-- FORMER SENATOR ROBERT SMOKTUNOWICZ HAS DIED https://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,31290739,robert-smoktunowicz-nie-zyje.html -- JACEK RYBICKI HAS DIED, ONE OF THE THREE – ALONGSIDE MARIAN KRZAKLEWSKI AND KAZIMIERZ JANKIAK – WHO WERE DECISIVE IN AWS: https://wydarzenia.interia.pl/kraj/news-solidarnosc-w-zalobie-nie-zyje-jacek-rybicki,nId,7777510 -- PIS AND THE CIVIC PLATFORM ARE NECK AND NECK. HOŁOWNIA AND KOSINIAK-KAMYSZ ARE FALLING! – HEADLINE IN SE. -- KO Recorded Support at 32.24%, while PiS is supported by 31.64% of respondents. The Left and Third Way are still looking at the back of Confederation (12.61%), but they have swapped places. Szymon Hołownia (48) and Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (43) are enjoying less and less voter approval, gaining only 8.82% – writes SE: https://polityka.se.pl/wiadomosci/pis-i-platforma-ida-leb-w-leb-holownia-i-kosiniak-kamysz-spadaja-mamy-najnowszy-sondaz-aa-MWHf-5xar-SwMB.html -- PIS IS BREATHING DOWN DONALD TUSK'S PARTY'S NECK. THEY HAVEN'T BEEN THIS CLOSE IN A LONG TIME – HEADLINE ON GAZETA.PL: https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114884,31290619,kto-dzis-wygralby-wybory-polacy-sa-mocno-podzieleni-roznica.html -- JAROSŁAW KACZYŃSKI IS BREATHING DOWN DONALD TUSK'S NECK. THE LATEST POLL SHOWS A SMALL DIFFERENCE – ONET: https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/kraj/jaroslaw-kaczynski-depcze-donaldowi-tuskowi-po-pietach-najnowszy-sondaz/kjjcgdf -- I HAVE A QUESTION FOR PRESIDENT ANDRZEJ DUDA AND PIS POLITICIANS: DO YOU REALLY WANT THE CURRENT RULERS TO HAVE A MAJORITY IN THE KRS AND INDIRECTLY CO-DECIDE ON JUDICIAL PROMOTIONS AND NOMINATIONS? – DOMINIKA WIELOWIEYSKA IN GW: “And that will be the time when work on numerous indictments against people associated with the previous government will conclude in the prosecutor's office. Trials will begin. I have a question for President Andrzej Duda and PiS politicians: do you really want the current rulers to have a majority in the KRS and indirectly co-decide on judicial promotions and nominations? Perhaps it is in your interest for the decision-makers to be individuals independent of politicians, elected by all judges, including neo-judges? Think about it.” -- WHY CALL IT ACTIVE REMORSE? THE ENTIRE OPERATION SHOULD BE FOCUSED ON MAXIMUM EFFECTIVENESS AND WE MUST AVOID EVEN THE SHADOW OF SUSPICION OF COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY – WIELOWIEYSKA FURTHER IN GW: “Some judges are already voluntarily declaring that they can return to their old positions and reapply for the competition. And that's very good, but why call it active remorse? The entire operation should be focused on maximum effectiveness and we must avoid even the shadow of suspicion of collective responsibility. It's also about ensuring that the reforms are accepted by the overwhelming majority of judges, because introducing reforms against the resistance of the environment they concern usually doesn't end well. If only due to passive resistance.” https://wyborcza.pl/magazyn/7,124059,31290241,dwa-slowa-z-propozycji-bodnara-sedziowie-moga-odebrac-jako-upokorzenie.html -- TOMCZYK: THE PRIME MINISTER TOOK RESPONSIBILITY, AND WHEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO CORRECT THE MISTAKE APPEARED – HE DID IT – 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2024/09/10/ -- A LOT OF NOISE, AND THE EFFECT? CERTAINLY DONALD TUSK WILL BE ABLE TO SAY HE FOUGHT TO THE END. ALTHOUGH IT WOULD BE BETTER IF HE FOUGHT AT THE BEGINNING – EWA SIEDLECKA ON THE WEBSITE OF TYGODNIK POLITYKA: “Can the Prime Minister withdraw his co-signature to the President? It's unknown, because no one has done it before, and there is no regulation that directly addresses it. On what basis, then, did the Prime Minister withdraw his co-signature? Because so. This is a tactic of fait accompli successfully used for years by PiS and by Duda himself: we do something, and you worry about what to do with it. (...) A lot of noise, and the effect? Certainly, Donald Tusk will be able to say that he fought to the end. Although it would be better if he fought at the beginning.” -- EWA SIEDLECKA ON THE TACTIC OF STUPIDIFYING THE SYSTEM: “And so the questions can be multiplied. Under their weight, the legal system