-- RAFAŁ TRZASKOWSKI STARTS WITH "WSPÓLNA POLSKA" AND PROMISES GRANTS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO ORGANIZE, PIS YOUTH MOVEMENT LAUNCHES "MŁODZI SOLIDARNIE" TO HELP DURING THE PANDEMIC - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2020/10/17/ -- THE EFFECT OF A CAUTIOUS LOCKDOWN IS THE RIDICULE OF WHAT HAPPENED JUST MOMENTS AGO: INTERNAL COALITION WARS AND HOPES FOR A REVOLUTIONARY AGENDA, PIOTR ZAREMBA IN RZ: "We live, however, in the shadow of human fears and discomforts, and sometimes tragedies. The effect of a partial, let's admit, cautious, as much as possible, return to lockdown rules is the ridicule of what happened just moments ago. Namely, the war within the coalition and the ruling party's hopes for putting a revolutionary agenda on the table: PiS's ordering or perhaps subordination of the media market, or purges among judges referred to as 'justice reform'. -- THE GOVERNMENT MUST EXPECT A DETERIORATION OF MOODS, PIS MULTIPLIED RIGORS, SOMETIMES ABSURD LIKE FORESTS, AND THEN BEHAVED CARELESSLY - ZAREMBA CONTINUES: "The government must expect a general deterioration of moods. The greater, the more the people were misled by optimistic messages from late spring and summer – also politically motivated, primarily by the intention to quickly push through the presidential elections. Of course, PiS politicians can reasonably argue that society eagerly bought into some of their inconsistencies because they wanted to afford themselves a holiday, a few more pleasant months before the escalation of the pandemic, which was predicted in broad outlines. Nevertheless, just as PiS multiplied absurd rigors in March that served no purpose (the memorable ban on entering forests), so it behaved even more carelessly later. I don't know if it was truly possible to prepare much better for the second wave; opposition accusations are often general and unsubstantiated. However, the multi-week spectacle of the right-wing camp preoccupying itself practically begs to be used now for anti-government propaganda". -- THE OPPOSITION IS ON THE OFFENSIVE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME, AND GOVERNMENT STATEMENTS ARE INCREASINGLY LACKING SELF-ASSURANCE - ZAREMBA CONTINUES: "The opposition, with the significant exception of Konfederacja, which has become a representation of COVID skeptics, is attacking the government from even more alarmist positions. And for the first time in a long time, it is on the offensive. If one were to draw a logical conclusion from this alarm, a return to lockdown would be necessary, although politicians from PO, PSL, or Lewica do not want to clearly state this. However, their accusations undoubtedly mobilize the government to introduce further restrictions. In turn, statements from government representatives are increasingly lacking self-assurance. Here, the Ministry of Health spokesman emphasized, primarily in television appearances, that we still do not fully understand how the virus works. We don't understand it, along with the rest of Europe and the world, which – contrary to the harshest accusations from the opposition – is also struggling. But this is little consolation. As one journalist noted, the government camp has usually managed by repelling accusations with simple, endlessly repeated messages. Are they now getting stuck in their throats?" -- THE WEAKNESS OF THE OPPOSITION'S LITANY IS THE LACK OF AN ALTERNATIVE PROGRAM - ZAREMBA CONTINUES: "The weakness of this litany is the lack, apart from a few constant points (more tests!), of an alternative program. The complaints reach ridiculous levels. 'Wyborcza' on its second page can accuse the president of engaging in discussions about animals on Twitter, when in fact he 'could be fighting the pandemic.' Donald Tusk blames the same president for opening sports venues, while 'people are dying.' We have just been resting, perhaps with the illusory hope that the drama is passing. Like a child with their head under a pillow. And perhaps we even deserved it. But now every government failure will provoke similar complaints. On the right, there is a sense of being lost. In the latest issue of 'Sieci,' Jan Rokita criticizes the government for inconsistencies in its response to the pandemic and demands more energetic legal responses". -- SOMEONE IS TAKING MONTHS, MAYBE YEARS OF OUR LIVES, BUT ANOTHER THERAPY CONTAINS MORAL DILEMMAS - ZAREMBA'S CONCLUSION: "Bureaucratic, clogged Sanepid structures, now being relieved by Niedzielski, or a poorly organized hospital network are things we naturally ask the government about. Absurdities like targeting theaters are also worth questioning. However, can we question the fact that someone is taking months, perhaps years, from our lives? That they are wasting them? This is only possible when we decide to demand a completely different therapy. One filled with traps and moral dilemmas. One thing is certain – not only Morawiecki's government