-- TOMCZYK, IN THE SEJM, THAT 24 HOURS WERE NEEDED TO CATCH ERRORS IN A POORLY PREPARED LAW, TERLECKI RESPONDS WITH SOMETHING ABOUT A LUMP - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2020/10/21/ -- I AM NOT A PROPONENT OF A STATE OF EMERGENCY - JAROSŁAW KACZYŃSKI IN AN INTERVIEW WITH GAZETA POLSKA: “I am not a proponent of this solution. We must, on the one hand, ensure the health of citizens, but on the other, give them a chance to work and maintain the economic efficiency of the state. Therefore, I consider both calls for a lockdown, because it would be financially very difficult, and on the other hand, convincing people that COVID is a small problem and should not be worried about, to be harmful. Well, no, it is a real threat and one should protect oneself and others from infection. I look very critically at press articles that convince people, for example, that wearing masks is nonsense. And I assess the actions of some local governments, such as Warsaw's, equally critically, allowing gatherings that are an obvious breach of epidemic rigor and simply a threat to people's safety”. -- THERE WILL BE NO CONSENT FOR PRACTICES DRIVEN BY THE DESIRE FOR PROFIT AND BEING FRAUDULENT - KACZYŃSKI ON RITUAL SLAUGHTER: “It pains me to hear this absurdity. It is simply a desire to protect living beings from unnecessary suffering. A very humane and Christian impulse. Especially since, in the case of ritual slaughter, abuses occurred and it was used not because the customer demanded it, but because it is cheaper to implement. And there will be no consent for such practices, driven solely by the desire for profit and being fraudulent”. -- PRESS HEADLINES FAVORING THE RIGHT HAVE ALMOST STOOD AT THE FOREFRONT OF LOBBYING GROUPS - KACZYŃSKI CONTINUES: “Press headlines favoring the right have almost stood at the forefront of this front of lobbying groups that has sowed and continues to sow confusion and untruth. The law infringes upon the interests of a narrow group, albeit one with significant resources. This potential has clearly been utilized”. https://niezalezna.pl/358984-pis-ws-piatki-dla-zwierzat-skreca-w-lewo-kaczynski-dla-gp-zeby-bola-gdy-sie-tego-slucha -- PIS IS AT A STAGE OF CHANGE, THEY WILL UNDOUBTEDLY EVOKE EMOTIONS - KACZYŃSKI CONTINUES: “I won't say that the United Right will last 100% until the end of the term, because in politics nothing is 100%. But I am optimistic, truly optimistic. Of course, I don't rule out that there will be some tensions between us. Everything is dynamic, especially since PiS is currently undergoing certain changes – they will undoubtedly evoke emotions, but in my deepest conviction, they are necessary for us to be able to retain power after 2023”. -- WE ARE TO VERIFY OUR CULTURE AND REJECT WHAT IS ARCIALLY IMPORTANT TO US, BECAUSE THEY LIKE IT THAT WAY - KACZYŃSKI CONTINUES: “Today, EU institutions, their various officials, some politicians whom Poles have never elected anywhere, demand that we verify our entire culture, reject everything that is crucially important to us, simply because they like it that way. After all, there is no other justification. There is no trace of treaty justification; it contradicts our declaration of cultural sovereignty adopted by the Sejm before joining the EU. There will be no consent for such actions”. -- BY JOINING THE EU, POLES DID NOT AGREE TO BE ANYONE'S COLONY - KACZYŃSKI CONTINUES: “When Poles decided to join the EU, they did not agree to be anyone's colony, and yet such subordination would make us and others a colony of the so-called most influential EU players. If the Community is to be strong and expand its influence, it must remain a community of fatherlands. Not a territory where someone wants to introduce mechanisms known from totalitarian states through blackmail and dishonest actions. There was never and will never be consent to make Poland a colony”. https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/522953-prezes-pis-polacy-nie-zgadzali-sie-na-bycie-kolonia -- ACTION CAUSES REACTION - PRESSURE FROM EU INSTITUTIONS, INCLUDING THE GERMAN PRESIDENCY, HAD TO BE MET WITH A REACTION FROM THE POLISH GOVERNMENT - JAN ROKITA ON WPOLITYCE: “Action causes reaction, and the third law of dynamics also applies in politics. The increasing pressure that Poland was subjected to by EU institutions, including in particular by the German presidency, in the second half of September, therefore had to be met with a reaction from the Polish government”. https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/522912-trzy-scenariusze-polski-rzad-ma-silne-racje-formalne -- WE FACE A DIFFICULT AUTUMN AND A HARD WINTER, THE GOVERNMENT MUST NOT YIELD TO