— JAN LITYŃSKI WOULD HAVE TURNED 79 TODAY.

— I chose the right to decide my own fate. However, this right comes at a high cost, and worse, not just for me. Warsaw-Mokotów, October 23, 1982, JAN LITYŃSKI in a letter from prison.

— KARTA PUBLISHED THE BOOK "LITOSFERA" RECENTLY.: Many texts were previously only available in the underground press, and some have been published for the first time – including personal letters and notes found in a private collection donated to the Ośrodek KARTA Foundation Archive. They paint a picture of a nonconformist who carried pro-social values from the anti-communist resistance to the Third Polish Republic, and who saw his role as a politician as one of service to society.
https://ksiegarnia.karta.org.pl/produkt/litosfera/

— JAN LITYŃSKI DIED IN NARWI WHILE TRYING TO SAVE A DOG FROM A FROZEN RIVER.

***

— "800+ ONLY FOR WORKING UKRAINIANS." WHY IS TRZASKOWSKI PUSHING THE CAMPAIGN TO THE RIGHT – MICHAŁ WOJTCZUK IN GW: "Liberal voters are rubbing their eyes. Liberal voters were rubbing their eyes in disbelief. Foreigners coming for social benefits? Is this still Trzaskowski, or Sławomir Mentzen? What strategy lies behind this? Rafał Trzaskowski, who not so long ago quoted Edgar Morin and marched in the Equality Parade, today speaks a language that the urban electorate has previously associated with Konfederacja. Are these lessons learned from Trump's victory?”

— THE QUESTION IS: HOW FAR CAN TRZASKOWSKI GO IN RIGHT-WING RHETORIC WITHOUT LOSING HIS URBAN, LIBERAL VOTER? – WOJTCZUK CONTINUES IN GW: “The question is: how far can Trzaskowski go in right-wing rhetoric without losing his urban, liberal voter? Will this voter still be motivated to go to the polls in the second round? Won't the 2015 revolt repeat itself, when left-wing voters resignedly called to write 'a deer with a chair on its head' on their ballots, because they felt neither Bronisław Komorowski nor Andrzej Duda offered them anything?”

— BUT IT'S A DANGEROUS SPLIT – WOJTCZUK'S CONCLUSION: “But it's a dangerous split. The KO candidate will require a great deal of dexterity to simultaneously weaken the motivation of undecided conservative, small-town voters to vote for Nawrocki, while maintaining the mobilization of liberal voters.”
https://warszawa.wyborcza.pl/warszawa/7,54420,31623149,800-tylko-dla-pracujacych-ukraincow-dlaczego-trzaskowski.html

— AGAINST BRAUN, NAWROCKI WILL APPEAR MODERATE – ANDRZEJ STANKIEWICZ IN NEWSWEEK: “Against the radically antisemitic, anti-EU, anti-Ukrainian, anti-abortion, ultra-Catholic, and pro-Russian Braun, the PiS candidate will appear as a moderate politician, although he is not moderate at all. At the same time, in the second round, Nawrocki has a significantly better chance of gaining Braun's electorate without having to grovel before him, as he would have to with Mentzen.”

— BRAUN WAS PUSHED TO RUN BY FORMER AND CURRENT PiS POLITICIANS, LED BY FORMER SEJM MARSHAL MAREK KUCHCIŃSKI – STANKIEWICZ CONTINUES IN NEWSWEEK: “At the same time, weakening Mentzen and destabilizing Konfederacja is in PiS's vital interest. That is why Braun was pushed to run by former and current PiS politicians, led by former Sejm Marshal Marek Kuchciński and former PiS MEP Mirosław Piotrowski, associated with Father Rydzyk. These are just two names, but believe me, there are many more such inspirers.”
https://www.newsweek.pl/opinie/dobry-scenariusz-dla-pis-nawrocki-zyska-w-oczach-wyborcow/45chxye

— TRUMP REMEMBERS TUSK AND SIMPLY DOESN'T LIKE HIM – ONE OF MY INTERLOCUTORS TELLS ME – DOMINIKA WIELOWIEYSKA IN GW: “– Trump remembers Tusk and simply doesn't like him – one of my interlocutors tells me. – When Duda was in New York, during that conversation, Trump poured a bucket of filth on Tusk, and our president remained silent because he didn't want to be accused of attacking his country's prime minister – he adds.”

