-- HENRYK WUJEC, OR APPLIED GOODNESS - MICHAŁ SUTOWSKI IN KRYTYKA POLITYCZNA: “The trouble with writing about Henryk Wujec is that without the concept of Goodness, it's hard to grasp him; with it, on the other hand, it's easy to fall into sentimentality or, worse, condescension. To describe him in such a way that his virtues become the cause of his unfulfilled aspirations or outright failures. Let's leave the abstractions then and descend to the concrete – to his biography. Because these nearly eighty years of life in two (three?) political systems, in the Zamość region and in Warsaw, in prisons and in offices, tell us an enormous amount about how to live and what to do.” -- YES, THERE ARE IRREPLACEABLE PEOPLE, WE BID FAREWELL TO SUCH A ONE TODAY - SUTOWSKI'S CONCLUSION: “And yet, Henryk Wujec's life path is made up of a rather concrete set of decisions and choices. The grassroots, ethically motivated, peacefully anti-system KOR (Workers' Defence Committee) instead of the 'top-down', authoritarian and increasingly ideologically bankrupt PZPR (Polish United Workers' Party); the ecumenical KIK (Catholic Intellectuals' Club) instead of the murderous PAX; much closer to Father Zieją than Prelate Jankowski. And then social economy instead of market Darwinism, as well as the defense of the Third Polish Republic despite all its flaws and opposition to this Fourth, despite some of its advantages. And besides, he was perhaps the only person in the world whose question, 'what does the young left think about this?' didn't sound irritating, but expressed genuine, deep interest and curiosity. He was a man who could support Krytyka Polityczna with equal commitment, as well as – also Political, but Theology, because he believed in pluralism and the value of coexistence, sometimes even the confrontation of ideas. And who, being a man of permanent social engagement, perhaps loved his Wife the most in the world. Yes, there are irreplaceable people. We bid farewell to such a one today.” https://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/henryk-wujec-czyli-dobro-stosowane/ -- A MEMORY OF MARIA JANION, WHO DIED SUNDAY EVENING - Magdalena Chrzczonowicz in Oko.press: “Szczuka: ‘She passed away as she wished – in her home, among books. She fell asleep while reading. She was an incredible person, in every sense of the word. Noble and ethical. She was aware until the very last moment, she gave us courage until the very last moment.’ ‘One of her books was titled Living, We Lose Life. She devoted her own life one hundred percent to work, friendship, the idea of human rights,’ says Monika Rudaś-Grodzka from the Institute of Literary Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences, where Janion worked her entire life, to OKO.press.” https://oko.press/zmarla-prof-maria-janion-historyczka-literatury-krytyczka-literacka-wielka-humanistka/ -- THE PHOTO WITH A RIFLE WAS MEANT TO SCARE BUT FOR NOW IT CAUSES LAUGHTER - ANDRZEJ POCZOBUT FROM MINSK FOR GW: “Alexander Lukashenka's dream has come true. He is (almost) like his declared hero, Chilean President Salvador Allende: fighting 'treason' and posing with a Kalashnikov. This image was meant to scare, but for now, it causes laughter. (...) However, for now, Lukashenka with a Kalashnikov without a magazine and Kolya as a child soldier are becoming the heroes of memes and online jokes. Whoever came up with this PR move miscalculated. Belarusians saw an old man who desperately wants to be a macho and plays with a weapon, thinking it would add to his authority and respect. He is mistaken.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75399,26233496,lukaszenka-straszy-kalasznikowem.html#S.main_topic-K.P-B.3-L.2.glowka -- BELARUS WAS NOT SCARED, IT MAY BE CLOSE TO OVERTHROWING THE DICTATOR - SŁAWOMIR SIERAKOWSKI IN A CORRESPONDENCE FROM GRODNO: “On the way back, they could see a helicopter overhead. That was the president flying with a Kalashnikov in his hand, dreaming nightly of the fate of Mubarak, Ceausescu, Gaddafi, and Hussein. That's how those who couldn't come to terms with losing power ended. Lukashenka probably wanted to show that he had everything under control, but the opposite happened. The rifle by his side and the armament of his teenage son created the impression that Lukashenka was afraid for his life and didn't even trust his closest ones. The scene where he approaches the gate and asks if there's really no one left, and then thanks the young policemen, looked