-- TUSK: “THEY WILL NOT SILENCE US, THEY WILL BE HELD CRIMINALLY RESPONSIBLE.” RACHOŃ INTERRUPTS THE CIVIC COALITION LEADER'S SPEECH BEFORE TVP WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT MERKEL AND PUTIN - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2023/09/19/ -- TUSK ON POLSAT'S GOŚĆ WYDARZEŃ THIS EVENING. -- THIRD WAY IS NOT ON THE SAME PATH AS TUSK - AGNIESZKA KUBLIK IN GW: “Hołownia has long liked to say that he will do everything to remove PiS from power. Now it turns out that he can do a lot to undermine these hopes. We have his 'no' to a common list, 'no' to the June 4 march, 'no' to the October 1 march. When there is no common list, everyone in the opposition should strive to prove that they can govern Poland together. The Third Way is not on the same path as Tusk. And with Tusk's government?” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,30201486,trzeciej-drodze-z-tuskiem-nie-po-drodze.html -- GW PUBLISHES THE ROUTE OF THE MARCH - FROM RONDO DMOWSKIEGO, MARSZAŁKOWSKA, JANA PAWŁA TO RONDO BABKA (RADOSŁAWA): https://warszawa.wyborcza.pl/warszawa/7,54420,30202550,znamy-trase-marszu-miliona-serc-w-warszawie-na-ktory-zaprasza.html -- IT IS OBVIOUSLY LEWICA - SŁAWOMIR SIERAKOWSKI IN CONVERSATION WITH DOMINIKA SITNICKA IN OKO.PRESS: ON THE QUESTION OF WHETHER THERE IS ANY PARTY THAT DOES NOT CURRENTLY HAVE A POPULIST PROGRAM: “Yes. And it is obviously Lewica. Lewica still adheres to the old-school model where a political program is written first, then translated into a set of political proposals, and then promoted one by one. It's noble, but in populist times, when politics is reduced to the lowest common denominator by PiS, it's like entering a ring to win at chess. One can praise Lewica for its ideology, but on the other hand, it's a pity to see how it can't break through to about 10 percent support.” -- KONFEDERACJA IS ALSO BUILDING A CYNICAL, SELF-INTERESTED ELECTORATE THAT DOES NOT AGREE WITH THEIR WORLDVIEW AT ALL - PRZEMYSŁAW SADURA CONTINUES WITH SITNICKA IN OKO: “When we look at Konfederacja, we get the impression that, consciously or unconsciously, they are copying PiS's strategy. As if they took our research and diagnoses and started implementing them. Because Konfederacja is also building a cynical, self-interested electorate that does not agree with their worldview at all. They often support equality, tolerance, and cannot imagine Poland outside the EU, and from Mentzen's entire five-point plan, they only choose the one postulate that says 'get off our taxes'.” -- SEVERAL MONTHS OF ABSOLUTE HYPE FOR KONFEDERACJA CAUSED NEW VOTERS TO REALIZE WHO THEY WANTED TO VOTE FOR. NOW THEY HAVE SECOND THOUGHTS - SADURA CONTINUES IN OKO WITH SITNICKA: “And they fueled another, even more populist party, instead of trying to revert to solving the problems of distrust in public institutions and the rooting of liberal democracy. Fortunately, in the case of Konfederacja, the media played their role. Several months of absolute hype for Konfederacja caused new voters to realize who they wanted to vote for. Now they have second thoughts and have retreated back to the position of undecided.” -- LET'S DISTINGUISH BETWEEN SOFT POPULISM AND HARD POPULISM; INSTEAD OF CURSING TUSK'S POPULIST TRICKS OR THOSE OF OTHER DEMOCRATIC POLITICIANS, IT'S BETTER TO UNDERSTAND THIS GAME - SIERAKOWSKI AGAIN WITH SITNICKA: “Let's distinguish between soft populism and hard populism. Soft populism is populism used to defeat truly dangerous, hard populism. It might seem like we are strengthening populist tendencies, and perhaps even strengthening them momentarily. But the point is what this populism is used for. And by whom. We have two populist parties competing with each other. The difference is that if one of them wins, we will have populism without liberal democracy. If the other wins – populism, but with democracy, allies, free courts and media, etc. So, instead of cursing Tusk's populist tricks, or