-- 100 Years Ago, Wincenty Witos First Took Office as Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland, Heading the Government of National Defense Formed During the Bolshevik Invasion. -- ON THE CENTENARY OF WITOS'S GOVERNMENT, PRESIDENT DUDA RETURNS TO THE THEME OF POLITICAL AGREEMENT – we write on 300polityka.pl: On the anniversary of the formation of the Government of National Defense, the President will commence the celebrations of the centenary of the Battle of Warsaw. Together with representatives of all parliamentary clubs and circles, Andrzej Duda will lay flowers before the monument to Wincenty Witos and other fathers of independence. The culmination of today's celebrations is to be the naming of one of the rooms in the Belvedere Palace after the Government of National Defense of Wincenty Witos. https://300polityka.pl/live/2020/07/24/pad-w-rocznice-powolania-pierwszego-rzadu-witosa-symbolicznie-wraca-do-pomyslu-koalicji-polskich-spraw-i-inauguruje-obchody-stulecia-bitwy-warszawskiej/ -- FRANKFURTER RUNDSCHAU ON POLAND'S SUMMIT VICTORY: “The high art of diplomacy lies in not cheering too loudly as the true winner, so as not to offend anyone. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki conducted a near-perfect balancing act at the summit. 'We are the biggest beneficiaries of the entire package,' he stated factually, calculating that around 160 billion euros would flow into Poland from EU funds over the next seven years. The domestic audience was delighted. But in Brussels, no one felt provoked.” https://www.fr.de/politik/polen-gipfelsieger-trotz-massiver-rechtsstaatsmaengel-13840875.html -- PIS IS THE BIGGEST MISFORTUNE, BUT THE BRUSSELS SUMMIT WAS A GREAT SUCCESS FOR POLAND – LESZEK JAŻDŻEWSKI ON TWITTER: I consider PiS to be the greatest political misfortune of the Third Polish Republic. But let's be clear: the Brussels summit was a great success for Poland. -- CHANCELLOR SEBASTIAN KURZ COMPLEMENTED MORAWIECKI ON AUSTRIAN TV: “'During the negotiations, he presented a firm stance, but also established friendly, personal relationships,' Kurz said.” -- A JOURNALIST CHALLENGED KURZ, STATING MORAWIECKI HAD REASON TO BE SATISFIED AFTER THE SUMMIT: “The interviewer noted that, unlike the Austrian Chancellor, the Polish Prime Minister had reason to be satisfied because the issue of the rule of law had been 'effectively removed.' Meanwhile, 390 billion euros were granted as subsidies, whereas Austria's position was not to grant any subsidies, only loans.” https://www.fronda.pl/a/kanclerz-austrii-o-morawieckim-twardy-ale-przyjazny,147712.html -- ZIOBRO CONGRATULATES MORAWIECKI, WOŚ DENIES MINISTRY REDUCTIONS AND CONTRADICTS TERLECKI, KOSINIAK ON THE EXPANSION OF KOALICJA POLSKA – 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2020/07/24/#post-599059 -- THE CLUE TO LIBERAL DEMOCRACY: POWER SHOULD ONLY BE TRANSFERRED TO THOSE APPOINTED BY THE ELITES – BRONISŁAW WILDSTEIN ON SOCIAL MEDIA: “The presidential election result is a huge success for the Polish right-wing, and especially for Andrzej Duda. Mocking the groups who voted for him is mocking democracy. This is often done by people and circles who previously questioned the civic competence of Poles due to low voter turnout. Today, these same people are attacking this competence because of the 'wrong' choice. This is the core of liberal democracy: power should be transferred to those designated by the elites.” https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/510432-powyborcze-refleksje -- JAKUB BODZIONY WRITES IN KULTURA LIBERALNA ABOUT BUDKA'S SURPRISINGLY EUROSEPCITIC SPEECH: “Interestingly, already after the elections, positive signals towards the far-right again came from the Civic Coalition. Borys Budka, in a surprisingly eurosceptic speech, attacked Mateusz Morawiecki, claiming that the government had 'ceded a part of our sovereignty,' a point undoubtedly noted by 'colleagues from Konfederacja.' If Konfederacja members continue to successfully balance between the two main forces, the success from the presidential election could be just the beginning, not the end of their political journey.” -- IF BIEDROŃ WERE IN BOSAK'S PLACE, THE RUNOFF WOULD FOCUS ON TOLERANCE AND WELFARE STATE POSTULATES – BODZIONY FURTHER: “The moral outrage of the left regarding the Civic Coalition's courting of Konfederacja before the second round was surprising. Trying to win over the left-wing electorate, which had largely already voted for the Civic Coalition candidate, made no sense from Trzaskowski's perspective. If the Left wants its agenda to be the subject of competition among various groups, as is the case with Konfederacja, it needs to achieve better results. If Biedroń had been in Bosak's place in the first round, the electoral runoff would have focused on the postulates of tolerance and the welfare state, rather than a nationalistic-free market bidding war.” -- BODZIONY COMPLEMENTS MATYJA'S THESES ON THE LEFT AS REPRESENTATIVES OF PUBLIC SERVICE EMPLOYEES: “Meanwhile, the right-wing expects a simple declaration of support and accepts the electorate with all its advantages (and burdens!). Therefore, Rafał Matyja's proposal for the left to become