-- WHAT THE WESTERN LEFT IS DOING REGARDING ISRAEL IS, FOR ME, A DIRECT CONTINUATION OF WHAT GRETA THUNBERG AND ACTIVISTS POURING SOUP ON VINCENT VAN GOGH'S PAINTINGS DID REGARDING CLIMATE - ISRAELI-POLISH WRITER ETGAR KERET SPEAKS WITH WOJCIECH ENGELKING ON MINTMAGAZINE.PL: “My dialogue, or perhaps dispute, with the contemporary liberal left has been ongoing for many years. It's even present in my home, where I argue about these issues with my wife. It's not that I disagree with the values of the Western left. I disagree with its methods. And while I can't tell you exactly when I noticed this, as I don't recall, I can say this: what the Western left is doing regarding Israel is, for me, a direct continuation of what Greta Thunberg and activists pouring soup on Vincent Van Gogh's paintings did regarding climate.” -- MANY OF THOSE TEARING DOWN POSTERS WITH IMAGES OF HOSTAGES HELD BY HAMAS CONSIDER THEMSELVES THE PROGRESSIVE LEFT - KERET CONTINUES WITH ENGELKING ON MINTMAGAZINE.PL: “You've surely seen those images: people in the USA putting up posters with images of hostages held by Hamas, and other people tearing those posters down. Many of those tearing them down consider themselves the progressive left. Why are they tearing them down? They don't have a problem with the hostage. They don't wish them ill. This poster interferes with their ability to express their own stories and their own narratives, so they want to get rid of it. For me, as a writer – someone whose profession deals with the complexity of the world – renouncing complexity is impossible. Life isn't The Lord of the Rings. In what the Western left is doing, tearing down posters with photos of Jewish hostages, I see a rather naive need to view the entire situation as a struggle between good and evil and to stand against evil. It's childish, so I'm not surprised that a Scandinavian girl is doing all this…” -- WHEN I SEE TRANSGENDER OR HOMOSEXUAL WESTERNERS CHEERING FOR HAMAS, I FEEL LIKE TELLING THEM: WHEN YOU SIDE WITH HAMAS, DON'T DO IT ON A ROOFTOP IN GAZA - KERET CONTINUES WITH ENGELKING ON MINTMAGAZINE.PL: “This means that once, the symbols of the global left were Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks. And today? It's a young girl who became a symbol long before reaching adulthood, coming from a country that is the happiest place on Earth in terms of social policy, diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome. So, a white, privileged woman from a privileged country. Moreover, does age even matter here? Look at the statements about Gaza that Susan Sarandon makes to the world. She seems like a very kind woman, but, despite being in her eighties, she sounds like Greta, relying on a maximally moralistic discourse that disregards data and information. When I see transgender or homosexual Westerners cheering for Hamas, I feel like telling them: when you stand on the side of Hamas, don't do it on a rooftop in Gaza. Because when a homosexual stands on a rooftop in Gaza, he's usually thrown off.” -- PRO-PALESTINIAN DEMONSTRATIONS ON THE STREETS OF WESTERN CITIES STRENGTHEN ONE POLITICAL FACTION. AND THAT FACTION IS NOT THE LEFT - KERET CONTINUES WITH ENGELKING ON MINTMAGAZINE.PL: “I can say this: pro-Palestinian demonstrations on the streets of Western cities strengthen one political faction. And that faction is not the left, it's not the liberals, it's not the supporters of two states. That faction is the extreme, religious right.” https://mintmagazine.pl/artykuly/keret-engelking -- HAMAS AND THE GENTLE BARBARIANS. WHY YOUNG WESTERNERS FEEL NO DEBT TO ISRAEL - MICHAŁ KUŹ IN RZ: “Both of these ways of thinking about Israel, through the lens of history and through the lens of evangelical Christianity, are however in question for the younger generation. They are both less religious and less connected to the past understood as typical national histories. They focus more on nature than on the world created by humans, and more on self-improvement than on organized forms of religiosity. As a result, their moral stance is that of a globalist gentle barbarian who doesn't understand why they would have any special obligations towards any particular religious or ethnic