-- photo by Igor Smirnow/Gazeta Polska -- PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS WERE HELD ONE YEAR AGO. -- LIBICKI ON THE POTENTIAL REMOVAL OF GRODZKI, GLIŃSKI ON STATE-OWNED COMPANIES BUYING MEDIA - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2020/10/13 -- CURIOSITY: FORMER AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER KEVIN RUDD ON A PETITION TO COUNTER CONCENTRATION OF MEDIA IN MURDOCH'S HANDS - CANCER FOR DEMOCRACY: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-54503968 -- VARIOUS OFFICIALS AND POLITICIANS, WHOM POLES HAVE NOT ELECTED, DEMAND THAT WE RE-EVALUATE OUR CULTURE BECAUSE THEY FEEL LIKE IT - JAROSŁAW KACZYŃSKI IN GAZETA POLSKA: “I will call these actions by their name: we are dealing with an attempt to take away our sovereignty, even in the sphere of culture. To make everyone understand what the dispute with the Union is about, I will use the example of the Polish People's Republic (PRL). From the perspective of the communist model, i.e. the Soviet Union, the existence of individual farms was an atrocity, yet they existed in the PRL. The activity of the Catholic Church was also unacceptable, yet the Church operated in People's Poland, although of course it was harassed, persecuted, and brutally oppressed. So, even under communism, certain spheres of human freedom, the possibility of choice, could be defended. Poland was of course completely subordinate to Moscow, but a certain separateness was preserved. Today, however, the institutions of the European Union, its various officials, some politicians whom Poles have never elected anywhere, demand that we re-evaluate our entire culture, reject everything that is critically important to us, simply because they feel like it. There is no other justification. There is no trace of treaty justification; it contradicts our declaration on cultural sovereignty adopted by the Sejm before joining the EU. There will be no consent to such actions. We will defend our identity, our freedom, our sovereignty at all costs. We will not be terrorized by money. Our response to these actions will be clear: no”. -- THERE WILL BE A VETO, A NON POSSUMUS FOR COERCION - KACZYŃSKI CONTINUES: “There will be a veto. If threats and blackmail continue, we will firmly defend Poland's vital interests. Veto. Non possumus. And we will act this way towards anyone who attempts to coerce us. I will repeat once again – because I have already said it – we are on the right side of history. It is those who want to take away our sovereignty, to impose their whims on us, who are on the road to ruin”. https://niezalezna.pl/357330-j-kaczynski-dla-gpc-o-naciskach-ze-strony-unii-i-glosowaniu-ws-budzetu-bedzie-weto -- WE ARE STILL FAR FROM THE SITUATION IN SPRING IN ITALY OR SPAIN - MILADA JĘDRYSIK IN OKO: “This is still far from the situation that occurred in the spring in Italy, Spain, or France. We currently have better treatment standards for patients, we know which drugs can help them, and hospital staff outside of infectious disease wards have learned to follow the regime – perhaps this will mean that the autumn wave of infections will not be so deadly. So far, data from Western Europe suggest this. The number of cases is record-high, and the number of deaths is incomparably lower. Unfortunately, Poland continues to climb in the European statistics of deaths from COVID-19. In the last two weeks, only Romania, the Czech Republic, Spain, Malta, Hungary, and Belgium had more virus victims per 100,000 inhabitants”. -- IF WE FOLLOW THE CZECH PATH, CZECH RESTRICTIONS AWAIT US - JĘDRYSIK CONTINUES: “This graph of new cases in Poland and the Czech Republic from 'Our World in Data' shows that the dynamics of increases are similar in both countries – very rapid. The Czech Republic has already crossed the barrier of over 10% positive test results per day. Simply put, this means they no longer have control over the spread of the virus. The graph does not include this, but Poland has also already crossed the 10% barrier – the average for the last week is 12.99%. This is further confirmation that we are on the same path. The Czech government introduced a state of emergency at the beginning of October, and starting Monday, further restrictions: theaters, cinemas, and gyms were closed. Restaurants and taverns must close by 8 PM. Religious ceremonies or sports and cultural events can be attended by 10 