THE PRESSURE OF ANY EXTREME GROUP - MICHAŁ KARNOWSKI: “A difficult autumn and a hard winter await us all. The government must not yield to the pressure of any extreme group. The street has changed somewhat – no longer friendly, not blue, but aggressive, rainbow-colored, or supposedly agricultural. Foreign countries also seem modified. No more admonishments, now it's stated directly: it's about starving, about exhausting rebellious nations – Polish and Hungarian. The biggest novelty, however, is adding a new signpost to the previous ones for the opposition – playing the epidemic, attempting to cynically exploit troubles that no one in the world has dealt with well, and many countries worse than us”. https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/522918-ulica-zagranica-covid-rzad-nie-moze-ulec-presji -- GOVERNMENT ACTIONS ARE DELAYED AND NOW THEY ARE TRYING TO PATCH HOLES, BUT THE OPPOSITION WILL HAVE BETTER OPPORTUNITIES TO DISRUPT AND OUTVOTE THE RULING PARTY - JACEK LIZINIEWICZ IN GPC: “Meanwhile, no, unfortunately, we don't have a moment to lose. The government's actions are delayed and now attempts must be made to patch holes. As for the opposition, it seems that for the next three years, it will have better opportunities to disrupt and outvote the ruling side. In times of crisis, we should follow the principle: all hands on deck. Unless, of course, we only care about our enemy drowning and we don't care how many people drown in the process”. https://m.niezalezna.pl/358973-zle-sie-bawicie-tu-idzie-o-zycie -- LOCKDOWN IS ALREADY HERE - PIOTR SKWIROWSKI IN RZ: “Although the government assures that the last thing it would want is to freeze the economy again, the restrictions it is introducing and the fear of the virus are producing the same effects. (...) All this is a very bad sign. The calendar favored a quick exit from the first economic freeze. The approaching summer pushed Poles to spend money, to travel. Autumn and winter, on the other hand, are a time when they are usually less active and spend more time at home. Therefore, even if we manage to slow down the second wave of the pandemic, months of stagnation await us. The usual autumn worsening of moods may turn into a covid depression. Also in the economy”. https://www.rp.pl/Komentarze-ekonomiczne/310209908-Piotr-Skwirowski-Lockdown-juz-tu-jest.html -- MONEY IS AVAILABLE BUT NOT ON THE PRINCIPLE OF HELICOPTER MONEY, SUPPORT WILL BE WITH SURGICAL PRECISION - MINISTER OF FINANCE IN RZ WHEN ASKED ABOUT NEW SUPPORT SHIELDS: “I think so, but not on the principle of so-called helicopter money. If there is such a need, we can consider supporting companies, but it must be an operation performed with surgical precision. So that we know exactly where the support is going and what results it is expected to bring. It is not a feat to give money for a month or two. The question is, will it save anyone? Our actions should bring long-term effects”. https://www.rp.pl/Wywiady/310209906-Pomoc-tak-ale-udzielana-z-chirurgiczna-precyzja.html -- WHAT IS ONE DAY COMPARED TO YOUR NEGLECT? PIS DID NOT LOSE ONE VOTE, PIS LOST ENTIRE MONTHS - AGATA KONDZIŃSKA IN GW: “Better answer the question: what is one day compared to months of your neglect? PiS did not lose one vote; PiS lost entire months fighting the pandemic. It wasted this time. Today, all others are to blame for your negligence – doctors, the opposition – but not yourselves. And you, who recently wanted to discipline doctors, couldn't ensure your MPs performed their parliamentary duties properly”. -- ONE DAY'S DELAY DOES NOT SLOW DOWN THE WORK - KONDZIŃSKA CONTINUES: “All this demagogic onslaught is based on lies. One day's delay in the Sejm does not slow down the work. The Senate, which convenes next week, still has to consider the bill, so it doesn't matter whether the MPs deal with the draft on Tuesday or Wednesday. And if senators submit amendments, the document will return to the Sejm, from where it will go for the president's signature”. https://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,26416416,po-przegranym-glosowaniu-pis-oskarza-opozycje-chce-tym-przyslonic.html -- THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION TIMIDLY OPENS ITS EYES TO REALITY - PRZEMYSŁAW WILCZYŃSKI IN TYGODNIK POWSZECHNY: “Meanwhile, eight months after the spring lockdown, the Ministry of Education (now renamed the Ministry of Education and Science; Przemysław Czarnek, having recovered from coronavirus, received a ministerial nomination on Monday) is timidly opening its eyes to reality. Previously, the doctrine was clear: no matter what happens, we implement the full curriculum. On paper, everything must add up – even though everyone already sees that the implementation of the core curriculum in new realities is a fiction. Now the prime minister announces a slimming down of the program. We don't know when this will happen (work is ongoing), nor according to what criteria this pruning will occur (there are fears it will be ideological). For now, however, let's note the first sober, albeit significantly delayed, decision by the educational authorities”. https://www.tygodnikpowszechny.pl/szkoly-opustoszeja-i-bez-zgody-ministra-165336 -- POLAND HAS TWO ALLIES LEFT - THE INSIGNIFICANT VIKTOR ORBÁN IN THE WORLD'S REALITY AND DONALD TRUMP, WHO IS WAVERED ON HIS FEET - MICHAŁ KOBOSKO IN RZ: “And others say, with a bit of boredom, that Poland has decided to alienate itself. It is not active in any international organization. It closes itself off from debates and matters of international importance. When it comes to disputes – and this is natural – it either gets offended or shows moral superiority, talking about our dignity, partitions, and communism. We would like to be perceived nobly – but they see us as homophobes, anti-Semites, and nationalists. The Polish government has only two allies left – the insignificant Viktor Orbán in the world's reality and the wavering Donald Trump. The list ends there”. -- THE OPPOSITION IS BEING LED ASTRAY BY PIS, ONE MUST WORK EVERY DAY - KOBOSKO CONTINUES: “PiS has so far managed to secure its electoral support, using all state institutions and the propaganda apparatus for this purpose. The opposition has not an iota of such capabilities, but also – let's be honest – it is being led astray by PiS. Today, there are no elections on the horizon, but nothing in Polish politics is certain or stable. That is precisely why one must work every day and prepare for the very hard work that will be required to set things right. After Covid, after the recession, after PiS. There is no question of returning to the situation before 2015; that world is gone and will not return. However, the current attempt to rebuild the PRL must be ended as quickly as possible, and focus must be placed on preparing Poland for the real, difficult challenges of the 21st century – social, demographic, energy, and climate. Poland is too beautiful and important a country for all of us – for, thinking about the fate of future generations, to allow it to be further spoiled by the 'people's power'. This requires the effort of all citizens and all groups for whom the country's fate is not indifferent. We will do everything in our power”. https://www.rp.pl/Rzecz-o-polityce/201029914-Michal-Kobosko-Panstwo-z-tektury.html -- WISHFUL THINKING THAT THE CJEU RULING WILL CONTAIN THINGS THAT ARE CLEARLY NOT THERE - MAŁGORZATA MANOWSKA, FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE SUPREME COURT, IN AN INTERVIEW WITH TOMASZ PIETRYGA IN RZ: “I don't know if we can talk about a discrepancy in interpretation. Rather, it's about some wishful thinking by people who would like the CJEU's ruling to contain content that is clearly not there. This ruling, as a provisional measure, cannot be interpreted expansively, especially since – it must be admitted – it dangerously interferes with the fundamental structures of the Republic of Poland. The order of the First President of the Supreme Court of May 5 precisely reflects the content of the ruling, which was de facto confirmed in her last interview for 'Rzeczpospolita' by the Vice-President of the European Commission, Věra Jourová, explaining, for example, that disciplinary matters of judges do not include cases of lifting judicial immunity. And these are precisely the cases of Judge Tuleya or Judge Morawiec. The lifting of immunity does not prejudge guilt. Hysterical reactions to the proceedings for lifting immunity in the public perception can give the impression of a 'leap forward' and the application of a different standard to judges than to other citizens. Besides, immediately after the lifting of Judge Morawiec's immunity, the same chamber of the Supreme Court lifted the immunity of a judge who was apprehended after causing a car accident under the influence of alcohol – and this did not cause much emotion. Let's remember that in many EU countries, the institution of judicial immunity does not exist at all, and no one claims that judges are persecuted there”. -- EMOTIONS IN THE LEGAL COMMUNITY HAVE BEEN SO HEIGHTENED THAT THEY OVERSHADOW COMMON SENSE - MANOWSKA CONTINUES IN AN INTERVIEW WITH PIETRYGA: “It is also disturbing to see calls in the media for criminal courts, to which cases of judges whose immunity has been lifted will be transferred, to dismiss proceedings. If such advice comes from a