-- TUSK'S GOVERNMENT IS THE LARGEST IN THE EU. 35% OF WOMEN PUTS IT IN THE SECOND TIER OF EQUALITY - PIOTR PACEWICZ IN OKO.PRESS: “In Tusk's government, we have 35% women. It's not yet equitable, but there's no longer disgrace – this result places us in the middle of the European pack. The party division of the government, however, perfectly mirrors the share in the electoral victory. (...) Ultimately, there are nine female ministers (including three without portfolio) and 17 male ministers (including three without portfolio). This gives women a 34.6% share and places Poland in the second (though not first) gender league, at 12th place in the EU (alongside France and Luxembourg), above the EU average of 31%. To improve gender balance, Donald Tusk increased the number of ministerial positions by adding six ministers without portfolio. This also helped satisfy the aspirations of coalition parties better. As we've calculated, the party distribution of the government mirrors with apothecary precision the share of the three groupings in the electoral success (more on this later).” https://oko.press/polski-rzad-35-proc-kobiet-awans-do-ii-ligi-rownosci -- GAWKOWSKI: WE WANT TO HAVE OUR OWN CANDIDATE, A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2023/12/12/ -- KACZYNSKI'S WORLD IS ENDING. THE CHAIRMAN IS NOW OVER 74 YEARS OLD, MEANING 15 YEARS OLDER THAN WHEN I STARTED TALKING TO HIM. HE NO LONGER HAS THE PHYSICAL STRENGTH AND POLITICAL VITALITY TO RETURN TO POWER - ANDRZEJ STANKIEWICZ IN Onet: “Kaczynski's world is ending. The chairman is now over 74 years old, meaning 15 years older than when I started talking to him. He no longer has the physical strength and political vitality to return to power. Besides, Donald Tusk, after taking power, will do everything to bring Kaczynski before prosecutors, investigative committees, and the State Tribunal – and this is a poor prerequisite for reincarnation. First, Tusk will begin dismantling the PiS state, which Kaczynski told me about for a decade and whose foundations he painstakingly built over two terms of his sole rule over Poland. Today, Kaczynski is defeated not only because he has to give up power. He departs defeated because he lost the best – and likely last – chance to build the Poland of his dreams, which for many Poles has become a state of oppression, violence, and shame. Therefore, let us bid farewell to Kaczynski's Poland, which he narrated so suggestively for years that no one believed in it.” https://www.onet.pl/informacje/onetwiadomosci/pozegnanie-z-panstwem-kaczynskiego-opinia/qjrl8vk,79cfc278 -- THE INSULT "GERMAN AGENT" WILL DO MORE DAMAGE TO THE CHAIRMAN'S PARTY THAN TO PRIME MINISTER TUSK - JACEK NIZINKIEWICZ IN RZ: “On December 11, 2023, PiS lost power, and Jarosław Kaczyński lost the last vestiges of dignity. Among the party's hard-core electorate, the chairman might gain sympathy, but you don't win elections with a hard-core electorate. With Chairman Kaczynski, PiS will not return to power.” https://www.rp.pl/publicystyka/art39549231-jacek-nizinkiewicz-dlaczego-jaroslaw-kaczynski-atakujac-donalda-tuska-w-sejmie-pograzy-pis -- AT NOWOGRODZKA STREET, A NEW STRATEGY HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED: NOW WE'RE SEEKING VOTES FROM WOMEN AND YOUTH. TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE - DOMINIKA WIELOWIEYSKA IN GW: “Mateusz Morawiecki's speech indicates that a new strategy has been announced at Nowogrodzka Street: now we are seeking votes from women and youth. Too little, too late. And Morawiecki suddenly stated that men must understand that women's aspirations and views have changed. He gave no indication over the last eight years that he understood this.” -- THE PIS CHAIRMAN MUST CREATE THREATS THAT DO NOT EXIST, OTHERWISE HE WILL LOSE POLITICAL GROUND. THE MESSAGE OF CONSENT WAS RELEVANT FOR HALF AN HOUR - DOMINIKA WIELOWIEYSKA IN GW: “The PiS chairman must create threats that do not exist, otherwise he will lose political ground. The new government does not support changes to treaties and wants to fulfill arms contracts. Besides – how is it with this appeal for an end to the Polish-Polish war, which Prime Minister Morawiecki just delivered? This message was relevant for only half an hour.