-- I DISLIKE THE SLOGAN “A STATE MADE OF DICTAPHONE” MORE THAN MONDAYS. EACH TIME IT TURNS OUT THAT THE STATE ACTUALLY WORKS. AND SO IT WAS DURING THE FLOOD IN LOWER SILESIA - ESTERA FLIEGER IN RZ: “Poles who have lost the work of their lives in the flood will soon be heading to the counters in government offices: there they will receive the necessary and professional help. Every time a politician speaks of an official as a thief or an antagonist of the citizen, and the state is collapsing, it is worth remembering that the state also includes the operator of Polish Waters or a firefighter. They did not fail”. https://www.rp.pl/opinie-polityczno-spoleczne/art41158361-estera-flieger-panstwo-to-strazak-i-urzednik-w-powodzi-nie-zawiedli -- THIS MAY NOT BE ENOUGH TO POSITIVELY ASSESS THE GOVERNMENT'S ACTIONS IN RECENT DAYS - JAKUB MAJMUREK IN NEWSWEEK: “The fact that '10 billion from the EU to fight the flood effects' was announced in Wrocław, at a summit initiated by Tusk, undoubtedly works politically to the benefit of the Polish Prime Minister. But this may not be enough to positively assess the government's actions in recent days.” https://www.onet.pl/informacje/newsweek/komisja-europejska-odkreca-kurek-z-pieniedzmi-drugi-sukces-jest-nieoczywisty-opinia/hx25yyr,452ad802 -- THE FORECASTS ACTUALLY DIDN'T PREDICT LATER EVENTS, BUT THE PRIME MINISTER SHOULD CHOOSE HIS WORDS MORE CAREFULLY - DOMINIKA WIELOWIEYSKA IN GW: “Tusk actually used the phrasing that the forecasts 'are not too alarmist', but PiS cleverly took it out of context to fit the week's narrative. The entire prime minister's statement sounded like this: 'The forecasts are not overly alarming; today there is no reason to predict events on a scale that would pose a threat to the entire country; there is no reason for panic.' The forecasts actually did not predict the later events, but the prime minister should choose his words more carefully.” -- HENNING-KLOSKA DEFINITELY WANTED TO SHOW HER ACTIVITY, BUT IT TURNED OUT AS IT TURNED OUT - WIELOWIEYSKA FURTHER IN GW: “Meanwhile, everything ministers say should be coordinated with the prime minister and the crisis staff. Otherwise, we have information chaos.” -- BOTH SIDES OMITTED INCONVENIENT FACTS FOR THEM. AND CERTAIN PHENOMENA AND EVENTS DEFY SIMPLE POLITICAL DIVISIONS - WIELOWIEYSKA STILL WRITES IN GW: “So, the reservoir was created thanks to the efforts of both teams, but PiS takes credit for it, pointing out Platforma's mistakes and slowness in preparing the investment. Expropriations indeed took a long time, but if PiS criticizes this, I will ask how long expropriations and preparations for the construction of CPK took.” -- THE OPPOSITION SHOULD CRITICIZE THE GOVERNMENT AND POINT OUT ITS MISTAKES, BUT PIS HAS PROBABLY OVERHEATED THE TOPIC - WIELOWIEYSKA FURTHER IN GW: “The public reacts reluctantly to political bickering when people are fighting with the elements. It didn't occur to PiS politicians that this is a moment when helping those in need is most important. The reflection only came on Wednesday, when PiS began its press conference with help for flood victims.” https://wyborcza.pl/alehistoria/7,121681,31316915,pis-ostro-zaatakowal-tuska-gdy-tylko-pojawily-sie-doniesienia.html -- TUSK ANNOUNCES THE APPOINTMENT OF A GOVERNMENT PLENIPOTENTIARY FOR POST-FLOOD RECONSTRUCTION, "I WANT TO CALM THE CONCERNED FARMERS." TUSK ANNOUNCES A RELIEF PACKAGE - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2024/09/20/ -- TUSK: YES, THE FORECASTS WERE NOT EXCESSIVELY ALARMING THEN. ARE YOU SURE? - JAKUB SZYMCZAK IN OKO.PRESS: “Reading both statements today – the one from Friday, September 13, and the one from the evening of September 18 – suggests that the prime minister is not telling the truth. Yes, he said that 'local floods' and 'flash floods' could occur. But the tone of the statement was completely different, reassuring. There was no mention of 'dramatic events'. (...) Whether he is right about the preparations – there will be time to assess that. However, this text focuses on a different perspective. The key question here is: were the forecasts indeed not 'overly alarming'?” -- AFTER THE MORNING CONFERENCE ON SEPTEMBER 13, WE WERE LEFT WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THAT THE