those of other democratic politicians, it's better to understand this game. Society has already learned the game of cynicism. Now it's time for the commentary class to learn it and not attack Tusk for what he says about 800 plus, or zero-interest loans.” https://oko.press/sierakowski-sadura-spoleczenstwo-populistow -- KONFEDERACJA'S EXPANSION IS CURRENTLY HINDERED BY SEXISM AND HOMOPHOBIA; IF NOT FOR THESE, THEY WOULD MORE EASILY ATTRACT THE LIBERTARIAN AND EXTREMELY EGOISTIC GENERATION - PRZEMYSŁAW SADURA IN CONVERSATION WITH GRZEGORZ SROCZYŃSKI IN GAZETA.PL: “In Konfederacja, besides the lunatics, there are calculating politicians, and if an increasing part of their electorate doesn't negate climate policy, they will also change their stance on this issue. When I analyze the shifts in values held by Polish society, a completely new populism is emerging. It will probably be able to bring under one umbrella both a part of Konfederacja's electorate and a part of Lewica's electorate – especially the young ones. Such new populism would have to be economically liberal, strongly individualistic, as it's a response to the egoism of the younger generation, but at the same time, it would be liberal in terms of worldview. Konfederacja's expansion is currently hindered by sexism and homophobia; if not for these, they would more easily attract the libertarian and extremely egoistic generation.” -- IT TURNS OUT THAT FROM MENTZEN'S ENTIRE FIVE-POINT PLAN, THEY ONLY TAKE LOW TAXES. “GET OFF OUR TAXES!” - THAT'S THE TUNE, EVEN THOUGH MOST OF THESE PEOPLE DON'T PAY TAXES BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT YET 26 YEARS OLD, SO THEY ARE EXEMPT FROM PIT - SADURA CONTINUES WITH SROCZYŃSKI: “It's the most anti-EU party, moreover, sexist, misogynistic, xenophobic, anti-Ukrainian. Their support is growing to 15 percent, you check who these new voters are, and it turns out, for example, that they want to accelerate the green transformation. I conducted interviews with new Konfederacja voters; they started by saying they are for gender equality, the girls described themselves as feminists and said they felt embarrassed when Korwin-Mikke said his contemptuous things about women. And that they have nothing against LGBT people, they would most prefer to legalize marijuana smoking, and generally, they want everyone to love each other. It turns out that from Mentzen's entire five-point plan, they only take low taxes. “Get off our taxes!” - that's the tune. Even though most of these people don't pay taxes because they are not yet 26 years old, so they are exempt from PIT, they say: “It's from our taxes that all these social transfers are funded.” -- THE OPPOSITION HASN'T EVEN LOST THE ELECTIONS YET, AND THE RECKONING HAS ALREADY BEGUN, ABOUT WHO IS MORE TO BLAME FOR THE DEFEAT, ALL THIS ATTACKING OF SYMMETRISTS, FINISHING OFF HOŁOWNIA, THROWING ACCUSATIONS AT EACH OTHER - SADURA ALSO TELLS SROCZYŃSKI IN GAZETA.PL: “The opposition hasn't even lost the elections yet, and the reckoning has already begun, about who is more to blame for the defeat, all this attacking of symmetrists, finishing off Hołownia, throwing accusations at each other. Why is this happening at all? It only fuels fanatics and the fringes in all parties, but it deters less decisive groups. Poles have never liked aversion and hatred in politics, and they certainly don't want to see it in the democratic camp. Therefore, if the opposition couldn't build a single list and convincingly show that these are truly the most important elections, then now it should send signals that despite all divisions, it will be able to form a government together. The opposition must maintain unity in diversity, meaning not to spill too much blood among themselves, as this could prevent a future coalition and deter undecided voters, and at the same time, it must show significant differences between parties, because these differences are important for