-- A GRIM MORAL AFTER TOMASZ KOMENDA'S DEATH. A MISTAKE NO ONE ANSWERED FOR - TOMASZ PIETRYGA IN RZ: "Komenda passed away at the age of 46, without being freed from the consequences of his sentence. No one has yet been held accountable for the justice system's nightmarish error. Many threads from the ongoing investigation into his detention, arrest, and conviction have been discontinued. The chain of individuals whose decisions led him behind bars has remained unpunished. Despite declarations that the matter would be settled, those responsible were not brought to justice. For the common good and for Tomasz Komenda, it is necessary that similar stories do not happen again in the future." https://www.rp.pl/opinie-prawne/art39878421-tomasz-pietryga-ponury-moral-po-smierci-tomasza-komendy-pomylka-za-ktora-nikt-nie-odpowiedzial -- THE PRIME MINISTER DECIDED TO GIVE THE MAYOR OF WARSAW A BUSY SPRING. IT WON'T BE AN EASY RE-ELECTION, BUT A DIFFICULT TEST BEFORE THE MAIN EXAM IN A YEAR - MAREK KĘSKRAWIEC IN TYGODNIK POWSZECHNY: "Tusk's decision ricochets onto Trzaskowski, who was pushing for a coalition with the left and thought he would win the race for the Warsaw mayor's office without a fight, as PiS's candidate was the anonymously known Tobiasz Bocheński in the capital. Now, however, it turns out he will have a competitor in the form of Senate Vice-Marshal Magdalena Biejat. The left-wing candidate is from Razem, so there's no question of her 'letting up' on Trzaskowski. She won't win the election, but she will make sparks fly within the parliamentary coalition." -- THE MAYOR OF WARSAW HAS DISAPPEARED FROM NATIONAL POLITICS, DOESN'T EVOKE EMOTIONS IN THE NATION, AND IT'S CLEAR HE HIMSELF IS CONTENT WITH THIS STATE OF AFFAIRS - KĘSKRAWIEC CONTINUES IN TP: "Donald Tusk is not sure if Rafał Trzaskowski will cope in the 2025 presidential election. However, he's not worried about the PiS candidate, but about Szymon Hołownia. The Mayor of Warsaw has disappeared from national politics, doesn't evoke emotions in the nation, and it's also clear that he himself is content with this state of affairs. The political war is being waged in a triangle: parliament, government, president – and Trzaskowski has taken a comfortable position as a beneficiary of Civic Platform's long-ago decision to make him a presidential candidate." https://tygodnikpowszechny.pl/przyjacielski-egzamin-dla-trzaskowskiego-dlaczego-tusk-nie-chce-koalicji-z-lewica-na-wybory-186269 -- I WILL DEFEND OKĘCIE BECAUSE THE CONSTRUCTION OF CPK IS A DEATH SENTENCE FOR WARSAW AIRPORT - SAID RAFAŁ TRZASKOWSKI IN AN INTERVIEW FOR DGP: "I will defend Okęcie because the construction of CPK is a death sentence for Warsaw airport. I have a clear position on this. (...) For Warsaw, Okęcie is one of its greatest assets. We have an airport in the city center, well-connected, for which we spent hundreds of millions of zlotys. (...) For me, the main problem with CPK was that it was a project by PiS written on water. I'm not surprised that the new government wants to first check if it's a rational idea at all." https://biznes.interia.pl/gospodarka/news-rafal-trzaskowski-o-cpk-projekt-palcem-na-wodzie-pisany-bede,nId,7347353 -- LUBNAUER ON ABORTION LIBERALIZATION: WITHOUT THE THIRD WAY, IT WILL BE ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE TO GET THIS ON THE AGENDA OR TO VOTE IT THROUGH - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2024/02/22/ -- IT'S NO LONGER ABOUT DELIVERING ABORTION, BUT ABOUT PROMISING IT - KATARZYNA SKRZYDŁOWSKA-KALUKIN IN KULTURA LIBERALNA: "Abortion has become a hostage of a permanent election campaign. On one hand, there are parties that benefit from promising the legalization of abortion, and on the other, those that capitalize on hindering it. Therefore, in the matter of abortion, one should expect constant promises, but not agreement." -- A REFERENDUM MAY TURN OUT TO BE RISKY, BUT THE ONLY WAY - SKRZYDŁOWSKA-KALUKIN CONTINUES IN KULTURA LIBERALNA: "Everything indicates, therefore, that the roof will leak, so it will be profitable for politicians from all sides to collect funds for repairs, which will take place at the earliest in four years, after the next parliamentary elections. The question remains whether