-- JAROSŁAW KACZYŃSKI ON THE NEED FOR GOVERNMENT RECONSTRUCTION - in an interview with Michał and Jacek Karnowski in Sieci: “This is particularly important in the current situation, when we are fighting an economic crisis. Previously, there were issues that were handled simultaneously by three ministries. Anyone with some knowledge of management knows that this must lead to conflicts, misunderstandings, and delays in decision-making. And often, when a decision is made, it is burdened with non-substantive elements.” -- THIS IS ESSENTIALLY A TECHNICAL MEASURE - KACZYŃSKI ON CHANGES TO GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE: “I expect the level of coordination and supervision [to improve]. I repeat – this is essentially a technical measure, which, however, given the coalition nature of our governments and other circumstances that always exist in politics, also has a certain political aspect. It’s not about some grand reform for reform’s sake, but about greater efficiency in governance and action.” -- THE CURRENT GOVERNMENT IS AT A VERY DECENT LEVEL, I WOULDN’T CHANGE MUCH - KACZYŃSKI CONTINUES: “Of course not, because it’s not that we don’t make mistakes, or that everything is always good in every respect. It’s not like that anywhere. I’m also not saying that one can’t imagine a better government than ours, but I consider the current one to be at a very decent level. And we all remember that the better is the enemy of the good, so I wouldn’t change much.” -- KACZYŃSKI ON TALKS WITH KOSINIAK: “We talked with Mr. Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, and he is indeed a bit different from some PSL politicians with whom we have spoken over the last 30 years, but generally speaking, he is a man who seems to stand clearly on the other side (...) We know that there are those among them who would prefer otherwise, but they are currently too weak to change anything.” -- THERE ARE ISSUES THAT ARE NOT PROGRESSING AS QUICKLY AS THEY SHOULD DUE TO THE RESISTANCE OF LOBBYING GROUPS - KACZYŃSKI ON THE HOUSING SITUATION: “Poland may look completely different in a few years than it has so far. There are also issues that, until now, mainly due to the resistance of various lobbying groups, are not progressing as quickly as they should. I would very much like at least 100,000 apartments to be built in Poland annually, in a way that people can ultimately obtain them for little, affordable money. So that even the lower middle class can afford them. There are also huge revitalization tasks – in Silesia, Łódź, and in the western territories.” -- KACZYŃSKI ON WAŁĘSA’S HOMOPHOBIA: “Of course he does. Even Lech Wałęsa is aligning himself under this banner... When I recall what he accused me of once, thinking he was driving a stake through my heart [laughter]... As you can see, Wałęsa is evolving.” -- KACZYŃSKI ON SUPPORT FOR THE CIVIL PROTEST IN BELARUS: “We cannot reject our fundamental values, even if we see that Alexander Lukashenko guaranteed some kind of political distance for Belarus from Russia. Today, he no longer guarantees it; some say he has hoisted the Russian flag. He is a clever player, but I fear he will no longer be able to take that flag down. Hence our support for what I would describe as a civil protest, because an uprising can be spoken of when force is used. How long it will last is difficult to say today. Russia’s plans are certainly multi-variant, but always aimed at embracing Belarus with a strong hand, with a firm gesture, in the Russian way.” https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/517483-nasz-wywiad-prezes-pis-bedziemy-bronic-naszych-wartosci -- KACZYŃSKI ONCE AGAIN PROVES THAT HE CAN WAIT FOR YEARS FOR THE RIGHT MOMENT TO IMPLEMENT PLANS - WOJCIECH MUCHA ON TVP.INFO: “The ‘Five for Animals’ bill, submitted to the Sejm, is proof not only of Jarosław Kaczyński’s empathy but also of his consistency. The PiS leader once again proves that he can wait for years for the right moment to implement his political plans. Has that moment arrived? Well, there won’t be a better one.” -- MINK FARMERS HAVE BEEN IN PLATFORM CIRCLES FOR YEARS - MUCHA CONTINUES: “Mink farmers are a small community, whose face and brain is Szczepan Wójcik. For years, during the PO-PSL coalition’s rule, the farmers were in league with politicians of these parties, as evidenced not only by photos showing the Wójcik brothers at the Civic Platform’s program conventions. It was precisely during the ‘government of love’ that nothing was done to curb this bloody