-- DWOCZYK ON HOPE THAT GOWIN WON'T BE DRAWN INTO DESTABILIZATION, SOBOLEWSKI ON THE MAY 10 ELECTIONS, SCHETYNA ON TALKS WITH GOWIN - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2020/04/21/ -- KONRAD SZYMAŃSKI ON THE NEED FOR AN AMBITIOUS EUROPEAN RESPONSE - interviewed by Jędrzej Bielecki in RZ: "Like Spain, we believe an ambitious European-level response to the crisis is needed. We have many common points regarding the future budget, its size, and the role of cohesion policy and the common agricultural policy in the recovery. The Spanish vision of the Recovery Fund envisages mutualizing debt equivalent to about 1% of the EU's GDP. We are analyzing these proposals favorably, but we must remember that the issue of mutualizing debt has been present in the European debate since 2008 and has so far been firmly rejected by the Northern countries." https://www.rp.pl/Koronawirus-SARS-CoV-2/304209929-Nie-zanosi-sie-na-koronaobligacje.html -- MANY ON THE OPPOSITION SIDE ARE STUCK IN 90S SOFTWARE - JAROSŁAW KUISZ IN KULTURA LIBERALNA: "Anyone can make a mistake. What I mean is that on our opposition's side, many people are still stuck in 90s 'software' and refuse to update it. They stubbornly seek inspiration and confirmation for a certain vision of the world that today, more than ever, seems to belong to the past. In this vision, Western countries MUST always be better than post-communist countries, regardless of the issue at hand." -- CORONAVIRUS HAS CHANGED THE WORLD, IT'S TIME TO LOOK FOR SOURCES OF POLITICAL HOPE ADEQUATE TO REALITY - KUISZ CONTINUES: "Here, on the opposition's side – as with the intellectual mentioned at the beginning – some only dream of returning to the 'myth of the West,' as if nothing had changed. The problem today, however, is that there's no point looking for sources of hope externally, as was the case in the 90s. Even a new pro-EU impulse, if it were to come from Poland (and it should), must be derived from our own sources in 2020, not from the dusty resources of past politics. In times of pandemic, liberals mentally shaped in the 1990s appear powerless, frustrated, and aggressive. They yearn for a bygone world. Therefore, if one wishes to be a liberal of 2020, there is no choice but to get back to work. Coronavirus has changed the world. What was, is gone. It's time to look for sources of political hope adequate to the circumstances. https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2020/04/21/liberalizm-po-koronawirusie/ -- FAKE NEWS ABOUT THE "CLOUD FROM THE EAST" AS A WARNING IN THE CONTEXT OF ELECTIONS - PIOTR TRUDNOWSKI at Klub Jagielloński: "Last weekend, we witnessed a preview of the troubles that elections lacking compromise-based legitimacy might entail. Rumors of a 'cloud of radioactive smoke over Chernobyl' spread widely throughout Poland. At least among people – it's probably more a matter of generation than views – less sensitive to the prevalence of fake news and more inclined to believe conspiracy scenarios, these reports went viral with dizzying speed. Let's imagine what would happen if such mass disinformation concerning the elections spread to millions of phones on the weekend voting was planned..." -- TRUDNOWSKI ON A POSSIBLE DISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN ON ELECTION DAY: "Let's imagine, then, that an analogous disinformation campaign takes place on election day. For instance, thousands of SMS messages and instant messenger messages appear claiming 'confirmed info from a cousin at the polling station' that 'votes are being brought in for candidate X' or 'the deadline for putting votes into the ballot boxes has been postponed by a week.' We can neither predict the reach and consequences of such an operation, nor will we be able to measure them. If the political class does not reach an agreement today to minimize the risks associated with the elections, we should begin to seriously fear that our state will be covered by a 'radioactive cloud from the East' for years to come." -- THE PLATFORM'S PROPOSAL CREATES A DANGEROUS PRECEDENT - TRUDNOWSKI CONTINUES: "However, the scenario outlined in the Platform's proposal raises many doubts. Manipulating the duration of the state of emergency to achieve a specific election date (according to Budka - May 16, 2021) is not optimal, as it requires maintaining the state of emergency for at least approximately 280 days. This is not only legally questionable but may also set a dangerous precedent. The opposition seems not to realize that once a state of emergency is introduced – especially when it has already been extended for such a long period on dubious grounds – the ruling party can extend it almost indefinitely with a simple majority of votes. They can also do so not only to prevent the effects of a natural disaster but also 'to remove them,' as the law states. What does this latter phrase mean? We will likely deal with the health effects fairly quickly. However, the economic consequences will stay with us for a long time. Which ones does