anyone will still want to cast votes for this still unfulfilled goal. In this situation, a referendum may turn out to be a risky, but the only way to repair it. Moreover, there is a chance that it will succeed – according to some studies (IPSOS for Oko.press and TOK FM, IPSOS for More In Common), it indicates that slightly more than 50 percent of Poles declare support for free choice." https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2024/02/22/skrzydlowska-kalukin-juz-nie-chodzi-o-to-zeby-zalatwic-aborcje-tylko-zeby-ja-obiecac/ -- THE MOST RATIONAL APPROACH, EVEN FOR SUPPORTERS OF LIBERALIZING ABORTION LAW, SEEMS TO BE A REFERENDUM PROPOSAL - PIOTR ŚMIŁOWICZ IN TYGODNIK POWSZECHNY: "the most rational approach, even for supporters of liberalizing abortion law, seems to be a referendum proposal. A resolution on this matter, along with a package of all abortion projects, is to be submitted by the groups forming the Third Way. Szymon Hołownia is right when he states that faced with the verdict of the citizens, even President Duda will have to humble himself if it is not in his favor. And analyzing public sentiment, it can be assumed that it is more than certain that a majority will vote in favor of liberalization in a referendum, if the question concerns – as Hołownia announced – consent to abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy." -- THE THIRD WAY IS IDEOLOGICALLY DIVIDED AND NOT VERY DISTINCT, IT COULD EVEN LOSE OUT IN A REFERENDUM. HENCE, IT SHOULD BE APPRECIATED THAT DESPITE THIS, THEY ARE COMING FORWARD WITH A REFERENDUM PROPOSAL - ŚMIŁOWICZ CONTINUES: "It is probably a political paradox, but the extreme formations would gain the most political capital from a referendum campaign. The groups forming the Third Way, being ideologically divided and not very distinct in this regard, could even lose out. Hence, it should be appreciated that despite this, they are coming forward with a referendum proposal." https://www.tygodnikpowszechny.pl/czy-referendum-zakonczy-wojne-o-aborcje-186303 -- THE FARMERS' CLAIMS DO NOT GIVE THEM THE RIGHT TO EVERYTHING. WHAT THEY HAVE DONE IS DISGRACEFUL - JACEK NIZINKIEWICZ IN RZ: "Blocking ambulances or anti-Ukrainian and pro-Putin banners cannot be justified by anything, even if they are only isolated cases. (...) The farmers' protests are a fragment of a larger whole. Farmers are close to throwing the baby out with the bathwater, because despite significant public support for their protests, they may be helping pro-Russian, anti-EU, and anti-Ukrainian forces more. And this is already harming Poland and supporting enemy forces. Polish services cannot allow this." https://www.rp.pl/opinie-polityczno-spoleczne/art39877361-jacek-nizinkiewicz-racja-rolnikow-nie-daje-im-prawa-do-wszystkiego-to-co-zrobili-jest-haniebne -- IF FARMERS, WHOSE CLAIMS ARE IMPORTANT, PROTEST AMONG A CROWD OF SHOUTERS FOR WHOM THE CHAOS ITSELF IS MORE IMPORTANT, THEIR DEMANDS WILL BE UNINTELLIGIBLE, AND THE BLOCKADES WILL ONLY ANGER PEOPLE. THIS IS NOT THE WAY - JOANNA SOLSKA ON THE TYGODNIK POLITYKA PORTAL: "The blocking farmers will achieve their goals only if they convince city dwellers that their goals are also important to us. So far, they are not doing very well. One of the protesting production farmers even claims that there are too few of them, and the blockades have been taken over by shouters. They decided that the slogans 'down with the Green Deal and Ukrainian food' sell well, and the disturbances amplify the chaos. If farmers, whose claims are important, protest among a crowd of shouters for whom the disturbance itself is more important, their demands will be unintelligible, and the blockades will only anger people. This is not the way." https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/rynek/2246227,1,zadymy-rolnikow-w-czyim-interesie-ten-chaos-blokady-opanowali-krzykacze.read -- ANONYMOUS (AS IT TURNS OUT LATER, NOT ENTIRELY ANONYMOUS) ONLINE HATE THREATENS DEMOCRACY - MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI IN RZ: "I am ready to put forward the thesis that anonymous (as it turns out later, not entirely anonymous) online hate threatens democracy. After all, one of its axioms is transparency and clarity, the conviction that