group.” https://www.rp.pl/plus-minus/art39457781-hamas-i-lagodni-barbarzyncy-dlaczego-mlodzi-mieszkancy-zachodu-nie-czuja-dlugu-wobec-izraela -- THE CIVIC COALITION MAY BE DISSATISFIED, HAVING EXPERIENCED THE LARGEST DROP IN SUPPORT, EXCEEDING THE STATISTICAL ERROR - ONET REPORTS ON UNITED SURVEYS RESEARCH: 31.3% of respondents declared their intention to vote for PiS. Compared to the survey from early November, this is a 1.9 percentage point drop in support. In second place was KO. 26.7% of those surveyed want to vote for the formation led by Donald Tusk. This is a drop of as much as 3.7 percentage points. Trzecia Droga (Third Way) closes the podium with a result of 14.4% - the grouping whose faces are Szymon Hołownia and Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, shows a decrease of 1.7 percentage points compared to the previous survey.” https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/kraj/sygnal-dla-donalda-tuska-w-najnowszym-sondazu-ko-notuje-spory-spadek/xy439r7 -- NONE OF THE PREVIOUS MARSHALS, NOT ONLY THOSE FROM PIS, BUT ALSO THOSE FROM PO, SO GRANDIOSLY CELEBRATED THEMSELVES - PIOTR ZAREMBA IN INTERIA: “Szymon Hołownia, as Marshal of the Sejm, aspires to the role of a star. This is favored by the general increase in interest in parliamentary debates, which are performing better online, a phenomenon the new marshal has, likely rightly, considered a triumph and celebration of democracy. However, no previous marshal, not only from PiS but also from PO, has so celebrated himself, convened so many press conferences, or begun his term with an address.” -- IN THE PREVIOUS SEJM, WHERE PIS HAD A MAJORITY, THE OPPOSITION - KO, LEWICA, AND PSL - PRESIDED OVER AS MANY AS 11 COMMITTEES - ZAREMBA CONTINUES: “At the same time, it's worth considering what Hołownia brings to Polish parliamentarism. Let's quote yesterday's 'Wyborcza'. It informed us that PiS received only two committee chairmanships (out of 29) under the parity division. The newspaper writes: 'In the previous Sejm, where PiS had a majority, the opposition - KO, Lewica, and PSL - chaired as many as 11 committees, including the very important Committee on Administration and Internal Affairs. Of course, PiS still did whatever it wanted in these committees, but it looked 'more democratic'.'” -- SZYMON HOŁOWNIA HAS BECOME THE FACE OF REVENGE POLITICS - WRITES ZAREMBA IN INTERIA: “Instead of extinguishing the thirst for revenge, it is being fueled. Szymon Hołownia has become the face of this revenge politics. Without batting an eye, he explained in his first address that a place in the Sejm presidium awaits a PiS politician. However, one who will gain the approval of the new majority. This is hypocrisy, contradictory to the very principle of parliamentary parity.” -- WHEN QUESTIONS ABOUT FREEZING ENERGY PRICES, LOAN HOLIDAYS, OR ZERO VAT ON FOOD ARE MORE PRESSING - ZAREMBA CONTINUES: “But no previous majority has begun with investigative committees in the second parliamentary session. When questions about freezing energy prices, loan holidays, or zero VAT on food are more pressing. We are being presented with multi-month, noisy spectacles at the very beginning of the term. In this confusion, it will be harder to hold the new coalition accountable for its most basic promises and announcements.” -- THE NEW MARSHAL IS ON THE FRONT LINE. WHEN WILL VOTERS NOTICE? - ZAREMBA'S CONCLUSION: “Will Hołownia, in his individual bid for the presidency, decide to play the role of an independent player within the new governing bloc? Will he oppose anything? Many people voted for Trzecia Droga (Third Way) in the hope that it would end, or at least limit, the Polish war. For now, there is no indication of this. The new marshal is on the front line. When will voters notice?” https://wydarzenia.interia.pl/felietony/news-marszalkowanie-holowni-pierwszy-bilans-mial-lagodzic-jest-na,nId,7169527 -- BASED ON THE REACTIONS TO THE FIRST ACTIONS AND STATEMENTS OF THE NEW MARSHAL OF THE SEJM, IT IS EVIDENT THAT MANY POLES APPRECIATE SZYMON HOŁOWNIA'S TONE AND HIS EFFORTS TO REBUILD COMMUNITY - PROF. MICHAŁ BILEWICZ IN A CONVERSATION WITH MICHAŁ NOGASI IN GW: “Based on the reactions to the first actions and statements of the new Marshal of the Sejm, it's clear that many Poles appreciate Szymon Hołownia's tone and his