the law refer to? This is unknown. What can be done with this using a broader interpretation of 'disaster effects'? This is the problem." -- TRUDNOWSKI PROPOSES THE PRESIDENT BE ELECTED BY THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, TO BE CONFIRMED IN A REFERENDUM AFTER THE PANDEMIC ENDS: "A provision can be introduced into the constitution whereby, in the event of an inability to guarantee election security due to the declaration of an epidemic state, the President of the Republic of Poland shall be elected by the National Assembly. This election, a subsequent provision should state, shall be confirmed by the citizens in a referendum after the epidemic state ceases. https://klubjagiellonski.pl/2020/04/21/nie-dokladajmy-sobie-trzeciego-kryzysu-niech-prezydenta-wybierze-sejm-i-senat/ -- THE PLATFORM'S INITIATIVE IS ABOUT THE PLATFORM'S SURVIVAL - MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI in RZ: "Elections postponed by a year? Borys Budka's political initiative is less about the chances of the Platform's candidate and more about the party's survival." -- BUDKA PROMISED THE PLATFORM A NEW YOUTH, NOT TO SEND IT TO THE GRAVE - SZUŁDRZYŃSKI CONTINUES: "The increasingly likely scenario where Kidawa-Błońska would not make it to the second round (or if there were no second round at all) would not so much mean the defeat of her own ambitions as it would call into question the raison d'être of the Platform as such. If, for example, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz or someone else were to overtake the Civic Platform candidate in the elections, it would mean that the project called Platforma Obywatelska, born from Andrzej Olechowski's surprisingly good election result exactly 20 years ago, has completely run out of steam. It would also be a defeat for Borys Budka himself, who recently took power in the party, promising it a new youth, not a burial. That is why taking the political initiative was necessary for both the candidate and the party itself." -- THE MAY 10 ELECTIONS CANNOT BE CONDUCTED LEGALLY - SZUŁDRZYŃSKI CONTINUES: "With each passing day, there is less and less time to implement any proposal regarding the elections. This does not improve the already difficult organizational situation in which we find ourselves as a state. The elections are no longer organized by the National Election Commission - the president has signed the relevant amendment. However, the law introducing universal postal voting has not yet entered into force - the Senate is working on it. And only after the completion of its work, after a potential re-vote in the Sejm, when the president signs the law – i.e., in over two weeks – will we know the legal status according to which the May 10 elections are to be held. This means that they cannot be conducted legally. https://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/304209910-Szuldrzynski-Ostatnia-deska-ratunku-PO.html -- DOMINIKA WIELOWIEYSKA ON GOWIN AS MARSHAL: "If the associates of the Law and Justice party leader devise another maneuver to outplay the opposition, there is always the option to vote in the Sejm to dismiss Elżbieta Witek from the position of Marshal of the Sejm and, together with the MPs from Porozumienie, or at least a part of them, elect Jarosław Gowin to this position. This would make Kaczyński's maneuvers very difficult, as it is the Marshal of the Sejm who makes many decisions related to elections." -- GOWIN IS STARTING A NEW GAME - WIELOWIEYSKA CONTINUES: "Of course, it cannot be ruled out that Jarosław Kaczyński will resort to some extra-legal instruments, as he has done many times before. But today, this is not easy. Gowin can support the government on economic matters, but he does not want to take responsibility for breaking the law, as he is starting a new political game which assumes that the United Right camp – also due to the economic crisis – may fall apart. And Mateusz Morawiecki's government may lose its majority in the Sejm." -- IF SOME COMPROMISE COULD BE REACHED, GOWIN WOULD FIND A WAY FOR POLITICAL INDEPENDENCE - ZUZANNA DĄBROWSKA in RZ: "Colleagues from PiS laugh discreetly that the Deputy Prime Minister sees himself as a new Messiah who will lead the entire Polish political tribe through the turbulent waters of the presidential elections. But if he actually managed to achieve some compromise, this laughter could quickly turn into tears, because Gowin would gain political independence. And this is probably his political goal. He has endured the malicious remarks of colleagues from both main parties for too long to now have to listen to jokes about him 'supporting but not enjoying it,' or inquiries about what he's made of. But the risk is considerable. This political game is poker, and with professional gamblers at the table, no less." -- DĄBROWSKA ON GOWIN'S PARTY AS A NEW SWING PARTY: "The crisis related to the epidemic has shown the Deputy Prime Minister which political path to take: the path of a swing party, which the Polish People's Party has often