-- FORMER PRIME MINISTER JERZY BUZEK TURNS 80. LESZEK MILLER IS 74. -- MORAWIECKI TO VISIT 100 COUNTIES IN THE FINAL STRETCH - MICHAŁ KOLANKO IN RZ: “Prime Minister Morawiecki is visiting even a dozen or so towns daily as part of his pre-election tour. On Thursday, he was in the Lublin, Mazovia, and Podlasie voivodeships. He visited 11 locations, including Tomaszów Lubelski, Zamość, and Chełm. According to our information, by the end of the presidential campaign, the Prime Minister is scheduled to visit approximately 100 counties across Poland. What's the purpose of this tour? As his campaign staff claim, there are regions where the president can still gain new voters. And the tour is precisely targeted at these regions. The President and the Prime Minister appear in different parts of Poland simultaneously. This week, the Prime Minister is in the east of the country, and the President is in the west.” https://www.rp.pl/Polityka/307029900-Partyjne-wsparcie-dla-prezydenta-Dudy-na-finiszu-kampanii.html -- PRESIDENT SUBMITS AMENDMENT TO EDUCATIONAL LAW SO PARENTS DECIDE ON THE PARTICIPATION OF EXTERNAL EDUCATORS: https://300polityka.pl/live/2020/07/03/pad-skladam-projekt-zmiany-prawa-oswiatowego-ktory-przesadza-ze-dzialalnosc-organizacji-pozarzadowych-i-stowarzyszen-ktora-mialaby-byc-prowadzona-na-terenie-szkoly-wymaga-nie-tylko-zgody-dyr/ -- WILL PIS INVITE PSL TO THE GOVERNMENT? - MICHAŁ KOLANKO IN RZ: “Most speculation concerns whether and under what conditions PiS might decide on early elections or what new laws or actions it will take, especially if Andrzej Duda remains president. But perhaps Jarosław Kaczyński – with the prospect of maintaining power for another few years – will want to shake things up. Therefore, it is increasingly speculated that PiS might make an irresistible offer to the weakened Peasants' Party after the elections. This would involve joining the ruling coalition – not only in the government but also in the regional assemblies. In this way, PiS would secure a stable parliamentary majority for years to come. There would no longer be a risk that current coalition partners – Zbigniew Ziobro and Jarosław Gowin – could once again set conditions, wielding a minority that blocks the actions of the United Right. The crisis surrounding the May 10 elections is well remembered within PiS. And PSL is under pressure for the first time in many years. And although the scenario sounds like political fiction, it would be a powerful blow to Civic Platform and the rest of the opposition.” https://www.rp.pl/Analizy/307029894-Michal-Kolanko-Czy-PiS-zlozy-PSL-propozycje-nie-do-odrzucenia.html -- PIOTR PACEWICZ ON A PRACTICAL TIE WITH AN EDGE FOR TRZASKOWSKI IN AN IPSOS POLL FOR OKO.PRESS: “Unlike many media outlets, which even comment on minor differences in polls and pseudo-polls as someone 'leading' or 'winning,' OKO.press emphasizes that the margin of error here is as much as 3 percentage points, meaning the measured difference is not statistically significant. The actual poll results therefore look like this: Trzaskowski 46-52% Duda 45-51% The answer 'I don't know, hard to say' was chosen by only 3%. This is less than in our previous polls, which may indicate that decisions are crystallizing. The results of the survey by Ipsos, the third-largest research firm in the world, which will also conduct the exit poll on the second round for TVN, TVP, and Polsat, indicate that we have 10 extremely nervous days ahead of us. It is also highly probable that the result of the survey of 50,000 voters announced on July 12 at 9:00 PM on television will not be conclusive, meaning it will indicate a difference of less than 3-4 percentage points.” https://oko.press/trzaskowski-49-proc-duda-48-proc-elektorat-opozycji-bardziej-zmobilizowany-sondaz-oko-press/ -- CURRENT POLLS INDICATE DUDA, BUT EVEN ONE POLL COULD CHANGE THE MODEL - BEN STANLEY IN POLITYKA: “Since the end of the election silence, eight polls have been published, two of which were conducted after the results of the first round were announced. The data indicates that while the elections are far from decided, Duda has gained a clear advantage over Trzaskowski and can count on 52% of the vote. If current surveys are to be believed, the incumbent president could be almost certain of re-election. However, the differences are truly minimal, and a single poll showing Trzaskowski's victory would result in a tie in the model. Consequently, when observing the polls – even more so than in the first round – it