-- JOANNA LICHOCKA WANTS CULTURE COMMITTEE SESSION REGARDING AXEL SPRINGER LAWSUIT AGAINST JOURNALIST: Joanna Lichocka wants to convene the Committee on Culture and Media. The issue concerns claims made by the German-Swiss concern Ringier Axel Springer against Polish journalists. https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/520696-lichocka-reaguje-na-pozwy-wobec-dziennikarzy -- SOBOLEWSKI ON JUDICIARY AND MEDIA CHANGES DEPENDENT ON PANDEMIC FIGHT AND ON A TEST FOR SUSPENDED PIS MPS, SCHETYNA ON INFECTION EXPLOSION AMONG POLITICIANS, CZARZASTY ON REINTRODUCING RESTRICTIONS IN THE SEJM - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2020/10/06/ -- THE OPPOSITION WANTED ELECTIONS IN THE AUTUMN, AND WHAT THEN? - MICHAŁ KARNOWSKI: “It is frankly shocking how irresponsible, foolish, and solely focused on provoking the government the opposition is. It sees nothing – neither what is happening in neighboring countries nor further afield. It does not accept knowledge about the ebb and flow of the epidemic. Instead, it competes in threats and the desire to hold others accountable. It is worth reminding them, therefore, that it was they themselves who wanted, demanded, and proposed that the election campaign and presidential elections take place precisely now – in the autumn. Because, in their opinion, in May – the envelopes were deadly, and the elections were going to kill people.” -- THE GOVERNMENT ACTS FLEXIBLY, THERE IS NO MAGIC WAND - KARNOWSKI CONTINUES: “This is precisely how – in my assessment – the Polish government is acting. Sensibly, flexibly, observing the incoming information and the changing situation. Only very foolish people can demand a magic wand that will solve all problems, preferably without costs. It has not been found in Sweden, nor in Great Britain, nor in the United States, nor in Germany. Some thought they had it, they even looked at us with a certain superiority – like the Czechs – but infection rates have also skyrocketed there. We must therefore hold the government accountable for drawing conclusions, for the efficiency in fulfilling its commitments, and for its ability to ensure hospital beds and specialized equipment for those who will need them. This was the social contract at the beginning of the epidemic.” https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/520698-to-warto-przypomniec-atakujacej-premiera-opozycji -- STIRRING UP EMOTIONS LIKE A REVOLUTIONARY COUP D'ÉTAT - JACEK KARNOWSKI: “And that is why the offensive of the radical left, undertaken precisely now, in times of such great crisis, is a huge scandal. This stirring up of emotions, this attack on the foundations of our identity, this attempt to incite large social groups, especially youth, this constant provocation, accusation, and lying at home and abroad… All of this does not look like legitimate debate in a democratic state, but like a revolutionary coup d'état, waiting for the troubles of the old order. A coup which must result, at the very least, in the weakening of the Polish state; the individual actions of these circles are measured in this way, quite openly. A cynical, ruthless, spiritually foreign project.” https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/520685-skrajna-lewica-uderza-w-chwili-wyjatkowo-trudnej-dla-polski -- HYSTERIA THAT THE COUNTRYSIDE WILL TURN ITS BACK ON PIS. AND WHO WOULD THEY FOLLOW? - JACEK LIZINIEWICZ IN NIEZALEŻNA: “The hysteria accompanying this made many people suddenly believe that the countryside would turn its back on PiS. Of course, this cannot be ruled out, but when I see the people the farmers would follow, it seems to me that nothing will come of it. The exotic coalition of Szczepan Wójcik, Michał Kołodziejczak, Renata Beger, and Sławomir I. does not seem destined for success. I also don't believe that a common force will suddenly emerge from the farming community. I regret to write this, but the last 30 years of the Polish countryside's functioning show that farmers have deep problems with cooperation, even when it brings them economic profit, let alone in politics. Of course, they might vote for the left out of spite, but it certainly won't improve their situation. However, the temptation to do nothing about animal welfare was strong. Such problems must be fought, and such resistance must be overcome. Complacency is, after all, tempting.” https://niezalezna.pl/355932-odwaga-i-dzialanie -- OUTBIDDING ZIOBRO AT THE EXPENSE OF EDUCATION - PIOTR ZAREMBA IN DGP: “One can disagree with the American ambassador Georgette Mosbacher's view that there is a good and bad side of history. And that conservative Poles choose the worse one. But the language used by the new political overseer of schools and universities, Przemysław Czarnek, when criticizing LGBT communities, was unacceptable. And when the reward for such language is the role of the 'first educator' of children and youth, the ruling right cannot then