business. On the contrary – it flourished. In 2010, then-PO senator Piotr Gruszczyński successfully contributed to the removal of the American mink from the list of invasive species.” -- MUCHA ON PUBLICISTS SUPPORTING FUR FARMERS: “But Szczepan Wójcik also has publicists and journalists on his side. Leading right-wing publicists have collaborated or cooperate with media founded by breeders – the portals wsensie.pl and swiatrolnika.pl. These voices are also significant. Because, although it is unknown whether they do it for money or out of conviction, their voice is heard better than the squeal of several million minks.” -- MUCHA QUESTIONS DATA ON BENEFITS FROM THE MINK INDUSTRY; MORE PROTESTING RESIDENTS THAN FARM EMPLOYEES: “The truth is that in 2016, no more than... 933 people were employed in the sub-category of fur farming. Waste? In 2016, 393,000 tons of animal by-products (ABPs) were used in feeding fur-bearing animals, which constitutes 26% of the total ABP production. This data comes from ZUS and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. It is therefore difficult to imagine that today, when there are 1/3 fewer mink farms than in 2016, they would eat twice as much waste and that fifteen times more people would be working with them. I will therefore venture to state that there are more residents protesting against the farms in the localities where they are located than there are employees of the farms.” -- THE FIGHT AGAINST KACZYŃSKI IS A FIGHT FOR A STARTING POSITION FOR FURTHER ACTIONS FOR SZCZEPAN WÓJCIK - MUCHA CONTINUES: “In Szczepan Wójcik’s case, this can be both company and political capital. He has long enjoyed the role he plays. From a farmer, he has become a political and media player. Over the years, he has formed many alliances and seen the inner workings of politics at the highest level, and his money has flowed to many circles. His current fight against Jarosław Kaczyński is therefore not only a fight for the farms, but also for a starting position for further actions. He has already cultivated his allies.” https://www.tvp.info/49836543/hodowcy-politykow-czyli-o-co-futrzarze-walcza-z-kaczynskim -- THIS IS NOT LEFTISM - PIOTR LISIEWICZ IN NIEZALEŻNA: “The pressure from leftists on the government is considerable, but the pressure from animal defenders is anemic. And Jarosław Kaczyński’s views on this matter have always been known. They are neither leftist nor a result of pressure. PiS has done a lot to value families and children, which does not preclude doing something good for a lesser issue – the fate of animals. (...) Most European countries that have done this are associated less with the left than the (sad) European average, e.g., Hungary, Italy, Switzerland, Croatia, Serbia. (...) A conservative does not confuse animals with people, as leftists do. According to the catechism and the teachings of John Paul II or the cat lover Benedict XVI, man has dominion over the earth, but as a 'reasonable and noble lord and guardian, not as a ruthless exploiter.'” https://niezalezna.pl/351761-onucebredza-o-zwierzetach -- OKO ANALYZES THE PIS PROJECT IN DETAIL - ALMOST EXEMPLARY - as written by Robert Jurszo: “The ban on fur farming was to come into effect one year after its enactment. The bill is very good, but PiS may have trouble persuading its coalition partners to vote for it.” https://oko.press/analizujemy-futerkowy-projekt-pis-jest-niemal-wzorowy/ -- KACZYŃSKI EFFECTIVELY NAVIGATES THE ISSUE OF ANIMAL RIGHTS - DOMINIKA WIELOWIEYSKA IN GW: “Jarosław Kaczyński is very effectively navigating the issue of animal rights. After the presidential elections, analysts sympathetic to PiS warned that there were very few young people in Andrzej Duda’s electorate and that the next elections could not be won with the same slogans that barely secured victory for the current president.” -- NOW ONE CAN GO TO WAR WITH FATHER RYDZYK - WIELOWIEYSKA CONTINUES: “This project is a way to gain the sympathy of young people, or at least to soften Jarosław Kaczyński’s image. Now one can go to war with Father Tadeusz Rydzyk, a defender of the fur industry, because the next elections are in three years, and by then Kaczyński will have time to reconcile with Toruń.