-- TRUMP IS BACK, AND AMERICA HAS ABANDONED UKRAINE - POLITICO EUROPE: "During his visit to Washington next week, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will likely discover that Donald Trump is already back – at least as far as US policy towards Europe's worst strategic nightmare in Ukraine is concerned." https://www.politico.eu/article/olaf-scholz-joe-biden-united-states-support-ukraine-trump-return/ -- TUCKER CARLSON JOINS THE PROCESS THAT FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP HAS BEEN FUELING FOR MONTHS: DENYING UKRAINE A CHANCE TO WIN AGAINST RUSSIA - JĘDRZEJ BIELECKI IN RZ: "If Putin gets the opportunity at this moment to address American right-wing voters directly on this matter, in an interview devoid of difficult questions and uncomfortable issues, then such propaganda could change the course of the war." -- THIS IS A SIGNAL OF HOW FAR THE WORLD CAN CHANGE IF TRUMP RETURNS TO POWER - JĘDRZEJ BIELECKI CONTINUES IN RZ: "Carlson announced that Elon Musk promised him he would not block his 'interview' with Putin on the X platform. The controversial entrepreneur, who just visited Auschwitz, apparently would have no problem participating in the dissemination of propaganda from the Kremlin butcher. This is a signal of how far the world can change if Trump returns to power." https://www.rp.pl/komentarze/art39798931-jedrzej-bielecki-po-co-putinowi-wywiad-u-tuckera-carlsona-moment-nie-jest-przypadkowy -- WHAT WILL CARLSON DO IF HE REALIZES HE'S FALLEN INTO A TRAP DURING THE INTERVIEW WITH PUTIN? WILL HE FALL OUT THE WINDOW? - JAKUB MACIEJEWSKI ON WPOLITYCE.PL: "Last but not least, a journalist from a democratic country is at a disadvantage when talking to a KGB officer. He will face a man trained in lying, with disinformation developed to a reflective management level, and with the ultimate trump card – his guest falling out of the window if he fails to understand the 'higher necessity' of 'threatened Russia.' Western democracy still does not understand the scale of cynicism and multi-level lies from Moscow. Enlightenment thinkers, led by Voltaire, Diderot, and other encyclopedists, wrote about Catherine II's progressive empire; later, 19th-century conservatives admired the tsarist state as the 'gendarme of Europe'; then the pendulum of manipulation won over the left-wing elite enchanted by modernization in the communist spirit, and now specific right-wingers are falling for Russian fairy tales about healthy Slavdom desiring peace from Anglo-Saxon intrigues." https://wpolityce.pl/swiat/681096-to-nie-carlson-wybral-putina-ale-putin-carlsona --- KOSINIAK-KAMYSZ TO PIS MPS: POLAND DOES NOT DESERVE SUCH OPPOSITION, YOU ARE WORKING FOR POLAND'S ENEMIES, KACZYŃSKI ON POLITICAL MURDERS… - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2024/02/08 -- THE BRAWL AT THE HUNDRED FIRES IS PIS'S LAST CHARGE, MEANT TO COVER UP ITS SURRENDER - MICHAŁ DANIELEWSKI IN OKO.PRESS: "PiS decided to save face in the dispute over the parliamentary mandates of Kamiński and Wąsik. To save face, meaning in the way President Kaczyński understands it: with a hundred-fires brawl that is meant to cover up surrender." -- PIS IS BUILDING THE IDENTITY OF INSTIGATORS OF AN INCOMPREHENSIBLE BRAWL IN PARLIAMENT, WHILE NOWOGRODZKA ACHIEVES A SMALL "POST MORTEM" VICTORY, AS ITS FUNDAMENTAL PROJECTS FROM THE TIME OF HOLDING POWER ARE GAINING INCREASING FAVOR - DANIELEWSKI CONTINUES IN OKO: "Here, while Nowogrodzka achieves a small 'post mortem' victory, as its fundamental projects from the time of holding power, such as the nuclear power plant (especially) and the Central Communication Port (in part), are gaining increasing public approval, Kaczyński's party is building the identity of instigators of an incomprehensible brawl in parliament. This makes no political sense whatsoever, and Kaczyński's words may indicate that the opposition will now try to shift the emphasis." -- HISTORY, AS