-- 300GOSPODARKA PODCAST: CORONAVIRUS FORCES TECHNOLOGICAL EXPERIMENTS - ADAM MARCINIAK, VICE-PRESIDENT OF PKO BP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wUdMnnCctM&feature=emb_logo -- HOŁOWNIA IS ALREADY GRILLING TRZASKOWSKI, ZARADKIEWICZ RESIGNS, KIDAWA TOO, KAMIŃSKI ON THE SENATE'S 2 WEEKS - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2020/05/15/ -- JAN ROKITA ON WHERE EUROPEAN PRESSURE ON POLAND COMES FROM: “This is a huge political problem because the primary issue is not that there is such strong pressure and criticism of Poland in Western Europe, but that internal opponents, opponents of the PiS government, are influential enough, have far-reaching connections in Western European elite circles, that they are able to provoke such reactions. (...) I would attribute the driving force behind most of these attacks on Poland not to Western Europe or the European Union, but to the rather categorical efforts of the Polish opposition to create such a situation.” https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/500290-rokita-polska-opozycja-zabiega-o-ataki-zagranicznych-elit -- TRZASKOWSKI IS TO SAVE THE SINKING PO, WINNING IS SECONDARY - IF THAT IS THE GOAL, IT IS NOT A BAD CHOICE - JACEK KARNOWSKI: “Of course, a campaign is a campaign, and one must be cautious in building scenarios. However, it seems that Trzaskowski is not so much a candidate prepared for victory as a man who is to save the Civic Coalition after Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska's defeat. He is to regain voters taken by Hołownia and Kosiniak, and thus ensure the survival of the largest opposition party. If that is the goal, it is not a bad choice.” -- KARNOWSKI ON OSTENTATIOUS URBANITY: “The Mayor of Warsaw is an ostentatiously urban candidate, even pretentious, not only in his messaging but also in his lifestyle. Big cities can set the tone, but they don't win elections. Elections are won by small cities and towns; -- ACTUALLY NO SUCCESSES - KARNOWSKI CONTINUES: “At the same time, there are practically no successes, especially indisputable, concrete ones that capture the imagination, easy to remember. He didn't build his Warsaw Uprising Museum.” -- WHAT CARRIED HIM IN WARSAW MAY BE A BURDEN IN THE REST OF THE COUNTRY - KARNOWSKI CONTINUES: “Trzaskowski performed poorly in the 2018 campaign (the memorable tape-mended glass); he didn't win against Patryk Jaki because he had a better campaign – because he didn't – but because he ran in a city that was exceptionally favorable to him, and he benefited from the mobilization of most of the capital's residents against PiS. What carried him in Warsaw will be a burden across the country.” https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/500259-rafal-trzaskowski-to-kandydat-ktory-ma-uratowac-tonaca-ko -- KIDAWAY'S REPLACEMENT INCREASES THE PRESIDENT'S CHANCES OF RE-ELECTION - PIOTR TRUDNOWSKI AT THE JAGELLONIAN CLUB: “It will be much easier for the Platform candidate to return to second place in the race if the party decides on a campaign 'restart' with a new candidate. The 'liberal dinosaurs' are holding on, but they have dispersed somewhat in recent weeks due to information chaos in their stronghold. A new opening, a new candidacy – this is rather a sure way to overtake Kosiniak-Kamysz and Hołownia. And at the same time – a probable re-election for Andrzej Duda, who will be able to quickly return to the well-trodden path of conflict with 'Poland under Tusk'.” -- NOTHING BETTER HAS HAPPENED TO PIS THAN CONTINUING POLARIZATION - TRUDNOWSKI CONTINUES: “For Law and Justice, nothing better has happened since 2015 than continuing polarization. As long as the only alternative to the United Right's rule was the Civic Platform, discredited in the eyes of many Poles – PiS increased its advantage. The more breaches appeared in the duopoly – the more trouble Jarosław Kaczyński's party faced.” -- PIS LOST MOMENTS WHEN POLARIZATION WAS DE-HERMETIZED - TRUDNOWSKI CONTINUES: “The peaks of polarization alternated with moments of de-hermetizing the political offer. PiS had polling difficulties when Nowoczesna grew at the expense of the Platform. As ludicrous as it sounds today, it's worth remembering that there were times when Ryszard Petru's party even took the lead in polls, surpassing the United Right. This was also the case in the 2019 parliamentary elections, when a diverse offer, with a limited number of committees (all nationwide parties exceeded the electoral threshold), resulted in the ruling party's outcome being significantly lower than poll expectations.” -- PIS HAS TROUBLE WHEN THE OPPOSITION'S OFFER IS DIVERSIFIED: “The conclusion