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,26294544,kaczynski-walczy-o-mlodych-na-mala-wojne-z-toruniem-moze-sobie.html -- WHAT IS THIS THEATRICAL GAME OF MODERATION FOR? - PAWEŁ WROŃSKI IN GW: “Then what is this whole theatrical game of moderation for? Probably to sweeten the intentions of fully subordinating the Supreme Court and other courts, an attack on free media independent of PiS, or the actions of law enforcement agencies that prosecute political and ideological opponents while indulging their own. Everything indicates that the spectacle of 'the president of a bright face' will be exceptionally short this time.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,26294544,jaroslaw-kaczynski-w-spektaklu-prezes-jasnego-oblicza-jednoaktowka.html -- ZGORZELSKI ON THE ANTI-POLISH PIS PROJECT, EMILEWICZ WANTS TO EXTEND THE VACATIO LEGIS FOR MINK FARMERS, SOBOLEWSKI HOPES GRODZKI SHARES THE SAME OPINION ON ANIMAL PROTECTION - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2020/09/14/ -- TERLECKI DOES NOT WANT TO GIVE GOWIN SCIENCE, ADAMCZYK WILL STAY, GRÓBARCZYK IN THE ENVIRONMENT - MICHAŁ KOLANKO IN RZ: “Our sources in the PiS Club emphasize that Jarosław Kaczyński’s party wants to take control of higher education, and Ryszard Terlecki is particularly pushing for this. In the previous government reshuffle, the Minister of Science and Deputy Prime Minister was Jarosław Gowin, the leader of Porozumienie, and now it is Wojciech Murdzek. However, the current Minister of Infrastructure, Andrzej Adamczyk, will remain in the government. Supervision over shipping may also be added to his ministry. The earlier plan to include infrastructure in the Ministry of State Assets is no longer current. Minister Marek Gróbarczyk may also remain in the government, taking over the Ministry of Agriculture, which would also include fisheries and state forests.” https://www.rp.pl/Polityka/200919772-Ukladanie-rzadowych-puzzli-trwa-PiS-chce-przejac-szkolnictwo-wyzsze.html -- THE LEFT WILL GO THE SOCIAL ROUTE - ZUZANNA DĄBROWSKA IN RZ: “This means that if the left goes the social route towards the next elections, an inevitable clash with PiS awaits them. The liberal, big-city bloc is incapable of taking voters away from the ‘good change’ bloc in the villages and small towns. KO politicians are unable to communicate with rural Poland. This was evident, for example, in the last presidential campaign. But the left could try. Without giving up the worldview fight, without pointing out the right-wing’s hypocrisy on issues such as pedophilia in the Church or inciting hatred against LGBT people. An offensive that is problematic for the PiS authorities is to issue daily statements concerning the standard of living, social transfers, the labor market, the state of the economy, healthcare, or the environment. This requires knowledge of the state of the country, but also contacts on the ground. And this will probably be the most difficult for the left, despite Biedroń’s grand declarations that 'we are moving across Poland.'” https://www.rp.pl/Analizy/200919770-Zuzanna-Dabrowska-Fighterzy-i-celebryci.html -- POLAND DOES NOT NEED A POLITICIZED OMBUDSMAN - JACEK KARNOWSKI: “Poland needs an Ombudsman who will not be as politicized as the departing one. Someone who will have their own view of matters, not one copied from the speeches of left-wing politicians. Someone who will discern real, truly powerful threats, instead of weakening what is already weak and defensive. A radical change is needed, not a continuation, supported by a rather transparent disguise.” -- THE OMBUDSMAN IS BLIND IN ONE EYE - KARNOWSKI CONTINUES: “Continuing Adam Bodnar’s line would be fatal for human rights in Poland. Because he was an ombudsman blind in one eye. He adopted a false premise, narrowing human and civil rights to what the left, and the extreme left at that, proclaims. He decided that the attempt to rebuild Poland threatened human rights, which is an absurdity. With great zeal, he defended the status quo of the Third Republic in every possible dimension, although that is not his role. Zuzanna Rudzińska-Bluszcz would do the same, and no declarations aimed at obscuring this image ('I want to sew Poland together,' 'The ombudsman does not fight on any barricade,' 'I know families where children, thanks to 500+, went on vacation for the first time') will change this. Adam Bodnar also managed to deceive some of the right in 2015 by promising something other than leftist-liberal banality.” https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/517434-nowy-rpo-nie-moze-byc-jakakolwiek-kontynuacja-linii-bodnara -- RZ ON PLANS TO APPLY SOCIAL SECURITY CONTRIBUTIONS TO MANDATE AGREEMENTS: “We are working on such changes – confirms Stanisław Szwed, Deputy Minister of Family, Labor, and Social Policy, to 