-- SCHEURING-WIELGUS: THE ENTIRE LEFT IS LEANING TOWARDS SUPPORTING CPK - 300LIVE:  https://300polityka.pl/live/2024/05/09/ -- TREACHERY IN THE PODLASIE REGIONAL ASSEMBLY, SIMILAR TO THE TREACHERY OF JUDGE TOMASZ SZMYDT, COMPLICATES KACZYŃSKI'S PARTY'S SITUATION - MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI IN RZ: “Treachery in the Podlasie regional assembly, similar to the treachery of judge Tomasz Szmydt, complicates Jarosław Kaczyński's party's situation. Instead of converting their local election victory into capital for the European Parliament campaign, PiS finds itself in serious trouble. (...) The only thing is that this shows how defensive PiS has become. Instead of gaining momentum before the EP elections, it must consider that Donald Tusk might achieve what he promised his party: a poll lead reversal, and then the first victory over PiS in ten years.” https://www.rp.pl/komentarze/art40315021-michal-szuldrzynski-pis-podwojnie-zdradzony -- A BAD RUN FOR PIS IN THE REGIONAL ASSEMBLIES. WILL THE PARTY LOSE POWER IN MAŁOPOLSKA? - MICHAŁ KOLANKO IN RZ: “Our PiS informants assure that if Kmita is nominated again, he will not be elected again. What's more, our contacts in Małopolska claim that a situation might arise where, in Małopolska, some PiS councilors will support the candidate of the current ruling coalition, leading to the loss of power in the voivodeship. And this would be a very painful blow for Jarosław Kaczyński's party.” https://www.rp.pl/polityka/art40314661-zla-passa-pis-w-sejmikach-wojewodzkich-czy-partia-straci-wladze-w-malopolsce -- POLARIZATION HARMS NATIONAL SECURITY - JAROSŁAW KUISZ IN INTERIA: “Of course, we repeat, the case of Tomasz Szmydt still requires thorough investigation. Nevertheless, these two conclusions already seem justified: firstly, polarization harms national security. Secondly, conservative nationalism has replaced communism and has become the new ideology of Moscow (and not only), which, contrary to appearances, has a universal dimension in the 21st century. It is evident that it has every chance of sowing confusion in people's minds all over the globe - not to overstate it, just as communism did before.” https://wydarzenia.interia.pl/felietony/news-polski-sedzia-prosi-o-azyl-na-bialorusi-czyzby-obled,nId,7495988 -- JUDGE TOMASZ SZMYDT'S SCANDAL IS ADVANTAGEOUS TO TUSK AND KO, BUT NOT THE ENTIRE COALITION - ZUZANNA DĄBROWSKA IN RZ: “However, is Prime Minister Donald Tusk right in presenting the 'us or them' alternative, narrowed down to the two largest parties? From the perspective of pre-election propaganda, probably yes. The scandal with the flight to Belarus of Judge Szmydt, involved in a hate campaign, practically begs to be used in the campaign. It mobilizes the electorate, but above all, the one voting for KO. What should the rest do? Join. But is this a good strategy for governing the entire society?” https://www.rp.pl/komentarze/art40308441-zuzanna-dabrowska-afera-sedziego-tomasza-szmydta-jest-na-reke-tuskowi-i-ko-ale-nie-calej-koalicji -- THIS IS HOW POLISH POLITICS BURNS PEOPLE OUT - PIOTR ŚMIŁOWICZ IN TYGODNIK POWSZECHNY: “Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz ripped public media from PiS's hands and resigned as Minister of Culture. Now he wants to go to the 'graveyard of political elephants,' i.e., the European Parliament. This is how Polish politics burns people out.” -- SIENKIEWICZ'S DIAGNOSTIC MISTAKES ARE EASILY NOTICED - ŚMIŁOWICZ CONTINUES IN TP: “His diagnostic mistakes are easily noticed because he published his texts in 'TP' for years. In 2000, for example, he saw nothing wrong with placing Ukraine within Russia's sphere of influence. However, his views are best reflected in the title of a text published in 'TP' in 2012, 'Ambaras z polskością' (A Predicament with Polishness), nominated for the Grand Press award. In the book 'Czterech' (Four), he lamented that Poles would fall for any political lie because 'a poor, lost