-- SZUMOWSKI DEFENDS HIMSELF REGARDING THE MATTER DESCRIBED BY GW, SCHETYNA SEES NO POSSIBILITY OF REPLACING KIDAWĄ - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2020/05/12/ -- 30 YEARS AGO, Porozumienie Centrum was formed. -- WYBORCZA ON THE FRONT PAGE ABOUT THE ROLE OF THE MINISTER SZUMOWSKI'S SKI INSTRUCTOR AND HIS BROTHER IN BUYING MASKS… : “The correspondence breaks off at 3:50 PM. Then the minister's brother writes: ‘Wait, I have some meeting.’ Łukasz G.: ‘Marcin, I’m waiting. Everyone is waiting, the guests who have it are also waiting, we are all waiting.’ They talk on the phone. Marcin promises to ‘talk to his brother,’ i.e., Minister Szumowski. Finally, in response to the urging, Marcin Szumowski writes: ‘Minister Cieszyński.’ Łukasz G. doesn’t understand: ‘Meaning???’. Marcin sends a business card with the number of the Deputy Minister of Health.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,25936849,wyborcza-demaskuje-afere-w-resorcie-zdrowia-5-mln-zl-za-bezwartosciowe.html -- DID KAZIK CAPTURE THE MOMENT OF POLITICAL CRISIS? - Konstanty Pilawa in the Jagiellonian Club: “PiS built its political myth on April 10th and the fight for the dignity of the common man. Kazik’s new song hits both these elements precisely. Staszewski describes the growing emotion. The arrogance of power, noticed by a simple person, is exceptionally dangerous for the rulers. Perhaps Kazik captured the moment of political crisis. If the government doesn't quickly regain the initiative, they could lose power.” -- KAZIK CAPTURED THAT PATHOS DOESN'T WORK ON PIS - continued by Pilawa: “Kazik understands something that few in Polish culture grasp: PiS cannot be criticized with pathos. They have secured a monopoly in this area. The hysteria so often heard from liberal elites does not name social emotions; on the contrary, it highlights the distance between ‘authorities’ and the people. ‘Your pain is better than mine’ is a song of a completely different kind. It is written from the perspective of a simple person, and precisely because of this, it exposes the arrogance of power.” -- FOR NORMAL PEOPLE, THE PHRASE ABOUT CREEPING AUTHORITARIANISM SOUNDS LIKE BEATA SZYDŁO'S “FOR THE LAST 8 YEARS”, KAZIK HAS NO MORAL SUPERIORITY - continued by Pilawa: “Staszewski's lyrics, who decided to create another solo album after a long break, revealed a sad lack. Many before him and many after him will criticize the political reality in very wise or very foolish words. However, detailed analyses or opinion pieces written with moral superiority do not capture the moment at all. Liberals criticize PiS the same way they did five years ago. The arguments and phraseology are the same. Society seems to no longer hear this. For normal people, the phrase ‘creeping authoritarianism’ sounds similar to Beata Szydło's ‘for the last eight years…’” -- THE RULERS HAVE SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT: “In the final seconds of the clip, Kazik Staszewski, along with Wojciech Jabłonowski (co-author of the music), who is playing drums in the music video, approach the camera lens very closely. Clean-shaven with a home clipper, they look half ironically, half angrily at Jarosław Kaczyński. I think most of us now assess the political reality in a similar way. And if that's the case, then the rulers have something to think about. And this isn't about creeping dictatorship; quite the opposite, because if it's such strong power, why can't it organize elections?” -- THEY DON'T RESORT TO KOD-ZIAR RETORIC - continued by Pilawa in Klub Jagielloński: “It seems important that both Sokół, Pezet, and Kazik, while criticizing PiS, do not resort to KOD-ziar rhetoric (like the supposedly 'poet' Mateusz Damięcki). And this is something new in culture. Under the influence of several significant image blunders, the perception of Law and Justice is beginning to change. From political demons that inspire fear among the more sensitive sentimentalists, in public perception, they are beginning to resemble the last year of Civic Platform's rule. With gaffes, political missteps, and ubiquitous chaos, they risk becoming ridiculous. And it is ridicule – not pathos – that may prove fatal. PiS should