ministers are entering a new, unmanageable reality. All of us together with them. The opposition too." https://www.rp.pl/Plus-Minus/310169981-Janda-Brudzinski-i-pytania-o-strategie-w-pandemii.html -- THE REMARKABLE ABILITY OF THE DOMESTIC RIGHT TO RIDICULE IDEAS CLOSE TO IT - MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI IN RZ ON THE EXAMPLE OF KRAŚNIK AND FLAGPOLES: "The remarkable ability of parts of the domestic right to ridicule ideas close to it is striking. Consider the councilors of Kraśnik, who wanted to care for the family so much that a year ago they decided to adopt a resolution on 'stopping LGBT ideology by the local government community.' Only one councilor voted against the resolution at the time. -- THE STATE, SURPRISED BY THE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF ITS OWN INDEPENDENCE, STARTS ERECTING FLAGPOLES - SZUŁDRZYŃSKI CONTINUES IN RZ: "I like to hang the flag in front of my house on the eve of national holidays, and our children like it very much too. This is precisely where the difference lies. When it's done spontaneously at home, it sparks the interest of the youngest, building patriotism from the ground up. A good idea for the 100th anniversary of independence was collecting submissions for a joint singing of the anthem. Let's stick with this anniversary, because after the celebrations, apart from a bad taste, there were benches with peeling paint and unfulfilled plans for further museums. If a state that can be surprised by the hundredth anniversary of regaining independence, which at the last minute gives citizens a day off and has failed to build the Museum of Polish History for a decade, starts erecting independence flagpoles, I am starting to fear it will end up like in Kraśnik." https://www.rp.pl/Plus-Minus/310169990-Michal-Szuldrzynski-Krasnik-tecza-i-maszt.html -- THEY WILL BREAK THEIR TEETH ON GIERTYCH - RADEK SIKORSKI IN A CONVERSATION WITH DONATA SUBBOTKO IN GW: "The bread is running out, they are staging games. After intimidating prosecutors and judges, it's time for lawyers. I don't know much about law, but I know about warriors. They will break their teeth on Roman Giertych. -- WE CREATED A GOVERNMENT THAT ADDED PRESTIGE TO POLAND - RADEK SIKORSKI: "Platforma will survive. It's almost 20 years old, it's the largest opposition party, and it has fantastic achievements. Journalists like to talk about our mistakes, but let's not forget who built the highways, the National Stadium, gave the longest maternity leave extension, guided the country through the financial crisis, and established the Eastern Partnership. We created a government that added prestige to Poland, while PiS causes its marginalization. Besides, it's evident that we have already passed the peak of Kaczyński's presumption of infallibility and omnipotence. -- MONEY HANDOUTS AND EASTERN-STYLE GOVERNANCE, THE LIST OF POSITIONS OF UNITED RUSSIA AND PUTIN ON MOST MATTERS IS IDENTICAL TO PiS'S - SIKORSKI CONTINUES: "Rather, I'm annoyed. After all, what have they done: giant money handouts, kleptocracy, nepotism that Poland has never seen before. Nor such a violation of law and good customs. And Eastern-style governance, because these are not the democratic rules of the Western world. We have people in power who civilizationaly and substantively agree with Putin, even though they are afraid of him. If you make a list of ideological positions of United Russia and PiS, there is no difference, starting with the attitude towards LGBT. But they won't manage to lead us out of the Union. Next year there will be a real crisis, and they have given everything away. -- SIKORSKI ON THE EVOLUTION OF HIS CONSERVATISM - THIS IS NOT REACTIONISM: "I am not ashamed that I can change my mind. Conservatism comes from preserving, respecting patrimony. Conserving a manor house also means conservative values. Respect for nature too – the left didn't invent that. One can care for it, live ecologically, just as well from conservative premises. Conservatism is not an ideology of reactionism, but a temperament, a distance from political enthusiasms. -- SIKORSKI ON BEING LOADED WITH PEGASUS: "About a month after the outbreak of the so-called tape scandal, I had a psychiatric examination to renew my firearms permit. One of the standard questions, to weed out the crazy ones, is: do you feel you are being eavesdropped on? The doctor himself chuckled. Today, I have a strange certainty that the eavesdropping enthusiasts in PiS did not deny themselves the pleasure of loading Pegasus onto my smartphone. -- ANTISEMITISM IS USED LIKE IN '68 - SIKORSKI CONTINUES ON "JEWISH WOMEN AS FIRST LADIES": "Well yes, because if antisemitism is used in a presidential campaign in free Poland – like the communists did, for example, in '68 – then it's a defeat. Andrzej Duda expressed doubts about the authorship of the Jedwabne massacre in his first campaign, and in his second campaign, he fought for