like May 1945, when a detached leader of the Third Reich tries to inspire the last loyalists to fight, while everything around collapses. Of course, Lukashenka is not Hitler, and his armed forces are not shattered, but the impression of a decaying regime and a dictator detached from reality is similar. Belarus might be very close to overthrowing the dictator and not even know it. Even the strongest leader loses power when they stop being listened to. And they stop being listened to when they become ridiculous.” https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/swiat/1968658,1,bialorusini-znowu-sie-nie-przestraszyli-obala-dyktatora.read -- MOSCOW'S WIND IN LUKASHENKA'S SAILS - WACŁAW RADZIWINOWICZ IN GW: “In Belarusian television channels, journalists and technicians who refused to serve state propaganda have been replaced by teams of Russian television workers sent from Moscow. 'They will teach ours how to work,' Bat'ka announces. The gestures with which the Kremlin supports Lukashenka are strong signals for those in the apparatus who are wavering. Governors, generals, directors of state-owned factories, police officers watch Russian television. And they see with their own eyes that Moscow, at least for now, is openly helping Bat'ka, hasn't written him off yet. So they can bet on him too. And he regains his self-confidence.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75399,26232735,moskiewski-wiatr-w-zaglach-lukaszenki.html#S.main_topic-K.P-B.3-L.4.glowka -- THE PLACE WHERE BELARUS IS TODAY SHOWS WHERE POLAND WOULD BE IF IT HAD LISTENED TO THE OPPONENTS OF TRANSFORMATION - WITOLD GADOMSKI IN GW: “The economy of our eastern neighbors shows where we would be today if, after 1989, we had followed the prescriptions offered by Polish opponents of the market and capitalism. (...) The workers who went on strike 40 years ago, initiating the collapse of the communist system, did not know that as a result of this collapse, many of the enterprises where they worked would disappear. They made great sacrifices, but thanks to them, we live in a country that is not only democratic but also increasingly prosperous. Belarusians, by choosing a supposedly milder variant of transformation, lost the chance for democracy and prosperity. Today, they are almost in the same place as they were 30 years ago.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,26230739,bialorus-czyli-alternatywa-dla-transformacji.html -- KATARZYNA GÓJSKA ON CONFEDERATION'S MANIPULATIONS REGARDING BELARUS - she writes in Niezależna: “However, on this occasion, it is worth refuting the opinions that have been uncritically expressed in the media recently, primarily by some politicians of the Confederation. They are not new, but suggesting them to the public opinion today is a particularly perfidious manipulation. It concerns the assertion that Poles in Belarus live wonderfully under Lukashenka, and that the regime in Minsk guarantees them more rights than, for example, the democratic government in Vilnius. The truth, however, is that our compatriots in Belarus have been persecuted for years. The Union of Poles in Belarus is an illegal organization, Polish press is illegal, Polish Houses have been confiscated along with Polish schools – and yet all these institutions were financed from the Polish budget. The authorities in Minsk repress Polish activists and systematically – for years – limit Polish children's access to Polish schools. Therefore, praising Lukashenka for the freedom of action of Poles in Belarus is either the result of a compromising lack of knowledge or a no less compromising cover-up of the regime in Minsk, but in each case, it is an expression of contempt for our compatriots who have to pay a high price daily for cultivating their Polish identity.” https://m.niezalezna.pl/347881-jestesmy-straznikiem-wartosci-wolnego-swiata -- DWORCZYK ON THE PRIME MINISTER'S INVITATION TO THE OPPOSITION REGARDING BELARUS FOR WEDNESDAY, FOGIEL ON THE GOVERNMENT'S CHANGE IN OPERATING PHILOSOPHY, HOŁOWNIA WITH A PLAN FOR HEALTH - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2020/08/24 -- THE FRENCH MODEL WOULD MEAN TVB WOULD LOSE THREE CONCESSIONS FOR DIGITAL TERRESTRIAL TELEVISION - ELŻBIETA RUTKOWSKA IN DGP: “The media patterns from Sèvres last year, transplanted to the Vistula in AD 2020, will, however, cause much greater changes. They will be the result of the principle that applied in France when dividing frequencies: the holder of a