becomes stupid – and this is the method, eagerly practiced by PiS, as exemplified by Duda's refusal to swear in five Constitutional Tribunal judges. Lawyers will express various conflicting opinions, discussions will be endless, and life will go on, which in this case means that neo-judge Wesołowski will perform his duty to the President, i.e., organize elections for candidates for the President of the Civil Chamber.” https://siedlecka.blog.polityka.pl/2024/09/09/kontrasygnata-taktyka-na-zbaranienie-systemu/ -- THE PRIME MINISTER'S RISKY LEGAL STANDARDS – PIOTR ŚMIŁOWICZ IN TYGODNIK POWSZECHNY: “This is a very strange and legally risky decision, which sets a precedent. The withdrawal of a co-signature by the Prime Minister is not part of these procedures. Therefore, Donald Tusk's decision, if it is not to be merely a declaration of political will without legal consequences, is a very risky move. It opens a legal Pandora's box.” https://www.tygodnikpowszechny.pl/cofam-podpis-ryzykowne-standardy-prawne-premiera-188267 -- THIS MAY NOT BE GOOD NEWS FOR THE RULE OF LAW IN POLAND – ARTUR BARTKIEWICZ IN RZ: “The problem is that a justice reform carried out under such conditions will be burdened with the original sin that PiS reforms had, that is, it will be a form of dictate that in no way takes into account the other side of the political dispute.” -- IF PIS RETURNS TO POWER, THEY WILL NOT CONSIDER THEMSELVES BOUND BY THE NEW RULES OF THE GAME IN ANY WAY AND WILL REINTRODUCE THEIR ORDER IN THE COURTS – Bartkiewicz further. https://www.rp.pl/komentarze/art41098111-artur-bartkiewicz-dlaczego-wycofanie-kontrasygnaty-przez-donalda-tuska-nie-musi-byc-dobra-wiadomoscia -- TUSK AND THE OVERTURNING OF THE RULE OF LAW – PATRYK SŁOWIK IN WP: “The Prime Minister decided to withdraw his signature from a legal act that has already entered into force and has been published in the Monitor Polski. The law does not allow this; there has never been such a case. However, Donald Tusk wants to restore the rule of law so much that he doesn't care about such details.” -- THERE IS INCREASINGLY LITTLE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THOSE WHO DESTROYED THE RULE OF LAW AND THOSE WHO ALLEGEDLY RESTORE IT – SŁOWIK FURTHER IN WP: “This is simply Prime Minister Tusk's mistake. Mistakes have a price – sometimes disappointment from the electorate, sometimes one or two percent less in polls. Demolishing the law to mitigate the effects of such a mistake, however, means that there is increasingly little difference between those who destroyed the rule of law and those who allegedly restore it.” https://wiadomosci.wp.pl/tusk-i-przewracanie-praworzadnosci-opinia-7069260939664224 -- WITOLD BAŃKA IS THE IDEAL PIS CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT – JACEK NIZINKIEWICZ IN RZ: “Witold Bańka is the ideal PiS candidate for president. The former Minister of Sport and Tourism and current head of the World Anti-Doping Agency meets the chairman's requirements, is accepted on the right, has no compromising material on him, and does not evoke negative emotions among PiS opponents. Competent, experienced, and well-presented, Bańka could be a tough opponent for Trzaskowski. Even while serving as a minister in the governments of Beata Szydło and later Mateusz Morawiecki, he was not poorly assessed by his competitors and there were no controversies surrounding him.” -- IF PIS CANNOT PERSUADE BAŃKA, MORAWIECKI MAY BE THE ONLY CHANCE – NIZINKIEWICZ FURTHER: “If PiS cannot persuade Bańka, Morawiecki may be the only chance. Unless the party has already raised the white flag and is preparing its voters for defeat, explaining it with a decision by the National Electoral Commission. And according to our information, PiS does not want to spend tens of millions, which it may not have, on an election campaign building up one person and ruining the party, not only in image but also financially.” https://www.rp.pl/opinie-polityczno-spoleczne/art41095791-jacek-nizinkiewicz-jest-jeden-kandydat-pis-ktory-mialby-szanse-zostac-prezydentem-rp -- BIRTHDAYS: Stanisław Gomułka turns 84, Tomasz Matynia 34, Tomasz Terlikowski, Andrzej Dera, Aleksander Łuczak, Łukasz Kohut, Łukasz Gibała, Dominik Uhlig, Przemysław Żurawski vel Grajewski, Bartłomiej Radziejewski, Elżbieta Komorowska.