'Rzeczpospolita'. – We would like them to enter into force as soon as possible. Everything indicates that entrepreneurs will have to pay higher contributions starting January 1, 2021. They will pay them on the salaries of people who work under at least two mandate agreements or combine work under a mandate agreement with full-time employment or economic activity.” https://www.rp.pl/ZUS/309139955-ZUS-od-kazdej-zlotowki---rzad-chce-oskladkowac-umowy-zlecenia.html -- I'M TAKING THE BLAME FOR MY PREDECESSORS' OMISSIONS - RAFAŁ TRZASKOWSKI IN AN INTERVIEW WITH MAGDA MIEŚNIK IN WP: “Certainly, this matter can touch a nerve. Especially since I am taking the blame for my predecessors’ omissions. I will only breathe easy when the sewage stops flowing into the Vistula, probably within 10 days, and when the permanent system is built. I inherited infrastructure projects riddled with errors. I am cleaning up after my predecessors and do not feel that anything could have been done better. We bent over backward to first repair the pipeline and then work on a better, permanent solution.” -- TRZASKOWSKI ON LECH KACZYŃSKI STREET: “I announced that I would come forward with this initiative in the autumn, and so it will be. However, I first want to discuss it with the Civic Platform councilors, because it is not my decision, but that of the City Council. They must be prepared for it, because for many of them it is a controversial decision. I will also meet with PiS councilors on this matter. Lech Kaczyński deserves commemoration in Warsaw. I do not evaluate his presidency unequivocally positively, but given what PiS is doing today, the late president could be a model of adherence to the rule of law.” -- WE WANT TO EQUIP THE OPPOSITION WITH TOOLS - TRZASKOWSKI ON HIS MOVEMENT: “That is precisely why I decided on the formula of a movement and the philosophy of a long march. It is an attempt to harness the energy that emerged during the campaign. We want to equip the opposition with tools that it lacks today – acting through projects, collecting signatures for civic initiatives, in-depth analysis of the problems of Polish women and men. In the end, parties always lack the time and determination for this. Then they are forced to campaign in a mass mobilization style. And that’s how you won’t beat PiS.” -- I HOPE PO WILL SHOW THAT IT CAN DRAW CONCLUSIONS - TRZASKOWSKI CONTINUES: “The movement will not participate in current politics. PO and other parties currently in the Sejm must deal with that. I hope that in the next few months PO will show that it can draw conclusions and emerge from its crisis. That it will be better prepared, more modern, and respond faster to what is happening on the political scene. I will support it in this.” -- I WILL NOT YIELD TO BLACKMAIL, I DO NOT INTEND TO STAND ON EVERY BARRICADE - TRZASKOWSKI ON THE MARGOT CASE: “My goal is to fight for all the weaker ones. Gays and lesbians are today the main target of attacks and unbelievable homophobia. I am not and will not be the biggest radical in this matter. I do not intend to stand on every barricade. I understand that, among other reasons, people like Margot consider me worse than PiS. So be it. They have the right to. However, I will not yield to this blackmail. I have no problem with Margot, but with those who decided that this is how the rights of gays and lesbians should be defended. This path is not the right one. It’s not about hanging a flag on the figure of Christ, because that causes a lot of controversy. Hanging it on the town hall won’t help either. Recently, such a request reached me, but the town hall is owned by the voivode. Fighting for changes to the penal code, so that homophobia is banned, would be more effective.” https://wiadomosci.wp.pl/rafal-trzaskowski-nadzieja-opozycji-po-najwiekszym-kryzysie-mowi-o-problemach-w-po-6553641119210432a -- IWONA SZPALA ON THE POWER STRUGGLE WITHIN THE PO CLUB - GRODZKI INVOKED BUDKA’S AUTHORITY, BUT IT DIDN’T HELP - she writes in GW: “Last Wednesday, a meeting of the Civic Coalition Senate club, which has been without a leader since the end of August. Unexpectedly, on this day, KO senators intended to gather candidacies for the chairman and close the list. Marshal Tomasz Grodzki argues against it, stating that in mid-September, the parliamentary club of the Coalition will convene, where there will be a discussion on strengthening the position of Senate representatives, and appropriate changes to the statute will be made. When he sees that he hasn’t convinced his