digital terrestrial television (DVBT) concession cannot receive another concession of this type in the same area. When the Polish regulator began awarding DVBT concessions 10 years ago, such a limitation did not apply. Therefore, most nationwide broadcasters did not limit themselves to one terrestrial channel. Discovery TVN (4), Polsat Group (6), its company with ZPR Group called Spektrum TV (2), Telewizja Puls (2), and Kino Polska (2) own two or more such stations. The French model would mean that the first company would lose three concessions, the second five, and the remaining ones one each. Frequencies for 11 terrestrial stations would be available – each for a different buyer. However, the richest portfolio will remain untouched, as it was accumulated by a broadcaster that will not be subject to deconcentration – TVP (9, including 3 that do not require a concession according to the Broadcasting Act).” -- THE FRENCH MODEL WOULD COVER AXEL SPRINGER AND FAKT - RUTKOWSKA FURTHER IN DGP: “The French market was also shaped by the law reforming the press legal system, also from 1986, according to which one publisher cannot own a daily newspaper with a circulation exceeding 30 percent of the national print run of this type of publication. According to ZKDP data for June, out of 10 nationwide dailies, only 'Fakt,' owned by Ringier Axel Springer Polska, exceeds this limit. The dismantling of the market presented here is currently only a dystopia – the discussion on this topic is still ongoing within PiS. Moreover, French restrictions do not apply to the internet – which, however, does not guarantee that it will escape the guillotine in its Polish version. Broadcasters and publishers admit in unofficial conversations that they are considering various scenarios of restrictions, including the French one – although they hope that this time too, the ruling coalition will not decide on deconcentration.” https://serwisy.gazetaprawna.pl/media/artykuly/1489054,dekoncentracja-mediow-model-francuski-co-oznacza.html -- KOSINIAK SHOULD BLAME HIS ALLIES, BECAUSE HE HAD A CHANCE TO BECOME THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION - PRESIDENT ANDRZEJ DUDA IN AN INTERVIEW WITH SIEĆI: “I haven't forgotten about that, which is why when evaluating those events, we must remember these contexts. I repeat: the best solution would have been elections on May 10th at the ballot box. Today we know that it was possible. […] Frightening Poles and whipping up hysteria around the elections was highly reprehensible. I appealed at the time for a responsible approach and to prepare the elections as safely as possible. I remember how I was attacked when I said that going to vote is not fundamentally different from going to the store. Life has shown that I was right. Therefore, returning to Mr. Kosiniak-Kamysz, he should blame his allies, because indeed, if it weren't for these hesitations about the election dates, he would have had a great chance to become the leader of the opposition. That would have been an interesting situation.” -- THE PRESIDENT ON HIS GRIEVANCE TOWARDS A CERTAIN EDITORIAL OFFICE - CROSSING THE LINE: “I can have grievances primarily towards a certain editorial office for resorting to such methods. […] They were unfair games, very ugly, not fair. And I know they won't apologize to me for it. But what am I supposed to do about it? Get offended by reality, by the fact that they wanted to win at all costs? Should I pretend they don't exist? It's difficult, we must move forward together as a nation. However, the media should not behave like that, and I have great grievances towards that editorial office. I believe it was a transgression of all rules that apply in the media world.” -- I WILL MAKE SURE THAT THE UNITED RIGHT REMAINS CLOSE TO THE PEOPLE - THE PRESIDENT FURTHER: “I believe that the victory of the United Right also in 2023 is possible. If this formation manages to avoid the effect of observable arrogance of power, which annoys people the most. If Poland is defended against the economic crisis, jobs are maintained, and we return to the path of dynamic development. If I had to advise my colleagues on anything, I would say this: stay close to the people. And I will ensure this.” https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/514483-nowe-sieci-wywiad-z-duda-i-kulisy-dymisji-szumowskiego -- THIS IS ROCKING THE BOAT, NOT REAL CONCERN FOR OUR IMAGE - A PO POLITICIAN ON POLITICIANS OF THAT PARTY STIRRING