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,30494212,smetne-pozegnanie-morawieckiego-przeslanie-o-zgodzie-bylo-aktualne.html -- PARADOXICALLY, PIS WILL BE THE LEFT-WING OPPOSITION TO TUSK'S LIBERAL GOVERNMENT - MICHAŁ PŁOCIŃSKI IN RZ: “Morawiecki may not have said it directly, but it didn't need to be elaborated, it was obvious. And in this way, the outgoing prime minister clearly outlined the narrative that the new total opposition will build. Total, above all, against 'neoliberalism'. Paradoxically, therefore, this will be a left-wing opposition to a liberal government.” -- THIS PIS STRATEGY COULD BE A REAL CHALLENGE FOR DONALD TUSK'S NEW GOVERNMENT - PŁOCIŃSKI CONTINUES IN RZ: “This PiS strategy could be a real challenge for Donald Tusk's new government, which will have to contend with a dual attack from the left flank: from the intra-coalition opposition, which will be the Razem party, and from the total opposition, which will be PiS.” https://www.rp.pl/komentarze/art39548021-michal-plocinski-expose-morawieckiego-dlaczego-pis-zamierza-byc-lewicowa-opozycja -- PIS WENT INTO THE PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS WITHOUT A "PLAN B" - ARTUR BARTKIEWICZ IN RZ: “PiS went into the parliamentary elections without a 'Plan B' – even though polls had indicated for some time that maintaining an absolute majority in the Sejm might be a difficult, bordering on impossible, task for the ruling party.” -- BY THEIR OWN DOING, DUE TO SUICIDAL TACTICS OF ESCALATING CONFLICTS - BARTKIEWICZ CONTINUES IN RZ: “Morawiecki's government did not fall on December 11 – its end came on October 15. And it happened partly at the behest of PiS, or rather the political strategists of that grouping, who adopted a suicidal tactic of escalating political conflicts on all fronts, with anyone who came within sight. Consequently, all the kind words spoken after October 15, for example, to the PSL, had no significance.” https://www.rp.pl/komentarze/art39548491-artur-bartkiewicz-rzad-morawieckiego-przegral-zanim-powstal-pis-sam-jest-sobie-winien -- MORAWIECKI'S SPEECH WAS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM PiS'S ELECTION CAMPAIGN - TOMASZ SAWCZUK IN KULTURA LIBERALNA: “Morawiecki's speech was completely different from PiS's election campaign. The former prime minister suddenly stopped calling the other parties 'Germans' and 'traitors,' and instead began talking about the program. Morawiecki summarized PiS's previous policy, mainly concerning the economy and defense, without addressing controversial issues. Moreover, he listed strategic challenges for Poland and trending topics rather than pointing out solutions. It was clear that the exposé was not a plan for governing.” -- IF PIS WANTS TO RETURN TO POWER IN THE FUTURE, IT MAY NEED A COALITION PARTNER - SAWCZUK CONTINUES IN KL: “But the change in tone showed that the politics based on radical conflict, which Jarosław Kaczyński set the tone for, had reached its limits and lost. If PiS wants to return to power in the future, it may need a coalition partner. However, it will never gain one if it pursues politics in the current model. For now, however, there is no sign of how the party would realistically change course. So far, it is a hostage to its own ideology. This is not good for the stability of Polish democracy, although it might not be bad for Tusk's future government, as it will make it harder for PiS to return to