WE KNOW, REPEATS ITSELF. BUT WE ALSO REMEMBER THE CLASSIC WORDS THAT IT MOST OFTEN REPEATS AS FARCE - DANIELEWSKI'S CONCLUSION: "On the other hand, grand words about 'life imprisonment for Hołownia' for a 'coup d'état' will play the role of one of the President's Great Goals, following the pattern of settling scores with the 'culprits of the Smolensk catastrophe' from 2010-15. Will such a myth be effective and functional? History, as we know, likes to repeat itself. But we also remember the words of a classic that it most often repeats as farce." https://oko.press/ostatnia-szarza-pis-awantura-w-sejmie -- IN RECENT WEEKS, LAW AND JUSTICE HAS GIVEN THE IMPRESSION THAT IT HAS DECIDED TO WRITE A NEW EPISODE OF "MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS" - ARTUR BARTKIEWICZ IN RZ: "In recent weeks, Law and Justice has given the impression that it has decided to write a new episode of 'Monty Python's Flying Circus.' Perhaps the aim is to give us a reason to smile in these grim times? If so, their sacrifice should be appreciated." -- ANTONI MACIEREWICZ'S FIST TO MARIUSZ KAMIŃSKI'S JAW INSTEAD OF A CONCLUSION - BARTKIEWICZ CONTINUES IN RZ: "Maciej Wąsik pushes through the Marshal's Guard like Czarniecki into Poznań, Poland freezes, what will happen, what will happen. And it turns out that nothing will happen, because in the end, Jarosław Kaczyński says that it was only about a document from the Marshal's Guard, and anyway, nobody was pushing anyone, it's all these journalists. PiS, as if nothing had happened, continues to participate in the work of the Sejm, which it considers illegal because it does not allow interaction with Kamiński and Wąsik in the parliamentary chamber. And Antoni Macierewicz provides the final touch, who – perhaps because Donald Tusk and Szymon Hołownia's regime is not persecuting PiS MPs enough – strikes Mariusz Kamiński." https://www.rp.pl/opinie-polityczno-spoleczne/art39799501-artur-bartkiewicz-pis-jak-jedna-piesc-piesc-antoniego-macierewicza-na-szczece-mariusza-kaminskiego -- THE FORMER GOVERNMENT THREATENS REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NEW ADMINISTRATION WITH IMPRISONMENT. THIS WILL ONLY INTENSIFY THE POLITICAL STRUGGLE, BUT ALSO ACCELERATE THE NECESSARY OVERHAUL - MAREK KĘSKRAWIEC IN TYGODNIK POWSZECHNY. -- POLLS SHOW THAT PIS'S INVOLVEMENT IN DEFENDING THE CONVICTED FORMER HEADS OF THE CBA IS DRAGGING DOWN SUPPORT, BUT TODAY THE PARTY MUST PRIMARILY FOCUS ON CONSOLIDATION AND CLOSING RANKS - KĘSKRAWIEC CONTINUES IN TYGODNIK: "Although they know within the party that continuing this strategy may lead nowhere, it was decided that the Tusk government's unceremonious removal of blockades left by the old government in the system (including supervision of television and the prosecution service) must be met with strong counteraction – otherwise PiS will be on the defensive. Kaczyński fears that if he relents in the confrontation, it will cause bitterness among his hardline electorate. Indeed, polls show that PiS's involvement in defending the convicted former heads of the CBA is dragging down support, but today the party must primarily focus on consolidation and closing ranks. The conflict with Tusk and Hołownia is very well suited for this. It is too early to reach out to a broader segment of society." https://www.tygodnikpowszechny.pl/sprawa-kaminskiego-i-wasika-awantura-pod-sejmem-186149 -- PIS'S POWERLESSNESS - DOMINIKA WIELOWIEYSKA IN GW: "There were scuffles with the Marshal's Guard. This behavior is scandalous. I have always been very critical of struggling with law enforcement officers or insulting them. Just as I was critical of some police officers exceeding the law. Regardless of who ruled in Poland. This is a matter of respect for the state. Therefore, the outrage over the behavior of PiS MPs is a consequence of my constant views on this matter. Jarosław Kaczyński's party will not gain politically