-- ENERGY PRICE HIKES ARE COMING! MORAWIECKI: "IN TWO WEEKS, A REAL SHOCK AWAITS US": https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/695501-nadchodza-podwyzki-morawiecki-czeka-nas-prawdziwy-szok -- POLISH WOMEN DISAPPOINTED WITH CIVIC COALITION. "IT'S DOING THE SAME AS PIS" - MILENA OSZCZEPALIŃSKA ON ONET'S FRONT PAGE: "I feel cheated. Donald Tusk, after taking power, behaves as if he has forgotten what he promised female voters," says 32-year-old Weronika, who voted for the Civic Coalition in October. "I thought Poland would be a little different," adds 47-year-old Bożena. She is also disappointed with the current government, which seems to be repeating the patterns of its predecessors. They did not participate in the European Parliament elections on Sunday because they will not "choose the lesser evil." https://www.onet.pl/styl-zycia/onetkobieta/polki-rozczarowane-koalicja-obywatelska-robi-to-samo-co-pis/b704xwb,2b83378a -- TUSK WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITY. COALITION PARTNERS' INFLUENCE IN STATE-OWNED COMPANIES WILL BE SIGNIFICANTLY LIMITED - DOMINIKA WIELOWIEYSKA IN GW: "The results of Trzecia Droga and The Left will be a pretext for slimming down the government. Personnel changes will not be spectacular and do not concern ministers. But Tusk may get rid of some deputy ministers. However, the most painful thing will be something else: there will be a correction of appointments in many other government-dependent institutions and state-owned companies, where the influence of the smaller coalition partners will be significantly limited. This could also cause unrest within The Left itself, as activists will lose some positions." -- SMALLER COALITION PARTNERS WILL BE MORE VOCAL ABOUT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THEIR PROGRAMMATIC POSTULATES - WIELOWIEYSKA CONTINUES IN GW: "On the other hand, smaller coalition partners will be more vocal about the implementation of their programmatic postulates. This, in turn, may raise tensions within the coalition, and searching for compromises on economic or worldview issues, such as the issue of registered partnerships, may be seriously hampered." -- AND THAT KO IS SLIGHTLY AHEAD OF PIS? THIS IS THE RESULT OF THE PRESIDENT'S OWN MISTAKES RELATED TO LIST FORMATION - WRITES WIELOWIEYSKA IN GW: "And that KO is slightly ahead of PiS? This is the result of the president's own mistakes related to list formation. Candidates openly fought each other. Nothing like this was seen on the KO lists, and fundamentally on the lists of the October 15 Coalition. Moreover, KO, through MP Roman Giertych, successfully carried out the operation "Exposing the Justice Fund." Nothing captures the imagination like recordings of cynical politicians using public money." -- MASTALEREK IS NOT IN VERY GOOD FORM - CLAIMS WIELOWIEYSKA IN GW: "This is also a personal defeat for the head of the President's Chancellery, Marcin Mastalerek, who helped in this campaign. A video of Mastalerek at Monday's National Security Council meeting went viral. He is not in very good form. His enemies in PiS note with satisfaction that he boasted about campaign effectiveness, criticized Nowogrodzka [PiS headquarters] for bad strategy and fatal personnel decisions in list formation. And now he himself has lost. Before the European elections, he spun a tale about how important a figure Andrzej Duda is in the right-wing camp and that without his involvement in any campaign, PiS has a smaller chance of a good result." https://wyborcza.pl/magazyn/7,124059,31055267,tusk-skorzysta-z-okazji-wplywy-koalicjantow-w-spolkach-skarbu.html -- PLATFORMA HAS GOT ITS DREAM FIRST PLACE, NOW IT'S TIME TO SAVE THE FOURTH, FIFTH PLACE, AND THE ENTIRE COALITION - MARIUSZ JANICKI ON TYGODNIK POLITYKA PORTAL: "And soon the presidential campaign will start. The Civic Platform's victory gives it a good position before the presidential election, but the weakness of coalition partners may affect the battle for the Palace. Tusk's party, whoever its candidate may be (Tusk, when talking about these elections in his post-election speech, turned towards Rafał Trzaskowski, but of course, this does not prejudge anything yet), will not be enough with this good result from the recent elections. The pro-democratic circles cannot afford to lose any of their current supporters and gain new ones, because flows alone may not ensure success. Platforma has got its dream first place, now it's time to save the fourth, fifth place, and the entire coalition." https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/kraj/2259225,1,sukces-tuska-klopot-koalicji-demokratow-nie-stac-na-utrate-zadnego-zwolennika.read -- THE CIVIC COALITION LEADERSHIP BELIEVED IN THE PIS FORMULA THAT ELECTIONS ARE WON THROUGH HANDOUTS AND MOBILIZING HATERS. WE HAVE HIT A WALL, EVERYTHING POSSIBLE HAS BEEN BURNED - MACIEJ STRZEMBOSZ IN RZ: "We have hit a wall, everything possible has been burned, the absurdity of the accusations from both sides will soon simply make Poles laugh. A need for a new division, new identifications, a new way of organizing community life will arise. And some outlines of this division are already beginning to appear. It is a division between those who believe in Poland and Poles, and those who believe that it cannot do without some kind of muzzle. This division is refreshing because in the current political system, all parties, regardless of their declarations, do not believe in Poles and Poland. This creates a need to build a political representation for those who believe that, despite everything, we are a prospective country and enterprising people, whose only limitation is an inefficient state organization system riddled with the disease of party cronyism and political payola (an illegal practice of paying or otherwise bribing by record labels in the American music industry – ed.) and a lack of faith from the elites that Poles can manage on their own." -- IT MIGHT SEEM THAT THE TOPIC HAS BEEN EXHAUSTED, BUT NOW DONALD TUSK AND HIS PARTY HAVE TAKEN OVER THE BATON AND, FOLLOWING THEIR PREDECESSORS, ARE RUSHING TOWARDS RUIN - MACIEJ STRZEMBOSZ CONTINUES IN RZ: "We all remember the threats to democracy posed by the PiS government, the introduction of a state kleptocracy system, the destruction of independent democratic institutions. The point is that today we have reached a wall from both sides. In the POPiS [Civic Platform-Law and Justice] debate, only the ultimate argument remains to be played out: who are the traitors and Russian stooges. The game was started by the weakening PiS with the propaganda documentary series 'Reset' and the attempt to eliminate opposition leaders by the Sejm committee on Russian influence, which, according to the original draft, was to be a kangaroo court where the most absurd accusation, voted through by the Sejm majority, was to eliminate individuals from political life for many years. Paradoxically, these intentions mobilized the opposition and contributed to PiS's defeat in the October 15, 2023 elections. It might seem that the topic has been exhausted, but now Donald Tusk and his party have taken over the baton and, following their predecessors, are rushing towards ruin." -- SMILING POLAND IS RAPIDLY TURNING INTO A CARICATURE - MACIEJ STRZEMBOSZ CONTINUES IN RZ: "Judging by the government's actions, economic success seems to them to be more a derivative of good relations with the European Union than a belief in the developmental potential of the country they lead. The worst thing is that the Civic Coalition's leadership has apparently believed in the PiS formula that elections are won through handouts and mobilizing haters. Smiling Poland is rapidly turning into a caricature." -- TIME FOR: DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT POPIS - MACIEJ STRZEMBOSZ'S CONCLUSION: "Who will be the messenger of great change? I don't know and I'm curious myself. For many years of ideological wars of POPiS, a successful, optimistic, and enthusiastic Poland was hidden somewhere between the lazy and the haters, like an underground river from Jacek Kaczmarski's song. I feel that the moment is coming when it will surface and sweep away the doubters, minimalists, and opportunists for whom politics is about positions and fighting opponents, not building a new Poland. It's time for a new version of Wołodia Bukowski's bon mot: 'If you don't believe in Poland and Poles – get out of Polish politics.' It's time for development without complexes, for vision, strategy, and bold planning of our future. Time for: Development without POPiS." https://www.rp.pl/plus-minus/art40622321-czas-na-rozwoj-polski-w-ue-bez-popis-u -- THE WORLD IS CHANGING, AND SO IS THE UNION. IT IS STILL NECESSARY FOR POLAND FOR MANY REASONS, BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN IT IS NOT WORTH DISCUSSING ITS FUTURE - PIOTR ZAREMBA IN RZ: "And yet, Polish farmers are to be eternally grateful for subsidies, according to the logic of the 'GW' author – and that is supposed to be enough. Meanwhile, they do think about money, but about different money, the kind they won't earn in the future. The world is changing, and so is the Union. It is still necessary for Poland for many reasons, but that does not mean it is not worth discussing its