Onet: Rumors of deals for positions Szułdrzyński: The times when every word from Tusk was treated by the entire opposition as revealed truth are in the past Major: A large part of voters are hostages to PO's eternal incompetence SWPS: Decline in pandemic fears among opposition voters -- KAMIL ZARADKIEWICZ APPOINTED BY THE PRESIDENT AS ACTING FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE SUPREME COURT. -- Aid package for businesses supports Polish entrepreneurs. "The government has allocated PLN 212 billion to the Anti-Crisis Shield," says Beata Daszyńska-Muzyczka – President of BGK: In response to the crisis, the government has created an aid package worth approximately 10% of GDP, or PLN 212 billion. Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego is part of these anti-crisis solutions. Thanks to the cooperation of various ministries, development institutions, and the financial sector, we have rapidly introduced changes to de minimis guarantees, which provide greater access to credit for SMEs. The de minimis guarantee program has been known since 2013. So far, 160,000 companies across Poland have benefited from it. https://300polityka.pl/biznes/2020/04/08/bgk-pakiet-pomocowy-dla-firm-wspiera-polskich-przedsiebiorcow/ -- MAŁGORZATA GERSDORF, IN AN INTERVIEW WITH ANNA WÓJCIK AND PIOTR PACEWICZ IN OKO EXPLAINS HER ACTIONS REGARDING NOT CONVENING THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY: "I would not make a different decision today. My decision was well-considered. I thought primarily as an employer. Judges and employees of the Supreme Court must be provided with safe and hygienic working conditions. The General Assembly of Supreme Court Judges requires the presence of 80 judges and about 20 Supreme Court employees. The court does not have rooms large enough to accommodate everyone safely. Moreover, Supreme Court judges come not only from Warsaw but also from Pomerania, Wrocław, and Poznań. Judges were very reluctant to agree to travel across Poland during an epidemic threat. The accusation arises that the General Assembly could have been held remotely, as we are talking now (via videoconference – ed.), but the election of the First President of the Supreme Court must be secret. The Supreme Court does not have the equipment to conduct secret e-elections. Our computers are not adapted for this. We do not have a special platform, like, for example, the University of Warsaw. But most importantly, the Supreme Court's regulations do not indicate remote voting, and the regulations are independent of us. According to the provisions, the President of the Republic of Poland assigns the regulations to the Supreme Court. I hear negative voices regarding my decision from both the opposition and the government, let's call it that. I believe I did well, especially since there were no other righteous options." -- GERSDORF ON THE LEGAL FORMULA FOR THE ACTING FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE SUPREME COURT - CONTINUES IN OKO: "According to the regulations, the function of the First President of the Supreme Court is assumed until the appointment of a new President by the judge with the longest judicial seniority in the Supreme Court. The opinions of government representatives are different, but my point of view is precisely this. Since the General Assembly did not take place, no elections were held, the currently binding legal regulations apply. They also define the competencies of the President, who can solely designate a person to convene a meeting of the General Assembly of Supreme Court Judges for the purpose of selecting candidates for the office of First President of the Supreme Court. Therefore, there is no danger that the Supreme Court will be deprived of leadership." https://oko.press/przeslanie-prezes-gersdorf/ -- GOWIN ADMITS THAT MAY 23 IS A POSSIBLE DATE, BUT BALLOTS MUST BE DELIVERED WITH CONFIRMATION, DWORCZYK ON GW AS RUSSIA TODAY, KIDWA ON THE MAY 7 DECISION - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2020/04/30/ -- THE TIMES WHEN EVERY WORD OF TUSK WAS TREATED AS REVEALED TRUTH HAVE PASSED - MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI IN RZ: "Father would definitely condemn the call to boycott the upcoming presidential elections, because while fighting for a free Poland, he did not give up in any situation," states MP Bartoszewski indignantly about Donald Tusk's appeal. This shows not only a deep division within the opposition. Bartoszewski's letter is more than that; it's an attack on Tusk's authority as the leader of the opposition. It's a signal that Tusk no longer holds the status of an infallible leader of the anti-PiS camp, but is one of many voices that must compete for attention and obedience. Bartoszewski junior undermines Tusk's authority and seems to say: we have our own minds, we don't need an advisor from Brussels. He seems to say that the fight is taking place in real elections, not in the realm of noble moral declarations. History will judge who is right in the opposition's dispute: Tusk or Bartoszewski. The fact, however, is that the times when every word of Tusk was treated by the entire opposition as revealed truth have passed." -- SZUŁDRZYŃSKI ON HOW MUCH BARTOSZEWSKI MEANS TO PSL: "His son ran from Warsaw and for the first time in a long time won a mandate for the PSL there. He is therefore also a valuable element of the party's transformation plan from a rural party to a moderately conservative Christian democratic party. In this sense, the letter can be treated not as a letter from one MP, but as the voice of a certain milieu. A voice that not long ago would have been unthinkable." https://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/304299861-Szuldrzynski-Podwazony-autorytet.html -- IN AUGUST, TWO ROUNDS WOULD BE CERTAIN AND DUDA'S WIN AGAINST KOSINIAK WOULD NO LONGER BE OBVIOUS - JACEK GĄDEK ON PIS CALCULATIONS - writes in Gazeta.pl: "Elections in August would de facto mean Jarosław Gowin's victory in the dispute with Jarosław Kaczyński over the election date. And elections in May - if later deemed valid - a triumph for the PiS leader. - Jarosław Kaczyński is convinced that Andrzej Duda can now win in the first round, and in August two rounds are certain. Polls indicated that with Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz in a runoff, Duda's win is not certain," says one PiS politician. This reinforces the belief at Nowogrodzka to hold elections in May. Our conversations indicate that there is a fear in PiS precisely about Duda's defeat in a showdown with Kosiniak-Kamysz, because in August voters will be able to acutely feel the economic downturn." -- GOWIN CLAIMS EIGHT MPS REMAIN LOYAL - GĄDEK CONTINUES: "And he has these five votes. Including his own - says a politician from the ruling camp, a critic of Gowin. The leader of Porozumienie allegedly said at meetings with the opposition that he has more: eight. The situation is fluid, however, and some of Gowin's MPs are hesitating, changing their minds, waiting for developments." -- GĄDEK ON GOWIN'S STRATEGY OF DETERRENCE AND THE AUGUST SCENARIO: "Gowin's optimal scenario is that PiS withdraws from voting in the Sejm. Instead, a state of emergency is briefly introduced, which postpones the elections to August. This scenario is seriously being considered by Nowogrodzka. For the scenario of canceling the vote and postponing the elections to come true, Gowin must convince Jarosław Kaczyński that PiS will lose the crucial vote. In other words: he will deter the PiS leader with the vision of defeat, and such a painful one as Kaczyński has never suffered since 2015. Because how could it be? Kaczyński would be defeated in a vote by Gowin, whom he has been mocking in recent years? Our interlocutor from the ranks of the ruling camp is convinced, however, that the vote will take place. Due to the 'miracles' that may happen within the opposition." -- TUSK'S CALL ENCOURAGED THE REST OF THE OPPOSITION TO FIGHT FOR THE VACANCY AFTER KIDAWAS'S ELECTION: "The PiS camp hopes that someone from the opposition will help them. How? A well-known politician from the ruling camp says: - Donald Tusk has just increased the chances of elections in May. A politician from the right-wing camp says: - If Kidawa-Błońska calls her voters to boycott or even withdraws from running, other candidates will want to take her pie. It may happen that someone from the PSL, the Left, or even Konfederacja makes a mistake or has technical problems casting their vote. Some miracles might happen in the voting. Such benevolent mistakes would stem from the calculation that the May elections are de facto beneficial for the PSL candidate Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, who is second in the polls. The Left candidate Robert Biedroń could also take over some voters orphaned by Kidawa. And Krzysztof Bosak could even fight for third place." https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114884,25905183,szanse-sa-pol-na-pol-wybory-23-maja-albo-w-sierpniu-pis.html -- ON CARROTS FOR POROZUMIENIE POLITICIANS - ANDRZEJ STANKIEWICZ AND ANDRZEJ GAJCY IN ONET: "According to our interlocutors from Porozumienie, who were tempted by PiS, politicians from the ruling camp use two proven methods - the carrot and the stick. The carrot is ministerial positions in the government or jobs in state-owned companies. One of the Porozumienie MPs says: - The offer was very clear. A position on the management board of a state treasury company with a very high salary. Hundreds of thousands annually. Plus work for a group of my collaborators. All immediately after the vote on local elections. Of course, I would have to give up my parliamentary seat then." -- RUMORS OF RECORDINGS OF DEALS FOR POSITIONS ARE APPEARING: "What is the stick? It includes suggestions that the prosecutor's office is looking into the business activities of some of Gowin's people. We know from several different sources that such a warning was received by one MP who previously worked in a large state-owned company. - It has come to the point where our