thank Kazik, because such criticism of their rule in culture simply doesn't exist.” https://klubjagiellonski.pl/2020/05/11/pis-powinien-kazikowi-podziekowac/ -- KAZIK'S SONG: https://youtu.be/o9LzNtpjhV0 -- ONET ON THE HOMEPAGE ABOUT THE HOŁOWNIA PHENOMENON: “The opponents' accusations of a lack of political experience, structures, or money are now outdated. Experts agree: Szymon Hołownia has turned them into an asset, is running a transparent campaign, and is credible. The secret to his success lies in social media, where he feels like a fish in water. It is there that Poles thank him for still seeing a point in voting. He is unrivaled online.” https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/tylko-w-onecie/wybory-prezydenckie-2020-szymon-holownia-coraz-wyzej-w-sondazach/gm74452 -- PLATFORMA RECEIVED A VALUABLE GIFT - JACEK KARNOWSKI: “Thanks to the conflict in the United Right, the main opposition party has received an incredibly valuable gift: the postponement of the elections until the end of June. And the opportunity to nominate a new candidate. After the initial declarations that indicated KO wanted to continue fighting under Kidawa-Błońska’s banner, today it seems they intend to reconsider the matter.” -- KOSINIAK GETS A CHANCE: “Who else can rejoice in the decision to abandon the May vote? Paradoxically, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. The PSL leader is one of the winners of the campaign that ended without elections, but also one of the losers, as Szymon Hołownia was clearly gathering higher support on the opposition side at the end. The new hand gives Kosiniak a chance for new momentum. All the more so, as Hołownia's star may dim.” -- BOSAK CAN CONTINUE TO GAIN - continued by Karnowski: “Additional weeks are certainly a chance for the Confederation candidate Krzysztof Bosak, who went from 2-3 percent to 8 or 9 percent. That’s a lot, as it means the level of support that the Confederation enjoys. Bosak can continue to gain.” -- THE PRICE FOR POSTPONING THE ELECTIONS MAY BE REALLY HIGH FOR THE PRESIDENT - KARNOWSKI: “President Andrzej Duda also loses a lot from postponing the elections. A longer campaign means a greater probability of a second round. The President will also have to contend with deteriorating social sentiment resulting from the economic crisis. The price for postponing the vote could turn out to be quite high.” https://wpolityce.pl/m/polityka/499772-kto-straci-a-kto-zyska-na-przelozeniu-wyborow -- DUDA IS PERFECTLY UNNECESSARY - PAWEŁ WROŃSKI IN GW: “To the question of what role President Andrzej Duda played in resolving the significant constitutional crisis related to the elections, the answer is simple – none. (...) The President is also not bothered at all that the election law, which has just entered the Sejm and is the result of a pact between the leaders of PiS and Porozumienie, invalidates the law he signed just on Friday. Paradoxically, over the past few weeks, Andrzej Duda has proven that if he wants to maintain such a model of the presidency, he becomes a perfectly unnecessary political entity.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,25937640,prezydent-duda-udowodnil-ze-jest-doskonale-niepotrzebny.html -- PIS MOST LIKES UNEXPECTED MOVES AND CONFRONTATION INSTEAD OF SEEKING AGREEMENT - MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI IN RZ: “This gives little hope that the formula for new elections will be agreed upon jointly. The catch is that PiS, as it has demonstrated in recent weeks, most likes unexpected moves and political confrontation instead of seeking agreement. Unfortunately, this approach led to failure on Sunday, May 10th, resulting in a situation unprecedented in Polish history since 1989, where the elections were neither postponed (e.g., by introducing a state of natural disaster) nor cancelled in any way, but simply did not take place. It is worth drawing conclusions from this.” https://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/305119903-Szuldrzynski-Jedyne-takie-wybory.html -- EVERY POLE COULD SEE THAT THE PRESIDENT IS WILLING TO DO ANYTHING TO MAINTAIN POWER - JACEK NIZINKIEWICZ IN RZ: “It might seem that the rulers have learned from