-- BODNAR: I SAW THE LIST OF THOSE SPYED ON BY PEGASUS, IT'S SHOCKING - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2024/02/26/ -- SIKORSKI MERCILESSLY EXPOSES THE RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR'S LIES AT THE SECURITY COUNCIL - FULL TRANSCRIPT AT OKO.PRESS: “On Friday, February 23, Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia addressed the UN Security Council, repeating Kremlin propaganda lies and blaming Ukraine, the USA, and NATO for the war unleashed by Russia. Minister Sikorski responded, and it was a crushing response. Here is the full transcript”. https://oko.press/sikorski-zdemaskowal-klamstwa-rosyjskiego-ambasadora -- POLAND HAS RETURNED TO THE GAME ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE AS A SERIOUS PLAYER - BARTOSZ T. WIELIŃSKI IN GW: “This four-minute statement, repeated by global news services and circulating online as a viral hit, is one of the new government's most significant achievements. It clearly shows that Poland, after years of PiS stagnation, has returned to the game on the international stage as a serious player. Many Polish politicians have passed through the UN and other international bodies over the two years of war. None achieved such an effect as Sikorski. Perhaps because they too often used the war in Ukraine to attack the opposition and international allies”. https://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,30737203,polska-wrocila-do-gry-na-miedzynarodowej-scenie-jako-powazny.html -- THIS IS A HOLLOWING OUT OF DEMOCRACY FROM WITHIN. RESTORING IT IN A HACKED STATE IS IMPARABLY MORE DIFFICULT THAN WHEN YOU ACTUALLY HAD FREE REIN - BARTŁOMIEJ SIENKIEWICZ IN CONVERSATION WITH TOMASZ SEKIELSKI IN NEWSWEEK: “- We are operating under worse conditions. - Is it really worse now? - In a sense, yes, because then the matter was obvious: the previous system had collapsed and compromised itself at all possible levels, the Mazowiecki team could essentially shape the state as they pleased, and no one questioned that right. We naturally had to reckon with the PRL-era legislation, it formed the framework of the state, because the state is always continuity. - It's different now. The previous team hacked the state. We are dealing with something that is described in political science as a form of internal coup d'état. Coups d'état in the last 50 years are rarely military coups. They usually arise from a democratic mandate, which is then used for undemocratic purposes. This is the case in Turkey, Russia, Hungary. There are serious concerns whether the United States will fall into this trap. This is a hollowing out of democracy from within. Restoring it in a hacked state is incomparably more difficult than when you actually had free rein. And one more thing. In 1989, we had two opposing camps in Poland, but regarding the correctness of what happened, virtually no one had any doubts. Now we have a social division as deep as never before in the history of independent Poland – this adds further drama to the entire situation”. -- IN THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN, EVERY OTHER PERSON WHO APPROACHED ME HAD MORE OR LESS THE SAME MESSAGE – GOOD, I SUPPORT YOU, JUST DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE MEDIA, BECAUSE IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO LIVE WITH THIS LYING - SIENKIEWICZ FURTHER STATES TO SEKIELSKI IN NEWSWEEK: “In the election campaign, every other person who approached me had more or less the same message – good, I support you, just do something about the media, because it’s impossible to live with this lying. So I did nothing else but fulfill the will of 2/3 of the voters in the last election. And the accusations that this is breaking the law are, in my opinion, unfounded, because these are companies established under the Commercial Companies Code”. -- I WANT TO REBUILD THE SAXON PALACE SO THAT IT BECOMES THE DOMINANT FEATURE OF THE SURROUNDINGS OF THE MOST SACRED PLACE IN POLAND - SIENKIEWICZ FURTHER STATES TO SEKIELSKI: “Another example is the Saxon Palace and the absurd law concerning its construction, which leaves no room for maneuver. I want to speed up this project, I believe it is necessary for Poles, but for a completely different reason. It's not about rebuilding the palace at all. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is the only altar of the fatherland we have. The only place in Poland that still unites all Poles, regardless of political views, faith, and all other differences. And this altar has a hotel with a casino on one side, and a large building where gentlemen sit and make money on the other. I want to rebuild the Saxon Palace so that it becomes the dominant feature of the surroundings of the most sacred place in Poland”. -- SIENKIEWICZ SUGGESTS RELOCATING THE SMOLENSK MONUMENT: “And what about the Smolensk stairs? – I don't think they can stay in the same place. - That will cause a scandal. – Do you know any place in Poland marked by politics and art that isn't a pretext for a scandal? For me, it's precisely the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier”. -- MASS VOTER TURNOUT AND ITS OUTCOME WERE A RESULT OF PiS'S LINGUISTIC ABHORRENCE. ONLY THEY DON'T KNOW IT YET - SIENKIEWICZ TELLS SEKIELSKI: “Mass voter turnout and its outcome were a result of PiS's linguistic abhorrence. Only they don't know it yet. Consequently, they continue to play this game: they twist reality even more in the hope of regaining it, but it's exactly the opposite. If they don't wake up from this dream, they will become a fringe group”. https://www.newsweek.pl/polska/polityka/sienkiewicz-sytuacja-jest-gorsza-niz-w-1989-r-wskazuje-roznice/jq896b4 -- DURING TALKS IN WASHINGTON ON MARCH 12, THE POLISH SIDE MAY DEMAND GREATER FINANCIAL GUARANTEES AND RESPONSIBILITY FROM THE USA FOR THE SUCCESS OF THE WESTINGHOUSE PROJECT - DOMINIKA WIELOWIEYSKA AND WOJCIECH CZUCHNOWSKI IN GW: “During talks in Washington on March 12, the Polish side may demand greater financial guarantees and responsibility from the USA for the success of the Westinghouse and Bechtel project. Currently, this responsibility rests solely with the Polish side. Most likely, the government will point to Westinghouse's history as an argument in negotiations for greater involvement of the American administration in this project”. -- THE TUSK GOVERNMENT FACES A KEY CHOICE REGARDING NUCLEAR ENERGY - WIELOWIEYSKA AND CZUCHNOWSKI WRITE FURTHER IN GW: “At the same time, everyone is aware that building a nuclear power plant in cooperation with the Americans is an important element of economic ties and security guarantees for Poland. The Tusk government thus faces a key choice regarding nuclear energy”. -- THERE MAY BE A CONCEPT FOR THE FRENCH TO JOIN SOLORZ'S CONSORTIUM IN PLACE OF THE KOREANS - WIELOWIEYSKA AND CZUCHNOWSKI FURTHER IN GW: “At the same time, there may be a concept for the French to join Solorz's consortium in place of the Koreans. The assumption is that Poland can engage in a maximum of two nuclear projects, which are extremely costly and time-consuming. From the state's perspective, it would be good if Polish private business were also involved in these investments. The choice of contractors is of great importance not only for energy security and economic relations but also for defense alliances and foreign policy directions for the coming years”. -- WIELOWIEYSKA AND CZUCHNOWSKI ON HOW THE OWNER OF WESTINGHOUSE SAVED KUSHNER: “Westinghouse is owned by the Canadian fund Brookfield Asset Management. An important shareholder is Thomas J. Barrack, an American billionaire, an informal advisor and sponsor of Trump's campaigns. According to The New York Times, Barrack was behind the transaction that saved Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and husband of his favorite daughter Ivanka Trump, from bankruptcy in August 2018”. https://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,30734719,dlug-rodziny-trumpa-pis-i-gra-o-polski-atom.html -- THE TRZECIA DROGA'S ABORTION BILL, DESPITE BEING PERSISTENT, CONTAINS A FEW NECESSARY ELEMENTS. SPECIFICALLY THREE. THE REST IS AN INSULT TO FEMALE VOTERS AND, AS EVIDENT FROM TD'S PRESS CONFERENCE, ALSO TO FEMALE POLITICIANS OF THE RULING COALITION - MAGDALENA CHRZCZONOWICZ IN OKO.PRESS: “The Third Way bill itself, at first glance, transports us to the deep 1990s. And even to the 30s (...) describing it as a 'salvation' for Polish women, calling it a 'rescue bill' is also offensive. The 1993 law is outdated and meets no one's expectations. The solution proposed by the Third Way, however, carries dangers. The most important of these is that we will be stuck with this law forever. The 'compromise' will cement the abortion debate in Poland. Politicians will say – well, 'basic dignity' has been restored, now let's deal with other, more important matters, and then we'll see”. https://oko.press/projekt-trzeciej-drogi-aborcja -- THERE ARE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT CAUSE US TO INCREASINGLY EXPECT POLITICS IN AN 'INSTANT' VERSION; IF WE DON'T ACT QUICKLY, THE SYSTEM'S DESTROYERS WILL GAIN TIME TO DIG IN - TOMASZ SAWCZUK IN KULTURA LIBERALNA: “Of course, the election slogan '100 specifics for 100 days' had some drawbacks. First of all, it's difficult to implement 100 serious projects in such a short time. One could also ask about the 100-day program, and what about the program for subsequent years and decades? It is also clear that when a government coalition consisting of several parties was formed, it would be difficult to implement