UP MEDIA COMMENTARY ABOUT A HOTEL WHERE THE KO CLUB'S EXCURSION MEETING WAS SUPPOSED TO TAKE PLACE: “– The appearance of such a discussion regarding the location is more of another element of 'rocking the boat' within Civic Platform than a real concern for our image – emphasizes one of the PO politicians, surprised by the turn of events.” https://www.rp.pl/Polityka/200829763-Goraca-jesien-Platformy-Obywatelskiej.html -- THE ROMANCE IS OVER, THE OPPOSITION IS BREAKING UP WITH VOTERS, A THERAPIST IS NEEDED, NOT A DOCTOR'S SPIN - MICHAŁ DANIELEWSKI IN OKO: “The opposition treated its voters like an abusive partner: it cheated with the greatest enemy, started a brawl in the apartment, took money from a joint account, and in the end, still argued that it had good intentions. Broken bonds with the electorate cannot be repaired with a bouquet of flowers and a single 'I'm sorry.' -- AFTER THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS, IT SEEMED THAT THE UNION COULD BE REBUILT, BUT ON AUGUST 14, THE OPPOSITION POLITICIANS FINALLY BROKE IT - DANIELEWSKI FURTHER: “Short moments of passion occurred before the elections, ending in disappointment, unfulfillment, and mutual accusations. The effect? Voters are irritated by opposition politicians, and politicians are irritated by voters. After the presidential elections and Rafał Trzaskowski's good result, it seemed that the union might be rebuilt, but on August 14, the politicians finally broke it.” -- LET THEM BUILD REAL BONDS, NOT JUST A BUSINESS PACT BASED ON REMOVING PIS - DANIELEWSKI FURTHER IN OKO: “To survive today's crisis, opposition parties must start from scratch: from respect for voters, a serious approach to their expectations and aspirations, from an attempt to build real bonds, not just those based on a single 'business' pact – removing PiS from power.” -- DANIELEWSKI ON THE HYPOTHESIS THAT PIS SIMPLY LIKES ITS VOTERS - FURTHER IN OKO.PRESS: “Of course, this is partly due to the patriarchal structure of the United Right camp, based on the figure of the founding father, Jarosław Kaczyński, who resolves disputes, casts into the abyss, or elevates, all of course in the interest of ordinary citizens, about whom – as propaganda claims – he thinks day and night. But that's not the whole explanation. It is complemented by the hypothesis that PiS simply likes its voters, and voters like PiS. Five years of monotonous, marketing drivel about how Law and Justice acts in the name of the sovereign, in the interest of ordinary people, and against egoistic elites, has ceased to be empty talk and has become a 'real illusion' for 30-40 percent of voters who vote for Kaczyński's party.” https://oko.press/koniec-romansu-opozycja-zerwala-z-wyborcami/ -- I DON'T THINK SCHETYNA WILL WIN THIS FIGHT, BUT DONALD TUSK'S BEHAVIOR ENABLED A REVOLT AGAINST BUDKA - MICHAŁ KAMIŃSKI IN AN INTERVIEW WITH WPOLITYCE: “I don't think Schetyna will win it. For me, more important, and currently unnoticeable to public opinion, is essentially the duel over whether Trzaskowski's circle will create opposition policy in Poland, or some other center. The important fact is that for opposition opinion leaders, Donald Tusk's behavior immediately after this scandal – let's call it a scandal – with the pay raises, was a verdict on the current leader of Civic Platform, i.e., Budka. It was this that truly gave everyone the opportunity to revolt against Budka. Only Tusk's behavior made it possible.” -- AFTER ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES IN MAZOWIA, TRZASKOWSKI WOULD HAVE TO APPLY FOR ELECTION BY THE WARSAW SEJMİK AND RUN FOR COUNCILOR - FURTHER MICHAŁ KAMIŃSKI IN AN INTERVIEW ON WPOLITYCE: “Exactly not, then such a solution is tragic for Trzaskowski. Then he has to decide whether to run for President of Warsaw, and this will make it very difficult for him to be the leader of the opposition at the same time. If there are early elections, he will face such a dilemma. It would be very difficult for him to make any decision other than running for President of Warsaw. If PiS decided to choose a new President of Warsaw by the Sejmik – PiS would not win the elections in Warsaw then, but Civic Platform would also not win them independently – it would mean that to continue his work as the future President-Marshal of Warsaw, as it would look after this PiS reform, Trzaskowski would have to come to an agreement with other opposition parties. Not to mention that he would have to run for