will be necessary to focus on trends rather than the results of individual surveys.” https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/kraj/1962464,1,duda-odjezdza-trzaskowskiemu-ale-do-rozstrzygniecia-daleko.read -- THE FIRST HALF OF THE POST-ELECTION WEEK IS LOST TIME FOR TRZASKOWSKI, ACTIONS APPEAR IMPROVISED, HE SHOULD CREATE A WAVE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE - RAFAŁ KALUKIN IN POLITYKA: “So far, there is no clear diagnosis or concept visible. Trzaskowski's actions after the first round appear improvised. He is weakening in the polls, and time is inexorably passing, and we will soon be at the halfway point of the run-off. The first half of the post-election week has been lost time for Rafał Trzaskowski. On Sunday, one could have expected that after his primarily image-focused campaign so far, a new stage would begin, more creative and adapted to the logic of the decisive contest. As a candidate making up for lost ground, Trzaskowski should create a favorable wave as soon as possible to carry him through the next two weeks until the grand finale.” -- THE NARRATIVE ABOUT THE DOWNPOUR AND THE PEDOPHILE IS SO THICKLY WOVEN THAT FEW WILL BE CONVINCED - KALUKIN CONTINUES: “But such a plan was clearly not in place. Andrzej Duda, taking advantage of ad hoc provocative actions, has benefited from the lack of an offensive, to which Trzaskowski's people are constantly trying to respond. As a result, we have a tiring tug-of-war. Some talk about the downpour, others about the pardoned pedophile. Both narratives are, of course, so clumsily constructed that they will convince few people. And, as usual, there is a fruitless discussion that quickly evaporates from collective consciousness about who is afraid to debate whom.” -- THE AGITATION AROUND BOSAK WILL NOT HELP MOBILIZE PROGRESSIVE VOTERS, TRZASKOWSKI IS COMING ACROSS AS A CYNIC - KALUKIN CONTINUES: “This is, of course, a thesis based on a purely ideological premise. In the name of a misguided idealism, it turns away from what is realistically achievable in politics. The significance of left-wing bubbles should probably not be overestimated, but the accusations and general agitation on this side will not help Trzaskowski mobilize his more progressive voters in the second round. He himself is coming across as a cynic who readily exchanges values for trifles. In turn, the supporters of Bosak, bombarded with contradictory messages, had every right to feel that they are merely electoral fodder in this game.” https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/kraj/1962432,1,falstart-kampanii-trzaskowskiego-lada-chwila-ofensywa.read?src=mt -- A SCENARIO OF A PRESIDENCY MORE INDEPENDENT THAN IN THE LAST 5 YEARS CAN BE IMAGINED - DR. SŁAWOMIR SOWIŃSKI IN AN INTERVIEW WITH JACEK GĄDKA IN GAZETA.PL: “This is also why a scenario of a presidency more independent than in the first 5 years can be imagined. A president who will be a reviewer of the government and their own political base at least to the same extent as the late President Lech Kaczyński was. Let me just remind you that he managed to sign the Treaty of Lisbon. Andrzej Duda might follow in the footsteps of his teacher and patron.” -- I SEE A DESIRE TO REPRESENT POLAND BEYOND BIG CITIES, DUDA IS COMMITTED TO THIS VISION OF PIS - SOWIŃSKI CONTINUES: “I see a desire to represent Poland beyond big cities. Let me repeat, the president is an intellectual from Krakow, and in the 19th-century founding myth of the Polish intelligentsia, there was a concept of reaching out to the people, leading them, and serving them. An intellectual had duties towards ordinary people. I have the impression that President Duda understands his mission in this way. And, in my opinion, this will guide him towards the core of the ruling camp. As long as PiS carries the slogan of restoring dignity to Poland beyond the big cities, Andrzej Duda will be committed to this mission. This will simultaneously significantly limit his political independence. Therefore, if I were to predict one of these two scenarios – an independent presidency or one supporting PiS – I would predict a presidency that favors the 'good change' camp.” -- WITH TRZASKOWSKI IN THE PALACE, PIS WOULD TRY TO OBTAIN A 3/5 MAJORITY IN EARLY ELECTIONS - SOWIŃSKI CONTINUES: “If Rafał Trzaskowski were to become president, there would certainly be a major reckoning throughout the United Right camp, bordering on a political earthquake. Critics of Minister Gowin would likely accuse him of