efforts to rebuild community. Observing this, I thought about communitarianism, a concept quite fashionable among political theorists about two decades ago, but largely forgotten today. It refers to a type of thinking in community terms. I know that for the past eight years, many of us have lacked individual rights and freedoms, and these aspirations were suppressed by the government, but perhaps we are in a different place today? Perhaps it's about something larger, something common and communal, transcending divisions?” -- THE PIS ELECTION CAMPAIGN WAS TAILORED NOT TO THE NEEDS OF CONTEMPORARY POLAND, BUT TO SOME NORTH KOREA, WHERE CITIZENS LIVE IN A HOMOGENOUS SOCIETY BUT ALSO DO NOT KNOW THE WORLD, DO NOT TRAVEL - BILEWICZ FURTHER TELLS NOGASI: “The PiS election campaign was tailored not to the needs of contemporary Poland, but to some North Korea, where citizens live in a homogenous society but also do not know the world, do not travel. It is not without reason that protests very often – and this was also the case in the Polish People's Republic – break out in port cities whose inhabitants have contact with the outside world. Nor is it surprising that the events of March '68 were possible after Polish students began to travel and had a comparison with how life was in the West. And today, our borders are wide open. We do not live in isolation; it's impossible in the era of the European Union – and that's why this propaganda based on fear and xenophobia proved ineffective.” -- IT REMAINS ASTOUNDING THAT, DESPITE POSSESSING SUCH TOOLS, PIS WAS UNABLE TO SENSE THE SOCIAL CHANGE THAT OCCURRED IN POLAND - BILEWICZ FURTHER TELLS NOGAS IN GW: “Meanwhile, the previous government did not hide at all, but even openly admitted, that it had transformed the Government Centre for Analyses into an institution that, instead of conducting measurements to assess the effectiveness of public policies, focused on studying the prevailing emotions among the electorate and PiS's chances for a third term. The director of the RCA admitted after the elections that he had sent alerts to PiS authorities that an electoral defeat was possible. In this way, he himself admitted that the government institution he headed had been turned into a large party polling station. And it remains astounding that, despite possessing such tools, PiS was unable to sense the social change that had occurred in Poland.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75410,30439728,rusza-popyt-na-mniejsza-nienawisc.html -- ONLY SUCH A NARRATIVE CAN SAVE THE REMAINING DIGNITY OF PIS - ZUZANNA DĄBROWSKA IN RZ: “First and foremost, it addresses PiS voters. It must convince them – disappointed and saddened – that even if their party fails to retain power, it's not because there were no chances. There were chances – but they just narrowly missed. PiS is still powerful and attractive. Only such a narrative can save the remaining dignity usually associated with wielding power. A dignity that PiS politicians haven't much of left. This also explains the announcements of actions such as a meeting with Marshal Hołownia and being available at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, awaiting visitors, for example, from Konfederacja.” https://www.rp.pl/polityka/art39465141-zuzanna-dabrowska-dlaczego-mateusz-morawiecki-udaje-ze-tworzy-rzad -- IN THIS REGARD, THE LEFT FINDS ITSELF IN EXACTLY THE SAME POSITION AS BEFORE THE 2019 ELECTIONS, ONLY WITH A WORSE ELECTORAL RESULT - DR RAFAŁ CHWEDORUK IN CONVERSATION WITH JAKUB MAJUREK IN KRYTYKA POLITYCZNA: “However, the biggest problem for the Left is that, even with the most optimistic interpretation of the results, it has still not resolved its strategic dilemmas about who it wants to be and who it can be – in this regard, it finds itself in exactly the same position as before the 2019 elections, only with a worse electoral result.” -- FOLLOWING THE PATH OF PRIMARILY A PROGRESSIVE PARTY WOULD MEAN ABANDONING MANY KEYNESIAN POSTULATES AND OPENING UP TO LIBERAL SOLUTIONS - CHWEDORUK TELLS MAJUREK IN KP: “Following the path of primarily a progressive party would mean abandoning many Keynesian postulates and opening up to liberal solutions accepted by middle-class voters, a more postmodern than enlightenment