Konfederacja's votes using antisemitism. And in the marketplaces, one could hear headlines from TVP Info: Will Trzaskowski take away 500 plus to give money to Jews? Mrs. Kornhauser-Duda did not comment on this in any way. I even joked that if I were to run for president, there would be a chance for a third Jewish woman in a row in the role of the first lady. Did antisemitism prevent you from running? – Schetyna once told me so – but kindly – that I underestimate that factor. And I believe that there is already a secular tradition of Jewish first ladies. -- HOŁOWNIA HAD GREATER CHANCES BECAUSE HE WAS CENTER-RIGHT AND TRZASKOWSKI CENTER-LEFT - SIKORSKI CONTINUES IN GW: "PiS feared Szymon Hołownia more than Rafał Trzaskowski. Before the first round, polls showed that Hołownia had a greater chance of ultimate victory because he was perceived as center-right, and Rafał as center-left. We knew that the government side would play the LGBT card, and we did not find a convincing response to it. Of course, as a party, we could not afford not to field a candidate, and I not only voted for Rafał but also campaigned for him; my son helped in his campaign. These elections might have been winnable only from the center-right. But there's no need to dwell on this matter any longer concerning me. -- THEY HAVE BAD RELATIONS EVEN WITH THE POPE, THEY BET ALL THEIR CHIPS ON TRUMP - SIKORSKI CONTINUES IN GW: "I agree with Trump that these are the most important American elections in decades. If he wins re-election, it means that the States are like us, that their sovereign also believes in easy solutions to difficult problems. However, Biden's victory will be uncomfortable for PiS, because they bet all their chips on Trump. They have brought it to the point where Poland has bad relations with Russia, Germany, the EU, France, and Pope Francis. It has been registered that Duda and PiS are Trumpists, so one should expect that Trump's rivals will change vectors. Trump abuses Germany, uses Poland for his games, and his successor might do the opposite. -- I AM YOUNG AND PROMISING - SIKORSKI CONTINUES: "In the last elections, almost 130,000 people voted for me. Not to send me into retirement. My former boss Jerzy Buzek, now a colleague and MEP, has just turned 80. Joe Biden is running at 78. So I am young and promising. Contrary to Hegel, Kant, or Marx, I do not believe that everything is determined. History is made by people; much depends on their decisions and chance. A year ago, I publicly spoke about the threat of biological weapons, about the fact that there are thousands of laboratories in the world where a virus can be created, but who would have thought that something like this would happen!" https://wyborcza.pl/magazyn/7,124059,26405383,radoslaw-sikorski-moja-zona-mowi-ze-jestem-przedfreudowski.html -- PO DEPUTIES FEAR LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND THEIR PEOPLE ON THE LISTS - IWONA SZPALA IN GW ON THE CONSERVATIVE ATTITUDE OF PLATFORMA TOWARDS TRZASKOWSKI'S MOVEMENT: "Deputies feared the positions of local government officials, especially the mayors of large cities, on whom Trzaskowski based his campaign. – The local government support was initially an asset for Trzaskowski, one of the arguments with which he convinced the party leadership, but during the campaign, it started to become a hindrance. In their imagination, colleagues saw people from the camps of mayors Karnowski, Sutryk, or Truskolaski in the leading positions – tells us a PO contact. PO activists read in online comments that they are 'remnants,' ZBoWiD [Union of Combatants for Freedom and Independence], a veteran's memory. -- WE WILL NOT HELP TRZASKOWSKI - BUDKA'S COLLABORATOR QUOTED BY SZPALA IN GW: "One of Budka's collaborators describes the movement itself thus: – Trzaskowski said something rash, he was in a campaign mood. Talking about replacing Platform was the voice of dreamers from the beginning. – In September, it became clear that we would not help Trzaskowski. The line won: we are strengthening the party – we hear from our contact. – The movement has no ties to the party – notes an important PO politician. – But Rafał Trzaskowski is the vice-chairman of Platforma – I reply. – But this is his personal initiative. Rafał Trzaskowski founded a foundation in his own name, became its president there. The foundation will be sustained by donations; it has no financial ties to Platforma. -- ONLY A SUPERFICIAL TRUCE BETWEEN PLATFORMA AND TRZASKOWSKI - SZPALA CONTINUES IN GAZETA WYBORCZA: "However, another contact claims that this is only a superficial truce. He suggests paying attention to the coincidence of events: when Trzaskowski announced online recruitment for a new initiative, Civic Platform launched a similar action for aspiring new activists. -- WITH SUCH AN APPROACH, WE WON'T GET FAR; WE WOULD HAVE A CHANCE TO GAIN A BROADER ELECTORATE - A PO POLITICIAN ON OFF BY SZPALA: "This should be enough comment