toppling the right-wing government by preventing the May elections. The question would arise whether it is even possible to govern with Trzaskowski as president. In that case, a scenario of early parliamentary elections is probable, in which PiS would make a dramatic attempt to gain a majority that could override a presidential veto.” https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114884,26093515,prof-sowinski-duda-moze-pojsc-sladami-lecha-kaczynskiego.html -- FAKT PUBLISHES EXCERPTS OF SENTENCES IN THE CASE OF A PERSON RELEASED FROM PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES BY PAD AND PRESENTS THE SENTENCE HEADINGS ALONGSIDE THE PRESIDENT'S PHOTO ON THE COVER: https://www.fakt.pl/wydarzenia/polska/prezydent-andrzej-duda-ulaskawil-pedofila-fakt-ujawnia-historie-czlowieka-ktory/fkblphp -- FAKT'S FRONT PAGE: HE HELD HIS DAUGHTER, HIT HER IN THE FACE, AND PUT HER HAND IN HER CROTCH - AND A PHOTO OF THE PRESIDENT NEXT TO IT: https://www.egazety.pl/axel-springer/e-wydanie-fakt.html -- ADAM BIELAN COMMENTS ON FAKT'S COVER, APPEALING TO THE GERMAN AMBASSADOR TO REFRAIN FROM INTERVENING IN THE ELECTORAL PROCESS: https://300polityka.pl/live/2020/07/03/ -- FAKT OPERATES NOT AS A MEDIUM, BUT AS A POLITICAL FACTOR - JACEK KARNOWSKI: “But the media of the Third Polish Republic are not bothered by the truth. 'Fakt,' founded by Germans for Poles, attacks most fiercely. It lies crudely, asking from its cover how the president 'could have pardoned someone like that,' presenting drastic sentences from the trial. The president did not pardon the perpetrator of the crime. He removed one point of punishment, which leads – as we understand it – to the redress of wrongs suffered. So, in total, we have what we always have. A foreign, German-Swiss medium, which day by day pretends to be the voice of the ordinary Pole, even the voice of the people, resorts to actual manipulation and strikes at crucial moments of the campaign. It strikes so hard that it looks like an intervention in the electoral process, in the political process. It strikes in such a way as to change the choice of society, which is already becoming quite clear. It acts not as a medium, but as a political factor.” https://wpolityce.pl/media/507522-to-co-wyrabia-fakt-wyglada-na-zagraniczna-interwencje -- CONTROL OVER ELECTORATES HAS ITS LIMITS, THEY ARE NOT BAGS OF POTATOES - MICHAŁ KARNOWSKI: “I think that the voters of Konfederacja, apart from the most partisan ones, also do not understand this transformation. The power of party leaders over – I hate this word – electorates has its limits. This is not human trafficking, these are not bags of potatoes that can be moved around according to the decision of some Council. This choice is serious; it will have consequences. Bad choices are paid for dearly; good choices bring nations success. Therefore, I have a question for the voters of Konfederacja and Bosak: will you really let yourselves be convinced that Duda and Trzaskowski are 'all the same'?” https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/507369-wazne-zdjecie-i-pytanie-do-wyborcow-konfederacji-i-bosaka -- THE NARRATIVE THAT DUDA IS A DEFENDER OF PEDOPHILES IS AN ABUSE, PIS DID NOT REMAIN INDIFFERENT, TRUTH AND REASON ARE BEING SET ASIDE - MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI IN RZ: “The story is controversial, but creating a narrative that Duda is a defender of pedophiles appears to be an abuse. However, PiS did not remain indifferent and accused Rafał Trzaskowski of defending pedophiles, recalling his statement regarding the extradition request for Roman Polański. Truth and reason are being set aside when campaigning. However, it is worth reminding the strategists of both sides of one thing. The campaign will end. One candidate will win, the other will lose. But the divisions will remain. And the consequences of all the campaign's nastiness as well. Poland will not be a better place for it.” https://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/307029901-Szuldrzynski-Kampania-sie-skonczy-podzialy-zostana.html -- BOTH CANDIDATES TREAT THE MEDIA MARKET LIKE THEIR OWN ESTATE - ANDRZEJ GAJCY IN Onet: “The creators of true media dictatorship today are not editorial offices, but politicians themselves, who, like President Andrzej Duda or KO candidate Rafał Trzaskowski, treat the media market like their own estate. It is politicians who dictate the terms today, making the media hostages, behaving like a disease that slowly kills freedom of speech and