citizens will make political decisions based on their knowledge. Hate, radicalization, extreme emotions – all of this is a threat to the rules of the democratic game, regardless of whether this hate comes from fans of Jarosław Kaczyński or Donald Tusk." -- ALLOWING POLITICAL DEBATE TO BE APPROPRIATED BY ANONYMOUS HATERS WHOSE POSTS ARE SHARED BY INFLUENTIAL POLITICIANS IS OPENING THE DOOR TO EXTERNAL INTERFERENCE BY FOREIGN FORCES - SZUŁDRZYŃSKI CONTINUES IN RZ: "And if the coalition of October 15 wants to save democracy in Poland, it should clarify this matter as soon as possible. Because allowing political debate to be appropriated by anonymous haters, whose posts are shared by influential politicians, is opening the door to external interference by foreign forces." https://www.rp.pl/komentarze/art39878431-michal-szuldrzynski-pablomoralespl-i-hejt-dlaczego-platformy-spolecznosciowe-zagrazaja-demokracji -- THE CREATION OF TV PIS? KACZYŃSKI WOULD REALLY WANT THAT NOW. IT IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST MISTAKES OF THE LAST 8 YEARS - JACEK GĄDEK IN GAZETA.PL: "For eight years, this camp has been appropriating the state, carried out a rapid landing on public media – TVP, Polish Radio, and PAP – but built nothing new in the media. Now, when the new government under Prime Minister Donald Tusk has also rapidly swept out PiS appointees from these media, PiS has been marginalized in media terms. 'Our voters are left without information. Without public media, we cannot communicate with them,' complains one of the politicians from this camp." -- THE "ORPHANS" OF TVP FROM 2016-23 ARE BEING RECRUITED BY TV REPUBLIKA. THEY HAVE NOWHERE ELSE TO GO - GĄDEK CONTINUES: "Despite record audience figures in its history, TV Republika is a crudely made television, completely unprofessional. Nevertheless, the "orphans" of TVP from 2016-23 are being drawn to TV Republika. They have nowhere else to go. Because for the past eight years, Nowogrodzka [seat of PiS] did not want to create competition for the existing two media circles on the right. The first is focused around the Karnowski brothers, Jacek and Michał, but they are financially supported by a very wealthy politician – Grzegorz Bierecki. And the second is under the influence of Tomasz Sakiewicz – TV Republika. Building something new on the conservative side was also, and perhaps primarily, hindered by the fear of harming the interests of these two centers." https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114884,30725006,powstanie-tv-pis-kaczynski-bardzo-by-teraz-chcial-to-jeden.html -- THREE YEARS AGO WE LEARNED ABOUT THE DEATH OF JAN LITYŃSKI. -- I RECALLED NOW THAT IN THE PRL, JANEK HAD SUCH A SAYING: "THINK OF THE MOST STUPID THING THE AUTHORITIES CAN DO, AND TOMORROW THEY WILL DO IT" – WROTE EWA MILEWICZ ABOUT JAN LITYŃSKI: "I met Janek around the Workers' Defence Committee (KOR). I recalled now that in the PRL, Janek had such a saying: 'think of the most stupid thing the authorities can do, and tomorrow they will do it.' This fits various twists of fate. Today, they call Janek a 'activist,' and it's all true, he was an activist, but above all, he was an exceptionally friendly person in interpersonal relations. Janek enjoyed having fun, he liked music, he was a fan of the Beatles, and even in the PRL, he had lots of records, he got them from somewhere. We didn't have money then, sometimes someone brought them to him from abroad. He was a man in the style of 'women, wine, and song,' he was very cheerful and non-aggressive in every situation, whether sober or drunk. He was very disorganized, constantly losing things, forgetting. When he was the author of a newspaper, he sent the text with a 4-hour delay. In the 1980s, he was imprisoned, then went into hiding and was active in the underground. I remember that when he had to send a text to Helena Łuczywo, the editor-in-chief of 'Tygodnik Mazowsze,' through a chain of couriers, he always made some mistake. He wasn't a revolutionary soldier, he was simply a charming guy." https://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,26814175,jan-litynski-nie-zyje-do-konca-trwal-w-walce-o-demokracje.html -- BIRTHDAYS: Ryszard Bugaj, Jacek Kurski, Edward Czesak, Andrzej Raczko.