from the commotion. Rather, it will show its powerlessness. Polls do not favor Kamiński and Wąsik; public opinion will consider these scuffles mere hooliganism." https://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,30674155,szturm-na-sejm-czyli-bezradnosc-pis.html -- TUSK NEEDS THIS KIND OF PIS THE MOST - MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI IN RZ: "Of course, a substantive opposition is better for the country, as it asks difficult questions, holds accountable, and points out flaws. However, by focusing again on the Wąsik and Kamiński case, resorting to forceful solutions that it itself mocked when in power, PiS is becoming, by its own choice, not so much a total opposition as a completely unnecessary one. It is becoming a decorative element of politics, rather than a real force that the ruling coalition must consider. It is becoming an object of ridicule and memes, rather than a necessary counterbalance to the power structure in a democracy." https://www.rp.pl/komentarze/art39799401-michal-szuldrzynski-awantura-o-wasika-i-kaminskiego-pod-sejmem-takiego-pis-potrzebuje-tusk-najbardziej -- AFTER EIGHT YEARS OF PIS RULE, THE FUNDAMENTAL PILLARS OF THE STATE ARE NOT OBVIOUS – PIS HAS COMPLICATED THEM AND DEPRIVED THEM OF POWER - KATARZYNA SKRZYDŁOWSKA-KALUKIN IN KULTURA LIBERALNA: "After eight years of PiS rule, the fundamental pillars of the state are not obvious – PiS has complicated them and deprived them of power. In doing so, it has deprived the state of universally clear frameworks. And since it grants itself the right to anoint various institutions for certain actions, it symbolically deprives the power that questions this of the mandate to govern." -- PIS WANTED TO CHANGE POLAND'S SYSTEM BY REORGANIZING THE STATE BECAUSE IT COULD NOT DO SO CONSTITUTIONALLY. WHAT THE CURRENT GOVERNMENT IS DOING IS RESTORING THE CORRECT STATE OF AFFAIRS - SKRZYDŁOWSKA-KALUKIN CONTINUES IN KULTURA LIBERALNA: "However, there is no symmetry here – PiS wanted to change Poland's system by reorganizing the state because it could not do so constitutionally. What the current government is doing is restoring the correct state of affairs, not attacking democracy. There is no equality between the actions of the previous and current opposition, nor the previous and current government. There is no equality in the actions of the ruling PiS and the ruling coalition of KO-Trzecia Droga and Lewica." -- WILL PIS STOP WEAKENING THE STATE WHEN, FOR EXAMPLE, SOME CRISIS ACTIONS REQUIRING THE COOPERATION OF THE GOVERNMENT, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, AND SIMPLY POLITICIANS NEED TO BE INITIATED? - SKRZYDŁOWSKA-KALUKIN'S CONCLUSION IN KULTURA LIBERALNA: "Bad news from America and in this context regarding Europe's military potential are only part of the blood-pressure-raising news. Will PiS stop weakening the state when, for example, some crisis actions requiring the cooperation of the government, local governments, and simply politicians need to be initiated? Would it be able to cooperate with the ruling coalition in making strategic decisions for the safety of citizens if a threat arises, or will it exploit the crisis for further destabilization? On a day when one can feel fear, such questions are justified." https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2024/02/08/skrzydlowska-kalukin-czy-bac-sie-pis-u-gdy-rosnie-putin/ -- BOSAK: THE ISSUE OF THE MANDATES OF MARIUSZ KAMIŃSKI AND MACIEJ WĄSIK, WHO UNSUCCESSFULLY TRIED TO ENTER THE SEJM ON WEDNESDAY, SHOWS THAT LEGAL GAPS NEED URGENT FILLING - AT PIOTR ŚMIŁOWICZ'S IN GAZETA.PL: "- The Electoral Code needs to define what happens in a situation where the Supreme Court upholds an appeal against the revocation of a mandate. Does the mandate remain valid or not? This should be written in black and white – argues Bosak. – Some lawyers claim that the mandates have expired, and only the marshal's