nation, not recognizing itself on the fringes of Europe, which has been the subject of the wildest experiments for the last hundred years, can be sold anything.'” -- HE WASN'T LIKED, HE BEHAVED LIKE A DISILLUSIONED BUFFOON - ŚMIŁOWICZ QUOTES SIENKIEWICZ'S COLLEAGUE FROM PARLIAMENT: “After the tapes scandal, he found himself on the margins, he even had financial difficulties. In 2019, the then leader of Civic Platform, Grzegorz Schetyna, extended a hand to him, proposing he run for Parliament from the difficult Świętokrzyskie region for the party. He succeeded in the elections, but later operated on the periphery of the parliamentary club: – He wasn't liked, he behaved like a jaded buffoon, looking down on others – recalls his colleague from the parliamentary benches.” -- HE IS A PATENTED LAZY PERSON, AND THERE HE CAN DO NOTHING, SIP HIS BRANDY, AND WATCH THE BIG MONEY FLOW IN BY ITSELF – SAYS HIS LONG-TIME COLLABORATOR - CONTINUES ŚMIŁOWICZ: “– I don't believe it. Bartek wanted to run for the EP from the beginning. He is a patented lazy person, and there he can do nothing, sip his brandy, and watch the big money flow in by itself – says his long-time collaborator. Although perhaps it's not about laziness, but burnout from a long fight to regain his reputation.” https://www.tygodnikpowszechny.pl/quo-vadis-ministrze-sienkiewicz-historia-politycznego-wypalenia-186968 -- NO ROOM FOR SQUANDERING MONEY - MIKOŁAJ FINDZIŃSKI IN GAZETA.PL: “According to the Ministry of Finance's forecasts, already in 2026, the debt of the general government sector will exceed the EU threshold of 60 percent. Or, put another way: it would exceed it, but the ministry is preparing a plan to prevent this. In any case, there will be no room for squandering money.” -- WHY IS POLAND'S PUBLIC DEBT EXPECTED TO GROW SO MARKEDLY IN THE COMING YEARS? IN THE 'WPFP', THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE WRITES CLEARLY: IT'S DUE TO HIGH MILITARY EXPENDITURES - FINDZIŃSKI CONTINUES: “Why is Poland's public debt expected to grow so markedly in the coming years? In the 'WPFP,' the Ministry of Finance writes clearly: it's due to high military expenditures. In addition, although the ministry does not mention it, one can add, among other things, the plan for a permanent increase in healthcare spending from about 5% of GDP now to 7% over the next few years. In the 'White Paper,' partly due to the more political nature of this document, the Ministry of Finance allows itself more and argues, among other things, about the extravagance of the United Right's administration (describing it, among other things, as less 'rational spending of funds').” https://next.gazeta.pl/next/7,151003,30952407,takiej-prognozy-z-rzadu-jeszcze-nie-bylo-nasz-dlug-publiczny.html -- THE GROTESQUE AND UNCONSTITUTIONAL COMMISSION FOR THE INVESTIGATION OF RUSSIAN INFLUENCE MUST BE BROUGHT INTO LINE WITH RULE OF LAW STANDARDS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, AND ITS MEMBERS APPOINTED ANEW - JACEK ŻAKOWSKI IN GW: “It is known that in addition to old plagues, politicians now have the European elections on their minds. But I would not wait any longer with a law adapting the State Commission to constitutional standards and appointing its new members. Because the atmosphere is thickening throughout Europe, and it will be difficult to defend our interests with the cancer of infiltration permeating the state.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,30952986,jak-walczyc-z-rakiem-kremlowskiej-agentury.html -- AGNIESZKA RYBCZAK FROM CIVIC COALITION HAS BECOME THE CHAIRWOMAN OF THE WROCŁAW MUNICIPAL COUNCIL, ALTHOUGH THE CLUB RECOMMENDED IGOR WÓJCIK FOR THIS POSITION. RYBCZAK WAS ELECTED WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE PIS AND LEFT CLUBS - INTERIA: https://wydarzenia.interia.pl/dolnoslaskie/news-tarcia-w-ko-we-wroclawiu-nie-poparl-jej-wlasny-klub-a-i-tak-,nId,7498437 -- BIRTHDAYS: Marek Cichocki, Marcin Kędryna, Marcin Twaróg.