councilor, which is also very difficult – to be the leader of the opposition and run for councilor, and then as a councilor seek a rather complicated coalition that would elect him President-Marshal of Warsaw. It is obvious that one of the conditions for support would be his resignation from being the leader of the opposition.” https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/514515-wywiad-wojna-w-pokaminski-nie-sadze-zeby-schetyna-wygral -- THE JAGIELLONIAN CLUB IS BECOMING ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL MILIEUX OF THE POLISH RIGHT - JAKUB MAJMUREK IN OKO.PRESS: “In recent years, the Jagiellonian Club has emerged as one of the more opinion-forming environments of the Polish right. Its experts and publicists are also present in liberal and left-wing media, which sometimes praise the Club as an intellectually interesting environment that understands contemporary challenges. At the same time, many of the Club's publications use language that, compared to the mainstream of European center-right, appears very traditionalist, even fundamentalist. So what is the ideological identity and 'program' of the Club really? What is its position on the map of contemporary Polish ideological disputes?” -- THE JAGIELLONIAN CLUB WAS CAPABLE OF REAL GENERATIONAL CHANGE - PIOTR TRUDNOWSKI IN MAJMUREK'S TEXT: “To what extent do connections with individuals forming part of the current power structure translate into the Club's current daily activities? When asked about this, Piotr Trudnowski, the current president of KJ, replies to OKO.press: 'We do not disown our history; we consider ourselves heirs to the conservative intelligentsia of the Third Polish Republic. We grew up on books published by people like Ryszard Legutko in the 1990s. However, the Club's great strength is that it has always been an institution capable of real generational change – which is quite rare in Poland. Today, we are certainly not an organization of Legutko, Szczerski, or Gowin.'” -- THE JAGIELLONIAN CLUB ADDRESSES MANY ISSUES IGNORED OR TREATED SUSPICIOUSLY ON THE RIGHT - MAJMUREK FURTHER IN OKO: “The Club also addresses many issues that are either ignored or treated with suspicion in the mainstream of the Polish right, e.g., ecology. On the Club's website, you will find a tab called Green Conservatism, and under it, texts convincing conservative readers that Poland's departure from coal is a necessity, and that energy transformation and investments in renewable energy sources can become the engine of the Polish economy. The costs of industrial animal farming, sustainable transport, deglomeration, or citizens' panels are also topics appearing in the postulates of left-wing environments and urban movements. Many texts from the Green Conservatism tab (minus references to papal encyclicals) could easily appear on the pages of 'Krytyka Polityczna.' The Club, together with 'Krytyka,' 'Kontakt' (which gathers Catholic left-wing circles), and two other editorial offices, is also running a joint project called 'Spięcie' – each editorial office writes an article on one common topic.” -- THE JAGIELLONIAN CLUB WILL SHAPE THE POLITICAL IMAGINATION OF ENVIRONMENTS THAT WILL FORM THE POLISH RIGHT IN THE FUTURE - MAJMUREK FURTHER: “It is also interesting how the work of the current generation of the Club will change the right in the long term. An environment that feels ignored by the ruling camp today is unlikely to become one of the main players in the next round on the right. However, it will certainly shape the sensitivity and political imagination of environments that will form the right in Poland in the future. In what direction? Certainly more social, ecological, open to direct democracy mechanisms and localism.” https://oko.press/pis-oceniaja-ledwo-na-troje-ale-wciaz-jest-im-najblizszy-klub-jagiellonski-zmieni-polska-prawice/ -- ECONOMICS OF HOMELINESS -- TOMASZ SAWCZUK IN KULTURA LIBERALNA ON MARTIN SANDBU'S INSPIRING BOOK - FT JOURNALIST -- LIBERALISM CANNOT DEFEND THE STATUS QUO, IT SHOULD BECOME RADICAL: “So what kind of remedial program are we talking about? Generally speaking, Sandbu argues that liberalism today cannot defend the status quo, but should become radical – which I have written about in the past on the pages of 'Kultura Liberalna,' as well as in the book 'New Liberalism.' The author thus wants to propose economic reforms through which people will again feel more 'at home' and gain a better sense of belonging to