-- NEW IDEAS ARE EMERGING AT POLSAT, WE ARE ANALYZING THEM, AND PERHAPS TOGETHER WE WILL CREATE SOMETHING COMPLETELY NOVEL IN POLISH MEDIA” – SAID BOGDAN RYMANOWSKI, A WELL-KNOWN FIGURE, IN AN INTERVIEW WITH PRESS: “I am staying at Polsat Television. I am focusing on 'Śniadanie Rymanowskiego' [Rymanowski's Breakfast] and my YouTube channel. New ideas are emerging at Polsat, we are analyzing them, and perhaps together we will create something completely novel in Polish media,” said Bogdan Rymanowski.

-- ADDITIONAL PROJECTS INVOLVING HIM ARE UNDER DEVELOPMENT AT THE STATION, ALONG WITH INCREASING THE REACH AND DISTRIBUTION OF "ŚNIADANIE RYMANOWSKIEGO" - WRITES PRESS: “Bogdan Rymanowski is stepping down as host of 'Gość Wydarzeń' [Guest of Events], broadcast on Polsat, Polsat News, and Wydarzenia 24. He will continue to host 'Śniadanie Rymanowskiego.' Polsat Television is working on additional, new projects with his participation. As the broadcaster assures, the journalist will remain a prominent figure in Polsat's public affairs programming, where he has worked since 2018. The station is developing additional projects involving him and working to increase the reach and distribution of 'Śniadanie Rymanowskiego.'”
https://www.press.pl/tresc/90845,bogdan-rymanowski-znika-z-_goscia-wydarzen_-polsatu_-zastapi-go-marek-tejchman

-- BOSAK ON THE RULING PARTY: THEY ARE LIKE YOUNG COMMUNISTS IN THE STALINIST ERA - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/pl/live/2025-12-23/

-- BMW DRIVER WENT WILD IN PLAC ZBAWICIELA. KNOCKED OVER A POST, HIT A PERSON, AND... ONLY RECEIVED A FINE - MAGDA ROSZKOWSKA IN GW: “Media reported immediately after the incident that the Russian, before skidding, was performing a so-called drift around the roundabout at Plac Zbawiciela. This means he was intentionally causing the car to go into a controlled skid, making it move with maximum lateral displacement. Drifting on a public road is considered a traffic hazard. For such behavior on the road, one can receive a fine of at least 1500 PLN. The driver can lose their license for three months, or even for three years – if a court decides so. The police can also confiscate their car for a month.”
https://warszawa.wyborcza.pl/warszawa/7,54420,32489773,za-przygniecenie-pieszego-do-budynku-na-placu-zbawiciela-dostal.html

-- THIS HAS NOT HAPPENED UNDER ANY ADMINISTRATION: NO LEAKS ARE COMING FROM THE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE. HOW DID KAROL NAWROCKI ACHIEVE THIS? - ARKADIUSZ GRUSZCZYŃSKI IN GW: “'The Big Palace' is not leaking. In layman's terms: none of the three major political groups working with Nawrocki are talking to the media, rumors are not circulating in the city, and no one really knows what is happening at Krakowskie Przedmieście 48/50.”

-- FOR PIS SYMPATHIZERS AND SOME "KONFEDERACI" MEMBERS, NAWROCKI IS DOING WHAT IS EXPECTED OF HIM, WHICH IS ATTACKING THE TUSK GOVERNMENT AND DEFENDING NORMALCY - GRUSZCZYŃSKI FURTHER IN GW: “While in the eyes of liberal voters all these decisions and gestures signify a fruitless fight against the government and the president moving dangerously closer to the far-right, for PiS sympathizers and some 'Konfederaci' members, Nawrocki is doing what is expected of him, which is attacking the Tusk government and defending normalcy.”

-- OUR VOTERS BELIEVE THAT THE OPPOSITION LEADER TUSK IS BATTLING IS KAROL NAWROCKI – SAYS ONE OF THE PIS POLITICIANS QUOTED BY GRUSZCZYŃSKI IN GW: “- But rest assured: emotions are not running high, there is no serious campaign yet, and when it starts, anything can happen, especially since Nawrocki managed to beat Rafał Trzaskowski.”