followed in previous years. Swing parties are always needed, especially in times of crisis. Porozumienie can form a government with both PiS and PO – Jarosław Gowin feels equally estranged in both parties, but both parties may need him equally. https://www.rp.pl/Analizy/304209911-Zuzanna-Dabrowska-O-obrotach-partii-Jaroslawa-Gowina.html -- VACATIO LEGIS? - GRZEGORZ OSIECKI AND TOMASZ ŻÓŁCIAK in DGP: "But the head of Porozumienie, along with the opposition, can trip up the plans for May elections. It is enough for the opposition to amend the law on postal voting in the Senate and, for example, propose extending its vacatio legis, and then Gowin and his people in the Sejm will support these ideas. PiS counts on the former Deputy Prime Minister not mobilizing all his men. 'He has at least three, maybe four votes, but it's hard to predict how many more,' a politician from that party tells us, counting on the rest of Gowin's group to oppose the opposition's ideas. The Senate's position is rejected by an absolute majority. https://wiadomosci.dziennik.pl/polityka/artykul-prasowy/7386976,listonosz-urna-pis-wybory-prezydenckie-maj-koronawirus.html -- REJECTING THE LAW IN ITS ENTIRETY WILL HAVE A VALUE OF MORAL GRANDEUR, OTHERWISE IT WOULD BE WITH AMENDMENTS - LUDWIK DORN in GW: "Rejecting the law in its entirety will perhaps have a value of a certain moral grandeur ('we don't want to participate in this forgery'), but its political significance will be small: PiS in the Sejm will reject the Senate's motion to reject, arguing: they don't want elections, and we do because we are democrats. However, it will be different if the Senate adopts amendments whose meaning clearly indicates a desire to prevent election forgery. PiS will likely reject these amendments anyway, but will pay a very high political price for it." -- DORN LISTS POSSIBLE AMENDMENTS: "What could such amendments be? Off the cuff, I've prepared the following list: - Obligation to deliver election packages to voters with a handwritten receipt (by registered mail); - Only postal workers employed before April 7 of this year may deliver election packages to voters (the idea is to prevent PiS from hiring people on short-term contracts); - Apart from securing the area around the ballot boxes-mailboxes, the participation of professional soldiers and territorial defense forces soldiers, as well as uniformed service officers, in election services is prohibited (of course, excluding membership in election commissions in closed polling stations); - Return envelopes from ballot boxes-mailboxes may only be collected and transported to the district election commission by electoral officials appointed in accordance with the code; - The obligation to equip all district election commission headquarters with cameras for audiovisual recording of vote counting is introduced; the recording is provided as documentation to the district election commission, and copies – to election committees; - All regulations to be issued by Minister Sasin in the form of ordinances (regarding the forms of ballots, the method and procedure for delivering election packages and collecting return envelopes, the construction of ballot boxes-mailboxes, etc.) are entrusted to the National Election Commission, which will establish them by resolution, as is the case with normal, not PiS-style, elections." -- DORN ON THE SITUATION REGARDING AMENDMENTS - THEY WILL SHOW PiS'S INTENTIONS: "If PiS does not reject these amendments in the Sejm, the possibility of election forgery will be minimized, but they cannot be held within the planned deadlines. If PiS rejects them, it will not be able to explain to anyone except its most fanatical supporters that it does not want to falsify elections. What about the issue of boycotting elections or participating in them? When we know the results of the vote in the Sejm on May 7 and the polls that will provide information on the propensity to vote by mail, we will turn to the candidates of the parliamentary opposition with the hope that they will adopt a common stance on this issue. https://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,25881747,jak-wsadzic-kij-w-szprychy-pisowskiego-walca-ktory-niszczy.html -- ANDRZEJ MACHOWSKI in GW on POSTAL PSEUDO-ELECTIONS: "In normal elections, we are identified at polling stations based on our ID cards. In postal elections, one can only assume that the election package for Jan Kowalski was indeed taken from the mailbox by Jan Kowalski. Who, in what manner, and in what timeframe is to resolve a dispute between a voter who claims they did not receive an election package and Minister Sasin who insists it's impossible? The postal voting law itself allows for non-delivery of packages, stating (Art. 3. 