-- MULLER ON NEW FORM OF RESTRICTIONS, SZUMOWSKI ON REGIONALIZATION AND SCHOOLS, SUPREME COURT ON ELECTION VALIDITY - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2020/08/03/ -- A FLOOD OF MEETINGS DEFEATED VICIOUS PROPAGANDA AND DECEPTION POURED FROM THE MEDIA OF THE THIRD REPUBLIC - PRIME MINISTER MATEUSZ MORAWIECKI IN AN INTERVIEW WITH JACEK KARNOWSKI IN SIEĆCI: “I am very pleased that our explanations reached ten and a half million people. Despite the huge imbalance of power in the media sphere. Even greater satisfaction comes from the fact that these thousands of meetings held by our MPs and activists, for whom I would like to express my sincere gratitude for this great effort, have yielded results. We managed to reach every district, every municipality. This large number of meetings defeated the vicious propaganda and deception that poured from the media of the Third Republic. Andrzej Duda's victory would not have been possible without the political effort and party management by Jarosław Kaczyński. So, many factors contributed to this. I would summarize it briefly like this: to win against all odds. This victory will be described as a great triumph in a few years. -- WOULD THE PRESIDENT'S WIN HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE IF WE HAD NOT DEVELOPED THE SHIELD TOGETHER WITH THE PRESIDENT AND MANAGED THE FIRST WAVE OF THE PANDEMIC? - THE PRIME MINISTER CONTINUES: “Two powerful waves clashed. On one hand, the wave created by Rafał Trzaskowski, which we ultimately managed to undercut, and on the other hand, our narrative, the essence of which was to convince that our policy made sense and continues to make sense, that it is worth continuing, because a fairer distribution of the fruits of development actually translates into a decent daily life for millions of Polish families. I will ask rhetorically: would President Andrzej Duda's victory have been possible if we had not jointly developed the Financial and Anti-Crisis Shield with the President and coped with the first wave of the Covid-19 epidemic? -- NOW WE CANNOT FALL ASLEEP, THE CORONAVIRUS HAS NOT ENDED - MORAWIECKI CONTINUES: “And the author of these victories, Jarosław Kaczyński, knows this best. Truly difficult times await us. These will be enormous challenges, of a scale not known for a long time. The economic crisis that the world is struggling with is just beginning. The simultaneous blow to demand, supply, and liquidity is unprecedented. We in Poland do not fully realize the changes that are coming in the global economy. So far, we have dealt with threats very well, perhaps so well that it has lulled us a bit. And now we also cannot fall asleep. The coronavirus has not ended yet either.” -- IF WE DON'T GRAB THE REINS, WE WON'T MOVE FORWARD, WINNING IN 2023 WILL BE VERY DIFFICULT - THE PRIME MINISTER CONTINUES: “Today we see many inefficiencies, both in local governments and within our own structures, there's no hiding it. If we don't make changes, if we don't grab the reins, if we don't move forward, winning in 2023 will be very difficult. Perhaps without the necessary changes, it will no longer be possible. That is why there are no holidays for the United Right camp; working groups have been active for several days, preparing proposals for changes, changes of great dynamism.” -- DIGITIZE OR DIE - THE PRIME MINISTER CONTINUES IN SIEĆCI: “Aspirations in this area are growing rapidly, we must respond quickly and effectively. One of my comrades-in-arms during Solidarity recently said, 'Digitize or die.' I dream of a Poland where a citizen can handle all the most important official matters while sitting with a cup of coffee in front of a computer.” -- WE CAN WIN WHILE HAVING THE MAJORITY OF THE MEDIA FRONT AGAINST US - MORAWIECKI CONTINUES: “The United Right camp has won its seventh election in a row, which shows that it can win in a situation where it has a huge majority of the media front against it. This is because our political camp decidedly goes beyond the framework of the Third Polish Republic.” -- A CERTAIN WORLD WAS ESTABLISHED, BUT WE SHOWED THAT IT CAN BE DONE DIFFERENTLY, THE DISTRIBUTION OF PRESTIGE AND SOCIAL RESPECT IS DIFFERENT - THE PRIME MINISTER CONTINUES IN SIEĆCI: “For over twenty years, a certain world was established, and we said that we want to do many things differently. The distribution of the fruits of economic growth, the distribution of prestige and social respect is different. And we did it. Moreover, it was appreciated, because Andrzej Duda received more votes than any other politician since 1990.” -- MEDIA IMBALANCE IS OUTRAGEOUS - THE PRIME MINISTER CONTINUES: “No, because the media imbalance