on our vice-chairman's initiative – he says indignantly. He mentions that he joined it himself because he liked the idea. He conducted a mini-poll among his colleagues. – They were downright disgusted, as if I were betraying Platforma. With such an approach, we won't get far. It's a shame. If not for internal ambitions and squabbles, we would really have a chance to gain a broader electorate – he concludes. – In PO, they know that Trzaskowski is the politician with the greatest promotional potential in the country, so nothing is lost – reassures us another contact from Platforma." https://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,26405307,startuje-ruch-trzaskowskiego-po-trzyma-sie-na-dystans.html -- TRZASKOWSKI DISAPPEARED FOR A MONTH AND A HALF, NOW IT IS SADLY AN INSIGNIFICANT EVENT - TRZASKOWSKI'S COLLABORATOR IN ŁUKASZ ROGOJSZ'S TEXT IN GAZETA.PL: "The thing is, there was no follow-up later. Trzaskowski disappeared from public space for almost a month and a half, and when he returned, he had to deal with another failure in 'Czajka,' instead of preparing the inauguration of his movement, originally planned for September 5. – Maybe we missed the right moment, but it also gave us time for reflection that there were no 10 million votes for Rafał and Platforma, because these were votes against what was happening in Poland in recent years – says a PO politician familiar with Trzaskowski. – Unfortunately, it's an insignificant event – says one of the former Platforma campaign staff about the inauguration of Trzaskowski's movement. -- RAFAL'S APPROACH TO WORK WAS DECISIVE - A PO POLITICIAN TO ROGOJSZ ON OFF: "Covered by absolutely everything possible. It's too late. Many people here think so, although there are also incorrigible optimists in the 'field' who believe that we still have the support we had in mid-July, only the enthusiasm has waned a bit – he explains. According to him, 'Rafał's approach to work was decisive.' At the beginning, he did what was necessary, i.e., launched the project on July 17 in Gdynia. Then it should have been continued for another week or two, built up the topic, and one could have said, 'see you after the holidays.' After all, no one would have complained after such a campaign – we hear. And Rafał disappeared underground for almost a month and a half, and when he emerged, 'Czajka' caught him, and the fun was over – adds our interlocutor with bitterness. -- WE ARE REACHING A POINT OF TRIAL, WE ARE AS IF MOMENTS BEFORE THE GOVERNMENT'S EVACUATION TO ROMANIA - CO-CREATOR OF MANY PO CAMPAIGNS ON THE POLITICAL MOMENT: "We are reaching a point where society will say: when a serious problem and a moment of trial appeared, you failed completely; we've had enough – says our informant. And adds: – The point is to show that this government is terribly incompetent, that it's a team that can only cope when everything is handed to them on a silver platter. A co-creator of many election campaigns for Platforma says: – We are moments before the government's evacuation to Romania. All they have left are ideas like detaining Giertych or banning abortion, because they have no ideas for COVID." https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114884,26406300,ruch-trzaskowskiego-wchodzi-do-gry-chodzi-o-to-zebysmy-wreszcie.html -- IT WILL BE VERY DIFFICULT FOR PLATFORM TO MAKE UP FOR LOST TIME, THE RISK THAT THE INITIATIVE WILL MISS THE MOODS - KAROLINA WIGURA IN A CONVERSATION WITH ŁUKASZ ROGOJSZ IN GAZETA.PL: "Now it will be very difficult for Platforma to make up for lost time, because as a society, we no longer live with the possibility of changing the government. Right now, we are living with the fact that soon the daily number of confirmed new coronavirus cases will reach 10,000 per day. There is therefore a serious risk that announcing the start of 'Nowa Solidarność' now will simply miss the social mood. -- PLATFORMA IS LIKE A GIANT FISH THAT IS HARD TO TURN AROUND: "Platforma is like a giant fish that is very difficult to turn around. All its movements are slow, and sometimes even clumsy. One should consider to what extent Platforma's extensive structures are a brake on the entire party. The second question is: to what extent is Platforma a structure that can think strategically and ideologically for the future. -- WHATEVER YOU SAY ABOUT PIS, IT'S A PARTY THAT BUILT INSTITUTIONS AND ENVIRONMENTS IN OPPOSITION, SEEDED IDEAS - WIGURA CONTINUES TO ROGOJSZ: "As a citizen, I simply don't understand this. Especially since, whatever one says about Law and Justice, however much one criticizes them, they are nevertheless a party that, in its opposition years, was able to contribute to the building of several institutions, events, and environments. The 'Gazeta Polska' clubs were active, as was the Sobieski Institute and the Congress "Poland: The Great Project." This acted as a flywheel for generating ideas, reading ideas in various scientific