complain about Poland's reputation abroad. It chooses to fuel a culture war not with its own social programs, but with invective. Jarosław Kaczyński had other candidates for education. For example, Mirosława Różecka-Stachowiak, a parliamentarian from Wrocław, a calm and substantive person. If he chose a politician from Lublin, it was for one purpose: to outbid the orthodox PiS with Solidarna Polska with fierce right-wing rhetoric. He did this at the expense of Polish education.” -- GOWIN USED A CHISEL, NOT A CROWBAR - ZAREMBA CONTINUES: “In reality, Jarosław Gowin, now criticized by his colleagues for allowing universities to lean left, was already doing this. But he acted discreetly, while simultaneously taking care of proper relations with academic elites. If Czarnek tries to use a crowbar instead of a chisel, instead of the effects he desires, he might expect a permanent uproar.” -- CZARNEK IS TOO IDEOLOGICAL TO REALISTICALLY HELP HIS IDEAS - ZAREMBA'S CONCLUSION: “Education should be effective and, as far as possible, impartial. But it is linked to a certain choice of values. I fear that the new Minister of Education has neither the tools, nor the ideas, nor the budgetary funds to make Polish schools better, more interesting, or more effective. And from PiS's perspective, it doesn't even offer hope for that camp to gain the hearts and minds through teaching. He is probably too ideological to realistically help his ideas.” https://wiadomosci.dziennik.pl/opinie/artykuly/7841090,przemyslaw-czarnek-minister-edukacji-pis-solidarna-polska-oswiata.html -- COALITION PARTNERS ARE THINKING ABOUT OCCUPYING POSITIONS IN CASE OF THE CAMP'S COLLAPSE - DOMINIKA WIELOWIEYSKA IN GW: “United Right is still in disarray. Coalition partners are already thinking about occupying appropriate positions in case the ruling camp disintegrates.” -- KACZYŃSKI WILL HAVE DIFFICULTY PUSHING THROUGH FURTHER CHANGES THAT RISK CONFLICT WITH THE EU - WIELOWIEYSKA CONTINUES: “Therefore, much indicates that Kaczyński will have great difficulty pushing through further changes that demolish the legal and constitutional order and expose us to conflicts with the European Union. Of course, in media sympathetic to PiS, he announces that he will soon launch an offensive, but this might be a good face for a bad game. News about abandoning radical ideas is coming from right-wing publicists. For example, Wojciech Wybranowski wrote on the wp.pl portal: 'The reform of the judiciary will most likely be postponed ad acta. Plans for media deconcentration will also be softened.'” -- DEALING WITH ZIOBRO IS NOT AN AMBITIOUS PLAN FOR GOVERNANCE - WIELOWIEYSKA'S CONCLUSION: “Perhaps, then, the coming years of United Right's rule will be spent by Jarosław Kaczyński mainly dealing with Zbigniew Ziobro and ensuring he doesn't conduct investigations that harm Morawiecki. And ensuring that Minister of Interior and Administration Mariusz Kamiński and Minister of National Defense Mariusz Błaszczak don't undermine the Prime Minister, as they have until now. This is not an ambitious plan for governing the country.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,26370440,dobra-zmiana-grzeznie-w-grach-koalicyjnych.html -- THE GRANDIOSE RECONSTRUCTION DOES NOT ADDRESS ANY OF THE CHALLENGES - ANDRZEJ STANKIEWICZ IN TYGODNIK POWSZECHNY: “The grandiosely announced government reconstruction does not address any of the challenges facing Poland. It is a puzzle intended to be a remedy for the internal ailments of the ruling camp.” -- MUSCLE-FLEXING SHUFFLING IS NOT WORTH A DAMN IF THE VIRUS HITS HARDER - STANKIEWICZ CONTINUES IN TP: “There are two problems with this reconstruction. Firstly, even Kaczyński cannot stop the conflict between Morawiecki and Ziobro. Secondly, if the coronavirus hits Poland even harder, all these reshuffles may prove not worth a damn.” https://www.tygodnikpowszechny.pl/recepta-na-goraczke-wladzy-165066 -- FEAR THAT OFFICIALS WILL DEAL WITH THEMSELVES RATHER THAN THE PANDEMIC - ŁUKASZ LIPIŃSKI ON POLITYKA PORTAL: “The infection detected in a minister only makes us realize that such a major reform of the government center at a time when we need to fight the pandemic and its consequences is not necessarily a good idea. One can agree with the direction of changes – it is worth reducing the number of ministries and improving coordination within the cabinet – but the timing for such a gigantic reform is very difficult. An undesirable consequence of the reconstruction combined with a structural change may be that government officials will primarily focus on themselves and the new configuration, rather than the pandemic.” https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/kraj/1973770,1,rekonstrukcja-jak-po-grudzie-teraz-wirus-u-ministra.read?src=mt -- 41% RATE TRZASKOWSKI'S CRISIS MANAGEMENT SKILLS POORLY, 32% POSITIVELY - SOCIAL CHANGES POLL: “How do you assess Mr./Ms. Rafał Trzaskowski's skills in handling crisis situations?” 