statement of this fact is ineffective. In my opinion, this is a real legal doubt – he adds. According to him, changes should be made to the laws regulating criminal procedure, and it should be resolved whether individual amnesty before a final conviction (applied by Andrzej Duda in 2015) is permissible. And also, whether a presidential pardon annuls only the penalties or also consequences such as the loss of a mandate. – I believe these legal gaps should be filled so that we do not have such a situation in the future – says the Deputy Marshal of the Sejm." https://jedennewsdziennie.pl/article/176 -- WE CANNOT AVOID BELT-TIGHTENING. THE EARLIER THE TREATMENT BEGINS, THE MILDER ITS COURSE WILL BE - WITOLD GADOMSKI IN GW: "Fiscal consolidation, or more simply put, belt-tightening, is unavoidable. The sooner the treatment begins, the milder its course will be. The politicians who formed the October 15 Coalition made a mistake by not highlighting the analyses from both the Ministry of Finance and the European Commission before the elections, which indicated that the state of public finances after eight years of PiS rule was much worse than the propaganda claimed. Presumably, politicians who were previously in opposition wanted to avoid overly complicated discussions, not well understood by voters. They believed that elections could only be won by promising to maintain and expand social programs. They did not consider the consequences of such promises." -- THE AWAKENING WILL BE UNPLEASANT - GADOMSKI'S CONCLUSION: "The worst thing is that the politicians of the currently ruling coalition probably do not realize that the situation is serious and the budget treatment must begin no later than next year. The bidding war between the left and Civic Coalition on ideas continues, leading consequently to a further deterioration of the state's finances. The awakening will be unpleasant." https://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,30675386,okiem-liberala-nie-unikniemy-zaciskania-pasa.html -- NEW LEFT IS FORMING A COMMITTEE FOR THE POZNAŃ CITY COUNCIL WITH ITS OWN CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR. BUT THIS DOES NOT MEAN IT WILL NOT COOPERATE WITH JAŚKOWIAK IF HE WINS THE ELECTION - TOMASZ NYCZKA IN GW: "In Poznań, all left-wing parties and social activists are to run together. Lewica Razem (formerly Razem) is still in talks about a joint run with Nowa Lewica. However, politicians say that some activists from Lewica Razem look favorably upon the initiative of social activist Tomasz Hejna, who would like to run in these elections." https://poznan.wyborcza.pl/poznan/7,36001,30667652,do-wyborow-ko-i-lewica-pojda-osobno-po-wyborach-moga-wspolnie.html -- IN LUBLIN, CZARZASTY AND BIEDROŃ'S LEFT IS UNITED BEHIND ŻUK, WHILE THE RAZEM PARTY HAS HAD ENOUGH - MAŁGORZATA DOMAGAŁA IN GW: "- We have just registered the Lublin 2050 committee – informs Szymon Furmaniak, a member of the national council of the Razem party. Furmaniak is also a representative of the Lublin Urban Movement. The Lublin 2050 committee is to unite Razem, the urban movement, and Polska 2050 (but not Trzecia Droga, as it excludes PSL). Lublin 2050 will field its candidate for mayor of Lublin. Talks on this matter are still ongoing." https://lublin.wyborcza.pl/lublin/7,48724,30671420,lewica-w-lublinie-podzielona.html -- MACIEJ NOWAK ON NEO-BAKERIES - YOU WON'T READ ANYTHING FUNNIER TODAY: "On the first Fat Thursday of the new era of the Third Polish Republic, I decided to reform a secular tradition and look for doughnuts in the city at neo-bakeries, i.e., in the small artisan shops recently opening abundantly, run by young confectioners." https://warszawa.wyborcza.pl/warszawa/7,54420,30672988,czuc-zapach-drozdzy-masla-wanilie-oto-warszawski-paczek-roku.html -- BIRTHDAYS: Michał Woś, Janusz Schwertner, Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, Jan Śpiewak, Daniel Rząsa, Piotr Apel.