publications, or importing ideas from other countries. They also seeded ideas in the younger generation. These were the same ideas that were later implemented in the party's program. PiS played on many instruments; it wasn't just the 'Gazeta Polska' club, as some opposition sympathizers might want to see it. -- WHAT HAS ACTUALLY CHANGED IN PLATFORMA, APART FROM THE FACT THAT THERE IS TRZASKOWSKI? - WIGURA CONTINUES: "Five years have passed since the double defeat of 2015, and one can actually wonder what has actually changed in Platforma. Apart from the fact that one politician has emerged – I'm talking about Rafał Trzaskowski – who possesses undeniable charisma and can indeed gather people around him. But has anything else changed?" -- PLATFORM'S PROBLEM IS DISBELIEF IN IDEAS - WIGURA CONTINUES IN GAZETA.PL: "Today, virtually everyone knows that Platforma's problem lies in a fundamental disbelief in ideas, a lack of strategic thinking, and a deficit of qualitative and efficient leadership. We are so tired of the poor quality of the opposition and so preoccupied with the coronavirus, which has begun to pose a real threat to us all – we hear about it affecting our friends, that its cases are in our families – that the opposition, led by its largest party, has simply fallen off our radar. -- AN OPPOSITION PARTY SHOULD STEP INTO THE SHOES OF THE RULING PARTY AND PATIENTLY REPEAT WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE - WIGURA CONTINUES: "If it is evident – and it is clearly evident – that PiS is losing its program, that in the face of the pandemic it is only making chaotic moves, that they are completely unprepared for this challenge, then the main opposition party should step into the shoes of the ruling party and patiently repeat what and how we should do things, show that here is our plan and our proposals. -- IDEAS CHANGE THE WORLD, PIS HAD THEM IN 2015 AND THE LARGEST OPPOSITION PARTY DOESN'T NOTICE THIS - WIGURA CONTINUES: "No, ideas are important, because ideas change the world. When PiS took power in 2015, it was largely fueled by ideas generated in its right-wing conservative circles. Some were even inspired by the writings of Jarosław Marek Rymkiewicz, however distant that may sound. But they didn't stop there, because they also integrated left-wing ideas into their thinking – including the issue of fighting social inequalities and a broad critique of capitalism – which became very popular around the 25th anniversary of free Poland. From a historical perspective, it's clear what a clever move that was. Unfortunately, the largest opposition party does not notice that ideas truly change the world, or even if someone there notices it, it is not translated into action. -- THE MOVEMENT'S BIGGEST PROBLEM IS INTERNAL EMPTINESS - WIGURA CONTINUES: "This internal emptiness is the biggest problem of 'Nowa Solidarność.' 'Nowa Solidarność' itself is a brilliant slogan. On the one hand, it refers to the greatest success in the recent history of Poland – 'Solidarność' from 1980 and the later one that built the Third Polish Republic. It refers to the founding mothers and fathers of free Poland. On the other hand, the slogan says: today we have a new 'Solidarity,' we are already a different country, a different society, and we think differently about what solidarity means. This has European and global potential. The problem with 'Nowa Solidarność' is that it's a terribly general slogan. It means everything and nothing. For now, it relies only on the associations people have with this slogan. The ideological and programmatic task is to fill this slogan with very concrete things – analyses, calculations, plans, reports. -- WILL PLATFORMA FALL BACK INTO ITS OLD WAYS? - WIGURA CONTINUES: "We, commentators on public and political life, are too quick to say whether someone is suitable or not for something. We still don't know this completely. It's easy to judge, and terribly difficult to lead teams composed of flesh and blood. However, whether Trzaskowski is suited to be such a leader, we will know within the next year. We will find out if he and Platforma understand that they cannot start another campaign three months before the elections, or if Platforma will once again fall back into the old, well-trodden ruts where we have seen it for five years. -- THE MACRON-STYLE ELECTION-WINNING MODEL NO LONGER WORKS - WIGURA CONTINUES: "Today, social movements built around a charismatic individual are indeed doing well. 