people indoors and 20 people outdoors. High schools and universities have switched to remote learning. If we follow the Czech path, perhaps similar restrictions will await us soon”. https://oko.press/u-nas-wspolczynnik-r-139-a-w-czechach-jest-jeszcze-gorzej/ -- THERE IS NO PLAN TO INTRODUCE SUCH FAR-REACHING RESTRICTIONS - PRIME MINISTER'S COLLABORATOR IN THE ARTICLE BY IWONA SZPALA AND AGATA KONDZIŃSKA IN GW: “Our interlocutors from Prime Minister Morawiecki's circle avoid firm declarations. – I cannot say what will happen in a month, but as of today, there is no decision to introduce a state of emergency – says one minister. – All scenarios are possible, but for now, there is no plan to introduce such far-reaching restrictions – adds a collaborator of the prime minister”. -- THE RULING TEAM IS SURPRISED BY THE RAPIDITY OF THE EPIDEMIC - GW AUTHORS CONTINUE: “As we hear, the ruling team itself is surprised by the rapidity of the epidemic. – They lived with the conviction that everything was okay. The prime minister even announced the virus's retreat. Introducing a state of emergency is a significant blow. It realistically means a lockdown, further economic paralysis. In PiS, they fear cuts to social benefits the most, and that their electorate will not withstand it – says a politician from Civic Coalition”. https://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,26391849,czy-rzad-wprowadzi-stan-kleski-zywiolowej-nie-wykluczamy-zadnej.html -- LET'S END THE HYSTERIA AROUND THE "FIVE FOR ANIMALS" - MICHAŁ KARNOWSKI: “Let's end the hysteria around the 'Five for Animals.' The majority of Poles support the changes, and the proposed project cuts through doubts”. -- POLLS ALSO CONTRADICT THIS NONSENSE - KARNOWSKI CONTINUES: “This chasm between the media's portrayal of the discussion around the 'Five for Animals' and the real social emotions has recurred many times. The same faces appear in images from protests outside PiS MPs' offices. Some posts published on social media also suggested that peasant hordes were sharpening their scythes to finish off the 'Pis traitors of the countryside.' Everything is exaggerated, everything is foolish. As if some people believed the image of Jarosław Kaczyński's camp's voter created by the media: a primitive who happily tortures animals. This is a lie. Polls also contradict this nonsense, showing support from the majority of Poles, including rural residents, for the 'Five for Animals.'”. -- THESE ARE NOT LEFT-WING VALUES - KARNOWSKI CONTINUES: “Really, let's not be led to believe that concern for nature, animals, and the beauty of the landscape are left-wing values. This is not true – they stem from love for the homeland, for our neighbors, from Christian sensitivity, Polish tradition, and conservative formations also have an obligation to implement them”. https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/521720-skonczmy-juz-z-histeria-wokol-piatki-dla-zwierzat -- THE "FIVE" IS A SPOT ACTION, NOT A NEW PHILOSOPHY - JACEK KARNOWSKI: “The decisions announced today by the prime minister – certainly at least consulted with Jarosław Kaczyński – mean that PiS has realized this threat, and perhaps it's not too late yet. What's more, these corrections remove significant sources of concern (social controls on farms). At this stage, however, this may not be enough to close the issue. Now the ruling party must send a clear message that it has not changed its stance, that the 'Five for Animals' is a point action, an excerpt, relating to specific problems, and not a kind of new philosophy of action in relation to the countryside”. https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/521677-zmiany-w-piatce-dla-zwierzat-znosza-powazne-zrodla-niepokoju -- KONFEDERACJA AS THE CENTER OF THE PROCESS OF DIRECTLY INTRODUCING ELEMENTS OF RUSSIAN POLICY INTO DEBATE - KATARZYNA GÓJSKA IN NIEZALEŻNA: “Moreover, elements of Russian policy are being directly introduced into public debate in Poland, with Konfederacja being the center of this process. All of this requires great prudence and insight from both the Polish authorities and all of us in assessing events that will concern, for example, representatives of the Polish minority and issues related to our history. We must at all times firmly defend our interests and stand up for historical truth, but we must also keep in mind that we may be dealing with provocations aimed at