democracy. The current election campaign shows in a nutshell how, for years, the two largest parties: PiS and PO have perceived the role of the media, trying as much as possible to herd them into one of the enclosures marked with their party logo. It is politicians who bear the greatest responsibility today for how the media function in Poland. It is political parties that impose their dictate on public opinion to the greatest extent, consciously financing 'their media' to then use them for their own political purposes. Woe betide those who offend the rulers too much, as could be observed a few years ago when, during the Civic Platform's rule, officers of the Internal Security Agency raided the editorial office of the weekly 'Wprost' based on a notification from the then Minister of the Interior. One must also mention the wiretapping of journalists at the government's request, which took place then and – what cannot be ruled out – may be happening today as well.” -- TRZASKOWSKI ALSO AVOIDED DEBATES ON ONET - GAJCY CONTINUES: “It was Rafał Trzaskowski, who immediately declared his participation in the debate proposed by private media, calling Duda a 'coward,' who in the 2018 local government campaign, when running for Mayor of Warsaw, blocked a debate on Onet with Patryk Jaki, who was then supported by the ruling coalition. Trzaskowski knew very well that as a favorite, he could lose a lot in such a confrontation, just as Andrzej Duda is doing today.” -- MEDIA BLACKLISTS IN BOTH CAMPAIGNS - GAJCY CONTINUES: “It is an open secret that the Presidential Palace maintains an informal 'blacklist' of media outlets and journalists who can expect no interviews with President Duda. It primarily includes those editorial offices and journalists who have not spared the head of state in recent years and who, with even one uncomfortable question, especially at the end of the campaign, could put the incumbent president in a difficult position. The campaign team and its spokesperson Adam Bielan, who is now Andrzej Duda's most important media advisor, cannot allow this. The media policy pursued by Rafał Trzaskowski's campaign team does not look any better. It is in vain to look for interviews where journalists speaking with the presidential contender ask him questions about the reprivatization affair in the capital and the responsibility of Civic Platform politicians for it, of which he is still vice-chairman. Most of them are hagiographies in major publications that have openly supported the opposition for a long time.” https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/tylko-w-onecie/andrzej-gajcy-dyktat-dudy-i-trzaskowskiego-media-zakladnikami-politykow-analiza/b9gq56v -- DUDA IS RUNNING A NO-FILTER CAMPAIGN, TRZASKOWSKI THE OPPOSITE - KATARYNA ON WP: “While Andrzej Duda is running his campaign under the slogan 'no filter,' Rafał Trzaskowski is quite the opposite. I have the impression that he already knows he doesn't want to be his 'pre- -' self, but he hasn't decided what he actually wants to be. And from simply being in opposition to his rival, it's hard to build a coherent and convincing image. Was Andrzej Duda at Trump's? I'll mock it, and then I'll arrange a meeting with Obama. Did I vote to raise the retirement age? I promise to block any future law that raises it. Didn't I send my son to Holy Communion? But I am a Catholic.” -- THE LONGER THE CAMPAIGN LASTS, THE LESS IS KNOWN ABOUT TRZASKOWSKI - KATARYNA CONTINUES: “While Andrzej Duda's campaign is a consistent confirmation of what his voters expect from him (and what the opposition fears in him), Rafał Trzaskowski's campaign is the opposite. The longer it lasts, the less is known about the candidate, apart from the fact that he is fluent in at least two foreign languages. And it is not even known whether this is a well-thought-out strategy or simply a lack of any idea for it.” -- TRZASKOWSKI STILL DOESN'T KNOW WHO HE IS - BETWEEN THE PRESIDENCY OF WARSAW WHEN HE MARCHED IN THE EQUALITY PARADE AND THE ESCAPING PRESIDENCY OF POLAND - KATARYNA CONTINUES: “Andrzej Duda decided to be himself, and in the most radical version, because he calculated that his iron PiS electorate and those he would win over at further rallies would be enough to win. Rafał Trzaskowski still doesn't know who he is – somewhere between being the president of Warsaw, during which he marched in the Equality Parade, and the presidency of Poland that is eluding him, where a week before the second round of elections, he still hasn't decided