agenda, prioritizing flexibility over the welfare state.” -- TO WHAT EXTENT CAN ONE AGREE TO THE PERMANENT DILUTION WITHIN THE LIBERAL-DEMOCRATIC CAMP - CHWEDORUK CONTINUES WITH MAJUREK: “This dilemma for Nowa Lewica (New Left) will be significant in decisions concerning the appointment of positions in the new government. Because here too, the question will arise, to what extent can one agree to a permanent dilution within the liberal-democratic camp, and to what extent can one try to reach the periphery of the PiS electorate, interested in social policy, rather than the cultural agenda, especially the recent one – such as LGBT+ issues?” -- THE TUSK GOVERNMENT IS SOCIALLY PERCEIVED AS A CENTER-LEFT GOVERNMENT. THE ONLY THING THE NEW LEFT CAN DO IN THIS SITUATION IS TO ACT AS AN INTERNAL REVIEWER OF GOVERNMENT POLICY - CHWEDORUK CONTINUES: “It would be similar today, because regardless of how much it has to do with reality, the Tusk government is socially perceived as a center-left government. The only thing the New Left can do in this situation is to act as an internal reviewer of government policy within it and to operate sectorally through the ministries assigned to it, attempting to implement part of its agenda in this way.” -- FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE NEW LEFT, THE MINISTRY OF DIGITAL AFFAIRS HAS NO SIGNIFICANCE WHATSOEVER - CHWEDORUK FURTHER STATES IN KP: “From the perspective of the New Left, the Ministry of Digital Affairs has no significance whatsoever. The only digit that the New Left should be interested in is the one from which its poll results will start. However, a great opportunity would be to head the Ministry of Social Policy or National Education.” -- THE NEW LEFT MUST FIND A VEHICLE THAT WILL ALLOW IT TO SURVIVE UNTIL THE NEXT CRISIS OF CAPITALISM - DR CHWEDORUK STILL WITH MAJUREK: “Above all, however, the New Left must find a vehicle that will allow it to survive until the next crisis of capitalism. After the Rywin scandal, the structures of SLD proved to be such a vehicle, allowing survival even when outside parliament. Now, a mechanism is needed to survive until a new turning point, when an opportunity arises to broaden the electorate.” https://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/przyszlosc-lewicy-rozmowa-z-rafalem-chwedorukiem/ -- AT THE LAST MINUTE, THE LEFT'S BILL WAS MODIFIED AND DID NOT COMPLETELY ABOLISH CRIMINAL LIABILITY - MAGDALENA CHRZCZONOWICZ IN OKO.PRESS: “On November 13, the Lewica (Left) club submitted a bill decriminalizing assistance in abortion. At the last minute, the bill was softened and did not abolish criminal liability entirely. Now Lewica is amending its bill – after the amendments, assistance in abortion up to the 24th week of pregnancy will not be punishable.” ​​https://oko.press/lewica-zmienia-projekt-ustawy-ratunkowej-ograniczenie-efektu-mrozacego -- THEY CHOSE THE NEW GOVERNMENT. BUT THEY DID NOT WAKE UP IN A NEW, BETTER POLAND. IF ANYONE 'SAVED DEMOCRACY IN POLAND', IT WAS THEM: YOUNG WOMEN AND QUEER PEOPLE - ALEKSANDRA PRĘTKA IN KRYTYKA POLITYCZNA: “If the annulment of the Constitutional Tribunal's ruling from three years ago is the only thing politicians, men in power, can agree to, it only proves that they are still deaf and blind to reality: every year, women in Poland terminate pregnancies 100 to 200 thousand times (data from the Guttmacher Institute and Federa). This is only a symbolic change. It restores the old, patriarchal order. It divides Polish women into good and bad, Catholic Polish women and left-wing Polish women, Polish women in need and irresponsible Polish women.” https://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/po-wyborach-nie-obudzily-sie-w-lepszej-polsce/ -- I MUST PRAISE PIS FOR RAISING THE STATUS OF CULTURE AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE TO A LEVEL IT HAS NEVER HAD IN THE THIRD REPUBLIC. TODAY, THE CULTURE BUDGET IS 100% HIGHER THAN BEFORE PIS CAME TO POWER - SAYS MICHAŁ MERCZYŃSKI, CIVIL CANDIDATE FOR MINISTER OF CULTURE SUPPORTED BY AGNIESZKA HOLLAND AND PAWEŁ PAWLIKOWSKI, IN A CONVERSATION WITH JACEK CIEŚLAK IN RZ: “The initial conditions are good. I must praise PiS for raising the status of culture and its significance to a level it has never