'Nowa Solidarność' is intended to be Poland's 'En Marche!', and Trzaskowski Poland's Macron. The problem is that before Trzaskowski, there have already been several 'Polish Macrons': Paweł Kukiz, Ryszard Petru, Robert Biedroń. Even Andrzej Duda was presented in a similar way at the beginning of his presence in big politics. Undoubtedly, but this model of winning elections, let's call it 'the Macron model,' in my opinion, is no longer effective today." https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114884,26406112,dr-hab-wigura-najwiekszym-problemem-nowej-solidarnosci-jest.html -- EITHER GIERTYCH HAS LOST HIS MIND DOING ILLEGAL DEALS WITH A BANKRUPT BILLIONAIRE, OR KACZYŃSKI IS MAD FOR DETAINING A FIERCE ENEMY ON THE BASIS OF FABRICATED CHARGES - ANDRZEJ STANKIEWICZ IN ONET: "There is no other possibility. Either Roman Giertych has lost his mind doing illegal deals with a bankrupt billionaire. Or Jarosław Kaczyński is mad for detaining Giertych – one of his fiercest enemies – on the basis of fabricated charges. -- STANKIEWICZ DESCRIBES THE NATURE OF THE PROSECUTOR'S CHARGES IN DETAIL: "According to the prosecution, the receivables claimed by companies from the Warsaw authorities were unlawful – and therefore worthless. And Ryszard K., then chairman of Prokom and simultaneously chairman of Polnord's supervisory board, was aware of this. Nevertheless, he carried out the operation to repurchase Prokom's receivables by Polnord – which was an action detrimental to the latter company. Giertych allegedly helped him by registering several shell companies through his people, which served as intermediaries in the operation, increasing the transaction price. The lawyer's fee – PLN 2.4 million. The money earned by Prokom vanished to Cyprus. The second matter concerns a plot of land in Dopiewiec, Greater Poland. According to the prosecution, this property was first purchased for approximately PLN 7.5 million by a company represented by Sebastian J., associated with Giertych's law firm. Then, eight days later, Sebastian J. sold this property to Polnord, but for a price almost four times higher – PLN 27 million. This money was immediately transferred to three companies controlled by Ryszard K., including Prokom. According to the prosecution, Polnord's authorities knew about this property and could have bought it at the original price, without an intermediary from Giertych. -- THE BAR ASSOCIATION, OUT OF DISLIKE FOR PiS, TURNED A BLIND EYE TO GIERTYCH'S EXCESSES - STANKIEWICZ CONTINUES: "Playing aggressively, he himself took blows. This was the case when his drinking session with Giertych was recorded by the right-wing journalist Piotr Nisztor, the same one who revealed the waiter tapes from 'Sowa,' putting Giertych's friends and clients in a difficult situation. Nisztor recorded Giertych persuading him to withdraw a book about Jan Kulczyk, offering nearly half a million zlotys in return. – I acted as the representative of a businessman who is a friend of Kulczyk. He was concerned that the book would not be published because it could affect the worsening health of Kulczyk's father – Giertych explained. The matter was dropped. The bar association, disliking PiS, turned a blind eye to his excesses. -- STANKIEWICZ ON THE SPLIT BETWEEN THE NEW PLATFORM AND GIERTYCH: "In the 2015 elections, Giertych tried to take a small step to return to politics, but social moods prevented him from doing so – despite the quiet support of PO, he lost his senate seat. In the next elections, in 2019, Platforma did not want to give him a place on its lists. And after the new leader Borys Budka came to power in the party at the beginning of this year, Giertych's influence in PO began to decline. The attorney began to support Szymon Hołownia, even appearing at his election night event. Later, he criticized Platforma and the entire opposition for trying to push through salary increases for politicians hand-in-hand with PiS and for supporting Margot, i.e., LGBT activist Michał Sz. -- THE CASE MAY COMPROMISE GIERTYCH, BUT MORE LIKELY IT WILL MAKE HIM A COMBATANT IN THE FIGHT AGAINST KACZYŃSKI, AND THIS WILL CERTAINLY BRING PROFITS SOMEDAY - STANKIEWICZ CONTINUES IN ONET: "In one interview, Roman Giertych, when asked about his dream, stated that after the elections he would like to head a parliamentary investigative committee to hold the PiS governments accountable. This may be just a metaphor, because some prominent political clients see him simply as a Minister of Justice who would clean up after Zbigniew Ziobro. The case of economic scams, conceived over a neighborhood rain gutter – like almost all such cases – will drag on for years. It may compromise Giertych – that's true. But will it lead him behind bars? It's more likely to make him a combatant in the fight against Kaczyński, and this will certainly bring profits someday." https://www.onet.pl/informacje/onetwiadomosci/roman-giertych-zatrzymany-co-jaroslaw-kaczynski-ma-na-adwokata-opozycji-analiza/sc303xf,79cfc278 -- PERHAPS THIS IS THE INEVITABLE PRICE OF NORMALITY FOR A STATE AND SOCIETY - PIOTR ZAREMBA ON OPEN SCHOOLS: "I was in favor of maintaining the relatively normal life of schools for as long as possible. Do I find the current decision surprising? Doctors, who would prefer to close everything, influence it. Virologists suspect that mass movement in schools is one of the main reasons for the significant increase in