MPs are invited for individual meetings with President Kaczyński or Prime Minister Morawiecki. This shows the determination on the PiS side - tells us an MP from Porozumienie. However, there is not a shred of trust in the contacts between PiS and Porozumienie today. Reports of recordings of deals for positions are already appearing - Onet journalists heard this information from several Porozumienie politicians." -- ONET ON THE EARLIER ELECTION SCENARIO: "Dissolving the Sejm and shortening the parliamentary term is the atomic button in Kaczyński's hands. No one can predict the outcome of such early elections, nor be sure of victory in them - although in PiS there are frequent voices that this may be the last moment when the party has a chance to win." https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/tylko-w-onecie/wybory-prezydenckie-poslowie-jaroslawa-gowina-kuszeni-przez-pis/ynjw95n -- TO MOVE FORWARD MORE BOLDLY WITH UNLOCKING - MICHAŁ KARNOWSKI: "However, one cannot fall into the trap of extremes. We managed to protect Poles from the tsunami of the epidemic - the Polish government reacted quickly, closing borders was probably particularly crucial. Many lives were saved. Chaos was avoided. Now, however, we must move forward boldly, unlock, launch, restore. Precise conditions and schedules must be set for individual sectors. The tourism industry should know the conditions for receiving tourists. And even if there are half as many guests as usual, it must be outlined. Parents should know when children will go to school - even if they have to go every other day at first. And so on. -- SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE FOR RISK IS GROWING - KARNOWSKI CONTINUES: "Social acceptance for risk is growing, and the awareness is growing that further such a large freezing of social and economic activity may be a salvation from the coronavirus, but also an increasing economic, social, and psychological cost." https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/497911-namawiam-premiera-do-odwagi-w-luzowaniu-restrykcji -- WE ARE STOPPING BEING AFRAID OF THE PANDEMIC - RADOSŁAW MARKOWSKI AND MICHAŁ KOTNAROWSKI ON SWPS RESEARCH - write in GW: "We are increasingly less afraid of infection and death, and week by week the number of supporters of unlocking the economy is growing. In just two weeks - between April 8/9 and 22/23 - a decisive majority of the dozen or so aspects of describing and assessing the pandemic situation in Poland changed. Almost without exception, fears and negative assessments of the pandemic's effects are decreasing. This results from research we have been conducting since the beginning of April." -- POLES ARE WORRIED ABOUT THE ECONOMY - ACCORDING TO RESEARCH: "This is an important characteristic of the respondents; they are also characterized by a relatively low level of fears and anxieties, they prefer modernity over tradition, and entrepreneurship over solidarity, although these are not sharp differences. However, one can speculate and say that the factor causing fears and anxieties to decrease, particularly visible among actively employed individuals, may be concern for the country's economic condition. The state of the country's economy is strictly linked to the financial situation of working Poles." -- DECREASE IN FEARS AMONG OPPOSITION VOTERS - CONTINUES FROM SWPS RESEARCH: "If we compare the respondents' fears with their party preferences, we also observe a change that has occurred in the last two weeks. At that time, supporters of the ruling party expressed the least fear, and supporters of opposition parties (with the exception of PSL) expressed the most. In the latest survey, we observed a decrease in fears among voters of the PO and the Left parties, which means that currently, party preferences do not differentiate in terms of the level of fear." https://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,25908670,koronawirus-juz-polakom-niestraszny-badania-pokazuja-ze-przestajemy.html -- FOR MANY YEARS, VOTERS HAVE BECOME HOSTAGES TO THE ETERNAL INCOMPETENCE AND DECAY OF PLATFORMA - GALOPUJĄCY MAJOR IN CRITICISM: "For years, a large part of opposition voters have become hostages to the eternal incompetence and decay of Platforma Obywatelska, so perhaps it's time for Tusk, Budka, Schetyna, and Kidawa-Błońska to give something back for once, and for them to do something for the voters, not the voters constantly for them?" -- WHY IS PLATFORMA A PARTY THAT REQUIRES CONCERN, AND WHEN THERE IS NO MISTAKE AT A CONVENTION, EVERYONE IS ECSTATIC? - MAJOR CONTINUES: "Why does the party spend so little on opinion polls, especially compared to PiS? Why, if one day they come up with Schetyna's six, the next day not even Schetyna himself remembers it? Why for 6 years has there been no coherent program, and it's still unclear whether the party is leaning more towards Leszczyna or Rzońca? Why, when they organize primaries, is the result always known in advance? And why, why is PO still a party that requires concern, which means that