the political row preceding last Sunday. Nothing could be further from the truth. Jarosław Kaczyński wanted to break the agreement made with Jarosław Gowin and hold the elections on May 23rd. Only the threat of the government coalition falling apart prevented another embarrassment. Thanks to the uproar at Nowogrodzka and the crisis in the ruling camp, every Pole could see that the PiS leader is willing to do anything to maintain power.” https://www.rp.pl/Analizy/305119901-Nizinkiewicz-Wojny-domowej-mozna-uniknac.html -- THE MIDDLE CLASS HAS A TENDENCY TO RADICALLY WORSEN - JAKUB MAJMUREK IN KRYTYKA: “Relatively, it is precisely the middle class in the private sector who can lose the most from the crisis. All those who, on the wave of economic growth over the last three decades, and especially the last one, have not only secured a certain level of prosperity but also built businesses that give them a sense of purpose in what they do and life autonomy, difficult to imagine in corporate structures or in a public sector career. (...) Moreover, as we know from history and from what has been happening in even the most developed democracies in recent years, the middle class, facing the specter of pauperization or at least a relative decline in status, has a tendency to worsen radically. It easily becomes fodder for various extreme ideas and political forces.” -- THE PULL OF THE MIDDLE CLASS TOWARDS EXTREMES IS VISIBLE - continued by Majmurek: “This pull towards extremes was already visible in the protests at the end of last week. And it’s not just about the conspiracy theorists and extremist figures like Braun and Rybak attached to them. The official demands of the protest are also extreme and absurd – although they stem from a genuine and justified sense among small and medium-sized businesses that in the face of an unprecedented crisis, the government, despite its propaganda of success, has effectively left them in the lurch.” -- IF TIME SHOWS THE LOCKDOWN AS A FAILURE, WILL KORWIN GET WIND IN HIS SAILS? - continued by Majmurek: “If it turns out that the lockdown and the terrible economic sacrifices we had to make because of it were all for naught medically – because the number of infections will increase exponentially in June or a new peak of the epidemic will hit us in the fall/winter, which the healthcare system will no longer be able to cope with – then the state as an institution will be irrevocably discredited in Poland. People will conclude that the state not only failed to protect us from the epidemic but, by doing so ineptly, led society to bankruptcy. Ideas seriously promoted so far mainly by Janusz Korwin-Mikke and his associates will suddenly gain wind in their sails.” -- DO NOT TREAT THE PROTESTS AS A GROTESQUE - MAJMUREK'S CONCLUSION: “Therefore, it is important not to treat last week's protests solely as a grotesque. They draw attention to a serious social problem – the risk of mass social pauperization and the decimation of the Polish middle class. The constitutional opposition parties should offer concrete proposals to the middle class, terrified by what the near future holds, showing how the state and normal, democratic politics can help them more realistically than Piotr Rybak and Grzegorz Braun.” https://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/majmurek-protest-przedsiebiorcow-albo-pocztowka-z-przyszlosci/ -- OKO.PRESS NOTICES THE SHORTENING OF TIME FOR PROTESTS IN THE NEW PIS DRAFT: “One thing is certain – such a drastic shortening of this period is a significant limitation of civil rights. Three days is not enough time to organize a nationwide action of sending election protests in case the procedure is burdened with serious defects. And it should be remembered that mass protests were often a recurring demand in the debate over postal voting. Three days may also be too short a period for all irregularities surrounding the electoral procedure to come to light.” https://oko.press/nowy-projekt-pis-wybory-bez-sasina-glosowanie-w-lokalach/ -- VETO OF LOCAL POLAND - Przemysław Wilczyński in Tygodnik Powszechny: “They were supposed to open on May 6th, but most did not: within the first three days, only one in five institutions