listeners, he invokes the authority of the Civic Platform leader, Borys Budka. But even that doesn’t help. Marcin Bosacki and Bogdan Zdrojewski register for the club elections.” -- SCHETYNA CALLS, ASKS IF EVERYTHING IS OK, IF HE CAN POLITICALLY HELP - FURTHER IN SZPALA’S REPORT: “Another politician: – You can’t even imagine how active Schetyna is. He has time, he calls his colleagues, asks if everything is okay, if he can advise or somehow politically help. He fishes, flatters, sweetens. One can laugh, but one can also be concerned. There are those who believe that Budka may lose a lot. The parliamentary club, the main tool for conducting politics, is in strong disarray. Hence the internal power struggles, faction building, and maneuvers of the former leader, who wants to take control away from the current power structure in PO.” -- BUDKA IS ABSENT - FURTHER IN THE REPORT FROM PO POLITICIANS: “Those less favorable to Budka emphasize that he is partly to blame. He withdrew from leading the presidential campaign because Trzaskowski’s campaign staff decided not to associate the candidate with the party. – He could have focused more on the club then; today he is reaping the consequences. This situation affects the entire party. The grassroots perceive PO mainly through the Sejm – explains one of the MPs. And he fondly remembers Schetyna, how he spent hours talking with activists and parliamentarians. During the conversation, he admits that it was actually a way to gain knowledge and manipulate people: – Schetyna kept us in check, he hurt many, but now everything is falling apart. Borys Budka has not hurt anyone. He is a cultured, at times gentle man, but he is rarely present. He doesn’t talk, he doesn’t manage the club, people have become alienated. They don’t know what’s next.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,26294675,rozgrywka-o-platforme.html -- I FEEL SORRY FOR NOWOCZESNA, THERE IS NO PARTY TODAY WHOSE OFFER INCLUDES MODERNIZATION - WITOLD GADOMSKI IN GW: “They considered their party friendly to hardworking, ambitious, entrepreneurial people. Nowoczesna had ideas for tax reform, pension reform, healthcare, and strengthening state institutions, and this appealed to a considerable number of voters. The former brain of Donald Tusk’s government, Sienkiewicz, wants to define the Platforma Obywatelska voter, Hołownia’s movement will fish among moderate Catholics, and the right-wing is increasingly emphasizing a national-Catholic program. The voter has no offer from a party whose trademark is modernization. That’s why I feel sorry for Nowoczesna.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,26289648,a-jednak-mi-zal-nowoczesnej.html -- TRZASKOWSKI IS MAINLY PUTTING OUT FIRES, HE HAS A PROBLEM NOT WITH MUSIC - ARTUR BARTKIEWICZ IN RZ: “It is hard not to get the impression that the President of Warsaw has wasted these two months. With the ‘Nowa Solidarność’ movement, it is currently like waiting for Godot – there is no movement, only endless waiting. Positive initiatives undertaken by the Mayor of Warsaw do not break through to public opinion even a tenth as strongly as the DJ story. And there is another failure of the Czajka pumping station, which certainly does not improve Trzaskowski’s perception. Trzaskowski has a problem today – and it’s not a problem with choosing music. While Szymon Hołownia – who also accumulated his capital in the presidential elections – is beginning to form the foundations of his parliamentary base, the Mayor of Warsaw is mainly putting out fires. If he does not quickly go on the offensive politically, it may turn out that the golden horn he held for a moment has suddenly disappeared. And then only the chocholi dance will remain – and at most the choice of music for it.” https://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/200919758-Artur-Bartkiewicz-Rafal-Trzaskowski-ma-problem-Nie-nie-z-muzyka.html -- A DJ FULL OF GRIEVANCES ABOUT TRZASKOWSKI - ON THE LIFESTYLE PORTAL ONET NOIZZ: “We will probably quickly forget about Rafał Trzaskowski’s funk from Saturday, but it will be replaced by other people who will also claim ownership of the city or club. I could end with a song that I think perfectly captures the atmosphere of this whole turmoil, but probably a dozen or so people would suggest to me that the piece should be different, so I’ll refrain.” https://noizz.pl/lifestyle/dj-wyjasnia-trzaskowskiemu-dlaczego-nie-zagralby-jamiroquai/pbrp34l -- BIRTHDAYS: Jerzy Zelnik, Małgorzata Hajewska-Krzysztofik, Joanna Mihułka.