when Kidawa's convention goes without a mishap, all liberal journalists are ecstatic, because the absence of a catastrophe is already a success for everyone?" -- PLATFORMA, LIKE A CHICKEN WITHOUT A HEAD, IS SEDUCED BY A FORMER WSZECHPOLAKOWIEC: "Why has PO been flying around like a headless chicken since the beginning of the crisis, and why, even when it has good ideas (mass testing of doctors exposed to the virus), it cannot sell them to the media in a few sentences? Why did they make the Speaker of the Senate a man resembling an undertaker's aristocrat, who talks about genes and has an economic mindset from the 1980s in West Germany? Why do other parties, like PSL and Lewica, despite differences, manage to cooperate, while PO cannot even do that, only constantly shouts, dies, and shouts again? Why has the party of the so-called Polish intelligentsia (hehe) been seduced by a (former?) wszechpolakowiec who announces Kaczyński's ultimate defeat about once every quarter, and in reality, uses Platforma to advertise his own services and to comfortably land in parliamentary seats?" -- A CANDIDATE LIKE FROM ALLO Allo - MAJOR'S CONCLUSION: "So, does Kidawa-Błońska want to save the country, postpone the elections, declare a state of natural disaster, and get arguments to fight for the invalidation of the elections? Then she should finally resign, instead of hiding behind the piano in Allo Allo! and whispering: pssst, it's me, Kidawa-LeClerk, I'm boycotting, but if anything, vote for me!" https://krytykapolityczna.pl/felietony/galopujacy-major/czy-kidawa-blonska-moze-chociaz-raz-pomoc-czyli-po-prostu-odejsc/ -- IN THE FUTURE, I WILL NOT VOTE FOR ANYONE WHO RUNS IN A FALSE ELECTION - JACEK ŻAKOWSKI IN GW: "I don't want to offend Marshal Kidawa-Błońska, Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz, President Biedroń. I like and respect them all. But that will change if they legitimize this mystification with their participation." -- SUPPORT GOWIN'S AMENDMENT - ŻAKOWSKI TO THE OPPOSITION: "I will not participate in violating the constitution. However, I see no significant reason not to support a constitutional amendment to postpone the elections by two years, given the crisis. Especially the argument that the constitution is not changed with people who have been breaking it for four years does not convince me. If a change is good for the country, in politics it is made even with the devil. This is how the Sejm differs from a rosary circle. In 1989, we changed the constitution with people who had been breaking it for 30 years, and it turned out for the better. If we had listened to those who said 'it is not done,' we would still be living in a collective farm. Therefore, I very warmly ask the democratic opposition: support Gowin's amendment. And if it doesn't pass, withdraw. Do not be made useful idiots for a satrap. Do not legitimize the president's puppet for another five years." https://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,25909211,uprzedzam-ze-w-przyszlosci-nigdy-nie-zaglosuje-na-nikogo-kto.html -- ELECTION PACKAGES LEAKED - STANISŁAW ŻÓŁTEK, CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT, SHOWED THEM AT A CONFERENCE IN CRACOW: https://www.fakt.pl/wydarzenia/polityka/wybory-korespondencyjne-wyciekly-pakiety-wyborcze/crq4n25 -- PHOTO. Head of Medusa - one of two depictions of Medusa's head by Caravaggio, Uffizi Gallery. Medusa, one of the three Gorgons, like her sisters, was a terrifying monster. Instead of hair, living snakes writhed on her head, and the gaze of her eyes (in another version: just looking at her) turned living beings into stone. She was defeated by Perseus, aided by Athena and other gods. Medusa died looking at her own face, reflected in the hero's polished shield. The severed head of the Gorgon retained its ability to kill. Perseus used it as a weapon, and later the goddess Athena, who placed Medusa's head on her shield. In antiquity, depictions of Medusa's face, called Gorgoneions, were amulets protecting against evil. Leonardo and Caravaggio painted Medusa on convex wooden supports imitating a shield (in Caravaggio's case, canvas glued to wood). The paintings were thus meant to give the impression of a shield with deadly properties. According to Giorgio Vasari, the Medici collection included an extensive collection of Medusa depictions, including a lost painting by Leonardo da Vinci. Caravaggio's "Medusa" is a depiction of the monster's head, severed by Perseus, from which streams of blood flow, although the snakes are still alive. The painter undertook to depict this moment in history when the Gorgon froze in terror at her own reflection. -- FANTASTIC POLSKIE RADIO BROADCAST "JEST TAKI OBRAZ" IS AVAILABLE AS A PODCAST: https://www.polskieradio.pl/8/406/Artykul/2440682,Meduza-Caravaggia-Potwor-zastygly-z-przerazenia -- AND THIS IS WHAT MEDUSA LOOKS LIKE IN BERNINI'S BUST VERSION, circa 1630, currently in the Capitoline Museums in Rome. -- BIRTHDAYS: Anna Bańkowska, Jacek Rostowski, Marek Jakubiak, Sławomir Neumann, Mikołaj Lizut.