is outrageous. A huge part of Polish society is insulted by prominent representatives of the elite, called 'rabble' or 'hicks,' and at the same time lacks adequate media representation for its scale. And that's not right. This is a legacy of the Third Republic. Overall, this is a matter that requires serious consideration.” -- THE PRIME MINISTER ON A SOLUTION THAT CAN BE CALLED THE POLISH PROTOCOL TO THE CONTROVERSIAL CONVENTION: “Our dilemma concerns whether to completely leave the table at which this discussion is taking place, or to choose a less radical solution. So we opted for a solution that can be conventionally called the 'Polish Protocol,' meaning we do not apply ideological interpretations to the convention's provisions, while simultaneously referring it to the Constitutional Tribunal. At the same time, we do not want anyone, either in Poland or in the world, to think for even a moment that the Polish government will allow a reduction in the standards of care for victims. We do not want to be in the category of states that includes Muslim countries, which are most reluctant towards this convention, while simultaneously applying Sharia law.” -- THE POLISH OPPOSITION BEHAVED LIKE OPPONENTS OF POLAND AT THE EU TABLE - MORAWIECKI CONTINUES: “Ultimately, it gets through, repeating it in various ways finally reaches the addressees. And that is why countries like Austria or Denmark, which contribute a lot, are also winners. However, I am primarily happy that Poland has achieved its most important goals. Even though – and I say this with great sadness – the Polish opposition behaved like opponents of Poland at the negotiating table.” -- THE PRIME MINISTER ON THE THREAT OF BILATERAL AGREEMENTS IN BRUSSELS: “Moreover, let's also say openly what was on the table alongside the agreement we brought back. What was the real alternative. Well, there was a desire for 25 countries to reach an agreement – to agree among themselves on the basis of an international treaty, bypassing Poland and Hungary. There was no shortage of those willing to make such a move; there would have been 50 billion euros more to distribute, from the European Recovery Fund alone. They could also have halved the Multiannual Financial Framework budget, added half a trillion to the recovery fund, and also divided it among themselves. We would have received a fraction of what we have now. It really wasn't easy, but we aimed to secure concrete positive outcomes for Poland. And we did. If we had only been interested in nice photos with leaders, as was the case before 2015 – this summit would have ended within 24 hours, but with meager conclusions for Poland.” -- THE VETO IS NOT A TOOL THAT SOLVES ANYTHING - "WE'LL SHOOT OURSELVES IN THE HEAD" - THE PRIME MINISTER CONTINUES IN AN INTERVIEW WITH KARNOWSKI: “We were aware of the stakes, but it must also be said that the European Union does not operate in such a way that a veto is a tool that actually solves anything. I want to emphasize again – if we had not reached an agreement, there was a solution on the table where the remaining countries would agree among themselves, and we would be left with almost nothing, both in terms of the rule of law and funds. Yes, we had a veto, but its true meaning is as follows: 'Ladies and gentlemen, if we do not reach an acceptable agreement, we will shoot ourselves in the head.' This was our only weapon. It would be somewhat unpleasant, but at the end of the day, they would tell us: okay, do it, since you insist. We'll divide the funds without you.” -- THE PRIME MINISTER ON THE BACKSTAGE OF THE SUMMIT AND TALKS WITH LEADERS: “The leftist-liberal European establishment does not favor Prime Minister Orban and me, to put it mildly. But in the specific conditions of the summit, it looks completely different. One can quote Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who, commenting on our negotiations, said: tough in negotiations and friendly in relations. One must establish contacts to persuade and attract others. At the end of the day, Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel, Ursula von der Leyen, and Charles Michel said: let's agree within the existing framework, these boundary conditions. And they helped reach a compromise. That's how these four days and four nights looked.” -- THE PRIME MINISTER ON THE ENERGY REVOLUTION: “We want to save as many jobs as possible in the energy sector, while simultaneously taking on the challenge of the energy revolution. We must be part of it, utilizing the great engineering and design potential accumulated in Upper Silesia.” -- WE WILL DEFEND COAL - THE PRIME MINISTER CONTINUES: “We will defend coal as long