infections. At the same time, teachers, often not young people, have been afraid of this return from the beginning. And I can understand that. Although I could recall secret teaching during the war, when one risked internment to best educate young Poles. Unfortunately, both doctors and teachers are professions that have long ceased to be associated with public service, with sacrifice. Perhaps this is the inevitable price of normality for a state and society. I am writing this after repeatedly defending teachers, for instance, during their strike, against the unfounded accusation of mediocrity. Demanding almost heroism from any group is difficult when one writes this while having coffee in a safe apartment." https://tygodnik.polsatnews.pl/news/2020-10-16/zaremba-postarajmy-sie-aby-dzieci-wrocily-do-szkol-jak-najszybciej-szkola-to-wspolnota/ -- FOR THE FIRST TIME WE HAD THE IMPRESSION THAT WE WERE LIVING IN THE SAME WORLD - IVAN KRASTEW IN A CONVERSATION WITH SŁAWOMIR SIERAKOWSKI FOR KRYTYKA POLITYCZNA: "People locked themselves in their homes, sat in front of the TV, and for the first time in a very long time, we had the impression that we were all living in the same world. One could turn on any TV channel at any time and, without knowing a word of the given language, perfectly understand what it was about because everyone was talking about the pandemic. Everyone was constantly comparing what was happening in their country to what was happening in the world. This was something that became a great motivation for me, forced me to ask myself more questions, and as a result – pushed me to write this book. -- THE REVIVAL OF THE NATION-STATE BUT ALSO THE EXPOSURE OF THE LIMITS OF NATIONALISM - KRASTEW CONTINUES AT SIERAKOWSKI'S: "The state must have adequate reserves, accumulate everything we will need in case of another crisis, although in reality, no one knows what kind of crisis it would be. At the same time, we observe an increase in state protectionism and a certain revival of loyalty to the nation-state. Nevertheless, the crisis also exposed the limits of nationalism, especially economic nationalism. Allow me to cite one of my favorite facts, very instructive. During the time when we were all confined to our homes and could only go to the nearest shop, there were special charter flights on which Bulgarian and Romanian workers flew to Germany and Austria because there was no one to harvest asparagus. I see here the contradictions prevailing in the world today, which on the one hand is very well-connected and interconnected, but on the other – is terrified of such interdependence. It seems to me that this is precisely what the current pandemic has strongly revealed. -- WE ARE NOT TRYING TO SOLVE CRISES, WE ARE TRYING TO LEARN TO LIVE WITH THEM - KRASTEW CONTINUES IN KRYTYKA: "We are entering a new period where we are no longer trying to solve any major crises, but are merely trying to learn to live with them. This is very characteristic. It's a bit like a chronic illness – none of us believes that we will ever be able to get rid of it completely. This applies to the pandemic, but also to many other crises that are discussed in the contemporary world. On the other hand, we have become much more aware of the transformative power of these diseases. When you look at what happened in human history, you will notice that the architecture and urban landscape of, for example, Paris, were largely the result not only of the fear of revolution, which was one factor, but also of the fear of epidemics. A lot of sunlight had to reach all apartments. The generational dynamics of this crisis are also interesting. -- DURING THE PANDEMIC, THEY SAW THE COUNTRY THROUGH THEIR PARENTS' EYES - KRASTEW ON PROTESTS BY VERY YOUNG PEOPLE IN BULGARIA: "One of my academic colleagues told me something that opened my eyes: during the lockdown, these kids sat at home for almost two months for the first time and talked with their parents because everyone was in one place. They saw their country through their parents' eyes and saw themselves in their parents' place. And suddenly they concluded that they didn't really like such a country. This was very interesting to me. It turns out that being at home, talking with parents, things that are not normally done, are very important for this generation, which communicates very actively, but mainly with its peers. -- THE EUROPEAN UNION'S OWN AUTONOMOUS ROLE, PROGRESSIVE PROTECTIONISM - KRASTEW CONTINUES: "Suddenly, for various reasons, supporters of the European Union realized that perhaps the time has come for it not only to find its own autonomous role but also to create its own form of progressive protectionism in a world where everyone practices protectionism, and only Europe doesn't know how to do it. In turn, nationalists realized that protectionism makes no sense at the level of small and medium-sized European countries. I don't really know what protectionism looks