-- DOMAŃSKI ON TEACHER SALARY INCREASES: IF WE DON'T MANAGE THE BUDGET BY JANUARY 1ST – THERE WILL BE RECKONING - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2023/11/17/ -- NEW COVID VACCINE AVAILABLE FROM DECEMBER 6TH: https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114883,30414766,nowa-szczepionka-na-covid-19-bedzie-dostepna-za-darmo-podano.html -- ACCORDING TO INTERIA'S INFORMATION, MAJCHROWSKI WILL ANNOUNCE IN THE COMING DAYS THAT HE WILL NOT RUN FOR ELECTION, IF NOTHING CHANGES OVER THE WEEKEND, IRENEUSZ RAŚ WILL COMPETE FOR THE PRESIDENCY WITH MAJCHROWSKI'S SUPPORT - DAWID SERAFIN: “According to unofficial information from Interia, Majchrowski will announce in the coming days that he will not run in the elections and will retire from politics. Jacek Majchrowski, who has been the mayor for 21 years, is expected to announce in the coming days that he will not run in the upcoming local elections. If nothing changes over the weekend, Ireneusz Raś, a PSL MP, is to compete for the presidency with Majchrowski's support. The leader of the agrarian party, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, has already met with Majchrowski on this matter. Efforts are underway to make Raś the candidate of the entire new coalition. 'No,' say the leaders of Civic Platform. (...) The party itself, for that matter, has been considering putting forward its own candidate for some time, who will most likely be MP Aleksander Miszalski. https://wydarzenia.interia.pl/malopolskie/news-jacek-majchrowski-nie-wystartuje-w-wyborach-samorzadowych-po,nId,7153004 -- WE WON THESE ELECTIONS, BUT I AM AWARE OF HOW DIFFICULT IT WILL BE TO BUILD A MAJORITY AT THIS MOMENT. HOWEVER, WE BELIEVE THAT OUR VOTERS HAVE THE RIGHT TO EXPECT US TO MAKE SUCH AN ATTEMPT – MATEUSZ MORAWIECKI IN AN INTERVIEW WITH MICHAŁ WODZIŃSKI AND JUSTYNA WĘCEK IN FAKT: “7.6 million people voted for PiS in these elections. That's 1 million more than for Civic Platform and almost 2 million more than eight years ago, when we began our rule. So, many more people trusted us after the very serious crises we faced. We won these elections, but I am aware of how difficult it will be to build a majority at this moment. However, we believe that our voters have the right to expect us to make such an attempt. We want to show that we are looking to the future.” -- I WANT TO POINT OUT PROGRAMMATIC POINTS THAT CONNECT THE PiS PROGRAM AND SIMULTANEOUSLY MEET THE EXPECTATIONS OF CONFEDERATION VOTERS OR THE THIRD WAY ENVIRONMENTS – MORAWIECKI TELLS FAKT: “I want to point out programmatic points that connect the PiS program and simultaneously meet the expectations of Confederation voters or Third Way environments, and in this way outline a certain strategy of action for the coming years. It was already evident at the Sejm session that a coalition of a single actor might be forming on the other side. Meanwhile, we propose a coalition of Polish affairs, a coalition in which everyone will be treated subjectively, in which every leader will have guaranteed autonomy of action.” -- ONE OF THE MISTAKES WAS FILING A MOTION WITH THE CONSTITUTIONAL TRIBUNAL, WHICH HAD TO LEAD TO A RULING VIOLATING THE SO-CALLED ABORTION COMPROMISE – PMM FURTHER IN FAKT: “And what went wrong? One of the mistakes was filing a motion with the Constitutional Tribunal, which had to lead to a ruling violating the so-called abortion compromise. Some people in our camp – including myself – warned at the time that this motion could lead to a strong backlash to the left instead of greater protection of life, and ultimately radical pro-abortion groups would benefit from it.” -- WE DEFINITELY NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT PRESIDENT JAROSŁAW KACZYŃSKI SAID, ALSO WHEN HE SPOKE ABOUT THE "FAT CAT SYNDROME" – PMM FURTHER: “We definitely need to pay attention to what President Jarosław Kaczyński said, also when he spoke about the 'fat cat syndrome.' Now is the time for everyone