power.” https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2023/12/11/expose-mateusz-morawiecki-komentarz-sawczuk/ -- WE WILL HOLD HIM ACCOUNTABLE AND CRITICIZE HIM – ALL MEDIA, I HOPE – (THERE WILL BE REASONS), BUT ON THE DAY DEMOCRACY WON, WITH HIS UNDISPUTED CONTRIBUTION, LET US ALLOW OURSELVES A MOMENT OF SATISFACTION THAT WE GOT SUCH AN AGENT - PIOTR PACEWICZ IN OKO.PRESS: “And one more thing. We also use this word when someone does something surprising: 'What an agent he is.' For all his calculation, the Polish prime minister (for the third time) retained quite a bit of what is authentic and spontaneous for a politician and a man born in 1957. We will – I hope all of us – hold him firmly accountable and criticize him (there will be reasons), but on the day democracy won, with his undisputed contribution, let us allow ourselves a moment of satisfaction that we got such an agent.” https://oko.press/kaczynski-ma-racje-ze-tusk-jest-agentem-i-to-podwojnym -- WITHOUT TUSK, NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE - JAROSŁAW KURSKI IN GW: “Without Tusk, none of this would have been possible. This does not mean that he initiated the process of social change. There were democrats, civic resistance, independent lawyers, free media, women, millions of people in the streets – but without Tusk, there would have been no victory. His return gave democrats momentum, he promised victory, and he kept his word. It is not for nothing that he was the most slandered politician by the regime media.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,30493646,stawka-tego-wspanialego-zwyciestwa-jest-sama-demokracja.html -- A CHANGE OF POWER OF SUCH GRAVITAS HAS NOT HAPPENED TO POLES SINCE 1989, WHEN POLAND WAS ENDING AS A PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC AND BEGINNING AS A DEMOCRATIC POLAND - PRZEMYSŁAW SZUBARTOWICZ IN INTERIA: “The charge of the PiS leader was halted by citizens. Political power is changing, but more importantly, the philosophy of thinking about the state, institutions, symbolic rules, and future challenges is changing.” -- IT WILL DEPEND ON THE PRIME MINISTER WHETHER HE MANAGES TO BUILD BRIDGES BETWEEN VARIOUS INTERESTS WITHIN SUCH A BROAD REPRESENTATION - SZUBARTOWICZ CONTINUES: “The power of the PO leader himself will also have a different weight, because – unlike in the past – he now has to share it with three different formations, which, along with the positions of deputy prime ministers and deputy ministers, have a significant representation in the new government and will likely want a certain independence. It will depend on the prime minister whether he manages to build bridges between the various interests within such a broad government representation and keep the cabinet in line throughout the term.” https://wydarzenia.interia.pl/felietony/news-od-zmiany-do-zmiany,nId,7202599 -- CHARISMA, PROFESSIONALISM, FIRMNESS, AND A CERTAIN POLITICAL EASE THAT CHARACTERIZES THE GREATEST POLITICAL LEADERS — HER SPEECH MADE A GREAT IMPRESSION ON ME - NACZELNA NOIZZ: “Nowacka spoke with the firmness and ease of the best political leaders, captivating the audience, emotionally, yet with extraordinary professionalism. Her personal story – the MP is the daughter of Izabela Jaruga-Nowacka, who died in the Smolensk crash – although not explicitly stated, carried an extraordinary charge. Especially since Jarosław Kaczyński sat nearby, in the front rows of the Sejm.” https://noizz.pl/opinie/barbara-nowacka-w-sejmie-jej-przemowienie-wzbudzalo-lzy/0z99jzq -- IN EUROPE, INFLATION SURPRISES WITH THE SCALE OF DECLINES. THIS ALSO CONCERNS CORE INFLATION. EVERYTHING INDICATES THAT NEXT YEAR INFLATION WILL BE AT TARGET... - SAYS ERNEST PYTLARCZYK, CHIEF ECONOMIST AT PEKAO BANK, IN AN INTERVIEW FOR FORSAL.PL: “At the European Central Bank, even hawkish members of the Governing Council, like