voters.” https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,143907,30199549,nie-ma-drugiego-elektoratu-ktory-tak-elastycznie-pracuje-jak.html -- THE SO-CALLED VISA AFFAIR HAS COMPLICATED THE SITUATION FOR THE UNITED RIGHT-WING, AND UNEXPECTEDLY GAVE THE OPPOSITION A WEAPON. THE PROBLEM IS THAT BOTH SIDES ARE ONLY APPARENTLY ARGUING ABOUT MIGRATION POLICY - MARCIN ŻYŁA IN TYGODNIK POWSZECHNY: “Life in Jabłonka – where migrants of a different skin color, though not yet integrated with the local community, have already become a part of it – goes on with a much calmer rhythm and emotions than on television. A few weeks before the Polish elections, the so-called visa affair complicated the situation for the United Right-wing, and unexpectedly gave the opposition – mainly Civic Coalition – a weapon. The problem is that both sides are only apparently arguing about migration policy, focusing more on fueling emotions.” https://www.tygodnikpowszechny.pl/rozkrecajaca-sie-afera-wizowa-moze-spowodowac-przegrana-partii-wladzy-184684 -- IT IS INCREASINGLY INDICATED THAT THOSE PARTIES HAVE NOT MATURED FOR DEMOCRACY THAT STILL DO NOT UNDERSTAND THAT VOTERS WILL NOT FEED THEIR CHILDREN WITH SCANDALS, BUT THEY WILL WITH A MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE - GALOPUJĄCY MAJOR IN KRYTYKA POLITYCZNA: “So, if we take a family with two children, earning two minimum wages somewhere in the Polish countryside, then Kaczyński promised them a minimum wage of 4200 by January and 800 PLN for each child. Thanks to the increase, they gain 1200 gross plus 1600 for two children. Does the opposition expect these voters to dismiss this just because Wawrzyk allowed so many people to enter Poland, or even the USA, on Polish visas? That's a good joke.” -- FOR VOTERS FROM THE EASTERN BORDER, THE VISION OF TUSK PRESENTED BY PIS, WHO WILL NOT DEFEND THEM, WITH THE WAR RAGING BEYOND THE EASTERN BORDER, CAN BE FATAL FOR PO - MAJOR CONTINUES IN KRYTYKA POLITYCZNA: “And it is precisely this PiS fear that may be the first argument why the opposition will not gain much from the visa affair. PiS will throw all its forces into blurring the affair on one hand, and on the other hand, it will be exceptionally firm in arrests and reacting to any 'irregularities'. The first is already happening. The revelation by Błaszczak of a plan for defense on the Vistula in case of war, allegedly already known, is an unprecedented scandal, but it might also prove to be a very effective scandal. Even if Lech Kaczyński supported this document, for voters from the eastern border, the vision presented by PiS of Tusk, who will not defend them, with the war raging beyond the eastern border, can be fatal for PO.” -- INSTEAD OF HAMMERING HOME THE MESSAGE OF HOW MUCH BETTER THE VOTER'S LIFE WILL BE IF PO WINS, THE OPPOSITION HAS ONCE AGAIN THROWN ITSELF INTO CHASING ANOTHER SCANDAL, WHICH THIS TIME WILL DEFINITELY RUIN PIS - WRITES MAJOR: “Meanwhile, the opposition, especially the liberal one, instead of hammering home the message of how much better the voter's life will be if PO wins, has once again thrown itself into chasing another scandal, which this time will definitely ruin PiS. A month during which one can talk about the program, about what change of power can bring to the voter's wallet, will be wasted again on chasing the scandal rabbit.” https://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/afera-wizowa-galopujacy-major/ -- THE REVELATION OF TUSK'S GOVERNMENT'S PLANS TO DEFEND ONLY HALF OF POLAND IN CASE OF WAR WITH RUSSIA IS A BIG PROBLEM FOR THE OPPOSITION - JAKUB MACIEJEWSKI ON WPOLITYCE: “But no one is laughing in Poland. The independence camp looks with horror at the fragments of the plan in which Lublin, Białystok, or Podkarpacie would fall into the hands of Russian occupiers. We accept this with shock or disbelief. The opposition cannot respond to this accusation.” https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/663088-ani-po-ani-onet-ani-gw-nie-dali-rady-obronie-na-wisle -- THE SCENARIO OF THE 5TH PARTITION OF POLAND - MICHAŁ KARNOWSKI: “It is worth asking: what was supposed to happen next? Let's assume that Poland does not change its course in 2015 and does not start arming itself, the process of liquidating the state is not stopped. Russia attacks Ukraine in 2022 or earlier. Deprived of Kyjiv's help, with Berlin's cynical silence, it falls. Russia, heated by the desire to dominate our region, moves on. Using some provocation, perhaps developing the hybrid war used by Łukaszenka, it moves on. The platformers' plan is implemented. Warsaw becomes a front-line city. Shelling from the Prague side continues. The occupation of Polish villages and towns begins – some await the fate of Bucha, others Mariupol. The world is horrified. We have NATO, Article 5 of the Washington Treaties, but the Russians entered so quickly that the process of gathering forces is just beginning. Americans are ready to fulfill their commitments. But in Berlin and Paris, the mood is different. The vision of World War III frightens societies, and Russian agents and propaganda are also doing their part.” https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/663111-zarzut-zdrady-narodowej-w-tej-sprawie-jest-uzasadniony -- THE VISA AFFAIR WITH THE SALE OF POLISH VISAS FOR THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IS A BLOW TO THE SOLAR PLEXUS OF THE RULING CAMP. AND NOWOGRODZKA KNOWS THIS PERFECTLY WELL - ROMAN IMIELSKI IN GW: “This is no 'little affair', as PiS chairman Jarosław Kaczyński calls it. The visa affair, with the sale of Polish visas for thousands of dollars, is a blow to the solar plexus of the ruling camp. And Nowogrodzka knows this perfectly well.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,30201298,afera-wizowa-dobija-pis-co-dzis-wiemy-o-tym-niebywalym-skandalu.html -- THE REVELATION BY PIS OF SECRET DEFENSE PLANS FOR POLAND FROM THE PO ERA IS A SIGNAL THAT THE GOVERNMENT RECOGNIZES THE GRAVITY OF THE VISA AFFAIR - MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI IN RZ: “It is therefore not surprising that, seeing such a turn of events, the government decided to reach for a weapon – literally and figuratively – of mass destruction. Since both PiS and PO agree that uncontrolled migration is a threat to Poland (as indicated by the spots of both main rivals), the dispute is about credibility. PiS therefore wants to show that it will guarantee Poles' security, and Platforma is a threat here.” https://www.rp.pl/komentarze/art39125721-michal-szuldrzynski-w-tlumaczeniach-pis-afery-wizowej-nic-sie-nie-klei-dlatego-uzyli-tajnych-planow-obrony-polski -- THE OPPOSITION MAY BE LEFT WITH A VICTORY IN WIERUSZÓW - JACEK NIZINKIEWICZ IN RZ: “If the opposition gives up on the part of voters that only TVP's message reaches, just as PiS gave up on the primaries and will not reach them with information about, for example, the scandals of Jarosław Kaczyński's party, then in the autumn it will only be left with a triumph in Wieruszów.” https://www.rp.pl/publicystyka/art39124801-jacek-nizinkiewicz-pis-przegralo-prawybory-w-wieruszowie-ale-w-pazdzierniku-moze-wygrac-w-calym-kraju -- A NEW CHAPTER IN THE HISTORY OF PROPAGANDA AND THE COMMUNICATION METHODS OF A NEW TYPE OF AUTOCRACY IS BEING WRITTEN, AS IN "YOUNG WOLVES": "SAY IT'S NOT YOUR HAND" - PRZEMYSŁAW SZUBARTOWICZ IN INTERIA: “On the sidelines of the visa affair, which shook Poland at the end of the election campaign, a new chapter is being written in the history of propaganda and the communication methods of a new type of autocracy. Here, the PiS government, caught by journalists in a corrupt procedure of the greatest weight and international dimension in years, doesn't even pretend to be interested in investigating the matter thoroughly. It behaves rather as if its advisor was the hero of Jarosław Żamojda's film "Young Wolves" from 1995, played by Jarosław Jakimowicz (until recently a star of PiS