a public services party, representing teachers, doctors, and civil servants, seems interesting. Adrian Zandberg's loud speech after the Prime Minister's exposé focused precisely on highlighting the significant neglect by PiS in this area. This is also a way to escape the pointless populism that involves searching for an imaginary left-wing electorate in provincial Poland. Its core, as experts have repeatedly emphasized, consists of liberal voters from large and medium-sized cities who care about a well-functioning state and concern for the poorer. A shift in this direction could mean a new opening for the left, while maintaining its own identity.” -- AUTHENTICITY AND ENTHUSIASM ON HOŁOWNIA'S SIDE, INSTITUTIONALISM ON PO'S SIDE – BODZIONY FURTHER: “Trzaskowski's movement currently has greater institutional and financial potential, as the Platform machinery stands behind him. The initiative of the Mayor of Warsaw is likely aimed at keeping his voters within the party's orbit. This will be a difficult task, as polls show that Trzaskowski's voters from the second round did not stay with PO but drifted to the formations of the candidates they originally chose, including Hołownia. Undoubtedly, Polska 2050 has greater post-election enthusiasm and authenticity on its side, both regarding the candidate and the 'Szymon's Team' volunteers. The problem is that enthusiasm and authenticity are very fleeting.” https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2020/07/24/konfederacja-lewica-polska-2050/ -- A POLITICIAN FROM TRZASKOWSKI'S CIRCLE AT OFF IN GAZETA.PL: “There are three years until the next elections. That's an eternity. If we put Rafał on our banners, PiS will go all out for three years to destroy and discredit him. He will become public enemy number one for PiS and TVP. I don't know if he's aware of this,' says someone from the Mayor of Warsaw's circle in an interview with Gazeta.pl.” -- TRZASKOWSKI MOBILIZES LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AROUND HIMSELF – ANOTHER STATEMENT AT OFF: “An entirely new battlefield is being generated for the coming months or years: the government and the president versus local governments. Previously, local government was not so united and did not have such a leader as Rafał, around whom it could politically coalesce.” -- WE NEED TO COAT HIM WITH TEFLON – ANOTHER STATEMENT: “They will systematically make Rafał disgusting to Poles. This must be factored into the political plan for the next three years, and we need to try to find a vaccine for it. We need to try to coat Rafał with Teflon. The question is: how to do it. For now, there is no clear idea, but everyone is aware that Rafał is material for a 'Teflon' politician.” https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114884,26154211,nadchodza-trudne-czasy-dla-trzaskowskiego-stanie-sie-wrogiem.html -- THE TAX SYSTEM SHOULD BE BASED ON DIRECT TAXES – PIOTR WÓJCIK IN KRYTYKA: “The new VAT matrix will somewhat simplify the tax system, lowering rates on some products while increasing them on others. However, it will not change the philosophy of the Polish tax system, which is based on the tax on goods and services. A harmful, unfair, and criminalizing tax.” -- THE DOMINANCE OF VAT, WHICH IS REGRESSIVE, IS UNFAIR – WÓJCIK FURTHER: “Why is this situation undesirable? For two main reasons. Firstly, VAT is by its nature a regressive tax. In other words, it burdens lower-income earners to a greater extent, while the wealthy do not feel it significantly. The less one earns, the larger a portion of income is spent on consumer goods, and if someone manages to save something, it's mainly to make a larger consumer purchase – also subject to VAT. As income increases, so do the opportunities for saving and investing accumulated assets. High incomes also allow for more frequent trips abroad and spending money outside the country. According to the report 'Who is Burdened by Taxes in Poland,' authored by Jakub Sawulski, VAT burdens 14% of the income of the poorest 10% of Poles. Meanwhile, VAT takes only 9% of the income of the richest 10% of citizens. Thus, proportionally, the poorest pay VAT at half the rate of the richest.” https://krytykapolityczna.pl/gospodarka/podatki-bezposrednie-vat_pis-piotr-wojcik/ -- JOANNA SOLSKA WRITES ABOUT THE LACK OF TRANSPARENCY IN PUBLIC FINANCES: “Finance Minister Tadeusz Kościński revealed that this year's deficit may reach PLN 100 billion. Meanwhile, experts estimate that state expenditures are two, or even two and a half times higher. The government is hiding them, using various tricks to formally not violate the constitution, which allows the state to be indebted only up to 60% of annual GDP.” https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/rynek/1964904,1,setki-miliardow-dziury-w-budzecie-panstwo-nie-wie-ile-wydaje.read -- EWA SIEDLECKA ON THE ISSUE OF THE CONSTITUTIONALITY OF THE ELECTIONS: “The issue of the legality of announcing the elections for June 28, at a date inconsistent with the constitution, remains. In a situation where the elections scheduled for May 10 did not take place, Sejm Marshal Elżbieta Witek should have waited until the end of Andrzej Duda's