as Polish interests dictate. I can guarantee that.” https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/511781-tylko-w-nowym-sieci-wielowatkowy-wywiad-z-morawieckim -- DGP ON THE CONSIDERED "POLISH PROTOCOL" TO THE CONVENTION: “Therefore, two additional solutions are being considered by the government. First, finding allies within the EU and preparing a convention on family law. The second idea is to submit an additional interpretative protocol to the Istanbul Convention.” https://wiadomosci.dziennik.pl/polityka/artykuly/7788645,marian-banas-nik-specgrupa-nieprawidlowosci-pancerny-marian-rzad-pis-najwyzsza-izba-kontroli-poslowie-polityka.html -- NO NEED TO DEFEND THE PRIME MINISTER FROM ATTACKS, HE HANDLES HIMSELF EXCELLENTLY, ACHIEVES SUCCESSES, HE IS THE MOST POWERFUL FIGURE IN THE UNITED RIGHT AFTER PRESIDENT KACZYŃSKI - MICHAŁ KARNOWSKI: “The goal of this entire operation is not to defend Prime Minister Morawiecki from any attack, because this politician handles himself excellently, achieves successes, and is today the most powerful person in the United Right after Jarosław Kaczyński. The goal is what it always is: to break up the camp by igniting distrust, spreading rumors. They are doing this, the same people who previously tried to break it up by supporting Jarosław Gowin's crazy ventures towards PSL, and at a critical moment. Back then, however, it was described as a beautiful, wise, supremely democratic action. Then, too, pacts with opponents were painted as 'legitimate building of communication channels.' Today, these same voices, these same pens, paint Zbigniew Ziobro in devilish colors for being Zbigniew Ziobro and speaking as Zbigniew Ziobro has always spoken.” -- THE FALL OF ONE ELEMENT WILL RUIN EVERYTHING - MICHAŁ KARNOWSKI CONTINUES ON THE SITUATION OF THE UNITED RIGHT: “Every participant in the United Right camp should repeat to themselves daily with humility that this is a government possessing only a fraction of the resources of the Third Republic camp, that these victories are possible thanks to the decisive leadership of Jarosław Kaczyński and the unity of all participants and the commitment of many thousands of patriots. The fall of one element will ruin everything, and the moment any coalition partner feels they can grab the whole prize will be the beginning of a swift end. There will be no strength in this camp without Morawiecki, and no strength without Ziobro. And whoever lets themselves be swayed by media incitements, whoever breaks the unity, will commit a terrible political mistake.” https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/511790-gdzie-naprawde-sa-wrogowie-jednosci-zjednoczonej-prawicy -- THE OPPOSITION, DEPRIVED OF DISTINCT VALUES, IS LIKE PLASTICINE IN THE HANDS OF POWER - MICHAŁ DANIELEWSKI IN OKO.PRESS: “The opposition, deprived of distinct values, is like plasticine: the government's propaganda will mold it into whatever figure it desires: supporters of Islamic terrorists, educators who masturbate children, fans of bestiality marriages with goats, etc. The more opportunism, fear, and expediency there is in the opposition, the easier PiS's task becomes. And its goal is clear: cultural hegemony, which will allow it to rule the open-air museum called Poland in various configurations for decades.” -- A VELVETY COPY OF PIS OBSESSIONS - DANIELEWSKI ON THE WORDS OF TRZASKOWSKI AND TRELA: “The reaction of part of the public opinion and opposition politicians to the hanging of a rainbow flag on the Warsaw monument of Jesus is particularly disappointing in this context. MP of the Left (!) Tomasz Trela stated that the perpetrators should be 'caught by the police' (although other MPs from the Left expressed solidarity with the activists), and the mayor of the capital, Rafał Trzaskowski, aspiring to be an opposition leader and a new civic movement, wrote about an 'unnecessary provocation.' Their opinion was shared by many columnists and commentators on social media. The assumption behind such an attitude is a velvety copy of PiS and far-right obsessions.” -- DON'T RAISE A WHITE FLAG, BUT A RAINBOW ONE - DANIELEWSKI CONTINUES TO THE OPPOSITION: “And the illusion that compromises with the PiS vision of the world will bring anything in the political sphere is a belief similar to the one that stated in 1938 that the Munich Agreement would stop the war. It will not stop it, we will simply enter it from worse, defensive positions. Therefore, one should not raise a white flag, but a rainbow one. Speak boldly about women's rights, radically about ecology. Without retreating, only offense, constant offense. We need to press the gas pedal and force PiS into increasingly