-- POLITICAL PLAN FOR FRIDAY: THE PRESIDENT IN GDYNIA, THE COALITION ON PARTNERSHIP ASSOCIATIONS, TUSK AT EFNI, THEN AT WOJEWÓDZKI'S, THE LAST DAY OF THE SEJM SESSION - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/pl/live

-- A WASTED VICTORY - LESZEK JAŻDŻEWSKI IN INTERIA: “There is no trace of the record-breaking civic mobilization from October 15th. This is 'thanks' to the policy of the coalition government led by Donald Tusk. (...) Perhaps no government in the Third Polish Republic has ever squandered such a large capital of trust so quickly.”

-- SOMETHING GOT STUCK. AS IF THE GOVERNMENT'S ENERGY WAS ONLY ENOUGH FOR THE INITIAL SURGE. THE LACK OF FURTHER BREAKTHROUGHS AND FULFILLED PROMISES BEGAN TO AFFECT DECLINING TRUST - JAŻDŻEWSKI CONTINUES IN INTERIA: “However, somewhere around the local and then European elections in the spring of 2024, something got stuck. As if the government's energy was only enough for the initial surge. Important ministers of Tusk's government evacuated to Brussels after just six months. Campaigns replaced governing – even though the structure of the multi-party cabinet was new and required constant care and improvement. Simultaneously, the noticeable lack of further breakthroughs and fulfilled promises began to affect the declining trust in the government and the growing negative assessments of the prime minister.”

-- THE ENTIRE GOVERNANCE FORMULA, WHICH IN THE SUBSEQUENT OVER A DOZEN MONTHS OF GOVERNANCE BOILED DOWN TO WAITING FOR A BREAKTHROUGH, HAS FAILED - JAŻDŻEWSKI CONTINUES: “The Civic Coalition is doing relatively well, despite the spectacular defeat in the presidential election, when the entire governance formula, which in the subsequent over a dozen months of governance boiled down to waiting for a breakthrough, has failed. There is no breakthrough and there won't be one; rather, it has occurred, but with the prospect of the right-wing taking full power in 2027, if not sooner.”
https://wydarzenia.interia.pl/felietony/news-zmarnowane-zwyciestwo,nId,22431333

-- WHY DIDN'T THE COALITION CELEBRATE THE SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF THE OCTOBER 15th ELECTIONS? - MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI IN RZ: “The entire day was rather proof that the fight is ongoing, not that the government had achieved success over these two years. Because after all, no event celebrating this success took place, and each of the coalition partners celebrated this day separately.”

-- IF A PROTECTIVE UMBRELLA IS CAST OVER TUSK, IT WILL LEAD TO A DECLINE IN TRUST IN JOURNALISTS, AND SUSPICIOUS VOTERS WILL BELIEVE THERE IS A MEDIA CONSPIRACY PROTECTING THE AUTHORITIES - SZUŁDRZYŃSKI CONTINUES IN RZ: “No, if a protective umbrella is cast over Donald Tusk and his mistakes are not pointed out, it will not help him win elections at all. On the contrary, it will lead to a decline in trust in journalists and commentators, and suspicious voters will believe that there is some media conspiracy protecting the current authorities and covering up their mistakes. And online today, the right-wing is much stronger than the liberal camp. Politicians of the Civic Coalition and the prime minister himself should understand this. And consider how to regain agency, and consequently, voter trust.”
https://www.rp.pl/komentarze/art43187831-michal-szuldrzynski-dlaczego-koalicja-nie-swietowala-drugiej-rocznicy-wyborow-15-pazdziernika

-- IN TERMS OF IMAGE, THE OCTOBER 15TH COALITION FADED BEFORE OUR EYES - JERZY BACZYŃSKI AND MARIUSZ JANICKI IN TYGODNIK POLITYKA: “The well-known truth that it is not what is, but what people think, has revealed itself once again. And in terms of image, the October 15th coalition faded before our eyes. (...) Still on momentum, the coalition won the local and European elections. And then something got stuck.”

