-- BARTOSZEWSKI AT FIJOŁEK ON THE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE BEING A SERIOUS OFFER FROM PiS, SIEMONIAK ON SCHETYNA NOT BEING DEPUTY CHAIRMAN OF PO, RUDZIŃSKA-BLUSZCZ – CIVIL SOCIETY CANDIDATE FOR RPO, STATING CHURCH ORGANIZATIONS ARE ALSO CIVIL SOCIETY – 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2020/08/28 -- BELSAT'S REPORT ON JOURNALISTS' DETENTIONS: Among the journalists detained in Minsk city center were six Belsat collaborators and Andrzej Zaucha from TVN. In total, over 180 people were detained during the protest in the Belarusian capital, reports the Viasna Human Rights Center. Andrzej Zaucha was released from the police station after a document check. Three of our Belsat colleagues are already free, along with some collaborators of Belarusian and foreign media. https://belsat.eu/pl/news/dziennikarze-bielsatu-i-tvn-zatrzymani-w-minsku/ -- OMON DETAINS JOURNALISTS – OKO.PRESS REPORT: “Dozens of journalists were detained before the 'anti-fascist' march, reports OKO.press correspondent Maciek Piasecki. 'The authorities know they look worse every day. They try to cope by removing journalists,' says Misha Friedman, a correspondent for Getty Images and The New York Times. https://oko.press/bialorus-omon-zatrzymuje-dziennikarzy/ -- UKRAINE JOINS EU STATEMENT ON BELARUS: https://belsat.eu/pl/news/ukraina-przylaczyla-sie-do-oswiadczenia-ue-w-sprawie-bialorusi/ -- SOLIDARNA POLSKA TRUCK DETAINED AT THE BORDER RETURNS TO POLAND: https://belsat.eu/pl/news/niewpuszczona-na-bialorus-ciezarowka-z-pomoca-od-s-wraca-do-polski/ -- SOLIDARNA POLSKA'S ATTACKS APPARENTLY TARGET MORAWIECKI BUT ACTUALLY UNDERCUT KACZYŃSKI'S POSITION – MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI IN RZ: “There are increasingly frequent voices suggesting that Zbigniew Ziobro's latest offensive – ideological, but also political – is not just a dispute over the direction the ruling party should take after the summer holidays, but also a dispute about what the political scene on the right should look like at all. Because, as our sources from the government camp assure, the attacks from Ziobro and other Solidarna Polska politicians, while theoretically directed at Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki or his ministers, are in fact addressed to Jarosław Kaczyński. A conviction is growing within PiS that Ziobro is in fact undermining the leader's own role, for example by criticizing the Minister of Education for dismissing a controversial school superintendent or constantly needling Morawiecki over his European policy. It's no secret that Ziobro doesn't have a good relationship with the Prime Minister. The catch is that Kaczyński has repeatedly made it clear that Morawiecki will remain in office, despite internal attacks.” -- KACZYŃSKI ALREADY KNOWS THAT ZIOBRO KNOWS – SZUŁDRZYŃSKI CONTINUES: “Kaczyński already knows that Ziobro knows. Everyone in PiS is now waiting to see what happens next. Because it's a ritual – the leader returns from vacation, often spent with Joachim Brudziński, and announces his decision on further steps. The only difference is that for many years Brudziński softened Kaczyński's overly harsh plans, and in recent months, he too has adopted more extreme positions. Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that in autumn, along with the colder weather, there will be bloody reckoning within the nominally United, but in reality deeply divided Right.” https://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/308279907-Michal-Szuldrzynski-Kaczynski-wie-zeZiobro-wie.html -- KACZYŃSKI CONSIDERING REMOVING SOLIDARNA POLSKA – MICHAŁ KOLANKO IN RZ: “The atmosphere in the United Right has not been this nervous for a long time. And the most difficult decisions still lie ahead for its leaders. Will the United Right survive the coming months? The answer to this question is far from obvious at the end of the holiday season. In the last dozen or so hours, the political circles in Warsaw have been electrified by information about ideas that have begun to be considered by the highest-ranking PiS politicians, including Jarosław Kaczyński. – One of them is the removal of Solidarna Polska from the government and ruling on new principles, possibly with new allies – one could hear in the corridors.” -- PiS MAKES POLITICAL OFFER TO LUDOWCY – KOLANKO CONTINUES: “According to unofficial information from 'Rzeczpospolita', after a short break, PiS has resumed its efforts to persuade politicians from other political forces to join the United Right camp. This is in order to maintain a majority after the hypothetical removal of Solidarna Polska from the government. 