television). He said there: 'Never admit to anything. If they catch you drunk in a car, say you weren't drinking. If they find dollars in your pocket, say you borrowed the pants. And if they catch you stealing red-handed, say it's not your hand.' -- "NORMAL POLITICS" IS A THING OF THE PAST, MORAL OUTRAGE DOES NOT WORK, AND RELATIVIZING EVERYTHING IS THE SALT OF MEDIA REALITY - SZUBARTOWICZ CONTINUES IN INTERIA: “In the visa affair, what is also outrageous is that the government is playing the xenophobic card and using it even in the planned referendum on election day, while at the same time trying to obscure a scandal whose core is the accusation of bringing immigrants into Poland with the involvement of corruption. However, none of this necessarily has to harm the rulers. Not only because the sovereign is effectively seduced by social transfers, in love with the unceremonious treatment of political opponents, and entangled in the myth of the rulers' effectiveness. But also because 'normal politics' is a thing of the past, moral outrage does not work, and relativizing everything is the salt of media reality. Part of the opposition still doesn't understand that these new times are governed by chaos, and the fourth estate no longer has the same power it had when it diligently and extensively dealt with the overheard conversations of Civic Platform politicians in a bar.” https://wydarzenia.interia.pl/felietony/news-mydliny-z-afery,nId,7032751 -- POLSKI HOLDING HOTELOWY (POLISH HOTEL HOLDING) WON A COURT CASE AGAINST GAZETA WYBORCZA REGARDING A PRESS ARTICLE SUGGESTING THAT THE COMPANY PERFORMED RENOVATION WORK ON THE APARTMENT OF MEP JOACHIM BRUDZIŃSKI. “Polski Holding Hotelowy sp. z o.o. (PHH) has never been involved in the renovation of any of Joachim Brudziński's apartments. PHH has also not spent any funds for this purpose. Today, the District Court in Warsaw ordered the editors-in-chief of Gazeta Wyborcza and the Wyborcza.pl portal to publish retractions.” https://wpolityce.pl/media/663101-polski-holding-hotelowy-wygral-w-sadzie-z-gazeta-wyborcza -- ROMANIA SHAMES POLAND. WILL IT TAKE OVER THE ROLE OF UKRAINE'S MOST IMPORTANT ALLY? - JĘDRZEJ BIELECKI IN RZ: “The Romanian authorities, who, unlike the Polish ones, know how to navigate Brussels, have obtained EU subsidies for this. But Washington also supports Bucharest's efforts. It is slowly looking for an alternative ally for Ukraine because it is not sure to what extent it can count on Poland. Ukraine's state, apart from the drip-feed of subsidies from the EU and the USA, relies on exports, a lion's share of which is food sales. It is therefore difficult to escape the thought that the PiS government prioritizes electoral interests over the strategic needs of a state fighting Russian aggression.” https://www.rp.pl/komentarze/art39125231-jedrzej-bielecki-rumunia-zawstydza-polske-przejmie-role-najwazniejszego-sojusznika-ukrainy -- PPK (EMPLOYEE CAPITAL PLANS) ARE GROWING IN STRENGTH SLOWLY BUT SYSTEMATICALLY - PARKIET/RZ: “However, Paweł Borys, president of Polski Fundusz Rozwoju (Polish Development Fund), who was responsible for the implementation and now oversees the functioning of PPK, is right when he says that the launch of this program is a milestone towards increasing the financial security of Poles. – Two years ago, we had only 250,000 people saving for retirement together with their employers, i.e., in PPK and PPE; today, we have over 3 million, and this number is constantly growing – he calculated at the turn of the year in an interview for 'Parkiet'. – PPK participants are achieving financial success, as the average return rate for PPK funds is 22 percent, and adding employer and state contributions, they could double their capital – he added.” https://www.parkiet.com/pracownicze-plany-kapitalowe/art35915391-ppk-powoli-ale-systematycznie-rosna-w-sile-i-czekaja-na-skok -- BIRTHDAYS: Mariusz Błaszczak, Bolesław Piecha, Zbigniew Kuźmiuk, Rafał Matyja.