had in the Third Republic. Of course, it was done for propaganda purposes, however, the minister of culture was appointed deputy prime minister. The most important fact is that today the culture budget is 100% higher than before PiS took office. In short: there is money, it can be accumulated, and if the new government maintains this level of funding, it only needs to change expenditures to more rational and broader distribution, wider accessibility, and transparent principles for awarding grants.” -- TO DECISIVELY SAVE CULTURE, SO THAT PIS DOES NOT ENCASE POLAND AS IS HAPPENING IN ORBÁN'S HUNGARY - MERCZYŃSKI CONTINUES IN RZ: “Therefore, I believe that the role of Donald Tusk's new government will resemble that played by Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki's cabinet. It will have to act within the law, but at the same time, to decisively save culture, so that PiS does not encase Poland as is happening in Orbán's Hungary. The mandate for decisive changes is given by the determination of Poles in the elections, the unambiguous result, and high turnout.” https://www.rp.pl/plus-minus/art39458061-michal-merczynski-nowy-minister-musi-zmienic-antydemokratyczny-model-kultury -- WILL THE NEW GOVERNMENT GIVE ARTISTS FREE REIN BUT SHIFT FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS AREA OF LIFE? IF I WERE AN ARTIST, I WOULD WONDER IF THIS IS NOT THE INTENTION OF THOSE REVERSING THE ALLEGED PIS CENSORSHIP - PIOTR ZAREMBA IN RZ: “Artists are presenting a bill of grievances against the right. I repeat, it's not a long list, partly due to the lack of institutional contact between these worlds. At the same time, it is a fact that during the right-wing governments, spending on culture, including decidedly non-conservative culture, increased. What will the new team do with this legacy? One might get the impression that the rhetoric of freedom, according to which artists are to be the sole managers of their institutions, is accompanied by a shirking of financial responsibility for them. In any case, the coalition agreement contains not a word about this responsibility.” -- I DO NOT BELIEVE MINISTER SIENKIEWICZ WANTS THIS. BUT TO WHAT EXTENT WILL HE BE ABLE TO? - ZAREMBA CONTINUES IN RZ: “Meanwhile, there is not a word about national heritage in the '100 Concrete Actions' or the coalition agreement. Is this just an oversight, a lack of time and space? Will it be suddenly thrown into the bin in the wave of reversing everything? Will we, in the sphere of culture, once again childishly choose only the future? I do not believe that Minister Sienkiewicz wants this. But to what extent will he be able to?” -- SUCH A 'KILLER FOR SPECIAL TASKS' HAS LITTLE CHANCE TO DEVELOP A LONG-TERM POLICY TOWARDS CULTURE - ZAREMBA CONTINUES: “At the same time, he would have a minister with a strange status. He has reportedly been promised a place on the list for the European Parliament. For six months, he is mainly to handle one matter: to take over or dismantle public media controlled by right-wing individuals. Such a 'killer for special tasks' has little chance to develop a long-term policy towards culture. Incidentally, if this scenario is true, it will strengthen the impression of the provisional nature of the new government.” https://www.rp.pl/plus-minus/art39457831-jak-bartlomiej-sienkiewicz-urzadzi-kulture -- APPLICATIONS ARE BEING ACCEPTED FOR THE SECOND EDITION OF THE PEKAO ART_STORIES ART CONTEST: “Bank Pekao S.A. has launched the second edition of the PEKAO ART_stories art competition, aimed at everyone who wants to share their talent. The task for the current edition is to present an idea for spending additional funds obtained from a Pekao express loan. The winner of the competition will receive PLN 20,000 as the main prize. There will also be three additional prizes, each worth PLN 2,000.” https://300polityka.pl/biznes/2023/11/24/trwa-nabor-zgloszen-do-drugiej-edycji-konkursu-artystycznego-pekao-art_stories/ -- BIRTHDAYS: Władysław Frasyniuk (69), Małgorzata Niezabitowska, Elżbieta Łukacijewska, Piotr Pytlakowski, John Abraham Godson. SUNDAY: Jerzy Zdrada (87), Andrzej Rzepliński (74), Andrzej Halicki, Adam Leszczynski, Andrzej Szczerski, Przemysław Iwańczyk, Grzegorz Lipiec, Jerzy Smoliński, Tomasz Sygut.