-- THE PRIME MINISTER RECALLS HARMFUL COHABITATIONS, TRZASKOWSKI ON PIS LIQUIDATING INDEPENDENT MEDIA, LESZCZYNA ON TRZASKOWSKI'S PROMISES HORIZON SPANNING 56 YEARS - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2020/07/08/ -- WE ASSUMED TRZASKOWSKI WOULD COME - UNOFFICIAL TVP OFFICIAL IN ANDRZEJ STANKIEWICZ'S Onet CONVERSATION: “Until the last moment, we assumed Trzaskowski would come. That he would want to surprise us. Yes, he would be on enemy territory. But he would have an opportunity to show character and gain a few points,” says our TVP interviewee. “He would have, in total, half an hour of free speech, which millions of people would watch.” -- KURSKI BLOCKS JOINT DEBATE - STANKIEWICZ CONTINUES: “According to Onet's information, nothing will come of such a debate. Jacek Kurski, head of TVP, does not want to agree to a debate with other television stations. 'We cannot agree to a debate over which we have no control. This could harm Duda. It's unknown how he would fare in such a confrontation,' an influential TVP representative responsible for political programs tells Onet directly. We have also confirmed information about Kurski's opposition in private television stations.” https://www.onet.pl/informacje/onetwiadomosci/wybory-prezydenckie-nie-bedzie-debaty-miedzy-duda-a-trzaskowskim/zw8ykz0,79cfc278 -- GIVING UP WARSAW MONOPOLIES IS TRIBUTE PAID FOR AN INVITATION TO THE BILDERBERG GROUP AND A PAT ON THE BACK - JACEK KARNOWSKI: “For what purpose are monopolies – on which one cannot lose – given away, not only into private but also foreign hands? What is the point of such actions? Well, the point is very simple. It is simply tribute paid for subservience. Tribute paid for a pat on the back, or for an invitation to a Bilderberg Group meeting, or something similar. Yes, this is a form of taxation that the center imposes on its subservient peripheries. Or the strong on the weak, on the submissive, on the intimidated, incapable of resistance, terrified by the thought of criticism in Western media, or even by the prospect of a lack of praise. If Rafał Trzaskowski wins the election – and it will be a moment when the Third Polish Republic gains momentum – we will again start paying tribute at the state level as well. Because we have already paid it, for example, by accepting what are likely the highest gas prices in Europe. Prices that surprised even the Russians.” -- THIS USED TO BE CALLED TRIBUTE - KARNOWSKI CONTINUES: “Independence, sovereignty, if pursued wisely and consistently, pay off. For subservience, submission, and micromanagement, a high price is paid. Once, it was the price of blood, paid in the armies of partitioning powers, sending Poles against each other. Now, it is primarily a financial tribute, once called tribute.” https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/508257-stolica-juz-placi-haracze-protektorom-polske-tez-to-czeka -- THE AUTHORS OF MANIPULATION HAVE GONE TOO FAR TO TURN BACK - MICHAŁ KARNOWSKI: “Yes, the dirtiest possible resources were used in this campaign against President Duda, reaching for manipulation known from the repertoire of totalitarian political propaganda. This has consequences. The authors of these provocations have already gone too far to turn back. They have bet everything on one card, destroying the remnants of their own reputation as publishers, demolishing before the eyes of millions of Poles the myth they themselves cultivated about their exclusively journalistic and business mission. They also showed how orchestrated the media they own are. They also decided that they could risk the journalistic teams (especially the daily newspaper, which had even become somewhat more pluralistic recently) being burned in the eyes of public opinion – I assess that they are victims of some terrible pressure from above, that they were forced into such vulgar actions. This is my opinion.” -- THEY MUST STRIKE QUICKLY WITH A NEW FABRICATED SCANDAL, BY TOMORROW MORNING AT THE LATEST - KARNOWSKI CONTINUES: “There are three days left until the election silence. For another such fabricated 'scandal' to influence the election results, they must strike quickly. In reality, today, Wednesday, tomorrow morning at the latest.” https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/508273-niemiecki-kapital-uderzy-w-andrzeja-dude-po-raz-trzeci -- IN RACIĄŻ TRZASKOWSKI RECEIVED 9% - WHAT DOES THIS SAY ABOUT THE LOCAL MENTALITY, A MAYOR ASSOCIATED WITH PLATFORMA - MARIUSZ GODLEWSKI IN CONVERSATION WITH MARCIN WYRWAŁ ON ONET: “Today, people associate PSL with a group of aging gentlemen with little influence on reality. Just go to a meeting of this party in the field to see that there are no young people there. The average age is over 60. Meanwhile, PiS has extremely active and effective people.” -- THE MAYOR OF RACIĄŻ ASSOCIATED WITH PLATFORMA ON 500+: “Although I am the mayor from an independent local committee, I am also associated with PO and have supported this concept since its inception. I didn't