Isabel Schnabel, suggest that inflationary pressure is falling. And indeed, in Europe, inflation is surprising with the scale of declines. This also concerns core inflation. Everything indicates that next year inflation will be at the target of 2%. According to the latest data, inflation in the eurozone is 2.4%.” -- INFLATION DATA IS SURPRISINGLY DOWNWARD, AND AT THE SAME TIME, THE ECONOMIC CLIMATE REMAINS "SUMMER-LIKE". EVERYONE EXPECTS THAT CONSUMERS WILL GAIN MOMENTUM AS INFLATION FALLS. HOWEVER, THIS MAY NOT MATERIALIZE AT ALL - PYTLARCZYK CONTINUES FOR FORSAL.PL: “Inflation data is surprisingly downward, and at the same time, the economic climate remains 'summer-like'. Everyone expects that consumers will gain momentum as inflation falls. However, this may not materialize at all. Investors remain quite distrustful regarding the eurozone economy, especially Germany. On the one hand, we have some recovery in global industry, partly related to the reversal of the inventory cycle, but this is not particularly visible in Germany.” -- WE ARE MORE OPTIMISTIC THAN MOST ANALYSTS - PYTLARCZYK CONTINUES FOR FORSAL.PL: “Perhaps when inflation breaks successive psychological thresholds: falls below 5%, 4%. We expect that it will. We are more optimistic than most analysts.” -- OVERALL, THE GAME, WHEN IT COMES TO THE BUDGET FOR NEXT YEAR, IS ABOUT ABOUT 1% OF GDP DEFICIT - PYTLARCZYK CONTINUES FOR FORSAL.PL: “There will be some data from around the world, especially from the USA. But here, everything related to fiscal policy will be important. We are now shifting tens of billions back and forth here. Credit holidays are on, then they're off, zero VAT is not there at first, then it is. Overall, the game, when it comes to the budget for next year, is about about 1% of GDP deficit.” https://forsal.pl/gospodarka/artykuly/9377407,pytlarczyk-glowne-banki-centralne-zakonczyly-cykl-podwyzek-stop-co-n.html -- ONE OF OUR SOURCES INDICATED THAT TOMASZ BRATEK, WHO HAS BEEN THE DEPUTY MAYOR OF WARSAW FOR TWO YEARS, COULD BECOME THE NEW HEAD OF ORLEN - ANDRZEJ KUBLIK IN GW: “One of our sources indicated that Tomasz Bratek, who has been the deputy mayor of Warsaw for two years and previously served as the deputy mayor of the Śródmieście district, could become the new head of Orlen. In an interview with Wyborcza.biz, Tomasz Bratek denied rumors of a move to Orlen. However, the portal Business Insider wrote that, according to its information, 'currently, Robert Soszyński has the greatest chances of taking the helm of the megaconcern [Orlen]. (...) After three years as CEO of PERN, Robert Soszyński was dismissed without explanation. He returned to the energy sector unexpectedly three years later to serve for eight months as vice-president of Polskie LNG, responsible for the construction of the LNG terminal in Świnoujście.'” https://wyborcza.biz/biznes/7,179190,30494738,wladze-w-orlenie-obejmie-zastepca-trzaskowskiego.html -- "BAD PEOPLE" IN IMPORTANT INSTITUTIONS LEGALLY PROTECTED FROM DISMISSAL IS A BIG PROBLEM FOR THE NEW GOVERNMENT - WITOLD GADOMSKI IN GW: “'Bad people' in important institutions legally protected from dismissal is a big problem for the new government. However, I think the democratic coalition should focus not on the ways to dismiss the 'unremovable,' but on selecting 'good people' who sooner or later should replace the 'bad ones.'” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,30489569,zli-ludzie-nie-do-odwolania.html -- NASK POLSKANATLE SERVICE: WE CAN TRY TO MINIMIZE THE IMPACT OF DISINFORMATION ON PEOPLE AND SOCIAL LIFE: https://300polityka.pl/biznes/2023/12/11/serwis-nask-polskanatle-mozemy-starac-sie-zminimalizowac-wplyw-dezinformacji-na-ludzi-i-na-zycie-spoleczne/ -- BIRTHDAYS: Jerzy Starak (76), Piotr Gruszczyński, Gabriela Lenartowicz, Piotr Wawrzyk, Krzysztof Zaremba, Klaus Bachmann.