future. Right-wing politicians here are more messengers of bad news and representatives of real interests than creators of a conspiracy. Until the pro-European elites understand this, they will wander in the fog." -- THE INTERSECTION OF MEDIA AND POLITICS IN POLAND IS SUCH THAT NO ONE IS ABLE TO HOLD TUSK ACCOUNTABLE FOR THESE ILLOGICALITIES, AND SOMETIMES OBVIOUS UNTRUTHS - ZAREMBA CONTINUES IN RZ: "He assured that Poland would be a 'beneficiary of the migration pact' (which he had just verbally rejected) and would not be forced to accept a single migrant. Almost immediately, a well-informed European politician, the Prime Minister of France, contradicted this. But the intersection of media and politics in Poland is such that no one is able to hold Tusk accountable for these illogicalities, and sometimes obvious untruths. And the specificity of the European Parliament elections, when committed electorates go to the polls, ready to swallow anything their leaders say, has given him a wind in his sails as a reward. Although not as overwhelming as the exit poll showed." -- SUCH PSEUDO-TOUGHNESS, EVEN WHEN LACK OF SCRUPLES PREVAILS OVER REAL ABILITIES, IS REWARDED TODAY, JOŃSKI HAS TAKEN THE PLACE OF COMPETENT PEOPLE LIKE JERZY BUZEK OR JAN OLBRYCHT - ZAREMBA CONTINUES IN RZ: "Undoubtedly, Szczerba and the head of another investigative committee, Dariusz Joński, won their mandates thanks to their roles as Sejm inquisitors. In the process, they trampled all the standards of committee interrogation established in 2006 by the Constitutional Tribunal. But such pseudo-toughness, even when a lack of scruples prevails over real abilities, is rewarded today. Joński, who claimed a dozen years ago that the Warsaw Uprising broke out in 1988, has entered Tusk's elite group of 21 MEPs – taking the place of competent people like Jerzy Buzek or Jan Olbrycht." -- THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS COULD BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVERSE THIS IMPRESSION. THIS WILL HAPPEN PROVIDED THAT PIS ITSELF CEASES TO BE A MUTUAL ADMIRATION SOCIETY, AND EVEN MORE SO, AN ADORATION OF THE PRESIDENT - CLAIMS ZAREMBA IN RZ: "Next year's presidential elections could be an opportunity to reverse this impression. This will happen provided that PiS itself ceases to be a mutual admiration society, and even more so, an adoration of the President. The number of mistakes made by the party leader in forming the lists was exposed by electoral revolts against many 'number ones' on the lists. When Jacek Kurski was overtaken in Mazovia by as many as four colleagues from lower positions, one could get the impression that right-wing voters understood the world better than Kaczyński, who recommended his favorites." https://www.rp.pl/plus-minus/art40634061-jaka-polityke-donald-tusk-zamierza-prowadzic-w-unii-europejskiej -- MANY PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO BE INTERESTED IN WHEN THE CENTRAL COMMUNICATION PORT, THE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT, AND KEY INVESTMENTS FOR THE FUTURE AND SECURITY OF THE STATE WILL BE REALIZED. PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO THINK - DAMN, WE CAN REALLY BE ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ECONOMIES IN THE WORLD - JAKUB ŻULCZYK IN A CONVERSATION WITH GRZEGORZ WYSOCKI ON GAZETA.PL: "Paradoxically, it is precisely now, when there is a war at our closest border and Russia has once again become an aggressor, when what we were told from childhood in school has taken on some reality again, I feel in the public space that many people, especially in my generation, are starting to think in terms of tomorrow, development, and the future. That they are fed up with this political bickering, constant boxing, settling scores, and the Polish-Polish war. Many people are starting to be interested in when the Central Communication Port, the nuclear power plant, and key investments for the future and security of the state will be realized. People are starting to think - damn, we can really be one of the most important economies in the world. The nonsense that we are some insignificant little country, a cigarette butt to be extinguished in an ashtray, which was recently presented in a conversation with you by, for example, a certain Mościcki, is no longer convincing them." -- TELL A GERMAN OR A FRENCHMAN WHAT BLIK IS OR THAT YOU CAN SETTLE YOUR INCOME TAX IN POLAND ONLINE WITH A MOUSE CLICK, AND THEY WON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT - ŻULCZYK CONTINUES WITH WYSOCKI ON GAZETA.PL: "The mechanisms I mentioned earlier (collective trauma) have also created certain very