understand why there was such resistance to it in Platform. It was a very good idea. Even before it was implemented, many single mothers with children came to me who genuinely had nothing to live on and had no chance of finding work, as there is high unemployment in these regions. You can call this benefit bribing voters or propaganda, but the truth is that 500 zlotys solved many life problems for people.” -- MAYOR GODLEWSKI REBUTS ACCUSATIONS THAT 500+ DISCOURAGES WOMEN FROM WORKING: “In my opinion, the opposite happened. When it was introduced, many young women came to us asking for work because, thanks to this money, they felt stable. It's like in Maslow's hierarchy: 500+ satisfied their basic needs, so they could take the next step.” https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/tylko-w-onecie/wybory-2020-burmistrz-raciaza-wyjasnia-dlaczego-w-malych-osrodkach-przegrywa/ktvjlb9 -- HOŁOWNIA HAS DISAPPOINTED AT LEAST SOME OF HIS VOTERS - KAROLINA OLEJAK IN THE JAGELLONIAN CLUB: “Szymon Hołownia has disappointed at least some of his voters. His campaign was a promise to cool down the escalating PO-PiS conflict. For many months, this independent presidential candidate convinced his supporters that politics based on positive postulates was possible. He mobilized voters who had previously preferred to opt out of the unproductive, duopolistic dispute. Hołownia's actual engagement in Trzaskowski's campaign a few days after the first round is a direct path to once again excluding for a long time from the debate those who do not find themselves in such a heated dispute and therefore shy away from politics. I fear that this move ridicules the vision of conducting politics based on a positive proposal.” -- HE ADDED A BRICK TO THE DUOPOLY - OLEJAK CONTINUES: “By declaring support for the candidate of a party that has been one of the two pillars of the duopoly for over a decade, Hołownia has added a brick to solidifying the Polish political scene for years to come. No other candidate participating in the first round of elections decided on such a clear declaration of support as the one who took the need to prove that something other than PO and PiS exists under his banner.” https://klubjagiellonski.pl/2020/07/07/trzy-postulaty-holowni-ktore-uniewaznilo-wsparcie-trzaskowskiego/ -- YOU JUST NEED TO LOOK AT KACZYŃSKI TO KNOW WHAT HE THINKS OF DUDA - THE REAL PRESIDENT WAS MY BROTHER - AGATA KONDZIŃSKA AND IWONA SZPALA IN GW: “– The relationship between the party leader and the president? – a PiS politician thinks for only a moment: – There is simple political calculation there, nothing more. Kaczyński knows he needs a president who will sign what is needed. You just have to look at Jarosław Kaczyński to see what he doesn't say out loud: 'The real president was my brother Lech Kaczyński; you, Andrzej, will never come close to that format' – emphasizes our interviewee.” -- KACZYŃSKI VIEWS DUDA AS A PROVINCIAL, CRUDE-POPULIST PRESIDENT - GW AUTHORS CONTINUE: “According to our sources from the camp of power, the PiS leader is a seasoned player. He knows that big words directed at the head of state cost him nothing. – Therefore, he will occasionally say, especially during the campaign, that Andrzej Duda is the leader of the 'good change.' But he knows that Duda's presidency is provincial, and he is a crude-populist president – they say.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,26107488,prezydentura-dudy-jest-powiatowa-co-jaroslaw-kaczynski-mysli.html -- IF THERE IS RE-ELECTION, THERE WILL BE DEPARTURES FROM THE PALACE - GW AUTHORS: “If Andrzej Duda wins the election, the Presidential Chancellery will change. There are ministers who want a new and well-paid job, but Nowogrodzka has issued a ban: no one leaves until the elections are over.” -- SZCZERSKI DREAMS OF A THINK TANK - GW CONTINUES: “Because the current head of the cabinet, Krzysztof Szczerski, minister for foreign policy, has been thinking about changes for a long time. Associated with the Krakow faction, he has ambitious plans: an important position in Europe. It didn't work out once before – with the position of Deputy Secretary General of NATO. – Now there are dreams of a well-paid European think tank – we hear.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,26107471,frakcja-krakowska-walczy-z-pomorska-kto-jest-kim-w-palacu-prezydenckim.html -- MACIEJ MARTYNIUK IN LIBERTE ON TRAPPING PIS VOTERS IN A SIEGE FORTRESS: “In this situation, we must ask ourselves whether the approach taken by opposition media towards people supporting Andrzej Duda in the first round is correct? Shouldn't we rather pay attention to the terrible situation many of these people are in, and how much opposition media need a soft policy towards moderate voters who, on the one hand, are shamelessly lied to, and on the other, are insulted? The matter, despite Tomasz Lis's optimism, is serious, because by precluding the chances of reconciliation with eight million people, not all of whom are