CJEU judge, it is already dangerous, and in the public perception, the objectivity and impartiality of the CJEU raise doubts. I fear that emotions in the legal world have been so intensely stirred up that they sometimes overshadow simple common sense”. -- MANOWSKA ON BEING A GREATER OPTIMIST AND EXTREME GROUPS IN THE COURT NOT FAVORING AGREEMENT IN THE SUPREME COURT: “I do not hide that directly after taking office, I was a greater optimist. This is not a quick process, but it is important that it is progressing. However, the existence of very extreme groups within the Supreme Court, which try to exert pressure on more conciliatory colleagues, and the fanning of the atmosphere from the outside, do not favor agreement”. https://www.rp.pl/Sedziowie-i-sady/310209927-Malgorzata-Manowska-Wewnatrz-Sadu-Najwyzszego-istnieja-grupy-bardzo-ekstremalne.html -- THE CONSTITUTIONAL TRIBUNAL AS THE THIRD CHAMBER OF PARLIAMENT, WHERE PIS NO LONGER HAS A MAJORITY - JACEK GĄDEK ON GAZETA.PL: “The Constitutional Tribunal has become the 'third chamber of parliament', in which PiS does not have a majority, even though out of 15 members, as many as 14 are nominees of the ruling camp. According to our information, even Prof. Krystyna Pawłowicz is fed up with the rudeness and methods of President Julia Przyłębska. The lack of control over the CT is a growing risk for PiS”. -- PRZYŁĘBSKA IS FLEEING FROM EMBARRASSMENT - GĄDEK CONTINUES: “Przyłębska does not have a majority of judges on her side in the CT, so, wishing to avoid embarrassment, she uses the 'freezer' – she simply removes the case from the docket and postpones it. This is what she did again with the de-ubekization law. The overturning of this law by the CT would be a blow to the very core of PiS's narrative about historical justice meted out by this formation to former functionaries of the PRL repression apparatus by reducing their pensions”. -- A PIS POLITICIAN IN GĄDEK'S ARTICLE SAYS THE JUDGES HAVE GONE ROGUE: “In less than a year – in July 2021 – the term of the last judge who is not a PiS nominee, Leon Kieres, will end. Even when the entire fifteen-member body has the approval of the ruling camp, it will not have a majority in the CT. - The judges have gone rogue – admits one of the PiS parliamentarians in a conversation with us”. https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114884,26415968,przylebska-juz-nie-ogarnia-trybunalu-bunt-wlasnych-sedziow.html -- THE WEEKEND WAS SUPPOSED TO BELONG TO TRZASKOWSKI BUT BELONGED TO GIERTYCH, TUSK'S LAWYER STOLE THE OPPOSITION'S SHOW - KRZYSZTOF KARNKOWSKI IN GPC: “The weekend was supposed to belong to Rafał Trzaskowski, but it belonged to Roman Giertych. Let's just hope it doesn't turn out in the end that the arrest and indictment of the opposition's lawyer resulted in as much as the inauguration of 'Wspólna Polska' (Common Poland), as the Mayor of Warsaw finally named his group”. -- GIERTYCH IS A MORE IMPORTANT FIGURE THAN GENERAL KNOWLEDGE AND COMMON SENSE WOULD SUGGEST - KARNKOWSKI CONTINUES: “The recent arrest of the lawyer showed that for many people he is a figure of much greater importance than general knowledge and common sense would suggest. Donald Tusk, Szymon Hołownia, and Adam Bodnar almost immediately stood up in his defense, and anyone who broke away from the chorus singing unambiguous hymns of praise and expressed any doubts was immediately met with a very strong reprimand coming from many mouths. On the opposition's side, perhaps only the Left remembers Giertych's early days in politics and cannot forgive them”. -- THE LACK OF RESULTS FROM REFORM PROJECTS IN THE COURTS IS FRUSTRATING - KARNKOWSKI CONTINUES: “The court, by the way, did not share the services' stance and did not order the arrest of Krauze and the other four people arrested in the same case. Once again, it turns out that the consent to arrest Sławomir N. remains some unexpected exception that proves the rule, and judges are mainly concerned with the comfort of influential suspects. This causes increasing frustration among circles that support the reform of the judiciary. After five years of the United Right's rule, the argument repeated here and there that the whole Giertych and Krauze affair shows ordinary people the scale of pathology and the need for change, seems to be a less and less fitting consolation, as new facts do not change the already known diagnosis, but they do show the lack of results from remedial processes”. https://m.niezalezna.pl/358774-jak-prawnik-tuskow-skradl-show-nadziei-opozycji -- 13 YEARS AGO, PO WON EARLY ELECTIONS. -- 10 YEARS OF PIOTR DUD A AT THE HEAD OF SOLIDARNOŚĆ. -- BIRTHDAYS: Jacek Nizinkiewicz, Marcin Ociepa.