2) that they are 'handed over to the municipal... election commission until the end of voting.' -- ELECTIONS LIKE A CLOAKROOM FROM "MIŚ" - MACHOWSKI CONTINUES: "These pseudo-elections will be like the cloakroom from 'Miś' with the famous line: 'We don't have your coat, and what are you going to do about it?' I advise both voters and decent candidates to steer clear of this cloakroom. https://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,25884151,pocztowe-pseudowybory-ani-rowne-ani-powszechne-ani-bezposrednie.html -- CHANGE OF PARADIGM AND THE LESSON OF CRISIS HUMILITY - Grzegorz Osiecki and Bartosz Godusławski in DGP: "We are witnessing a change in the state's operating paradigm. PiS came to power and ruled for five years under the slogan of 'tightening up.' During a period of good economic conditions, this was a valid and easily achievable strategy. But the pandemic, devouring ever-larger parts of the economy like a fire, calls for a change of direction. https://www.gazetaprawna.pl/artykuly/1470722,osiecki-goduslawski-lekcja-kryzysowej-pokory-dla-rzadzacych.html -- TOMASZ SAWCZUK ON THE EFFECT OF DEMOBILIZING VOTERS - writes in Kultura Liberalna: "Emotional opposition to endorsing PiS's unserious and dangerous actions is therefore understandable. However, it must be admitted that demobilizing one's own voters by discouraging them from participating in elections is a peculiar political strategy – it only guarantees a drop in support for one's own party. It seems that winning the elections or publicly demonstrating election fraud – which some observers fear – would have greater political power than withdrawing in advance and giving up the fight without a struggle." -- LET PUBLIC OPINION FORCE PiS - SAWCZUK CONTINUES: "So, it's not about whether the opposition can get offended by PiS – we know it can, and it's nothing new in quality. It's about whether the opposition can convince Poles that PiS should not organize elections under conditions of significant restriction of civil rights, and moreover, changing the procedure at the last minute. For the common good, it is worth convincing public opinion that the actions taken by PiS regarding the elections are harmful and illegal. It is worth pursuing this kind of criticism, hoping that public opinion itself will force PiS to limit its authoritarian tendencies and organize normal elections. https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2020/04/20/szlachetna-przegrana-opozycji-i-co-dalej/ -- NO ONE WANTS TO SAY THAT THE MAY ELECTIONS ARE IMPOSSIBLE - PROF. JAROSŁAW FLIS in TYGODNIK POWSZECHNY: "The best example is the recommendations of the Minister of Health. Although he generally accepted the idea of postal voting, he made the final decision dependent on specific technical and organizational solutions. He clearly does not intend to work on devising them. This would, after all, mean admitting that this cannot be done by May. But someone else should deliver this news to the party leader. Mamihlapinatapai – this word from the now extinct Jagan language, a tribe from Tierra del Fuego, means: to look at others in vain, hoping that someone will do what is desired by all. There is much to suggest that this describes the situation in the ruling camp when it comes to canceling the May elections. https://www.tygodnikpowszechny.pl/wyborow-w-maju-nie-da-sie-zrobic-163107 -- GW ON THE FRONT PAGE APPEALS TO JUDGES: "Unfortunately, today a white flag is flying over the Supreme Court building – to which citizens have come for months, lit candles, and chanted: 'Con-sti-tu-tion!' Anyone who wants to achieve something is acting. Even the Constitutional Tribunal, obedient to the authorities, is issuing rulings, creating pseudo-law. On Monday and Tuesday, tried and tested companions Krystyna Pawłowicz and Stanisław Piotrowicz will 'report' there. Apparently, coronavirus doesn't scare them as much as the Supreme Court judges. Will the Supreme Court under the presidency of Małgorzata Gersdorf surrender by forfeit and leave brave prosecutors and ordinary court judges, who are being harassed by Ziobro's apparatus, in the lurch? There is no epidemic in the palace of justice yet. The building is huge, and the judges can safely nominate candidates for the new First President. https://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,25884575,to-wy-mozecie-ochronic-polske-przed-dyktatura-apel-do-sedziow.html -- TODAY AT 7 PM, PIOTR TRUDNOWSKI'S CONVERSATION WITH JAROSŁAW FLIS ON ELECTIONS: https://klubjagiellonski.pl/2020/04/17/wybory-korespondencyjne-dlaczego-to-sie-nie-moze-udac-flis/ -- PHOTO. The Triumph of Death, by Bruegel, Prado Museum. *The Triumph of Death, in turn, is a painting that leaves no shadow of hope for Christian mercy. A detachment of skeletons terrorizes the living and devastates everything they encounter. Their victims are everyone, regardless of social status, age, or faith. The painter slightly transformed the medieval motif of the danse macabre to demonstrate the equality of all in the face of death. The approaching army of skeletons heralds their inevitable doom, and the empty, barren landscape only deepens the mood of despair and fear.* https://niezlasztuka.net/o-sztuce/pieter-bruegel-starszy-malarz-pospolstwa/ -- BIRTHDAYS: Andrzej Mietkowski, Piotr Pałka, Artur Gierada.