from these experiences seems simple – the narrative of the 'previous eight years,' which is now fading, and the fear of restoring the 'Tusk system,' as it was once called in PiS programs, brought the ruling party an advantage. The United Right has much more trouble when the opposition's offer is diversified and not limited to the dominance of one formation.” -- KOSINIAK AND HOŁOWNIA ARE CLASSIC CATCH-ALL CANDIDATES WITH POTENTIALLY BROAD ELECTORATES - TRUDNOWSKI'S CONCLUSION: “Both Kosiniak-Kamysz and Hołownia can not only consolidate their electorates in the second round but will also be the obvious choice for the Platform's former voters. They can also form an acceptable and more interesting offer for the left and part of the right (both wavering recent United Right voters and some Konfederacja voters) than the incumbent president, who is attacked by everyone in solidarity. Anchored in the center of the political scene – Kosiniak-Kamysz closer to its right, and Hołownia to the left flank – they are classic catch-all candidates. Additionally, the entry of one of them into the second round, unexpected just a few weeks ago, could trigger other unforeseen social reactions. The simplest political duels are those that have already been practiced. When the competitor changes – old methods may no longer guarantee victory.” https://klubjagiellonski.pl/2020/05/14/paradoks-kidawy-wymiana-kandydata-platformy-zwieksza-szanse-na-reelekcje-andrzeja-dudy/ -- MOST OF THE BOARD IS FOR THE CHANGE, IN THE EVENING PO CONDUCTED FINAL SURVEYS - Agata Kondzińska, Iwona Szpala in GW: “The electoral potential of other possible candidates was being tested by the party until yesterday evening, to have the latest data at the board meeting. – We will discuss the chances, also based on surveys – says a politician from the PO authorities. Budka's people have the advantage on the board and – according to our informants – a survey of moods took place earlier. And in the board of over 30 people, only two are reluctant to make the change.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,25947229,znamy-scenariusze-na-wymiane-kidawy-blonskiej-trzaskowski-faworytem.html -- PLATFORM'S SURVEYS SHOW DUDY'S WEAKENING: “Moreover, according to the same surveys, Duda's candidacy has been significantly weakening recently. There is another problem: according to the same internal surveys, over 30 percent of the KO electorate is willing to vote for Szymon Hołownia.” -- SCHETYNA SEEKS REVENGE, WANTS TO STRIKE BACK - PO POLITICIAN IN GW ARTICLE: “– Schetyna still harbors a desire to strike back at the competition that deprived him of leadership in the party. He is looking for revenge – we hear.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,25946017,nieoficjalnie-trzaskowski-za-kidawe.html -- PIS TRIES TO BE NICE - MICHAŁ KOLANKO IN RZ ABOUT PIS'S NEW TACTIC: “Talks with the opposition are part of a new tactic. The question is how long this trend will last.” -- PIS UNHESITATINGLY REMOVES THE INJURED SASIN FROM THE FIELD AND BRINGS IN EMILEWICZ - ZUZANNA DĄBROWSKA IN RZ: “PiS is behaving as usual: it unhesitatingly removes injured players like Jacek Sasin from the field and brings in new ones like Jadwiga Emilewicz. Does the Deputy Prime Minister say anything different from the Deputy Prime Minister? Not really. But she certainly speaks with more grace. And it's not about her being a woman, but about her politically positioning herself more in the center and not being one of PiS's hardliners. But does that mean she can't justify the express debates on the electoral code? Not at all! She is excellent at political dialectic and propaganda, like the president's best student.” https://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/200519565-Zuzanna-Dabrowska-Nowa-twarz-PiS-nieznana-twarz-KO.html -- MICHAŁ WOJTCZUK IN GW ABOUT GLOOMY PREMONITIONS OF TRZASKOWSKI'S CAMPAIGN: “I have a grim premonition that I can predict not only the reaction from this political side. The same Civic Platform politicians who just a few days ago assured that Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska was the best candidate, will now praise Trzaskowski to the heavens. I can probably also predict how quickly they will forget this if Trzaskowski stumbles.” -- WOJTCZUK ON THE PREDICTABLE NEGATIVE CAMPAIGN AGAINST TRZASKOWSKI: “There will be another avalanche of bombastic accusations. Jacek Ozdoba, deputy minister of climate and former PiS councilor in Warsaw, already started on Thursday. In the morning, at a press conference, he argued that Warsaw under Trzaskowski's governance transports garbage all the way to Rzeszów. How many journalists