-- ARE THOUSANDS OF PATIENTS BEING TURNED AWAY EVERY DECEMBER? PROBABLY NOT - PIOTR ZAREMBA IN INTERIA: “One might have expected participants in the government summit to at least seemingly address these concerns. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Prime Minister spoke about how 'every year ends with such emotion.' Really? Were thousands of patients being turned away every December? Probably not.”

-- SHOULD SOMEONE LOSING THE CHANCE FOR CATARACT SURGERY BE CONCERNED? NO, THEY SHOULD BE INTERESTED IN THE PRESIDENT'S SUSPICIOUS MOTIVES FOR VETOING THE CRYPTOCURRENCY BILL. THAT SEEMS TO BE DONALD TUSK'S THINKING - ZAREMBA CONTINUES: “In reality, one might get the impression that this government has a different prescription. Just recently, a list of PiS politicians who should stand before the State Tribunal was announced. Parallel to the presidential summit, Tusk presented information in a secret Sejm session about the connections of the cryptocurrency market with mafias and Russia. The goal is one: to implicate the president's veto of the cryptocurrency bill in conspiracy suspicions. Even if you are sick or have a sick family member, think about something else.”
https://wydarzenia.interia.pl/felietony/news-wojna-na-szczyty-medyczne-czyli-sluzba-zdrowia-bez-nadziei,nId,22464221

-- PROF. DUDEK BELIEVES THE PRIME MINISTER "HAS NO MORE GOOD IDEAS": TUSK IS A POLITICIAN RUNNING ON FUMES - NONET REPORTS ON ANTONI DUDEK'S PODCAST: “Prof. Dudek believes that the Prime Minister 'has no more good ideas.' - Tusk is a politician running on fumes. He is largely worn out, depleted. He can't come up with anything new anymore, and this was another proof of that. He is leading the entire political camp he heads towards losing power - he added.”

-- IF YOU CONTINUE TO PULL SUCH STUNTS AS THE ONE IN BERLIN, YOU ARE TRULY PREPARING YOURSELF FOR LOSS OF POWER - DUDEK CONTINUES IN ONET'S REPORT: “In October, the Prime Minister stated that 'he can take bets, not large ones, that Civic Coalition will win the elections in 2027 and will not give power back to Jarosław Kaczyński.' Prof. Dudek responded to his proposal by offering a bet of 100 PLN. - I am repeating the offer for the bet, Mr. Prime Minister, once again. For that 100 PLN. You made this bet, I stand by it. If you continue to pull stunts like the one in Berlin, you are truly preparing yourself for loss of power - said the sociologist now.”
https://www.onet.pl/informacje/onetwiadomosci/prof-dudek-wspomnial-o-zakladzie-z-tuskiem-szykuje-sobie-utrate-wladzy/jy3t31q,79cfc278

-- LINK TO DUDEK'S PROGRAM: https://polityka.se.pl/wiadomosci/prof-antoni-dudek-kreml-sieje-eurosceptycyzm-pis-walczy-o-elektorat-a-tusk-leci-na-oparach-aa-np4i-5LZ6-2FsM.html

-- OVER 47 PERCENT OF POLES BELIEVE THE ECONOMY IS WORSE TODAY THAN UNDER PiS RULE. THIS IS A SIGNAL THAT DOES NOT SOUND GOOD FOR DONALD TUSK'S GOVERNMENT - WP DESCRIBES THE UNITED SURVEYS POLL: “Over 47 percent of Poles believe that the economy is worse today than under PiS rule. This is a signal that does not sound good for Donald Tusk's government. A new poll conducted for Wirtualna Polska clearly shows that expectations towards the current team are growing faster than they are being met.

-- 38.4 PERCENT OF RESPONDENTS ASSESS THE ECONOMIC SITUATION FAVORABLY - WP CONTINUES ON THE US POLL: “The question asked in the poll was: 'How do you assess the current economic situation in Poland compared to the period of PiS rule?' The poll shows that the aforementioned 29.5 percent of respondents believe it is decidedly worse, and 17.9 percent believe it is slightly worse – totaling 47.4 percent of people with a negative assessment. 21.1 percent of respondents believe it is decidedly better, and another 17.3 percent answer that it is slightly better – meaning 38.4 percent of those asked assess the economic situation favorably.”
https://wiadomosci.wp.pl/ten-sondaz-to-zla-wiadomosc-dla-rzadu-polacy-ocenili-sytuacje-gospodarcza-7228800403172288a