who he wants to be.” https://opinie.wp.pl/wybory-2020-kataryna-rafal-trzaskowski-rafal-trzaskowski-opinia-6527770959399616a -- IF YOU ARE FROM THE LEFT, THESE TWO WEEKS OF CAMPAIGNING WILL BE EXCEPTIONALLY DIFFICULT FOR YOU - MICHAŁ SUTOWSKI IN KRYTYKA: “And in general, if you are from the left, these two weeks of campaigning will be exceptionally difficult for you. Because of the results in the first round, the second round will be a festival of persuasion targeting Bosak and Hołownia's voters, which may be painful for many people with progressive views. Kaja Puto proposes a remedy: 'Regardless of the decision you make on July 12, dear leftists, if you haven't had an idea for when to take a vacation (if you have one), I recommend doing it now, before the second round. Leave your smartphones at home, take a train, hitchhike, set up a tent by the lake.' In short, take a break from politics. Just come back on time.” https://krytykapolityczna.pl/newsletter-kp/newsletter-kp-michal-sutowski-02-06-2020/ -- DUDA AND TRZASKOWSKI ARE AS IF SOMEONE HAD DEFROSTED THEM FROM A HIBERNATION THAT HAS LASTED SINCE THE TIMES OF THATCHER AND REAGAN - RAFAŁ WOŚ IN TP: “On the issue of taxes, presidential candidates Andrzej Duda and Rafał Trzaskowski are behaving as if someone has just defrosted them after years of hibernation lasting at least since the times of Thatcher and Reagan.” -- TAXES UNDER PIS HAVE HARDLY INCREASED - WOŚ CONTINUES: “Taxes under PiS have indeed increased. But they increased slightly. In 2015, their share of GDP was 33.8%. Today it is 35%. So we are talking about an increase of about one percentage point. This increase is primarily due to the bank tax introduced in 2016. A retail tax was supposed to be added to it. It was also passed in 2016, but its implementation was blocked by the European Commission. It mainly affected the interests of Western corporations that control the Polish large-scale retail market. After amendments, it was supposed to enter into force in 2020, but the coronavirus appeared, and the government again suspended the levy. However, this is where the list of major PiS taxes ends. And the remaining increases in levies are of a 'velvet' nature – they occur under the guise of, for example, increased fees for waste disposal or higher VAT rates on certain products. However, if someone were looking for insidious inventiveness from the ruling party here, then unfortunately... you've missed. Because their predecessors of PiS, led by Civic Platform, acted in exactly the same way. They preferred to operate with VAT rates because it did not require standing with an open visor to fight for higher taxes. That is why we talk about 'velvet' increases.” https://www.tygodnikpowszechny.pl/miedzy-nami-podatkofobami-163940 -- PHOTO. James Whistler, Nocturne in Blue and Silver – Venice Lagoon, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Whistler depicts the waters of Venice from a viewpoint familiar to tourists: with the Doge's Palace behind, we look south across the lagoon towards the island church of San Giorgio Maggiore on the right, and see the distant lights of the Lido. Though many painted this view, Whistler took an unconventional approach, showing the scene at night, using mist and darkness to convey its magic. His washes of diluted paint make the church's immense dome and tower seem dreamlike; the gondoliers in the foreground appear spectral. Only the lights twinkling on the horizon seem significant and real. The gleaming colours of Venice are reduced to an ethereal blue and greyish silver that seem to echo the city's elusive structure. In the background, the silhouette of San Giorgio Maggiore floats without substance, and distant lights streak the Lido across the horizon. Whistler captured Venice as the poet Lord Byron described it—a “dreamy city of the heart.” Mysterious Venice particularly suited Whistler’s style. He rejected meticulousness in rendering its image, preferring instead to paint mood and atmosphere, striving to express beauty in line, colour, and arrangement of his compositions. Fascinated by Japanese art, as were many of his contemporaries, Whistler showed a flattened picture space and subtle colour and shape arrangements. He compared his paintings to music, often calling them by specific musical forms, such as Nocturne, popularized by Frédéric Chopin; Symphony; Harmony; and Arrangement. -- BIRTHDAYS: Jerzy Buzek, Leszek Miller, Czesław Ryszka, Barbara Bartuś, Dorota Masłowska, Krzyś Pacewicz, Małgorzata Naukowicz.