like in Poland's case, but Bulgarian protectionism is a joke, because there is no national economy here. Therefore, even those who dislike the EU realized that the consolidation of the EU at the continental level is the only way for Europe to matter in the world at all. That is why we are achieving this surprising result in our research. -- AFTER TRUMP'S DEFEAT, THE POLISH GOVERNMENT WILL DISCOVER HOW IMPORTANT THE EU IS - KRASTEW ANALYZES IN A CONVERSATION WITH SIERAKOWSKI: "But since Poland decided to side with one of the parties on the divided US political scene, if Trump loses the election – and we remember that the Democratic Party, with its current views, for example, on sexual minorities and others, is heading in a completely different direction than the Polish authorities – one should expect that the government in Poland will once again discover how important the European Union is. Because Poland's relative strength is certainly much greater in Europe than in bilateral Polish-American relations. It may sound cynical, what I'm saying, but the position of Poland, Hungary, and even Bulgaria, in a slightly different way, is not much different from each other." https://krytykapolityczna.pl/kultura/czytaj-dalej/jest-pandemia-i-nagle-zyjemy-wszyscy-w-tym-samym-swiecie-rozmowa-sierakowskiego-z-krastewem/ -- LESZEK MILLER ON THE SLD GOVERNMENTS' SCANDALS: THEY WERE SOME RIDICULOUS THINGS - HE TELLS ELIZA OLCZYK IN RZ: "Those scandals were some ridiculous things. Rywin went to jail for a corruption scandal in which no one took a single zloty. Pęczak went to jail for claiming influence and driving a borrowed, high-class Mercedes. Compared to today's events – millions of zlotys spent on election packages that were never used, on useless masks, on ventilators that never reached the recipient, useless initiatives like the Ostrołęka power plant – those scandals look comical. And I remember how terribly we lived through them. Today, no one cares. -- MILLER ON HOW PSL SHOULD HAVE ACTED LIKE KACZYŃSKI WITH COALITION PARTNERS NOW - GRIT YOUR TEETH, BECAUSE ARITHMETIC REIGNS SUPREME IN PARLIAMENT: "It all fell apart over the vignette law, which was very important to us, especially to Marek Pol, the head of the Union of Labor. The Peasants simply cheated us, because at the government meeting they agreed to support this law, and then they voted differently. That was the last straw that overflowed the cup of bitterness. Today, I believe we should have gritted our teeth and continued to struggle with PSL, because arithmetic reigns supreme in Parliament; whoever has the majority, is right. Please note that during the recent crisis in the ruling camp, Jarosław Kaczyński gritted his teeth and did not lose his majority, although it was close. But one of the most depressing events in the history of SLD was the party's breakup by Marek Borowski, who took almost 40 deputies from us to form his own formation. It didn't do him much good; that party never achieved success, but SLD suffered enormously. When a party is broken up, it's hard to reassemble it. -- MILLER ON THE ESSENCE OF THE PRESIDENCY - COMPLETE LEISURE: "You know how it is: the prime minister has work from morning to night, and the president has more leisure time, has time to invite deputies for dinner, preferably with their wives. The wives are happy, and that's how sympathy is built. Kwaśniewski was a master of such games – polite, chivalrous. We in the government were overworked to our elbows, while politics was done in the so-called grand palace. Why did the president do that? He wanted to maintain influence over his parent formation, just as he wanted to appear on the political stage at key, historical moments. Our joint trip to Dublin on May 1, 2004, when we officially joined the European Union, was bizarre. Protocol did not provide for the presence of heads of state at this ceremony, only heads of government. An additional seat had to be found for the president. The same was true during the trip to Athens for the signing of the accession treaty – two delegations went, one governmental with the prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, who signed the treaty, and the second with the president for representative purposes. Such incidents were extremely irritating and difficult, but we had to endure it somehow. -- WITHOUT KACZYŃSKI, PIS WOULD FALL APART - MILLER ON THE PARTY'S REACTION TO LEADERSHIP CRISES: "Leadership crisis. Political parties largely hang on their leaders. Most often, there is no one to replace a strong leader, and a collapse occurs. Platforma has still not recovered after Donald Tusk's departure. If Jarosław Kaczyński left, I am sure that PiS would fall apart." https://www.rp.pl/Plus-Minus/310169998-Leszek-Miller-Wstydliwy-koniec-SLD.html -- BIRTHDAYS: Adam Michnik, Antoni Dudek, Justyna Suchecka, Rafał Woś, Andrzej Mikosz, SUNDAY: Andżelika Borys, Lech Dymarski, Zdzisław Podkański, Dobromir Sośnierz.