who amplified this information also reported on the session of the Warsaw City Council, where Deputy Mayor Michał Olszewski firmly denied it?” https://warszawa.wyborcza.pl/warszawa/7,54420,25946249,trzaskowski-znow-w-kampanii-czeka-nas-deja-vu-tylko-bardziej.html -- TOMASZ SAWCZUK IN KL, SIMILARLY TO KONSTANTY PILAWA A FEW DAYS AGO IN THE JAGELLONIAN CLUB - THE NARRATIVE OF MUSICIANS IS MORE DANGEROUS FOR PIS THAN KOD'S: “In this context, it is worth noting that criticism of the government has come from, among others, Pezet, MC Silk, Sokół, Fisz, and Karol Paciorek. It seems that the government has not noticed the critical narrative towards the ruling camp that is growing among people. It is all the more dangerous for PiS because it is not expressed in the banners of the Committee for the Defence of Democracy, but in the verses of the idols of the younger generation – rappers and influencers who regularly reach millions of people with their message.” https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2020/05/15/bodziony-cien-mgly-nad-kampania-andrzeja-dudy/ -- WORTHLESS PROTECTION FOR A FORTUNE - headline in RZ: “The price of masks, which were eventually purchased by the Ministry of Health, increased through a chain of intermediaries. The certificates turned out to be fake.” https://www.rp.pl/Koronawirus-SARS-CoV-2/200519558-Bezwartosciowa-ochrona-za-fortune-Cene-za-maseczki-wywindowali-posrednicy.html -- RAFAŁ WOŚ ON HOW THE EU IS BECOMING ANACHRONISTIC - writes in Tygodnik Powszechny: “Suffice it to say that in response to COVID-19, the Union did not introduce any of the bold community mechanisms: neither a universal basic income, nor even a substitute for it in the form of some version of anti-crisis payments for citizens. Crisis management is at the national level. There is also no EU wealth tax, and the pooling of debt in the euro area has met with a veto. Such a Union is becoming increasingly anachronistic. Especially considering the new currents that are blowing not only in the USA or Asia, but also in individual member states. But not at the community level.” -- WOŚ ON THE IDEALIZED VIEW OF THE UNION AND THE SQUAWKING REALITY: “For a considerable number of people, this may be the most painful topic. In Poland, faith in the Union was for many a substitute for the conviction that the world can be good and wise. When the Union was far away, it appeared to us as a beautiful Enlightenment project for overcoming national egoisms in the spirit of dialogue and solidarity. For a few years now, however, such an idealized view of Europe has required sharp gymnastics. Its reality, however, is squawking ever louder. And covering one's ears is becoming increasingly difficult.” https://www.tygodnikpowszechny.pl/epidemia-obala-dogmaty-163356 -- PHOTO. Jacques-Louis David, The Death of Marat, in the collection of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium. Jacques-Louis David – *French painter, main representative of Classicism, court painter to Napoleon Bonaparte. Considered a pillar of Enlightenment art, official artist of the French Revolution, he created a clear and impactful revolutionary symbol – The Oath of the Horatii.* The painting depicts Jean-Paul Marat, one of the leaders of the French Revolution and a personal friend of David, who was stabbed by Charlotte Corday, a Girondin, on July 13, 1793. David was summoned to the crime scene. Marat lay on the floor, dressed. David paints him as a martyr of the revolution – hence he heroizes his death. To show him naked, he places his body in a bathtub (a reference to antiquity). In the painting, the bathtub is intentionally stylized as an ancient sarcophagus (an Enlightenment reference to antiquity), and Marat (with an antique-looking silhouette and his hanging arm) evokes images of Christ in scenes of the Deposition from the Cross. The painting is innovative – until then, the death of a secular person was rarely depicted in painting. Marat published the newspaper L'Ami du peuple; his pen – the journalist's weapon – lies next to the bloody murder weapon. The words A Marat/David/l’an deux visible at the bottom, on the support of the hastily assembled table, are more than just a signature: the painter dedicates his canvas to the dead hero (Marat – David), dating it to the second year of the revolutionary calendar (i.e., 1793). The bloody letter in Marat's hand is a petition allegedly brought by the murderer: my great misfortune makes me worthy of your kindness (il suffit que je sois bien malheureuse pour avoir droit à votre bienveillance). -- BIRTHDAYS: Jerzy Jachowicz, James Shotter, Andrzej Walicki, Paula Sawicka, Irmina Nitras.