radical stances, into a clash with Europe. So that the alternative is simple: either Poland will be homey, inward-looking, homophobic, gray, and poor, or European, diverse, colorful, and rich.” https://oko.press/z-pis-mozna-wygrac-tylko-pod-teczowa-flaga-pod-biala-sie-nie-uda-widze-to-tak/ -- READER'S LETTER FROM GAZETA WYBORCZA - I FEEL DISMISSED BY CIVIC PLATFORM, WHICH THINKS I'M AN IDIOT - DR TOMASZ KUŁAKOWSKI: “It is precisely because of this strategy that I did not vote for the first time in my life since I have had the right to do so. I feel dismissed. PO is vying for my vote again, but at the same time, it considers me an idiot. It believes that I cannot read and do not understand domestic politics, so I will trust 'experienced politicians' and, without asking them what they intend to do, I will cast my vote for them. This does not seem more noble to me than voting for Kaczyński for 500 PLN per month.” -- READER TO PO VOTERS - IS THE IRON ELECTORATE OF PO BETTER IN ITS IRONNESS THAN THE ELECTORATE OF PIS?: “Therefore, I will not direct the final question to PO activists, because I do not expect them to understand the problem in the time needed for decisions. I am directing the question and the letter to the loyal PO voter: When will you consider and question the quality of your party? What else do you need to start critically evaluating the stated postulates? Do you believe that the iron electorate of PO is truly better in its ironness than the iron electorate of PiS? Or perhaps iron means unaware, or even worse - mindless?” https://wyborcza.pl/7,162657,26174619,dlaczego-platforma-obywatelska-wsparla-wybor-andrzeja-dudy-na.html -- ECHOES OF A TWITTER POST BY JANINA OCHOJSKA, WHO AGREED WITH AGNIESZKA KUBLIK'S DIAGNOSIS REGARDING PLATFORM: “Great analysis by A. Kublik on PO's election campaigns. I share her view. PO has not learned from its mistakes, it still believes that voters will vote for them because of the past. Young people have their own history. They must be trusted and they will do it better than us.” https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/511798-ochojska-po-nie-uczyla-sie-na-wlasnych-bledach -- THERE IS NO ONE TO BLAME FOR THE INCREASE IN CASES - TOMASZ TERLIKOWSKI IN GPC: “There is a new record for daily infections. And as usual in such situations, the search for someone to blame has begun. Only that there isn't one. Neither Minister Łukasz Szumowski, nor Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, nor even aliens, fruitarians, or Masons are responsible for the disease raging. And the best proof of this is the fact that the pandemic is returning not only in Poland.” -- WE HAVE TO GET USED TO A REAL DROP IN THE STANDARD OF LIVING - TERLIKOWSKI CONTINUES: “We have to accept that medicine will not always cope with it, that the economy will function to its ebb and flow, that – perhaps – normal tourism will not return for a long time. We need to learn to maintain social solidarity in situations where social distancing will sometimes be necessary, and also get used to a real drop in the standard of living. This could be a profound change, or it could be a progressive disintegration of the world as we know it.” https://niezalezna.pl/343865-zycie-z-pandemia -- TVN PRESIDENT PIOTR KORYCKI ON RESEARCH FOR THE STATION - PATRIOTIC NOTES ARE EMERGING, PRIDE IN POLISHNESS - HE TELLS VIRTUAL MEDIA: “In the past year, we conducted research that revealed what resonates with our viewers as well as those who do not watch us. This includes, among others, the aforementioned need for authenticity, as well as self-care and care for the surrounding environment, belonging to communities where we feel comfortable. On the other hand, many people would like to stand out. In addition, there are patriotic notes, pride in Polishness.” -- NO ONE DICTATES THE PROGRAM LINE OF TVN24 - KORYCKI CONTINUES: “In news journalism, the quality and credibility of the message are crucial. No one dictates the program line of our news channel TVN24. Our craft is the result of many years of hard work and dedication of the entire news team. We have established special teams dealing with fact-checking, launched the Konkret24 service, developed an ethical code, were the first to create the position of editor for journalistic standards and good practices, and we exchange knowledge and experience with world-class journalists. Viewers appreciate our professionalism – thanks to this, our news has gained the strongest position in Poland.” https://www.wirtualnemedia.pl/artykul/piotr-korycki-prezes-tvn-discovery-polska-z-zajmujemy-sie-rzetelnym-dziennikarstwem-bez-wzgledu-na-to-kto-sprawuje-wladze-wywiad# -- BANAS IS