radicals, Poland will certainly not win. Let us remember that it is not easy to break free from a besieged fortress, especially if no voice of reconciliation is heard from outside it. And the world will not end with these presidential elections – in 2023, a government will have to be formed that will also be supported by former PiS voters. Is it really worth discarding them now and hoping for a miracle in three years?” https://liberte.pl/na-pogardzie-nic-nie-zyskamy/ -- GALOPUJĄCY MAJOR ON THE SCENARIO WITH COMMISSIONER ŚPIEWAK IN WARSAW IN CASE OF TRZASKOWSKI'S SUCCESS: “In the case of Trzaskowski, the elections in Warsaw will be the first to go, of course. But before they take place, Warsaw will get an election commissioner from PiS. And not from ordinary PiS, but from PiS breathing with the desire for revenge for defeat. I wouldn't be surprised if Jan Śpiewak became such a commissioner. No, not because Śpiewak has some alliance with PiS, after all, he is also litigating with PiS members involved in reprivatization. But because nothing will infuriate Platform more than Commissioner Śpiewak with access to all documents and secrets of the capital's city hall.” -- MAJOR ON THE SCENARIO OF THE LEFT'S REVENGE IN WARSAW: “The expression on the faces of Warsaw politicians upon hearing that Śpiewak is getting the keys would be worthy of a good scene watched with hot popcorn. Even if it weren't Śpiewak, it's hard to imagine PiS not playing with documents and revealing them. And this is plus number 1 for the Left. Of course, the elections for the mayor of Warsaw would be crucial. If PO nominated a non-partisan candidate, liked in Warsaw, then it would likely be over. But they are unlikely to be capable of that, so they will nominate a party loyalist. And then one can fight for the capital, if not with their own Zandberg, then e.g., with a joint candidate with Hołownia, for whom successes in PO would not be to his liking. Taking at least some power in the capital would give the left agency, which would show that a different policy is truly possible. In the worst case, even with a loss, a relatively high election result e.g., for Zandberg would wash away Biedroń's nightmarish result. In a word: the left would get another chance.” https://krytykapolityczna.pl/felietony/galopujacy-major/galopujacy-major-co-wygrana-trzaskowskiego-moze-dac-lewicy/ -- WHERE TWO FIGHT, BOSAK BENEFITS - KATARYNA ON WP: “The disservice of supporters, pardoning a pedophile, a surprising evolution of views – this entire election campaign is rather marked by spectacular blunders than successful moves. No wonder, then, that where two fight, there Bosak benefits. So if I were to name the winner of the campaign before the second round of elections, it would be precisely Krzysztof Bosak, who has never heard so many flattering words about himself in his life as he does now. And although – contrary to what both candidates probably think of him – he is not for sale for a few cheap compliments, he must be enjoying wild satisfaction now watching the overtures of Trzaskowski, whose circle wanted to delegalize him, and Duda, whose circle wanted to destroy him.” -- KATARYNA ON THE FUTILE EFFORTS OF ENGAGED MEDIA: “The other side also displays similar overzealousness. Rumors about the president's family's private affairs are already circulating on Twitter – although fortunately not very 'gripping.' I wouldn't be surprised if they were skillfully inserted into the mainstream at the end of the campaign, for example, with an article titled 'We Deny the Vile Rumors Circulating Online.' If this happens, and it's the rumors I've already read, their reception will likely be similar to when 'Newsweek' found Jewish roots for the first lady. For now, 'Gazeta Wyborcza' has already sent out a special issue to millions of copies, reminding of scandalous rumors about the president himself and suggesting that the first lady used the 18,000 zloty scarves purchased as gifts for presidential guests. They do care.” https://opinie.wp.pl/wybory-2020-kataryna-kampania-wpadek-duda-i-trzaskowski-stali-sie-zakladnikami-opinia-6529597156506336a -- WILL KOŃSKIE BECOME A SYMBOL OF A PLACE WHERE ONE LOSES? - JACEK NIZINKIEWICZ IN RZ: “Końskie is a beautiful town, but it is unlikely to be associated with a presidential debate, because we did not witness one. And Andrzej Duda's anti-vaccination statement might make Końskie a symbol of a place where elections are lost, not won. Because this 'debate' certainly did not help the head of state.” https://www.rp.pl/Wybory-prezydenckie-2020/200709541-Jak-wygladala-debata-TVP-w-Konskich.html -- SYMMETRICAL TREATMENT OF BOTH CANDIDATES IS A GESTURE OF PILATE - ALEKSANDER HALL ON RZ OPINIONS: “Rafał Trzaskowski holds liberal views on worldview and customs issues. However, his campaign declarations do not at all indicate that he intends to impose such views on the majority of Poles. He has no such intention, and even if he did, he knows very well that in the current parliamentary