for children under three was opened. (...) Apparently, the priorities of local governments, facility owners, and most parents – professional comfort versus safety – are currently inconsistent with the month's message.” https://www.tygodnikpowszechny.pl/zlobki-i-przedszkola-weto-polski-lokalnej-163296 -- HEALTH POLICY HAS BEEN PUTTING OUT FIRES FOR YEARS - MACIEJ MÜLLER in Tygodnik Powszechny: “For years, Polish health policy has been about putting out fires – which is clearly visible in Silesia during the epidemic. (...) The tragedy of Silesia is happening during the economic thaw – necessary for the authorities to prove that since returning to a semblance of normal life is possible, there is no reason not to hold elections; on the other hand, it is essential, because every day of lockdown is fatal for GDP. Poland is doing this – unlike, for example, the Czech Republic or Austria – with an R value still greater than 1, which, combined with the change in social sentiment regarding the epidemic, threatens to realize the second half of Szumowski's diagnosis. Poles are asking why schools and factories were closed with a few dozen infections nationwide, and now, when there are several hundred new cases daily, the economy is being unfrozen? The effects of the growing conviction that 'nothing is really happening' are visible on the streets: even if someone is wearing a mask, it's on their chin.” https://www.tygodnikpowszechny.pl/z-maska-na-brodzie-163295 -- TODAY, ŻAKOWSKI'S DEBATE WITH PROF. ZIELONKA ON FB CONCILIUM CIVITAS: at 6:30 PM, Concilium Civitas invites you to its fourth virtual debate on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the lives of each of us. The debate will feature members of Concilium Civitas: Prof. ANNA ZALEWSKA (University of Bath), Prof. IRENEUSZ PAWEŁ KAROLEWSKI (University of Leipzig), Prof. JAN ZIELONKA (Oxford, Venice). The debate will be moderated by Jacek Żakowski. https://www.facebook.com/conciliumcivitas/ -- LIBERA INTERPRETS THE CLASSICS - Political Theology seminar available online: Does art have the power to bring the dead back to life? Or can it, at best, summon their shadows from the abyss? Rainer Maria Rilke, whose poems offer a new, often surprising interpretation, drew on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice in his work. On May 8th, the first seminar of the year by Antoni Libera from the series “Libera Translates the Classics” took place. Participants had the opportunity to hear new translations of the poems “Orpheus, Eurydice, Hermes” and a selection from “Sonnets to Orpheus” for the first time, interpreted by Andrzej Seweryn. https://teologiapolityczna.pl/dziwne-to-byly-podziemia-antoni-libera-o-poezji-rainera-marii-rilkego -- PHOTO. A Rhinoceros in Venice, Pietro Longhi, Ca' Rezzonico, Venice. *Clara the rhinoceros was the star of her time. Born in India in 1738, she was only a month old when her mother was killed by hunters. For 17 years, until the animal's death in 1758, he exhibited her in European cities. Clara visited many capitals, including Krakow and Warsaw. In 1751, she became an attraction at the Venice Carnival and was portrayed there at the request of a local aristocrat, Giovanni Grimani. Grimani commissioned a portrait of Clara from the prominent painter Pietro Longhi, and it was not the only depiction of this famous rhinoceros; two years earlier, Jean-Baptiste Oudry, a French court painter, had painted her.*As the poster in the background of the painting states, Longhi painted “A True Portrait of a Rhinoceros”. The animal, engaged in eating hay, is admired by masked figures – typical figures of the Venetian carnival. Wherever Clara appeared, she caused a real sensation; after her visit to Paris, a fashionable hairstyle “à la rhinoceros” was created, and Captain van der Meer made a fortune selling souvenirs with her image. Is the rhinoceros at the finale of Fellini's film “And the Ship Sails On” an allusion to 18th-century European “rhinoceros mania”? - A RADIO DWA BROADCAST IN WHICH DR GRAŻYNA BASTEK TELLS THE STORY OF CLARA. https://www.polskieradio.pl/8/406/Artykul/2242575,Nosorozec-w-Wenecji-na-obrazie-Pietra-Longhi -- BIRTHDAYS: Witold Koziński, Marcin Makowski.