32% of respondents chose the answer “definitely positively” (13%) or “rather positively” (19%). 41% held the opposite view (“definitely negatively” – 24%, “rather negatively” – 17%). 27% considered it “difficult to say.” As many as 76% of United Right voters have a critical assessment of Trzaskowski's achievements, and only… 4% of Civic Coalition voters. https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/520717-wyborcy-opozycji-wybacza-trzaskowskiemu-kazda-wpadke -- MACIEJ BEREK REPLACING TUSK AT THE HEAD OF THE SENATE INFORMATION CENTER - KAMIL DZIUBKA IN ONET: “According to our sources in the Senate, Maciej Berek will likely become the new head of the Senate Information Center. He was previously associated with the Senate's chancellery and later worked at the Supreme Audit Office (NIK). His career accelerated during Donald Tusk's tenure. From 2007-2015, he was the president of the Government Legislation Centre and secretary of the Council of Ministers. Grzegorz Furgo is to be given another job in the Senate. His resignation is another such event in this chamber recently. In August – officially for health reasons – Piotr Świątecki, appointed by Tomasz Grodzki just 8 months earlier, resigned as head of the Senate Chancellery.” https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/tylko-w-onecie/dymisja-waznego-urzednika-w-senacie-grzegorz-furgo-odwolany-z-funkcji-szefa-centrum/6x76d8b -- GERMAN PRESIDENCY DEFENDS A DILUTED RULE OF LAW MECHANISM, EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT IS WAITING - TOMASZ BIELECKI FROM BRUSSELS: “On Monday evening (5.10), German Minister Michael Roth defended in the European Parliament the compromise draft regulation on 'money for the rule of law', which the EU Council approved last week as its negotiating position with MEPs. The German presidency, translating the political agreements of the July EU summit into legal language, proposed that EU funds be suspended or reduced in cases of rule of law violations that 'sufficiently directly' affect the proper management of EU funds (including Recovery Fund grants) and the financial interests of the Union. The European Commission's proposal for such sanctions would have to be approved by a qualified majority vote of the Council of the EU, and moreover, the threatened country could postpone such a decision for up to three months by requesting a discussion at the EU summit. – The leaders of all EU countries agreed to such principles. The initial proposal by the European Commission from 2018 already linked rule of law violations to the EU budget. This is not our invention. We now need a compromise between the EU institutions – thus Minister Roth defended himself against the accusations of many MEPs that the German presidency proposed only an additional 'anti-corruption instrument' instead of defending the broadly understood rule of law extending beyond justice issues in prosecuting fraud with EU funds.” https://www.dw.com/pl/europoselski-sp%C3%B3r-o-pieni%C4%85dze-i-praworz%C4%85dno%C5%9B%C4%87/a-55166746 -- THE QUALITY OF DEBATE GUARANTEEING FREEDOM OF SPEECH HAS NOT IMPROVED IN HUNGARY, THE SYSTEM IS CLOSING DOWN - WOJCIECH MUCHA IN KLUB JAGIELLOŃSKI: “'The end of extreme imbalance,' 'breaking the monopoly of foreign capital,' 'building a dam against the flood of lies.' With such arguments, Hungarian Fidesz politicians justified changes in the media market there. On the occasion of another round of discussion about repolonization, or as others call it – deconcentration – of media on the Vistula River, it is worth examining this Hungarian example. Although our brethren have managed the intensity of Western capital, it does not mean that the quality of public debate, which guarantees freedom of speech, has improved. On the contrary, the system is closing down.” -- MEDIA OTHER THAN PRO-GOVERNMENT ONES WILL SOON CEASE TO EXIST IN HUNGARY - MUCHA CONTINUES: “What does the Hungarian example teach us? The fact is that Orbán's initial actions were driven by the desire to break the left-liberal hegemony in the media (and let's not hide it – to gain power). However, there is no doubt that Fidesz has gone too far in these good intentions. To realize this, one image is enough. In 2006, the memorable 'truth tapes' where the Hungarian socialist prime minister, Ferenc Gyurcsány, admits that his government lied and cheated, were published by… Hungarian public radio, and the then-opposition media only took the initiative later. Today, in the tenth year of Viktor Orbán's rule, a similar situation seems improbable. Moreover, soon there may be no media in Hungary that could publish material critical or exposing of the authorities. Pro-government ones will not do so for obvious reasons, and others will simply not exist.” https://klubjagiellonski.pl/2020/10/05/domykanie-systemu-jak-viktor-orban-zreformowal-wegierskie-media/ -- BIRTHDAYS: Jerzy Hausner, Grzegorz Łaguna.