-- TUSK: BEFORE WE KNOW IT, DUDA WILL BE READY TO PARDON THE ENTIRE PIS – 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2024/04/26 -- POLICE TOOK THE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER'S CAR – JEDYNKA SE. -- MINISTER SIKORSKI'S SPEECH IN THE SEJM WAS A VERY INTERESTING, AT TIMES BRILLIANT LECTURE ON NEW FOREIGN POLICY. WEAKENED BY THE THREADS OF PARTY ACCOUNT-SETTLING – JERZY HASZCZYŃSKI IN RZ: “If, as Sikorski did, one calls for political opponents on the domestic front not to call each other traitors and not to deny others the right to feel patriotic, then one certainly should not compare one's rivals to a war criminal and a dangerous imperialist like Vladimir Putin and his regime. And the head of Polish diplomacy, while giving advice to 'our Russian neighbors,' included among many valid points this one: remove 'dictators and thieves' from power. 'Just as we did in Poland.' A complete break from everything PiS did in foreign policy makes it very difficult to believe that the current minister will create a non-partisan, apolitical diplomatic service. Because although he announces such, he does so using partisan language.” https://www.rp.pl/komentarze/art40244901-jerzy-haszczynski-wielka-polityka-zagraniczna-krajowi-zdrajcy-i-zlodzieje-po-expose-radoslawa-sikorskiego -- SIKORSKI'S SEJM EXPOSÉ MARKED BY WAR – BUT ALSO A BIT BY POLISH WARFARE – WITOLD GŁOWACKI IN OKO.PRESS: “Radosław Sikorski's exposé provoked angry reactions from PiS politicians – but it has every chance of being warmly received by Poland's allies and carefully listened to by its enemies. (...) Nevertheless – if Sikorski's exposé is treated as a signal to the world, it was quite unambiguous in that part of the speech, though also obvious – Poland is breaking with the philosophy of conducting foreign policy from the PiS era.” https://oko.press/sejmowe-expose-sikorskiego -- POLAND IS BACK IN THE GAME – BARTOSZ T. WIELIŃSKI IN GW: “The Law and Justice MPs present in the Sejm – there weren't many of them, former prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki went to Budapest for a world congress of Donald Trump's allies – were humiliated by Sikorski. The information about the goals of Polish foreign policy, which he presented in the Sejm, was a judgment on the destruction that occurred in Polish diplomacy under PiS rule.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75399,30919076,expose-sikorskiego-polska-wraca-do-gry.html -- SIKORSKI FORGOT ABOUT THIS, BUT FOR A MOMENT PIS WASN'T PIS – JAKUB MAJMUREK IN NEWSWEEK: “Sikorski forgot about this, but for a moment PiS wasn't PiS. Mateusz Morawiecki's government and the presidential center were not solely pursuing a negative policy at that time. They took a very active role in seeking support for the heroic defense war of Ukrainians at a time when many Western countries had doubts about the extent to which Kyiv should be militarily supported, fearing escalation of the conflict and Russia's response. Both the president and the government ultimately lacked consistency, dexterity, and the ability to set realistic goals in this policy. Until the 2023 elections, PiS also alienated us from Kyiv, but in the first months of 2022, it pursued a policy that cannot be reduced to the harsh assessment presented by Sikorski.” https://www.newsweek.pl/polska/polityka/radoslaw-sikorski-wypunktowal-zjednoczona-prawice-w-jednym-sie-pomylil/2e123el -- DUDA'S REACTION IS UNIMAGINABLE – MAREK OSTROWSKI ON TYGODNIK POLITYKA PORTAL: “Dispelling both these myths is the foundation of cooperation with the opposition. I cannot imagine any sensible joint policy between the government and those opposition members who adhere to these myths. Therefore, I received the president's comments after the exposé with great concern. Duda called Sikorski 'a politician from the camp that co-implemented anti-Polish policy with liberal-left politicians of the European People's Party, which turned out to be a complete falsehood and untruth.' Anti-Polish? Unfortunately, I do not count on the improvement of the president or the main PiS politicians in cooperating with the government. How can one imagine a common Polish position built simultaneously on the thesis that the Union takes away our sovereignty and that it strengthens sovereignty? Or that both the West and Russia are a threat to Poland? This is