— PIS IS OUT – LAUGHS AN INTERLOCUTOR. – TRUMP IS ONLY INTERESTED IN PEOPLE WHO ARE IN POWER – WIELOWIEYSKA CONTINUES IN GW: “I asked about this a person who knows the relations in the American administration. – PiS is out – laughs the interlocutor. – Trump is only interested in people who are in power, and he may dislike Tusk, but since he has a transactional approach to politics, he won't focus on that. It might actually be more difficult for Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski to operate, because Trump does not recognize that his wife – Anne Applebaum, an influential publicist very critical of Trumpists and their subservience to Republicans – is a separate entity, independent of her husband.”

— HE IS COUNTING ON THE FACT THAT JUST BEFORE THE POLISH PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS, HE WILL MANAGE TO ORGANIZE THE THREE SEAS SUMMIT IN APRIL – WIELOWIEYSKA CONTINUES IN GW: “Duda realizes that Morawiecki's international, and thus domestic, position is growing, and Mastalerek's conflict with Nowogrodzka does not serve him. But he is counting on the fact that just before the Polish presidential elections, he will manage to organize the Three Seas Summit in April, which Trump will attend. And he, the President of the Republic of Poland, will be the host of the event.”

— PIS BELIEVES THAT DESPITE EVERYTHING, TRUMP IS A SUPPORT FOR THEM ON THE POLISH POLITICAL SCENE – WIELOWIEYSKA CONTINUES IN GW: “But PiS believes that despite everything, Trump is a support for them on the Polish political scene. – When he comes to Poland, our electorate will cheer in the streets, and such an event will help us mobilize for the elections – claims a PiS politician.”

— AND WHAT IF MUSK PICKS KONFEDERACJA? – WIELOWIEYSKA CONTINUES IN GW: “And what – the question hangs in the air at Nowogrodzka – if, due to PiS's anti-Russian stance, Trump's entourage chooses Konfederacja, which is the most anti-Ukrainian on the Polish political scene? It might suddenly turn out that if Musk and other key Trump figures start meddling in Polish politics, it won't be to PiS's benefit. And the main opposition force in the Sejm, with its enthusiastic shouts of 'Trump, Trump,' will be left empty-handed.”
https://wyborcza.pl/magazyn/7,124059,31615046,wielowieyska-czy-musk-nam-zaszkodzi-pytaja-w-pis.html

— THEY BOUGHT A GAS COMPANY FROM THE RUSSIANS FOR 3 PLN. NOW THEY HAVE RECEIVED A CONTRACT FROM WARSAW FOR 26.7 MILLION PLN – PAWEŁ FIGURSKI AND PATRYK SŁOWIK IN WP: “A company, which managers cooperating with Russians bought from them for 3 PLN, has received an order from the Municipal Bus Company in Warsaw. For gas supply over the next two years, it will receive 26.7 million PLN. The conclusion of the contract was made possible by the decision of Deputy Minister of Interior Czesław Mroczek, who on December 12, 2024, removed the company from the sanctions list.”
https://wiadomosci.wp.pl/kupili-spolke-gazowa-od-rosjan-za-3-zl-teraz-dostali-kontrakt-od-warszawy-na-26-7-mln-zl-7114891221293856a

— ARE WARSAW BUSES "RUNNING ON RUSSIAN GAS"? PROBABLY NOT, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN EVERYTHING IS FINE – MARCEL WANDAS IN OKO.PRESS: “There is also no indication that Cryogas, Omne Energia, and affiliated companies are responsible for the direct and independent import of Russian LNG into Poland. In Orlen's report on the competitive environment of the energy giant, a company associated with Gazprom is described as a competitor in the retail market and bunkering (refueling) of ships. Therefore, Cryogas must have traded liquefied gas from Orlen, the only one available on the Polish market, imported from various directions, but not from Russia. The company has been present in the depot taken over by MZA since 2023, i.e., after Orlen ceased importing Russian LNG. Regardless, the company that quickly 'Polonized' itself for pennies profited from the operation of the Warsaw station – and this raises legitimate questions about who actually controls it.”
https://oko.press/czy-warszawskie-autobusy-jezdza-na-ruski-gaz-raczej-nie-ale-to-nie-znaczy-ze-wszystko-w-porzadku

— TUSK AND TRZASKOWSKI'S VOLTE-FACE, IT APPEARS THAT THE CIVIC COALITION CANDIDATE SHOULD AGREE ON HIS POSITION ON THIS MATTER WITH HIMSELF – PIOTR ZAREMBA IN INTERIA: “However, just a few days earlier, the same Trzaskowski told farmers at a meeting that Ukraine would not be admitted to the EU if it did not change its agricultural policy. It appears that the Civic Coalition candidate should agree on his position on this matter with himself. If such a volte-face is made in such a short time, it should be explained to the voters. After all, nothing has changed in Kyiv's agricultural policy in these few days.”