in PiS to become warriors, to win back voters and win elections. If they don't understand this, the party leadership will understand their attitude when forming lists for local and European Parliament elections. And the last mistake – too sluggish a reaction to the pseudo-visa scandal. Unfortunately, the opposition managed to hijack this topic and distort it.” -- IF I HAVE TO BE IN OPPOSITION, I WILL PRIMARILY FOCUS ON THE STATE WORK TEAM – MORAWIECKI STILL TELLS FAKT: “Frankly speaking, I'm not thinking about it. However, if I have to be in opposition, I will primarily focus on the state work team. We will present our program points there; we want a social debate to take place there, for it to be a barometer of Poles' social moods for the next four years. A great task will also be to defend the principle that Poles, not some officials in Brussels, decide on what concerns all of us.” https://www.fakt.pl/pieniadze/pierwszy-wywiad-morawieckiego-po-wyborach-wskazal-trzy-najwieksze-bledy-pis/tq6swmy -- WE MUST DO EVERYTHING, ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING, SO AS NOT TO BREAK THE PRINCIPLES OF THE RULE OF LAW WHILE RESTORING THE RULE OF LAW” – ADAM BODNAR IN AN INTERVIEW WITH TOMASZ SAWCZUK IN KULTURA LIBERALNA: “We must do everything, absolutely everything, so as not to break the principles of the rule of law while restoring the rule of law. If legislation, the constitution, and actions within the government's executive powers provide an opportunity to solve existing problems, then we must do everything possible – and as quickly as possible. But at the same time, we must realize that in some cases, we will have to prepare for a longer journey. We cannot create illusions and promise citizens something that is impossible or may lead to unforeseen dramatic consequences.” -- OVER TIME, WE WILL LEARN ABOUT VARIOUS ABUSES, INCLUDING FROM THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF, IN THE CONTEXT OF THE DESTRUCTION OF THE JUDICIARY – BODNAR FURTHER TO SAWCZUK: “I believe that some laws will be able to be passed; that it won't be the case that the president will veto everything. Furthermore, I have the impression that over time, we will learn about various abuses, including from the president himself, in the context of the destruction of the judiciary in recent years – about certain abuses that may not have been public until now. I have the impression that a vision of the president as an omnipotent potentate, who is not accountable to public opinion at all, doesn't care about anything, and will veto regardless of circumstances, is being built now. However, if various circumstances that would compromise the president's involvement in the context of destroying the rule of law come to light soon, then perhaps he won't be so eager to use all these vetoes. Perhaps he will want to avoid points of contention or to show how much he defends his old approach. I wouldn't prejudge that yet.” -- I LACK A CLEAR LEGAL BASIS FOR ADOPTING AN APPROPRIATE SEJM RESOLUTION THAT WOULD REMOVE ALL JUDGES – BODNAR FURTHER TO SAWCZUK IN KL: “I lack a clear legal basis for adopting an appropriate Sejm resolution that would remove all judges. Secondly, how to implement such a resolution? Thirdly, would there be 15 new individuals willing to sit in the Constitutional Tribunal to replace all those removed judges? Professor Sadurski put forward the idea, but he left us somewhat on our own regarding its execution. Perhaps I have too weak an imagination as to how such a process of replacing all judges could be brought to completion in a very short time.” -- SOME OF THE CURRENT CONSTITUTIONAL TRIBUNAL JUDGES MAY "DISCOVER" THAT THEY ARE LAWYERS, NOT PEOPLE WAITING FOR A SIGNAL FROM NOWOGRODZKA – BODNAR TELLS SAWCZUK IN KL: “However, regardless of the law, we must count on the resignation of some judges and wait for the end of the terms of some of the remaining ones. The terms of Piotr Pszczółkowski and Julia