czarzasty-kidawa-i-budka-biora-odpowiedzialnosc-za-zdrowie-poslow-rozmowa/ -- KIDAWA AND BUDKA TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS - CZARZASTY CONTINUES IN OKO: “All those who do not have 23% heart efficiency, because if they catch coronavirus, I give them a week. That's me, for example. Those who are sniffling, coughing, and have a temperature will not come. Those who are quarantined will not come. And those who must come, will come. Kidawa and Budka bear responsibility for this session, for whether these people will be healthy or not. No incantations will absolve them of this.” https://oko.press/czarzasty-kidawa-i-budka-biora-odpowiedzialnosc-za-zdrowie-poslow-rozmowa/ -- ELECTIONS SHOULD NOT TAKE PLACE - MAREK JAKUBIAK in conversation with Jacek Nizinkiewicz in RZ: “Responsibility dictates saying that they should not take place if this Chinese virus continues to spread so rapidly. I think PiS will find enough determination to postpone these elections.” -- THE PRESIDENT WANTS TO BE ELECTED BY CORONAVIRUS? - JAKUBIAK CONTINUES IN RZ: “If President Duda sticks to the May election date, the opposition's narrative will be that the coronavirus elected him. Andrzej Duda should know that this will not be good for him. He has a poll advantage today, but it can be quickly lost by endangering the nation. I think President Duda will make such a responsible decision, but it will probably happen in April.” https://www.rp.pl/Wywiady-i-rozmowy/200329447-Marek-Jakubiak-Prezydenta-moze-wybrac-koronawirus.html ***** -- LESZEK BALCEROWICZ ON THE MATERIAL RESERVES AGENCY, WHICH SPENT 300 MILLION ON COAL PURCHASES - WRITES IN RZ: “The amounts that should have been allocated to more effectively combat the epidemic are a small fraction of the nearly 100 billion PLN that the budget spent on healthcare in 2019. How much improvement could have been achieved in epidemic prevention policies if the Material Reserves Agency had allocated the 300 million PLN it spent on coal purchases in 2016 to this purpose?!” -- DO NOT ALLOW MASS PRINTING OF MONEY - BALCEROWICZ CONTINUES: “We must also not allow the National Bank of Poland, by violating the constitution, to embark on the path of mass money printing to finance government expenditures. This would threaten the hard-won stability of our currency. Let's remember that the zloty is neither the dollar nor the euro – it is much more sensitive to policy. Citing the practice of the American Fed or the European Central Bank is unserious. Moreover, there is no shortage of economists in the West who have been warning for years about the consequences of these banks' monetary policies.” https://www.rp.pl/Opinie/200329482-Leszek-Balcerowicz-Musimy-przejsc-test-trudnych-czasow.html -- AT THE OTHER POLE OF THE DISCUSSION, RAFAŁ WOŚ IN TP: “This is precisely how the state differs from a person. A person indeed: first earns, then spends. The state, however, does the opposite. First, it spends, and only then collects money from the market in the form of taxes. It's not as if politicians and the administration have to wait for all tax transfers to arrive at headquarters before they can initiate pension payments or fund hospital operations. In reality, every state spends first. And there's nothing wrong with that. This is because the state is the only entity with the right to issue its own currency. In a literal sense, a state cannot run out of its own money. That is physically impossible. Of course, it may have difficulty acquiring something it lacks domestically (e.g., oil or gas). For that, it must pay in foreign currency. But when it comes to money for hospitals, schools, or basic income, the possibilities are unlimited. This is how the modern economy works, in which money is fiduciary (i.e., based on faith).” https://www.tygodnikpowszechny.pl/pieniadze-na-wirusa-sa-w-banku-banku-centralnym-162822 -- ACT SOLIDARILY - AND JACEK ŻAKOWSKI: “This is radical, difficult, and not entirely feasible. But it is important to adopt the principle. When rationality disappears, solidarity is the only key to justice. The injustices we cause now will linger and weigh heavily, just as the injustices of the transformation linger and weigh heavily. In other difficult times, Antoni Słonimski said: 'When you don't know how to behave, behave decently.' Today it sounds like: 'When you don't know how to act, act in solidarity.' No one knows when and in what form this crisis will come for them.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,25819743,regula-solidarnosci-to-dobra-recepta-w-czasie-epidemii.html ***** -- ZUS WILL COUNT 'WORK FOR HIRE' CONTRACTS, IS THIS THE BEGINNING OF THE END FOR 'TRASH CONTRACTS'? - DGP ON THE FRONT PAGE: “The draft coronavirus special act includes provisions requiring notification to ZUS of all 'work for hire' contracts. Is this the beginning of the end for 'trash contracts'? In the long term, such a register of 'work for hire' contracts could facilitate ZUS's control, for example, over whether a payer is evading contributions by entering into such contracts. A similar solution was already being prepared when the government was considering a further step – making 'work for hire' contracts subject to social security contributions.” https://praca.gazetaprawna.pl/artykuly/1463848,umowy-o-dzielo-zus-smieciowki-koronawirus.html ***** -- CIVIC PLATFORM SUBMITS MOTION FOR STATE OF NATURAL DISASTER, BIEDROŃ DISAPPOINTED WITH THE TOTAL OPPOSITION - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2020/03/26/ -- BIRTHDAYS: Tadeusz Wrona, Barbara Szczepuła.