all the proposals of all coalition partners. But setting a specific and short deadline was meant to be an important sign for voters – to signal energy and effectiveness, which Civic Coalition desperately needed before the elections. However, there are also additional circumstances that cause us to increasingly expect politics in an 'instant' version. One is, of course, social media, which reward immediate reactions to problems – and accustom us to things happening right away. The constitutional crisis in Poland also creates natural tension – the impression that there is little time to act. Because if we don't act quickly, the system's destroyers will gain time to dig in. And some of the public will become discouraged because they voted for accountability, not for complacency”. -- AS LONG AS POLITICS FOCUSES ON HOLDING PiS ACCOUNTABLE, THE SITUATION IS RELATIVELY EASY FOR THEM - SAWCZUK FURTHER IN KL: “Both Prime Minister Tusk and Speaker Hołownia are choosing this path, regularly holding press conferences to discuss the current work of the government and parliament, as well as responding (or not responding) to issues of public interest at the moment. This helps maintain attention and moderate expectations. In practice, however, more is happening in politics than they can personally convey. Hołownia recently mentioned that the real legislative storm will only begin in 2-3 Sejm sessions, as more government bills arrive. Therefore, the debate around the new government's activities is largely proceeding on its own – and it will continue to do so unless it is framed in a narrative that becomes larger and more widely repeated than Tusk and Hołownia can achieve on their own. However, as long as politics focuses on holding PiS accountable, the situation is relatively easy for them”. https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2024/02/26/sawczuk-polityka-na-deadline/ -- LITTLE HAS BEEN ACHIEVED SO FAR FROM THE '100 SPECIFICS FOR THE FIRST 100 DAYS' - PIOTR ŚMIŁOWICZ IN GW: “In March, it will be 100 days since the formation of Donald Tusk's government, composed of the Civic Coalition, Poland 2050, PSL, and The Left. Although Tusk, the leader of Civic Coalition, is the Prime Minister and most of the ministers are representatives of this grouping, little has been achieved so far from the '100 specifics for the first 100 days'”. -- I BELIEVE WE SHOULD PROPOSE OUR OWN PROJECTS ON ISSUES SUCH AS THE CHANGE IN HEALTH CONTRIBUTION FOR ENTREPRENEURS AND SUNDAY TRADING - MARCIN BOSACKI, QUOTED BY ŚMIŁOWICZ: “- I believe that on issues such as the change in health contribution for entrepreneurs and Sunday trading, we should propose our own projects, even if it turns out they won't find a majority in the Sejm because one coalition partner or another will be against such solutions. However, I am convinced that on the issue of Sunday trading, the Left can be persuaded, or at least a part of it, and a majority can be found – notes Bosacki”. -- WE ARE REALISTS. WITH THIS PRESIDENT, ONLY A LAW THAT RESTORES THE LEGAL STATE BEFORE THE PRZYŁĘBSKA TRIBUNAL'S RULING CAN BE ADOPTED AND THUS TAKE A SYMBOLIC STEP FORWARD, EVEN IF NOT THREE, BUT A POSSIBLE STEP - KRZYSZTOF PASZYK, QUOTED BY ŚMIŁOWICZ: “We are realists. With this president, only a law that restores the legal status prior to the Przyłębska Tribunal's ruling can be adopted and thus take a symbolic step forward, even if it's one step instead of three, but a feasible one. The most liberal ideas will not pass the Presidential Palace – argues Krzysztof Paszyk, head of the PSL club, in an interview with jedennewsdziennie.pl”. https://jedennewsdziennie.pl/article/189 -- WHY WOULD PiS VOTERS LISTEN TO KACZYŃSKI IF HIS COLLEAGUES DON'T ACCOUNT FOR HIM? JAROSŁAW KACZYŃSKI IS LOSING AUTHORITY AND GRAVITY - JACEK NIZINKIEWICZ IN RZ: “How much is the word of the PiS chairman worth when the most important people in the state, people he counts on, and party members consider it worthless, and Kaczyński himself considers it worthless? Why should PiS voters listen to Kaczyński if his colleagues disregard him? Jarosław Kaczyński is losing authority and seriousness. Support for PiS will fall, and people in the party will rebel after further election defeats. The chairman's crisis plan is not visible. It is evident that he is having increasing difficulty steering his own party, which he will sooner sink than hand over to better hands. And those opposed to PiS are already rejoicing over this”. https://www.rp.pl/opinie-polityczno-spoleczne/art39893721-jacek-nizinkiewicz-duda-uderza-w-kaczynskiego-czyli-jak-prezes-pis-traci-wiarygodnosc-i-posluch -- BIRTHDAYS: Andrzej Celiński, Michał Marcinkiewicz, Tomasz Chróstny, Zbyszek Zaborowski, Beata Bublewicz, Ryszard Kalisz, Piotr Skwirowski, Maciej Zalewski.