unimaginable.” https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/kraj/2254393,1,sikorski-wyznacza-cele-gdy-sytuacja-na-swiecie-jest-grozna-reakcja-dudy-nie-miesci-sie-w-glowie.read -- GRABIEC TO MAP – PIOTR ŚMIŁOWICZ IN GAZETA.PL: “In political corridors, names of their potential successors can be heard. The greatest chances of taking over the post of Minister of Culture are held by Sienkiewicz's current deputy, Andrzej Wyrobiec. Among the candidates for the new Minister of Interior and Administration, the name of the current coordinator of special services, Tomasz Siemoniak, is most often mentioned by parliamentarians. He could combine both positions, as Mariusz Kamiński did in the PiS government. The candidate to succeed Borys Budka in MAP, as can be heard, is the current head of the Prime Minister's Chancellery, Jan Grabiec. If he took over this ministry, Maciej Berek could become the new head of the Prime Minister's Chancellery. In turn, in PSL, the current head of the PSL-TD club, Krzysztof Paszyk, is considered a strong candidate for the new Minister of Development and Technology.” https://jedennewsdziennie.pl/article/234 -- IS IT ABOUT PARTY REARRANGEMENTS? – KAMIL DZIUBKA IN ONE: “– Donald, a few weeks ago during the previous session of the National Council, appointed Marcin for another term as secretary. He didn't remove anyone from the board then, saying it was a winning team. We expected changes, but only after the presidential elections. He lulled us all to sleep – we hear from a Civic Platform parliamentarian. It's unclear why the Prime Minister decided to make this move now. On the one hand, nominating a politician in a key constituency is an honor and public recognition of merit. On the other hand, according to most of our interlocutors, this step will necessitate a change in the position of party secretary-general. It is difficult to combine secretarial duties with the mandate of a Member of the European Parliament, as it requires spending most of the time abroad.” -- WILL THE SECRETARY GENERAL OF PO BE A WOMAN? – DZIUBKA CONTINUES: “It is currently unknown who will replace the politician as party secretary-general. Onet has heard from several sources about a scenario in which a woman would take over this role. We heard two names, but we could not officially confirm them.” https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/tylko-w-onecie/kulisy-roszady-donalda-tuska-partia-zaskoczona-wszystkich-nas-uspil/mnl4eje -- PODLASKIE AND WARMIŃSKO-MAZURSKIE VOIVODESHIPS: A SENSATIONAL CHANGE HAS OCCURRED HERE. IT LOOKS LIKE JACK KURSKI WILL BECOME A MEMBER OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT FROM THIS CONSTITUENCY – JUST LIKE 15 YEARS AGO – ANDRZEJ STANKIEWICZ IN ONE: “The controversial head of TVP was considered for at least three regions. The latest considerations pointed to 3rd place in Mazovia. But the leader in Mazovia, Adam Bielan, and Maciej Wąsik, who was being prepared for 2nd place (with the involvement of Mariusz Kamiński), lobbied for Kurski's transfer to another list. In Mazovia, PiS will take two seats, and Bielan and Wąsik feared that Kurski would defeat one of them. – Nobody wanted Kurski on the list. Not in Podkarpacie, not in Lublin, not in Mazovia. Everyone knows he will do anything to get a mandate. And that means he will run a dirty campaign and attack his colleagues on the list – a PiS MEP tells Onet.” -- KOLARSKI NUMBER ONE FOR PIS IN WIELKOPOLSKA: “Constituency No. 7 is the Wielkopolska Voivodeship. Here, No. 1 will be Wojciech Kolarski, a long-time associate of Andrzej Duda and a minister. Local PiS structures do not like this – firstly, Kolarski is from Krakow, and secondly, he has never been associated with PiS. Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk, former Minister for European Affairs and local PiS leader, was vying for the '1' position – but without success. MEP Ryszard Czarnecki will be on the list after Kolarski.” -- DWORCZYK ON THE LIST AFTER ZALEWSKA AND BORTNICZUK – STANKIEWICZ CONTINUES: “Constituency No. 12 covers the Dolnośląskie and Opolskie Voivodeships. Here, the leader will be Anna Zalewska, former Minister of Education, currently an MEP. At 'two' will be Beata Kempa, MEP from Sovereign Poland. Behind them will be Kamil Bortniczuk, former Minister of Sport, and Michał Dworczyk, former Head of the Prime Minister's Chancellery, who has been