eliciting our reaction and fueling social emotions”. https://niezalezna.pl/357263-jestesmy-na-pierwszej-linii -- DUDA OWES HIS RE-ELECTION MAINLY TO KACZYŃSKI - ANDRZEJ STANKIEWICZ IN TYGODNIK POWSZECHNY: “The PiS leader is trying to arrange his relations with the president in the new term. Duda owes his re-election mainly to Kaczyński, who spent millions on the campaign and involved key state institutions, including TVP, in it. Now the party leader is showing him this”. https://www.tygodnikpowszechny.pl/prezydent-drazni-prezesa-165242 -- MORAWSKI: PUBLIC DEBT IS BETTER THAN MILLIONS OF UNEMPLOYED - Ignacy Morawski in conversation with Michał Sutowski in Krytyka Polityczna: “Yes, a sharp increase in public debt certainly poses a risk to the country's long-term financial stability. And will a large-scale fiscal crisis await us? I believe we have a good chance of avoiding it. And I repeat, economics is the science of the exchangeability of goals. We saved hundreds of thousands of jobs at the cost of growing debt, and this was not a mistake, but a successful trade-off, something for something. If we hadn't done it, the risk would have been different. I think a drastic increase in unemployment and the collapse of thousands of companies would have been a worse scenario than an increase in debt”. -- HUNDREDS, MAYBE MILLIONS OF JOBS WERE SAVED - MORAWSKI CONTINUES: “Yes, but survey-based indicators also point to a slight increase. Of course, the other side of the coin is the growing budget deficit and public debt. However, considering how strong the economic shock was in the spring, the fact that hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of jobs were saved is perhaps the most positive phenomenon during the epidemic in Poland”. -- IT IS MOST PROBABLE THAT THE IMPACT OF THE SECOND WAVE ON THE ECONOMY WILL BE SMALLER THAN IN THE SPRING - MORAWSKI CONTINUES: “I repeat: due to expectations. Not only among management staff has the conviction become widespread that this epidemic will pass and then things will be relatively normal. And it is precisely because of this psychological effect that there will be no economic collapse, unless the wave of infections is not only high but also long, lasting not 2–3 months, but 5–6 months. Then the effects will be worse. Today, we can draw any number of negative scenarios, but the most probable one is that the impact on the economy will be smaller than in the spring”. -- LEAVING SCHOOLS OPEN WAS VERY IMPORTANT - MORAWSKI IN CONVERSATION WITH SUTOWSKI: “Certainly, for children in families where parents have little time to look after them, half a year of ineffective learning can have a very bad long-term effect. And that is why I believe that keeping schools open was very important, although today it is clearly schools that are generating the second wave. However, we should avoid closing nurseries and younger grades as much as possible – up to the age when children cannot look after themselves or learn effectively remotely”. https://krytykapolityczna.pl/gospodarka/morawski-lepszy-dlug-publiczny-niz-miliony-bezrobotnych/ -- MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS FROM ABROAD ARE NEEDED - PIOTR WÓJCIK in Krytyka: “We have the largest healthcare staff deficit in the EU. We have lost tens of thousands of people educated in Polish medical universities, and at the same time, we have closed ourselves off to medical personnel from abroad. It is difficult to logically explain this situation. -- WÓJCIK ON A FAST TRACK FOR NEW DOCTORS: “Abolishing fees for the nostrification exam and internships for experienced foreign doctors do not seem to be far-reaching solutions. Nurses from outside the EU should be allowed to be employed while their diplomas are being recognized, and their potential study time should be shortened. For the duration of the pandemic, a path should also be created for the immediate employment of medical personnel for at least several months based on verification by the district medical or nursing and midwifery chamber. This latter solution should have been implemented in April or May to be ready for the autumn-winter accumulation of influenza and COVID-19. If we implement it now, many may not live to see its effects”. https://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/potrzebni-medycy-z-zagranicy-wojcik/ -- BIRTHDAYS: Stanisław Rakoczy, Paweł Bejda, Mirosław Kochalski, Piotr Gursztyn.