— WE HAVE JUST ENTERED A TIME OF MASS VIOLATION OF VARIOUS ESTABLISHED TRUTHS AND CUSTOMS – ZAREMBA CONTINUES IN INTERIA: “If the head of state does so during an official visit, it is somehow contrary to the civilized world's understanding of diplomatic canons. But we have just entered a time of mass violation of various established truths and customs. Commentators note that Zelensky has once again decided to help Tusk's camp in the campaign. There is something to this; he clearly got along better with him in 2023, during the parliamentary campaign.”

— IDEOLOGICAL AFFINITIES PROVE TO BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE SENSE OF GRATITUDE FOR THE ACTUALLY CONSISTENT HELP PROVIDED TO UKRAINE BY THE MORAWIECKI GOVERNMENT – CLAIMS ZAREMBA: “The right wing is shouting that this is the result of German inspiration. Perhaps so, although it is worth remembering that the Ukrainian actor belongs to the liberal group in the Council of Europe. Ideological affinities prove to be more important than the sense of gratitude for the actually consistent help provided to Ukraine by the Morawiecki government, especially in the initial period.”
https://wydarzenia.interia.pl/felietony/news-zelenski-z-tuskiem-przeciw-nawrockiemu-komedia-pomylek-czy-c,nId,7894424

— IN THIS NEW SITUATION, IN A DARKENING WORLD, TUSK HESITATES BETWEEN EXPLOITING ANTI-UKRAINIAN SENTIMENT AND PREVENTING IT – CEZARY MICHALSKI IN INTERIA: “In this new situation, in a darkening world, Donald Tusk hesitates between exploiting anti-Ukrainian sentiment and preventing it. Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz hesitates a little less. Jarosław Kaczyński even less, and Karol Nawrocki hesitates not at all.”

— PIS HOPES THAT THE "MAINSTREAM OUTRAGE" OVER ALL THESE MATTERS WILL MOBILIZE ITS ELECTORATE. AND TRZASKOWSKI WILL REMAIN "NON-CONTROVERSIAL" AND INVISIBLE – MICHALSKI CONTINUES IN INTERIA: “We recently had a presidential campaign in a large country where one candidate caused a scandal every day, and his opponent (opponent, opposing person…) avoided controversy. We know the outcome of that campaign. Nawrocki's staff is hoping for a similar result, which is why they are not afraid of the hate from Nawrocki's football hooligan supporters at Jasna Góra, they are not afraid of the hate from his media and political base towards WOŚP, they are not afraid of destroying Polish-Ukrainian relations. On the contrary, they hope that the 'mainstream outrage' over all these matters will mobilize their electorate. And Trzaskowski will remain 'non-controversial' and invisible.”

— UNSUCCESSFUL INTERVIEW WITH ZELENSKY – CEZARY MICHALSKI CONTINUES IN INTERIA: “Zelensky's interview with Polish media went badly. Questions about Nawrocki may have been unavoidable, but Zelensky should not have answered them so directly. (…) Volodymyr Zelensky believed that not knowing who the next US president would be, he had no right to interfere in the American election campaign. He did not hold this view in Poland, and his carelessness will probably help Nawrocki. There is no better proof of Nawrocki's genuine animosity towards Ukrainians than the animosity shown to him by the Ukrainian leader.”
https://wydarzenia.interia.pl/felietony/news-polacy-i-ukraincy-przez-ciemne-zwierciadlo,nId,7894421

— THE TUSK GOVERNMENT IS SPINNING LIKE A MOUSE IN A WHEEL. "COVERING UP THEIR OWN DEFEAT" – ALEKSANDRA PEZDA IN NEWSWEEK: “The government's decision on health education is an attempt to get out of the situation and cover up its own defeat. Not an educational defeat, but a political one. Are we now supposed to believe that a few letters from Ordo Iuris and one, not very numerous, protest in Warsaw surprised the government and forced it to withdraw from its promises? Nowacka didn't come up with this project in her living room; she had permission, if not an order, from Prime Minister Tusk. Now she has to take the blame and face defeat, because the KO candidate for president is not as popular as his political base had hoped.” https://www.onet.pl/informacje/newsweek/rzad-tuska-kreci-sie-jak-mysz-w-kolowrotku-tuszowanie-wlasnej-porazki/m5mmbww,452ad802

— BIRTHDAYS: Helena Łuczywo, Ernest Skalski, Wiesław Dębski, Arkadiusz Marchewka. SUNDAY: Leszek Balcerowicz (77), Magdalena Gawin, Łukasz Konarski, Andrzej Szlachta, Waldemar Skrzypczak.