society.” -- DISCOURAGE THE CREATION OF POOR, LOW-PAYING JOBS - SAWCZUK ON SANDBU'S BOOK: “First, the labor market. According to the author, the general economic strategy should be to discourage the creation of low-productivity, low-paying, poor jobs, and to support the opposite endeavors. Sandbu argues that to this end, tools are needed to help reduce wage inequality, and in particular to maintain a minimum wage level that allows for a normal life [ang. living wage]. This type of policy can take various forms. In this context, the author provides examples of collective agreements in Scandinavian countries, but also the British government's proposal from 2015 to set a minimum wage at 60 percent of the median wage for people aged 25 and over. Sandbu points out that if such a policy is to bring good results, it will require employees with sufficiently high qualifications and the possibility of changing jobs easily.” -- IT CAN BE ASSUMED THAT THE FINANCIAL TIMES JOURNALIST'S PROGRAM WILL NOT INTEREST ANYONE IN THE CENTER, AND IF SOMEONE USES IT, IT WILL BE PIS - FURTHER SAWCZUK: “It seems, therefore, that it would be most reasonable to view political processes as precisely political. We can ponder how economic, cultural, technological, and psychological factors find expression in the sphere of politics. However, the political perspective also allows us to notice other issues, such as the significance of conflict and contingency in politics – thanks to this, we can, for example, see that in 2015 PiS obtained an independent parliamentary majority as a result of a lucky chance, and not necessarily a fundamental historical process. In fact, there is a fourth problem. It can be assumed that the program of the 'Financial Times' journalist will not interest anyone in the center of Polish politics, and if someone makes use of it, it will be Law and Justice.” https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2020/08/24/sawczuk-sandbu-ekonomia-swojskosci/ -- CONVERSATION WITH THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK AT THE BRISTOL FESTIVAL OF IDEAS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhjI2RpeHFY -- HISTORY IS ONE OF THE TOOLS WITH WHICH THIS GROUP TRIES TO ORGANIZE ITS OWN, ALTERNATIVE STATE - MICHAŁ RACHOŃ IN NIEZALEŻNA/GPC: “The government's takeover of the organization of the anniversary of the outbreak of World War II caused a ludicrous reaction from Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, who governs Gdańsk. According to her, this is proof that we are dealing with a 'totalitarian government.' Dulkiewicz doesn't say this just like that. Her political base is aware of the practical significance of the political symbolism of this place. Westerplatte was the place where Poland's geopolitical nightmare was once again realized. Another attack by eternal allies – Russia and Germany, who had signed a secret protocol just a few days earlier, dividing Poland between themselves. The volleys at Westerplatte were the first signs of death and enslavement that were to be the fate of Poles for decades. We only broke this enslavement in 1980 with the creation of Solidarity. A symbol of the movement that restored our freedom was, among other things, the 21 postulates, which were then written on plaques that are now in the collection of the National Museum. The Museum loaned them to the European Solidarity Centre, an organization controlled by the Gdańsk local government. The ECS in recent days... refused to return these plaques. They cited a letter from Civic Coalition MP Piotr Adamowicz, in which he postulates the removal of the plaques from the museum's collection, because then the plaques could legally be in an institution over which the state has no control, but rather the environment of MP Adamowicz and his friends. Why are they doing this? Because history is one of the tools with which this group of people tries to organize its own, alternative state.” https://m.niezalezna.pl/347882-westerplatte-21-postulatow-alternatywne-panstwo -- THE HAWK OF THE RIGHT WILL WORK WITH THE RAINBOW IKEA - ŻANETA GOTOWALSKA IN GW: “Sławomir Jastrzębowski, former editor-in-chief of 'SE,' known for his homophobic posts on Twitter, has started working with the 'rainbow' IKEA chain.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,26233496,jastrzebowski-bedzie-wspolpracowal-z-ikea.html -- 31 YEARS AGO, THE SEJM ELECTED TADEUSZ MAZOWIECKI AS PRIME MINISTER. -- BIRTHDAYS: Jerzy Polaczek, Igor Tuleya turns 50.