FORECASTS ARE NOT TOO ALARMING AND LOCAL FLOODING WOULD BE POSSIBLE - SZYMCZAK FURTHER IN OKO.PRESS: “We are not assessing here the level of preparedness of the services for what is happening since the weekend rains, but the communication. And it is very important in a crisis situation. The prime minister must be fully aware that only a few key sentences will come through from many spoken at the conference. After the morning conference on September 13, we were left with the knowledge that the forecasts are not too alarming and local flooding would be possible.” -- THE PRIME MINISTER COULD HAVE EMPHASIZED THAT THE SITUATION IS SERIOUS; THAT WE ARE THREATENED BY FLOODS; THAT EVACUATIONS MAY BE NECESSARY - SZYMCZAK FURTHER IN OKO: “The prime minister could have emphasized that the situation is serious; that we are threatened by floods; that evacuations may be necessary. And added, what he did say: we hope it won't be that bad, we are preparing for all scenarios. However, he chose a different path. Today, that message looks bad, not because a tragic flood occurred later, but because the data was already alarming then.” https://oko.press/tusk-prognozy-nie-sa-alarmujace-premier-sie-tlumaczy -- TUSK EXPLAINS HIS WORDS FROM SEPTEMBER 13. WE ARE LOOKING AT IMGW FORECASTS AND CHECKING - ERYK KIELAK IN GAZETA.PL: “Dr Sebastian Szklarek, author of the 'World of Water' blog, explains in a comment for Next.gazeta.pl how to be prepared for a flood. Flood risk is not assessed based on whether river levels are high or not. It's a bit like waiting to prepare for war until foreign troops cross the border. Looking at the reaction to the war in Ukraine, it's clear that's not how it works. We are already taking precautions against war just in case. The same should be done for floods in advance – he explains. 'And on September 13, we already had a clear signal from IMGW that there was a high probability of extreme rainfall, which carries flood risk' – adds the expert.” https://next.gazeta.pl/next/7,172392,31317578,tusk-tlumaczy-sie-ze-slow-z-13-wrzesnia-patrzymy-w-prognozy.html -- "THE FORECASTS WERE NOT EXCESSIVELY ALARMING." WE HAVE VERIFIED TUSK'S WORDS. WAS THE TRUTH DIFFERENT? - PATRYK MICHALSKI IN WP: “The above information proves that government and European communications spoke about flood risks in southwestern and southern Poland even before the prime minister's Friday conference and the subsequent day's staff meeting. In addition, the actions of IMGW, the warnings from the Government Security Centre, the distributed alerts, and the decision to move troops – also made before Friday's conference – indicate that there was no shortage of information about the situation.” https://wiadomosci.wp.pl/prognozy-nie-byly-przesadnie-alarmujace-zweryfikowalismy-slowa-tuska-prawda-byla-inna-7072826445093824a -- WILL PIS FALL APART NEXT YEAR? THAT WOULD BE BAD NEWS FOR TUSK AND GREAT NEWS FOR THE PRESIDENT - PROF. JACEK RACIBORSKI IN CONVERSATION WITH AGNIESZKA KUBLIK IN GW: “The collapse of the October 15 Coalition could also probably cause the disintegration and division of PiS. Because if Kaczyński leaves the stage, each of the forces forming the ruling coalition will want to assert its independence, hoping that the president will become a stabilizer. If anyone gains from all of this, it will be – assuming the anti-PiS camp wins – him, whoever he may be. Because he will be able to assert autonomy, he will have an important role in appointing coalition governments and in the governing process.” -- TRZECIA DROGA EXISTS JUST AS PALIKOT AND HIS PARTY EXISTED FOR A WHILE. IT IS ALREADY A DECLINING FORMATION - PROF. RACIBORSKI FURTHER SAYS TO KUBLIK: “It exists just as Palikot and his party existed for a while. Trzecia Droga as a coalition is a declining entity. It will not last long after the presidential elections. PSL has a stronger identity and stronger local structures. Hołownia's run may, paradoxically, accelerate the defeat of Trzecia Droga, but also of Poland 2050. He should think carefully.” https://wyborcza.pl/magazyn/7,124059,31310160,w-przyszlym-roku-pis-sie-rozpadnie-to-bylaby-zla-wiadomosc.html -- BIRTHDAYS: Krzysztof Sobolewski, Jacek Soska, Agata Buzek, Marcin Anaszewicz, Grzegorz Kurczuk, Jarosław Zieliński, Paweł Lisicki.