term – i.e., until August 6 – and ordered the vote after that date, taking over the president's duties herself until then. The Chamber of Extraordinary Control will have to address these arguments.” https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/kraj/1964916,1,wybory-prezydenckie-czas-osadzic-tysiace-protestow.read -- PLATFORMA WANTS TO CASH IN ON A LOST CAMPAIGN – KRZYSZTOF GAWKOWSKI IN AN INTERVIEW WITH IWONA SZPALA IN GAZETA WYBORCZA: “If citizens felt they were treated unfairly, that someone abused their rights, they could protest individually. I see no place for politicians, for parties. I don't know what Platforma is distancing itself from today, and in my opinion, it is trying to cash in, to gain political capital from its own lost campaign. After all, election protests number in the thousands, and Trzaskowski was hundreds of thousands of votes short of winning.” -- THIS IS NOT PLATFORMA'S 10 MILLION – GAWKOWSKI FURTHER: “– These are not Platforma's 10 million, but Szymon Hołownia's, PSL's, the Left's, and even Konfederacja's. I assure you that 10 million are not behind Trzaskowski, which is also evident from the polls. They show that the post-election landscape of the political scene has practically not changed. Parliamentary parties have maintained their standing; the Left is between 9 and 11 percent, the Peasants' Party – 5 to 7 percent, Konfederacja – 6 to 8, Civic Coalition – 25-26, PiS – around 40, and Hołownia, who announces his movement, has appeared in polls at the 10 percent level.” -- THESE ARE THE SAME FACES, THE LEFT WILL NOT JOIN THIS PROJECT – GAWKOWSKI FURTHER: “– I understand, but in perspective, the candidate's own project from PO will not differ from Platforma itself. The method is very simple. Rafał Trzaskowski wants to strengthen his party, give it a new image, and sell it as a new quality. And what will we find in the background? The same faces, the entire election staff, the entire party leadership. The Left will certainly not join this project.” -- PLATFORMA IS PLAYING WITH MARKED CARDS – GAWKOWSKI FURTHER: “However, there are many of us in the Sejm on the opposition, and each formation has the right to maintain its identity. Ours is the separation of church and state, rights for LGBT individuals, liberalization of abortion law, but also social issues such as higher wages, elimination of precarious contracts, or dignified pensions. We are often criticized by PO for social issues, always when we vote with PiS. They believe we shouldn't vote with PiS. This was the case, for example, with the crisis shields, which had provisions consistent with our program. We supported PiS amendments, and what did we hear from the PO benches? 'Get out of the bar.' It's hard to talk about trust if Platforma is playing with marked cards. They do not acknowledge that for us, defending democracy does not automatically mean being anti-PiS. The Left will not be a total opposition, and I warn my colleagues from Platforma that in this term, we will vote with PiS on matters that support Poles and are consistent with the Left's program.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,26153607,krzysztof-gawkowksi-lewica-nie-da-sie-zwasalizowac-padna-nieprzyjemne.html -- CBA DID NOT CONDUCT OPERATIONAL MONITORING OF NOWAK DURING THE CAMPAIGN – GRAŻYNA ZAWAŁDZKA AND IZABELA KACPRZAK IN RZECZPOSPOLITA: “Out of 70 volumes of case files concerning an organized criminal group allegedly led by former Minister of Transport Sławomir Nowak, as many as 40 volumes are classified – these are transcripts of CBA wiretaps. Unofficial sources of 'Rzeczpospolita' say that Sławomir Nowak was to be arrested before the elections. However, this decision was withdrawn due to concerns about the politicization of the case during the election campaign. Only now have charges been brought against him for accepting bribes worth PLN 3.1 million.” https://www.rp.pl/Sadownictwo/307239925-Nowak-nie-byl-podsluchiwany-podczas-kampanii-wyborczej.html -- PHOTO: Before the Storm, Isaac Levitan Levitan's first exhibition noticed by the press was in 1877. Two years later, in May 1879, due to a wave of anti-Jewish pogroms in Russia, he was forced to move to the suburban settlement of Saltykovka (Салтыковка) near Moscow, but soon, under public pressure and in recognition of his work, he was allowed to return. In 1880, his painting "Autumn Day. Sokolniki" was purchased by the renowned art collector and philanthropist Pavel Tretyakov, founder of the Tretyakov Gallery. After Levitan's death, the painting was described by the artist's brother as a sketch. However, a careful viewer can see in this composition a completely finished work, completed according to plan. Levitan creates the impression of light and air currents swirling above the ground. Later, Nicholas Roerich used a similar motif – a huge cloud over a plain – lending it philosophical resonance and a symbolist interpretation of form. Levitan transformed this motif into a form of deep understanding of nature and the laws of interaction of all its elements. -- BIRTHDAYS: Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski, Katarzyna Lubnauer, Justyna Sieklucka, Władysław Serafin.