Przyłębska expire as early as 2024. Additionally, some of the current Constitutional Tribunal judges may 'discover' that they are lawyers, not people waiting for a signal from Nowogrodzka. And I think that very soon, even without changing the law, a majority that is simply independent, but above all capable of electing a new President of the Constitutional Tribunal, will begin to emerge in the Tribunal.” -- CONSISTENT APPLICATION OF THESE PRINCIPLES MAY CAUSE A CHANGE IN ATMOSPHERE AND GREATER AVAILABILITY OF LEGAL ABORTION – BODNAR CLAIMS: “And finally, the last issue, perhaps the most important, is the broad application of the patient rights ombudsman's interpretation that a fetal genetic defect can pose a threat to a woman's mental health. Consistent application of these principles may cause a change in atmosphere and actual greater availability of legal abortion. At the same time, I would postulate that the coalition parties actually sit down at the table and start discussing how to regulate abortion in the long term. In my writings, I suggested creating a citizen panel on this topic. This idea can be revisited, since the postulates of Civic Platform and The Left, to which I am close, will not gain a parliamentary majority.” https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2023/11/14/zapewniam-ze-bedzie-gigantyczna-determinacja/ -- HOŁOWNIA'S ORATION HAS A PRESIDENTIAL AURA - ARTUR BARTKIEWICZ IN RZ: “It is difficult not to notice that Hołownia's entire address had an über-partisan, 'presidential aura.' The freshly appointed Marshal of the Sejm presented himself as someone who is one step above the daily political exchanges and jabs. Someone who wants to soothe Poles tired of political conflict and tells them with a smile that he will ensure their peace, while respecting the sensitivities of voters from all sides. Someone who wants – although it's a worn-out slogan – to be the Marshal of all Poles today, and their president tomorrow. And undoubtedly, from the position of Marshal of the Sejm – unburdened by the costs of exercising power by a difficult, four-party coalition as much as, for example, if he had become deputy prime minister – the Presidential Palace will be much closer to him.” https://www.rp.pl/komentarze/art39421801-artur-bartkiewicz-co-szymon-holownia-powiedzial-nam-w-oredziu -- MARSHAL HOŁOWNIA HAS STARTED HIS PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN - KATARZYNA PRZYBORSKA IN KRYTYKA POLITYCZNA: “Despite having written twenty-one books and speaking willingly, I have the impression that he is trying to stay in the middle, to say yes but no, not to stick his neck out. Although in his exposé he stated that he has decidedly different views than many people in the Sejm hall, it is still unclear what they actually are. He is for the separation of church and state, but his books are mainly dedicated to faith (I have only read one, the one about the election campaign 'Fabryka jutra', so I am drawing from Witold Mrozek's article). Cardinal social issues, such as women's rights, LGBT rights, or the abuse of power by the Church, are, however, secondary issues for him – either in relation to current politics or in relation to a person's relationship with God. He got involved in protests against the tightening of the Constitutional Tribunal's ruling on abortion, but he was late for the protest. He is supposedly very green, vegan, and pro-ecological, but he entered the strongest alliance with PSL, which is meat-eating, fur-wearing, and vehemently defended itself against 'Kaczyński's Five.' He jokes, but he has no distance from himself. Let's hope he reveals his cards before he becomes a presidential candidate.” https://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/marszalek-holownia-rozpoczal-kampanie-prezydencka/ -- FROM THE RANKS OF THE LEFT, ONE CAN HEAR THAT THE LEFT HAS ADOPTED A WRONG STRATEGY - AGATA SZCZĘŚNIAK IN OKO.PRESS: “From the ranks of the Left, one can hear that the Left has adopted a wrong strategy. First, they sought ministries that have less significance in public perception. They will also not allow the Left to build support in the future. 