TURNING NIK INTO A SPECIAL SERVICE - DGP: “A special group for ad-hoc controls, a report on the state of the country, accelerated work and increased number of controllers, and personnel changes. Marian Banaś is implementing new order in the Supreme Audit Office. The President of the Supreme Audit Office told DGP about the details of his plans. - We have established a special department for ad-hoc controls - it will react quickly to signals of irregularities from citizens, journalists, or parliamentarians - says Marian Banaś.” -- DGP ON THE ROLE OF BANAS'S SON IN NIK: “NIK employees are concerned about some of the changes introduced by the president, such as personnel changes, hiring people without competitions, and the lack of clarity around the role his son plays in the office. Marian Banaś, however, insists that there is no question of any awkwardness here.” https://wiadomosci.dziennik.pl/polityka/artykuly/7788645,marian-banas-nik-specgrupa-nieprawidlowosci-pancerny-marian-rzad-pis-najwyzsza-izba-kontroli-poslowie-polityka.html -- ESSENTIALLY, THE IDEA OF GREATER SWITZERLAND DOMINATES RATHER THAN GREATER GERMANY: LEAVE US ALONE SO THAT WE CAN BE FREE AND RICH - TIMOTHY GARTON ASH IN A TEXT FOR OKO.PRESS: “The outside world is always sensitive to the possible revival of the idea of Greater Germany, but in reality, the idea of Greater Switzerland is even more dominant: leave us alone so that we can be free and rich. German stereotypes towards Southern Europeans, exploiting the noble and hardworking Europeans of the North, will not simply disappear. An alarming sign was the sharp increase in support for the xenophobic and nationalist Alternative for Germany (AfD) after the refugee crisis. As well as well-documented reports of far-right sympathies in the army and security services. And contemporary German society has not yet undergone the test of truly difficult times in its own country.” -- ASH ON POLAND PURSUING AN ANACHRONISTIC ANTI-GERMAN POLICY: “Germany, indeed, can never be a boastful hegemon, but must remain a solid, skillful midfielder who holds the whole team together – but doesn't even get applause when scoring a goal. However, sometimes it is these players who are the true heroes of the team. Thus, no matter how wise German strategy may be, it cannot be realized without a number of international partners. The enormous challenges of climate change and the emerging authoritarian superpower of China – which is to the world of the early 21st century what the German Empire was to Europe at the beginning of the 20th century – cannot be addressed without the return of constructive internationalism by the United States under President Joe Biden and without the strategic engagement of powers such as Australia, Japan, and India. Europe's problems cannot be solved without the active involvement of not only France and Spain, but also Italy (understandably preoccupied with its own internal problems), Poland (currently pursuing an archaic anti-German policy), the Netherlands, and others. In terms of foreign and security policy, Europe needs the influence of Great Britain – for this strategic reason as well, Merkel is trying to mediate negotiations on a Brexit agreement, which, in my opinion, may be concluded this autumn.” https://oko.press/mialem-sen-ze-niemcy-uratuja-europe-timothy-garton-ash-tylko-w-oko-press/ -- EXCELLENT, WELL-RECEIVED ELEKTRA BY WARLIKOWSKI IN SALZBURG - JACEK CIEŚLAK IN RZ: The excellent, well-received "Elektra" by Krzysztof Warlikowski opened the hundredth edition of the Salzburg Festival. Just as after a volcanic eruption, mythical Atlantis was swallowed by the sea, so Krzysztof Warlikowski and set designer Małgorzata Szczęśniak symbolically submerged the world of wars, including family wars, with their accompanying reckonings and revenge, in their staging of Richard Strauss's opera. To make everything as in the ancient story, he also unleashed volcanic emotions with the Vienna Philharmonic under the perfect direction of Franz Welser-Möst. They explode in the finale, also described in the libretto as a war of elements: water and fire, which takes on the color of blood.” https://www.rp.pl/Teatr/200809971-Festiwal-w-Salzburgu-Rodzina-utopiona-w-morzu-krwi.html -- NEW YORK TIMES ON WARLIKOWSKI AND ELEKTRA: A Director Brings Cerebral, Sexy Style to Opera Classics https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/22/arts/music/krzysztof-warlikowski.html -- RECORDING OF WARLIKOWSKI'S PREMIERE FROM SALZBURG AVAILABLE ONLINE UNTIL OCTOBER 30: https://www.arte.tv/pl/videos/098928-000-A/elektra-richarda-straussa/ -- BIRTHDAYS: Antoni Macierewicz turns 72, Jan Dziedziczak, Grzegorz Rydlewski.