-- ON THE STATE OF COMPETITION AHEAD OF REGIONAL ELECTIONS IN CIVIC PLATFORM - MARTA RAWICZ IN GAZETA.PL: “Elections in the regions promise to be much more interesting. It may be most exciting in Wielkopolska, as Marcin Bosacki, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, MPs Jarosław Urbaniak and Mariusz Witczak, and Bartosz Derech, the head of Rokietnica commune, are considering running for head of the structure there. It is also possible that the long-standing leader of Civic Platform in Wielkopolska, Rafał Grupiński, will run for re-election. - I will present my position on this matter at the Regional Council on December 13th - announces the Deputy Marshal of the Senate in an interview with Gazeta.pl.”
https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/polityka/7,198012,32451458,tusk-powola-nowych-zastepcow-mamy-nazwiska-duze-zmiany-w-ko.html

-- IT IS SURPRISING THAT RAZEM HAS NOT CONNECTED SECURITY ISSUES WITH ITS TAX DEMANDS AND HAS NOT RAISED THE DEMAND: IN A SITUATION WHERE WE MUST ARM OURSELVES, WE CANNOT AFFORD TAX PRIVILEGES FOR THE WEALTHIEST - JAKUB MAJMUREK IN KRYTYKA POLITYCZNA: “The declaration also does not address the issue that defense costs money and democratic societies will have to answer the question of who should pay for it. It is quite surprising that Razem has not connected security issues with its tax demands and has not raised the demand: in a situation where we must arm ourselves, we cannot afford tax privileges for the wealthiest. Even by increasing the burden on the wealthiest, sometimes sacrifices will have to be made for security. I think it would be interesting for voters to see how aware Razem is of this, whether they agree with the thesis that social democracy today should be a defensive social democracy.”
https://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/deklaracja-programowa-partii-razem-lewica/

-- WE HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING, AND HAVE BEEN FOR MANY YEARS, AN INCREASE IN NATIONALISTIC OR EVEN XENOPHOBIC SENTIMENTS - PROF. PAWEŁ MACHCEWICZ IN AN INTERVIEW WITH JACEK STAWISKI IN TYGODNIK POWSZECHNY: “In my opinion, we have been experiencing, and have been for many years, an increase in nationalistic or even xenophobic sentiments. The presidential election was won by a candidate who directly used anti-Ukrainian slogans, and in the second round, he won by taking votes cast for two other nationalistically and anti-Ukrainian oriented candidates, including one who openly espoused anti-Semitic slogans in the past.”

-- APPROXIMATELY 50 PERCENT OF POLES, AND SOMETIMES EVEN MORE, SUPPORT NATIONALISTIC PARTIES WHICH SHARE ANTI-EU, ANTI-GERMAN, AND LARGELY ANTI-UKRAINIAN SENTIMENTS - PROF. MACHCEWICZ FURTHER WITH STAWISKI IN TYGODNIK: “Looking at the polls, about 50 percent of Poles, and sometimes even more, support nationalistic parties which share anti-EU, anti-German, and largely anti-Ukrainian sentiments. The increase in such sentiments, as well as hostile attitudes towards immigrants, is a phenomenon that occurs not only in Poland but in most European countries, not to mention Trump's America.”
  
-- WE HAVE PRIMARILY UKRAINIANS, WHICH IS WHY ANTI-UKRAINIAN SENTIMENTS HAVE BEEN FUEL FOR ONE AND THE OTHER PARTY NAMED KONFEDERACJA IN THE LAST TWO YEARS - PROF. MACHCEWICZ FURTHER WITH STAWISKI IN TYGODNIK: “In Western Europe, the presence of immigrants from other cultural circles is indeed very large, but here it is still limited. We primarily have Ukrainians, and that is why anti-Ukrainian sentiments have been fuel for one and the other party named Konfederacja in the last two years, but increasingly also for PiS. What will be the continuation? Nationalism has great mobilizing power, it appeals to primal instincts, such as the sense of belonging to an ethnic community. This is an identification accessible to everyone, the most elementary, and we live in times of threats when people need community.”

-- CAN THE LEFT AND THE LIBERAL CENTER PRESENT THEIR NARRATIVE IN AN EQUALLY ATTRACTIVE WAY AS THE NATIONALISTIC RIGHT - MACHCEWICZ TELLS STAWISKI IN TYGODNIK: “The problem is whether the forces – let's call them – on the left on one hand, and liberal on the other, will be able to counter the nationalistic wave. The narrative of the left has always focused on completely different values than nationalism, on justice and equality. Liberals spoke of freedom, development, modernization, and increased prosperity. It seems that these slogans have less mobilizing power today. The question is whether the left and the liberal center can present their narrative in an equally attractive way as the nationalistic right, whether they can present their own visions of community and patriotism.”
https://www.tygodnikpowszechny.pl/machcewicz-o-polskim-nacjonalizmie

-- BIRTHDAYS: Konrad Szymański, Janusz Wojciechowski, Paweł Bravo. SUNDAY: Andrzej Czuma, Witold Pahl, Adam Kwiatkowski.