arrangement, this would be completely impossible. He considers defending democracy and the rule of law to be the most important task of his presidency. Among the challenges facing Poland, this is indeed the most important one now, and the president has the constitutional powers to effectively undertake it. Political leaders and individuals enjoying social authority who treat both candidates symmetrically before the second round of elections will make a grave mistake. This would be a gesture of Pilate. After all, one cannot ignore the most important stake of these elections. It is the fate of Polish democracy.” https://www.rp.pl/Rzecz-o-polityce/200709538-Aleksander-Hall-Teraz-umyc-rak-jak-Pilat-nie-wolno.html -- I'M WITHDRAWING FROM THIS CHILDISHNESS - ŁUKASZ WARZECHA IN RZ: “So they are feeding them promises and declarations that even a moderately intelligent high school student should know are impossible to fulfill, and just a month earlier, these same people were saying something completely different. The symbol of this campaign for me will remain the image, in the Monty Python spirit, of Minister Sebastian Kalecki tenderly embraced on the stairs of the 'Czajka' sewage treatment plant by Sławomir Nitras. That is, in the photo, it looks like a tender embrace, but when you read the accounts of this event in pro-government or anti-government media, it turns out that a war of civilizations, almost a battle on the fields of Armageddon, actually took place on these stairs. Either angel Kalecki was captured by demon Nitras – or vice versa: demon Kalecki was stopped by angel Nitras. I'm withdrawing from this childishness.” https://www.rp.pl/Rzecz-o-polityce/200709539-Lukasz-Warzecha-Armagedon-na-schodach-Czajki.html -- THIS CAMPAIGN IS A RACE OF ABSURDITIES - WOJCIECH TEISTER IN GOŚĆ NIEDZIELNY: “Promises of costs of PLN 40 billion from a candidate accusing PiS of bribing voters with social benefits and ruining state finances, and on the other hand, a ban on adoptions for couples who do not legally exist in Poland – this is just the tip of the iceberg.” https://www.gosc.pl/doc/6396222.Kampanijny-wyscig-na-absurdy **Saint Catherine – a work by Caravaggio painted around 1598, Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum – a Spanish art museum located in Madrid.** *This is one of the Italian artist's first religious-themed paintings. The commission came from the Roman Cardinal Francesco Maria Bourbon del Monte. It is currently held in the collection of the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid. The painting is an early example of the use of tenebrism – a variant of chiaroscuro, one of the characteristic features of early Baroque Italian painting.* It is an oil painting on canvas measuring 173 × 133 cm. It depicts Saint Catherine of Alexandria, shown here as a young redhead with large brown eyes and full lips. Her delicate face expresses inner peace. The woman is depicted in a dynamic pose typical of the early Baroque period. The saint kneels, leaning slightly on a wooden wheel with a broken rim that has spikes on top. Her left leg rests on an orange cushion, on which lies the palm of martyrdom. In her right hand, she holds a sword – the instrument of her martyrdom. She is dressed in white robes and an elegant dark brown strapless dress with numerous decorative applications. The saint is depicted against a dark brown background, slightly illuminated on the left side. This is an example of Caravaggio's earlier work, in which the painter emphasizes the observation of light. The chiaroscuro effect takes on a sublime form here – the light and shadow modeling, specific to this phase, was achieved not only through the oblique direction of light but also through the theatrical posing of the saint; the woman turns her face to the right, while her gaze is directed in the opposite direction. Furthermore, the contrasts between light and shadow are highly varied. The painter uses numerous diagonals; the saint's arms drop heavily downwards, to the left, the palm has a similar arrangement, while the sword is placed perpendicularly to the palm. Catherine of Alexandria, one of the Virgin Saints, was known for her exceptional beauty and wisdom, which she demonstrated in disputations. She lived in the 3rd century AD during the last wave of Christian persecutions before the Edict of Milan. Roman Emperor Maxentius sentenced Catherine to death by breaking her on the wheel. The saint survived this execution, so it was decided to behead her with a sword. -- 10 YEARS AGO, President-elect Bronisław Komorowski resigned from his parliamentary mandate and the position of Marshal of the Sejm, thus ceasing to perform the duties of the President of the Republic of Poland, which were filled for several hours by the Marshal of the Senate Bogdan Borusewicz, and in the evening, by operation of the Constitution, the duties of the head of state were taken over by the newly elected Marshal of the Sejm Grzegorz Schetyna. -- BIRTHDAYS: Stanisław Koziej, Paweł Pudłowski.