fighting tooth and nail with Zalewska for years.” https://www.onet.pl/informacje/onetwiadomosci/sensacyjne-roszady-wsrod-kandydatow-pis-do-parlamentu-europejskiego-lista-nazwisk/179mmcn,79cfc278 -- WILL HOŁOWNIA TAKE IN OCHOJSKA? – AGATA SZCZĘŚNIAK IN OKO.PRESS: “She was resigned to the fact that she might not receive an offer. Although she hoped that at least talks would take place,” a politician from Civic Platform told the Interia portal. It was from Interia journalists that Ochojska allegedly heard that there was no place for her. As we learn, Ochojska's associates have prepared a 'Plan B'. Her colleagues do not want to comment on the matter officially. However, a source in Szymon Hołownia's Poland 2050 party claims that Ochojska will run from their list.” https://oko.press/na-zywo/na-zywo-wybory-samorzadowe/holownia-przygarnie-ochojska -- IF THE INVESTIGATIVE COMMISSIONS WERE TO SHOW THAT THE NEW COALITION EFFECTIVELY SEIZED POWER AND IS HOLDING ITS PREDECESSORS ACCOUNTABLE, THEY ARE NOT CONVINCINGLY SHOWING EVEN THE FIRST OF THESE – KATARZYNA SKRZYDŁOWSKA-KALUKIN IN KULTURA LIBERALNA: “In its unofficial function of demonstrating power, the recent session of the commission on envelope elections was therefore not successful. And in their most important functions – explaining the mechanism of PiS's irregularities and holding its politicians accountable – they are still unconvincing or ineffective, although that is another topic.” -- IT MAY TURN OUT THAT ULTIMATELY NO ONE BENEFITS FROM THESE COMMISSIONS – SKRZYDŁOWSKA-KALUKIN CONTINUES IN KULTURA LIBERALNA: “It may turn out that ultimately no one benefits from these commissions. Polls will provide answers to this question. However, there are still many testimonies ahead of us, and both sides are learning. Since, according to their own narrative, PiS is now fighting for the rule of law, it would be good if, before the upcoming elections, its representatives showed steadfastness while testifying before the 'regime.' However, the 'regime' has learned to notice and exploit the weaknesses of political opponents, and it has found more 'buttons' to trigger explosions, as with Kamiński, since the beginning of the term. And leaving the commissions and insults will not help in the election campaign.” https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2024/04/25/skrzydlowska-kalukin-czy-jonski-musial-pytac-o-trzezwosc-czy-kaminski-musial-rzucac-swinia/ -- TUSK NEEDS NEW IMPETUS AND MOMENTUM, BECAUSE THE ENTHUSIASM FROM OCTOBER 15TH HAS DWINDLED – MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI IN RZ: “Therefore, he is now putting everything on one card and mobilizing his activists, saying that they must finally beat PiS in the elections. This is his overarching goal. It didn't work out in the local government elections, because although Jarosław Kaczyński's party was routed in cities, it maintained its lead in terms of points in the regional assemblies. And Tusk needs a new symbol, a clear triumph that will confirm his mandate to govern the country. Especially since his honeymoon was stolen first by Mateusz Morawiecki's puppet, two-week government, and then by the prose of governing. Tusk knows he needs new impetus.” -- HOŁOWNIA WANTS TO SHOW THAT POLITICS CAN BE DONE ON DIFFERENT TERMS – SZUŁDRZYŃSKI CONTINUES: “Hołownia wants to show that politics can be done on different terms and claims that in many respects he differs from both Donald Tusk and Jarosław Kaczyński, who only look at party arrangements. This was the promise of the Third Way.” https://www.rp.pl/opinie-polityczno-spoleczne/art40244871-michal-szuldrzynski-dlaczego-holownia-krytykuje-tuska-za-ministrow-na-listach-do-pe -- SMILING CPK NAMED AFTER OLGA TOKARCZUK – ESTERA FLIEGER IN RZ: “I regret that CPK wasn't invented by Jan Kulczyk or Jurek Owsiak. Besides, if it's to save it, let's name the airport after one of them. Or Olga Tokarczuk or Lech Wałęsa – it doesn't matter that he already has an airport in Gdańsk. (...) It's easier to reach the Moon in a rocket built from cans than to convince progressive intellectuals that Poland is ambitious and has the right to develop.” https://www.rp.pl/komentarze/art40242391-estera-flieger-usmiechniety-cpk-imienia-olgi-tokarczuk -- BIRTHDAYS: Sławomir Nitras (51), Krzysztof Stanisław Kozłowski, Grzegorz Zasępa, Tadeusz Słobodzianek, Zofia Ławrynowicz, Cezary Grabarczyk.