'Rzeczpospolita' reported even before the second round of the presidential elections that PiS would make an offer to the Ludowcy that would be difficult to refuse – cooperation at all levels, starting with the government. At the time, the Ludowcy firmly rejected these ideas. And according to our conversations, the situation has not changed after several weeks since the first signals from PiS regarding cooperation.” https://www.rp.pl/Rzad-PiS/200829413-Kaczynski-rozwazal-usuniecie-z-rzadu-Solidarnej-Polski.html -- JACEK LIZINIEWICZ IN NIEZALEŻNA ON THE CURRENT PiS OFFER TO KUKIZ SUPPORTERS: “Three years before the elections, not only PO and PiS are experiencing friction. The future of Koalicja Polska, formed by PSL and the Kukiz movement's MPs, is also uncertain. The latter are being courted by Law and Justice, which, according to unofficial information, is proposing the position of Minister of Agriculture to MP Jarosław Sachajko. According to media reports, Jarosław Sachajko was to receive an offer from Law and Justice politicians. He could become Minister of Agriculture, but on the condition that he brings five MPs into the United Right. As of now, it is unknown whether this is realistic, as it would mean he would have to bring in all of Paweł Kukiz's people: Agnieszka Ścigaj, Paweł Szramka, Stanisław Tyszka, Paweł Kukiz, and Stanisław Żuk.” https://niezalezna.pl/348650-bedzie-rozwod-kukiza-i-psl-koalicja-polska-wisi-na-wlosku -- INSTEAD OF CAPITALIZING ON THE MOMENTUM, HE GAVE UP AND WENT INTO INTERNAL EMIGRATION – JACEK NIZINKIEWICZ IN RZ: “Meanwhile, the defeated presidential candidate went into internal emigration, and then on vacation. More than 40 days after the second round, he is making himself known now that the election dust has settled. Instead of capitalizing on the momentum and fighting the post-election battle, he gave up. During the summer season, PiS seized the initiative. Trzaskowski allowed the energy of Poles, who are tired of PiS rule and Andrzej Duda's presidency, to dissipate. The party he is deputy leader of has image and organizational problems and is losing elections one after another. Szymon Hołownia's movement, which had a double-digit – third – result in the presidential elections and is building politically every week, is nipping at its heels. Will Poles now give a chance to a wing of PO – Nowa Solidarność? First, several myths surrounding its leader must be dispelled.” -- NOWA SOLIDARNOŚĆ LIKE SELLING THE SAME PRODUCT THAT POLES NO LONGER WANT TO BUY: “In return, it offers a substitute for a party, namely the Nowa Solidarność project. 'PO was born out of a protest against bad policies,' reads the first ideological declaration of Platforma Obywatelska. Today, none of its signatories are part of this grouping, and the party has become part of the 'bad policies' it arose to oppose. For now, Nowa Solidarność promises to be a lifeboat for PO, or PO 2.0. And this looks like selling the same product that a majority of Poles have not wanted to buy since 2015.” https://www.rp.pl/Analizy/200829407-Jacek-Nizinkiewicz-Awaryjny-ruch-Trzaskowskiego.html -- NOWA SOLIDARNOŚĆ SHOULD NOT BE A COALITION TO OVERTHROW PiS, BUT FOR PLURALISM AND MEDIATION OF SOCIAL INTERESTS WITHIN A DEMOCRATIC STATE – MIŁOSZ WIATROWSKI IN KULTURA LIBERALNA: “The ideal of 'Solidarity' understood as a common front of the entire society above divisions has little to offer in a democratic, independent state. Even considering the 'Solidarity' carnival period, such a definition of the movement misses reality. However, if we take the postulate of universal subjectivity and participation in political and economic life, left to future generations by 'Solidarity', as its ideal, then it offers us a great deal. Instead of the 'New Solidarity' promoted by Rafał Trzaskowski as a grand social coalition to overthrow the Law and Justice government, new solidarity should involve understanding the inevitability of the phenomenon of pluralism of interests within a democratic state and the role of political parties in mediating conflicts of these interests. Solidarity in this sense means a sense of community and respect for the right of everyone within it to have their voice heard. A community built on differences, not an attempt to erase them. Ignoring the empowering legacy of 'Solidarity' lies at the root of the current political crisis in Poland. Only a correct understanding of August '80 can allow us to overcome it. https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2020/08/28/wiatrowski-solidarnosc-40-lat/ -- WILL THE MEDIA ACT CAUSE A CRISIS WITH THE USA LIKE THE IPN ACT? – DOMINIKA WIELOWIEYSKA IN JEDYNKA GW: “The media deconcentration act could provoke a crisis that will be a repeat of the IPN act. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made this clear during his recent visit to Warsaw. Jarosław Kaczyński would not want a repeat of the IPN act, pushed by Patryk Jaki of Solidarna Polska, which caused a serious crisis in Polish-American relations. The humiliated PiS government had to backtrack from these legislative changes.” -- WIELOWIEYSKA ON THE INTERESTS OF THE KKR FUND AND GENERAL PETRAEUS'S ROLE: “This game is not just about Discovery, the owner of TVN, but also about the American investment fund Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co. L.P. (KKR), which a year ago bought 43.5% of shares in the German publisher Axel Springer and became its largest shareholder. In turn, Axel Springer and the Swiss company Ringier AG each hold 50% of the shares in the holding company Ringier Axel Springer Media, publisher of, among others, Onet.pl, the tabloid 'Fakt,' and the weekly 'Newsweek Polska.' Meanwhile, it is the American fund KKR that plays a key role in defending Axel and its media, as it has strong ties to the Republicans. A partner at KKR is former CIA chief, General David Petraeus, associated with the Republican Party, who monitors the fund's investments in Europe as head of the Global Institute. Ambassador Mosbacher also speaks in defense of the interests not only of Discovery, but also of KKR.” -- WIELOWIEYSKA ON SECRET MEETINGS BETWEEN THE FUND AND PiS POLITICIANS: “Even if Donald Trump loses the presidential election, the U.S. administration's stance will not change. The importance Americans attach to KKR's interests in Poland is evidenced by the visit of the fund's representatives to Warsaw a few months after investing money in the German publisher. They spoke with PiS officials and politicians, but these meetings are shrouded in mystery. According to our sources, the talks also concerned KKR's interests in the Polish media market.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,26246796,dekoncentracja-mediow-pis-starannie-przygotowuje-sie-do-oddania.html -- PiS WILL FIRE PEOPLE AT ZUS AND NFZ. DURING THE CRISIS AND THE SECOND WAVE OF THE PANDEMIC – MICHAŁ SUTOWSKI IN KRYTYKA POLITYCZNA: “The idea of staff cuts – I can already see the algorithms identifying those to be laid off based on diligence and competence – at a time of crisis is the populist equivalent of cutting social spending during an economic downturn. The right-wing, but also the liberal Poles, will like this, because thanks to consistent and long-term propaganda, they consider public sector employees to be a bunch of incompetent idiots sucking the lifeblood from hardworking Poles. They will like it because they will see the deterioration of public services as confirmation of their intuition that this whole crowd needs to be scattered to the four winds – instead of accepting, based on the facts, that a huge part of the mistakes, inconveniences, and outright absurdities that Poles encounter in offices or other budgetary units are the result of chronic underfunding, staff shortages, and the declining attractiveness of public sector jobs.” -- THIS WILL MAKE CITIZENS DISLIKE THE STATE EVEN MORE – SUTOWSKI CONTINUES: “Worse quality – because fewer officials will not serve citizens better – services will make citizens dislike the state even more; laying off these officials might gain the government points. And the image of a public employee as a demanding freeloader will only help the authorities if doctors in residency, paramedics, nurses, social workers, or teachers decide to go on strike again. Combined with slightly wider access to private services (500+!!!), the connection between the quality of public services and the interests of their employees and the well-being of all citizens will further loosen. And in the end, it will turn out that LGBT people are to blame for everything. Clever government, isn't it?” -- THE MORAWIECKI FACTION'S POLITICAL RESPONSE TO CONFEDERATION VOTERS TO ZIOBRO'S AXIS MESSAGE – SUTOWSKI CONTINUES: “The right-wing government is making a gesture towards the libertarian segment of the Confederation's electorate. The segment that still clings to the myth of a 'cheap state,' or rather hates 'those freeloaders who just want to stuff their pockets with our money.' This can be interpreted as Morawiecki's political response