positive traits in our society. We are very fast, very resourceful, very creative. Polish business, both small and large, reacts to trends very quickly. We are terribly advanced technologically and in IT. Tell a German or a Frenchman what Blik is or that you can settle your income tax in Poland online with a mouse click, and they won't understand what you're talking about." -- MOST MEDIA OUTLETS ARE EXTREMELY BIASED. IT'S NO WONDER THAT WHEN SOMETHING LIKE KANAŁ ZERO APPEARS, WHICH TRIES TO BE OBJECTIVE TO SOME EXTENT, ALTHOUGH WITH A CLEAR CENTER-RIGHT-LIBERAL TILT, PEOPLE SUDDENLY CLING TO SUCH A MEDIUM LIKE A LOST PERSON IN THE DESERT TO A SUDDENLY FOUND POND - SAYS ŻULCZYK TO WYSOCKI ON GAZETA.PL: "You can go mad from the media and public space, and I mean that literally – extreme polarization is mentally demolishing more sensitive people. Moreover, most media outlets are extremely biased. It's no wonder that when something like Kanał Zero appears, which tries to be objective to some extent, although with a clear center-right-liberal tilt, people suddenly cling to such a medium like a lost person in the desert to a suddenly found pond. On the other hand, a medium that tries to frame debates from different sides of the political trenches simply doesn't fit into the heads of people emotionally demolished by polarization, and they accuse it of some kind of crypto-collaboration, for example, with PiS, because they are used to most media outlets cooperating overtly with one party or another." https://weekend.gazeta.pl/weekend/7,189996,31054083,jakub-zulczyk-jada-do-brukseli-zgarniac-pol-banki-podstawy.html -- THE FIRST EXIT POLL RESULTS SHOWED A DIFFERENT PICTURE, AND WE THINK IT WAS DONE ON PURPOSE. THE GOAL WAS FOR IT TO BE DONALD TUSK'S EVENING - JAROSŁAW KACZYŃSKI FOR WPOLITYCE.PL: "The starting point for further offense is good, we believe that reality will favor us, and we look at the presidential elections with optimism. Of course, it would be better to get 1 percentage point more and win, but considering the issue of the Justice Fund, we managed to achieve a great result anyway. The Justice Fund issue is about dividing public funds, and PO politicians do that too. But the media presented it differently. In any case, given the radical media imbalance we have, this almost tied result is a good result. The first exit poll results showed a different picture, and we think it was done on purpose. The goal was for it to be Donald Tusk's evening, who was so happy that he almost had tears in his eyes." -- NEXT YEAR THERE IS A PARTY CONGRESS, AND WE WILL SEE HOW THINGS DEVELOP - KACZYŃSKI CONTINUES ON WPOLITYCE: "If there have been changes regarding the list arrangement, they were related not so much to youth or relative youth, but to other factors. They were of a highly concrete nature. Therefore, this is not the moment to carry out any major revolutions. Besides, next year there is a party congress, and we will see how things develop. I want to emphasize that the only person who had real problems with support, and could have failed to get in, and who was strongly supported by me, still got in. I consider this a success." -- WE WILL DISCUSS THE BRAND, THE NAME, AFTER A POTENTIAL UNIFICATION - KACZYŃSKI CONTINUES: "Maintaining the current situation, where one small party is affiliated with another, large one, and benefits from its strength, is not a good solution. I emphasize that Zbigniew Ziobro himself often told me that with one sign from me, they would join PiS. But then it involved many conflicts at the voivodeship level. Now there will be no such situation. We will discuss the brand, the name, after a potential unification." https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/695505-prezes-pis-o-bledzie-exit-poll-zrobiono-to-specjalnie -- GIERTYCH SUES MEDIA. WILL THIS BE THE PRACTICE OF CIVIC COALITION MPS? - JACEK NIZINKIEWICZ IN RZ: "Roman Giertych is not acting in a vacuum. His crusade against media disobedient to the authorities will turn against this government. A Civic Coalition MP going to war with journalists will only harm those he wants to help. Journalists cannot be impunity, but the attempt to intimidate or harass them is the worst way to find the truth. Sometimes the thin line separates the defender from the oppressor." https://www.rp.pl/polityka/art40634061-jacek-nizinkiewicz-giertych-pozywa-media-czy-taka-bedzie-praktyka-poslow-ko -- ZBIGNIEW ZIOBRO HAS UNDERGONE ANOTHER OPERATION: https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/695471-zbigniew-ziobro-przeszedl-kolejna-operacje -- BIRTHDAYS: Piotr Duda. SUNDAY: Witold Gadomski, Marian Piłka.