-- TUSK HAD PREVIOUSLY ASSURED THAT HE WOULD MEET REGULARLY WITH JOURNALISTS, TRAVEL ACROSS POLAND, AND EXPLAIN HIS POLICIES, BUT NONE OF THIS HAPPENED - THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND FIRST DEPUTY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF TYGODNIK POLITYKA CONTINUE: “Tusk had previously assured that he would meet regularly with journalists, travel across Poland, and explain his policies, but none of this happened. The recent appointment of a government spokesperson only resulted in the prime minister, who sometimes still appeared after cabinet meetings, ceasing even that. What remained was mainly tracking the prime minister's brief posts on platform X. Therefore, these governments, above all, were poorly communicated; political opponents took over the role of narrators, and the coalition's voters could feel abandoned.”

-- CONTRARY TO THE OCTOBER HOPES, GOVERNANCE HAS BECOME TOO CABINET-LIKE, CLOSED, TECHNICAL, CENTRALIZED - FURTHER FROM THE EDITORS OF TYGODNIK POLITYKA: “Contrary to the October hopes, governance has become too cabinet-like, closed, technical, centralized. Various social circles, which endured eight years of resistance to PiS rule and helped democrats return to power, expected some consideration in government and parliamentary consultations, perhaps even symbolic gestures of gratitude, attention. Almost none of this has happened.”

-- PLAN B IN THE AUTHORITIES' ACTIONS IS NOT YET VISIBLE - BACZYŃSKI AND JANICKI CONTINUE: “Following the electoral triumph of PiS candidate Karol Nawrocki, Plan B in the authorities' actions is not yet visible; many voters from the democratic side remain in a state of trauma and a sense of lost purpose. And after the June elections, it was time for political psychotherapy, for showing new perspectives, projects for the second half of the term.”

-- FOR NOW, AT THE HALFWAY MARK, THE GLASS IS FULL (AT MOST) TO THE HALF. BUT THERE ARE STILL TWO YEARS LEFT - THE CONCLUSION OF THE EDITORS OF TYGODNIK POLITYKA: “For now, at the halfway mark, the glass is full (at most) to the half. But there are still two years left. In 2023, it was also difficult to believe in reversing the political fate. However, as the old saying goes, anything is possible in Poland – even for the better.”
https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/kraj/2318323,1,polowiczny-polmetek-rzadu-tuska-cos-sie-zacielo-nie-ma-planu-b-ale-nic-nie-jest-przesadzone

-- WHO ARE THE PEOPLE WHO WOULD FLEE POLAND IN THE EVENT OF AGGRESSION? - MAREK KOZUBAL DESCRIBES AN IBRIS SURVEY IN RZ: “The IBRiS survey shows that it is equally voters of the ruling camp and non-voters. Women, forty-year-olds, rural residents, and people with higher education who get their information from weeklies or social media, such as Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok, are predominant. In the last parliamentary elections, they mostly voted for the Civic Coalition, and in the presidential elections, for Rafał Trzaskowski.”
https://www.rp.pl/spoleczenstwo/art43181561-sondaz-co-zrobimy-w-obliczu-wojny-ilu-polakow-wyjedzie-kto-wstapi-do-wojska

-- THEREFORE, ONE SHOULD NOT BE TOO ATTACHED TO KACZYŃSKI'S CURRENT STRONG WORDS TOWARDS MENTZEN - PROF. ANTONI DUDEK IN INTERIA: “Therefore, one should not be too attached to Kaczyński's current strong words towards Mentzen. When the right moment comes and the leader of PiS decides there is no other way to remove Tusk from power, he will look deeply into the eyes of the Confederation leader and, without batting an eyelid, will discover in him a true Polish patriot, deserving – like Andrzej Lepper and Roman Giertych once, and later Jarosław Gowin – of a position in a coalition government.”

-- PIS AND KONFEDERACJA ARE NATURALLY QUARRELLING SISTERS, VYING FOR THE FAVORS OF THE SAME GENTLEMAN, I.E., THE RIGHT-WING ELECTORATE - DUDEK CONTINUES: “However, even without Kaczyński retiring, which may also be decided by his health, a PiS and Confederation coalition seems possible. Currently, both formations resemble quarrelling half-sisters, vying for the favors of the same gentleman, i.e., the right-wing electorate.”
https://wydarzenia.interia.pl/kraj/news-co-kaczynski-zobaczy-w-oczach-mentzena-a-mentzen-w-oczach-ka,nId,22430559

-- BIRTHDAYS: Adam Michnik (79), Antoni Dudek, Justyna Suchecka, Rafał Woś, Andrzej Mikosz.