to Zbigniew Ziobro's axiological (i.e., inciting against LGBT people) message directed at Bosak's party electorate (though not necessarily to the same part of it). To what extent it is effective, of course, time will tell, but it is logical.” https://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/plan-pis-zwolnienia-urzadnikow-komentarz/ -- OKO.PRESS PRAISES THE NEW MINISTER OF HEALTH – AS WRITTEN BY MIŁADA JĘDRYSIK: “The newly appointed Minister of Health, Adam Niedzielski, began his term by announcing on Thursday that quarantine and isolation related to the coronavirus pandemic will be shortened from 14 to 10 days, and two tests will not be required to leave isolation. This is a very good decision. Niedzielski is an experienced healthcare manager; before taking office as minister, he was the head of the National Health Fund. During his tenure, which occurred during the pandemic, the Fund managed to quickly implement teleconsultations – a solution that had been discussed for years. Earlier, the ministry had resolved the issue of quarantines lasting for weeks. It was decided that a person who had not been tested within 14 days of contact with an infected person would automatically end their quarantine after two weeks. However, due to the overload of the Sanitary and Epidemiological Station (Sanepid), it still happens that people who want to report their contact with an infected person cannot reach Sanepid (the phone is busy or unanswered) or the system processes their case so slowly that they receive a quarantine decision, for example, after a week. OKO.press has repeatedly written about the chaos with quarantines and the difficulties in contacting sanitary and epidemiological stations. The problems stem primarily from the fact that Sanepid is underfunded and uses outdated technologies, and its employees are poorly paid. Meanwhile, they have now been thrown onto the front lines of the fight against the virus, which means dozens of epidemiological investigations and processing a huge amount of data.” https://oko.press/rewolucja-w-kwarantannach-teraz-tylko-10-dni/ -- BETTER LATE THAN NEVER – PAWEŁ WALEWSKI IN TYGODNIK POLITYKA ON NIEDZIELSKI'S DECISIONS: “Why was the quarantine period shortened and repeated testing abandoned? Did the minister have to change for our system to align with WHO guidelines? (...) The minister's decision was met with a very favorable reception. Both among doctors, who had long known the international recommendations and didn't understand the point of maintaining the rules set by the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate, and from patients. Adam Niedzielski himself does not hide that this first change in the rules of combating the pandemic resulted from signals he received from people stuck in quarantine for several weeks, who could not wait for re-testing from the sanitary inspection.” https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/nauka/1969214,1,nowe-zasady-kwarantanny-lepiej-pozno-niz-wcale.read?src=mt -- HOLOCAUST ON TIKTOK PROVOKES QUESTIONS ABOUT THE LIMITS OF FREE SPEECH – KONSTANTY PILAWA IN KLUB JAGIELLOŃSKI: “Until recently, the Holocaust was a universally recognized taboo. One could not speak about the Extermination freely. The 20th-century tragedy functioned in public space as a synonym for horror, human corruption, and ultimately became an inspiration for deeper reflection on the source of evil or the nature of modernity. Over time, the emotional charge associated with Auschwitz has lost much of its power. As the last survivors of the camps slowly die, the German death machine becomes an unemotional date in a history textbook. The taboo of Nazi crimes is not consciously overcome. It simply disappears. Pretending to be a Holocaust victim (#holokaustchallenge), currently a popular trend on TikTok, is an example of this process. However, even if it is inevitable, the entire affair provokes the immortal question about the limits of free speech.” -- NEW CULTURAL NORMS ARE BEING FORGED IN THE CHINESE APPLICATION – PILAWA CONTINUES: “The problem is that it is precisely there, within the Chinese application, that new cultural norms are being forged. TikTok is the most downloaded application in 2020, and in 2019, the number of users of the service exceeded 1.5 billion. Old-fashioned 'Facebook people,' let alone their parents' generation who often shy away from social media, have lost touch with the base.” https://klubjagiellonski.pl/2020/08/27/holokaust-na-tiktoku-tabu-a-wolnosc-slowa/ -- BIRTHDAYS: Michał Komar, Marek Safjan, Mariusz Haładyj.