'With the Ministry of Digitalization, it's like this: when a government application doesn't work for someone, they blame the minister. And when everything works, nobody cares. We won't build on that,' complains one politician from the Left. 'The same goes for social policy.'” https://oko.press/na-zywo/dzien-na-zywo-najwazniejsze-informacje/edukacja-czy-nauka-dla-lewicy -- THE THIRD WAY'S "NICENESS CONSERVATISM" CAN BE MORE DANGEROUS THAN THE PIS BRAND – GALOPUJĄCY MAJOR IN KRYTYKA POLITYCZNA: “Rzepliński, Kosiniak, Hołownia, or Zoll do not practice combative conservatism like the PiS brand. They know that Ordo Iuris is loud, but it is easy to organize symbolically against it. It is harder to organize against the influences of the silent Opus Dei. (...) 'Niceness conservatism' is dangerous because it wants more or less the same as PiS conservatism, but it says it in different, warmer words. After all, the ruling of the Przyłębska Tribunal was not even Kaczyński's idea, but that of a radical faction on the right. For years, Kaczyński prevented Przyłębska from considering Kaja Godek's motion, which the latter constantly complained about. Until finally, he traded women's rights for another law.” https://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/fajnokonserwatyzm-trzeciej-drogi-grozniejszy-niz-konserwatyzm-pis/ -- ESCAPING THE PiS BRAND. KACZYŃSKI'S PLAN FOR THE NEXT ELECTIONS - AGATA KONDZIŃSKA IN GW: “Hence the idea to hide the party label in some places and support candidates without the PiS label. - Such decisions will likely have to be made in dozens of cities. It's a simple analysis. If we have support of around 40-42 percent somewhere, it means we can lose in the second round for president, mayor, or commune head if an anti-PiS coalition is formed, meaning everyone against us – says an important politician from Nowogrodzka.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,30412967,ucieczka-od-pis-plan-kaczynskiego-na-kolejne-wybory.html -- THE BBC'S AUTHORITY AND CREDIBILITY STEM NOT FROM DIFFICULT-TO-DEFINE OBJECTIVITY, BUT FROM IMPARTIALITY, FROM A KIND OF ANALYTICAL EXTERNALITY, FROM LANGUAGE DELIBERATELY DEVOID OF ANY ADJECTIVES DESCRIBING PROBLEMS OR PEOPLE - EUGENIUSZ SMOLAR IN GW: “The BBC's authority and credibility stem not from difficult-to-define objectivity, but from impartiality, from a kind of analytical externality, from language deliberately devoid of any adjectives describing problems or people. Unlike the common practice in Polish electronic media of placing the journalist first and their 'I think that...' in the BBC, only correspondents have the right to speak in the first person. Being on the scene of events, only they can say: I am here, I see, I have checked the facts, and I am telling you about it. No one else!” -- PUBLIC MEDIA BELONG TO ALL POLISH WOMEN AND MEN, INCLUDING THOSE MANY MILLIONS WHOSE VALUES AND BELIEFS ARE DISTANT FROM THOSE PREVAILING IN THE VICTORIOUS COALITION – FURTHER SMOLAR IN GW: “Only then will new public media be able to play the necessary and desirable, because integrating role. They belong to all Polish women and men, including those many millions whose values and beliefs are distant from those prevailing in the victorious coalition. Therefore, they too must find content close to them in public media programs and their representatives, this time however, devoid of aggression. Pluralism is a value in itself, as it rationalizes public debate and stabilizes the democratic political system, and deprives xenophobic populists of fuel.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,30409238,media-publiczne-tak-to-robia-w-bbc-czy-da-sie-tez-w-polsce.html -- BIRTHDAYS: Igor Ostachowicz (54), Roman Ciepiela, Selim Chazbijewicz, Maciej Grzywaczewski.