-- WILL THE PRESIDENT NOMINATE THE PRIME MINISTER? - FURTHER IN GRUSZCZYŃSKI'S ARTICLE IN GW: “Will Kaczyński cede such a significant position to Nawrocki and allow the president to nominate the prime minister? What will one of the factions devise to neutralize Bogucki? Usually, the beginning of the new year in politics is sleepy, but this time it will be different.”
https://wyborcza.pl/magazyn/7,124059,32485109,nasz-elektorat-wpadl-w-ekstaze-po-jego-wystapieniach-kaczynski.html

-- IT APPEARS THAT ZIOBRO, AT LEAST FOR NOW, IS SUCCESSFUL IN DELAYING THE CASE - EWA SIEDLECKA ON TYGODNIK POLITYKA'S PORTAL: “It is already evident that there will be no spectacular acceleration in the case of holding Zbigniew Ziobro accountable. It is likely to be a series similar to the interrogation of him by the parliamentary Investigative Committee for Pegasus.”
https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/kraj/2326897,1,ziobro-odroczony-w-tej-sprawie-spektakularnego-przyspieszenia-raczej-nie-bedzie

-- IN A COUNTRY WHERE POLITICS AND POLITICIANS ARE CONVINCED THAT THE BEST TOOL FOR POLITICAL MOBILIZATION IS EMOTIONS FUELED BY POLARIZING MESSAGES - EDWIN BENDYK ON TYGODNIK POLITYKA'S PORTAL AFTER ZELENSKY'S VISIT: “Volodymyr Zelensky's visit can be analyzed precisely as a clear symptom of a change in the perception of mutual relations, which can become more symmetrical, as in the discussion about handing over MiG-29 aircraft in exchange for access to drone technology. In symmetrical relations, there is no room for gratitude; trust and mutual understanding of interests and the common good are needed. Then politicians must communicate what is important to their electorates. This may be the most difficult task in a country where politics and politicians are convinced that the best tool for political mobilization is emotions fueled by polarizing messages.”
https://blog.polityka.pl/antymatrix/2025/12/21/po-wizycie-zelenskiego-w-warszawie

-- WITHOUT ANY UNPROVOKED, UNFORCED CIRCUMSTANCES ON TRZASKOWSKI, THE DEBATE IN KOŃSKIE WOULD LIKELY HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENT WITH THE EARLIER LEAD TO SECURE VICTORY, EVEN IF PART OF HIS SUPPORT WAS SQUANDERED - MARIUSZ JANICKI IN TYGODNIK POLITYKA ON LESSONS FROM 2025: “Without this event, Trzaskowski would most likely have had enough of an earlier lead to secure victory, even if he had squandered some of his support. Sometimes in politics, it's not just social processes, waves, and trends that matter, which of course should not be underestimated, but also one ill-considered move – negating everything that has been achieved so far. Therefore, early recognition and prevention of critical situations become a dramatic challenge for political strategists, especially in the context of the 2027 elections. And this is the first lesson from the past year.”

-- TODAY, DEMOCRATS MUST PREPARE FOR THIS; IN TODAY'S POLITICS, NO ONE SHOULD BE UNDERESTIMATED, AND THE MOTTO “THIS IS UNTHINKABLE” IS NO LONGER VALID - ACCORDING TO THE FIRST DEPUTY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF TYGODNIK POLITYKA: “It turns out that rationality is increasingly disappearing from politics, the power of facts is diminishing, and the significance of pure narrative and creation is growing. Nawrocki was simply 'narrated' to voters appropriately, which is easier than ever in the social media era. Defending against such suggestive narratives is another important task for democratic circles. If in two years, for example, Grzegorz Braun falls into the hands of talented, albeit cynical advisors, they will skillfully narrate Braun, invent a suggestive fairy tale, after which voters will rush to vote for Korona. Democrats must prepare for this today; in today's politics, no one should be underestimated, and the motto 'this is unthinkable' is no longer valid. And this is the second lesson from 2025.”

-- THE PHENOMENON OF THE TUSK GOVERNMENT'S RECOVERY – IT MAY EVEN BE THAT REALITY DOES NOT ALWAYS LOSE TO NARRATIVE, THAT IT CAN STILL BREAK THROUGH THE SIEVE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ALGORITHMS - MARIUSZ JANICKI WRITES FURTHER IN TYGODNIK POLITYKA: “The Tusk government, which a few months ago looked like a lost zombie team, started gaining traction in the autumn. This is even more evident in the case of KO itself. It's possible that previously underestimated facts are starting to come to the fore: falling inflation and, consequently, interest rates, low unemployment, economic growth, large investments (including accelerated progress in nuclear energy), and finally, the visible impact of KPO [National Recovery Plan] funds. It may even be that reality does not always lose to narrative, that it can still break through the sieve of social media algorithms. The phenomenon of the Tusk team's recovery after the presidential elections seems to confirm this hypothesis, and this is an important third lesson from this year.”

-- IT IS CLEAR WHERE THE FRONT LINE MAY BE IN 2026 AND ESPECIALLY IN 2027 – A COMPLICATED, RADICALIZING, ANTI-EU RIGHT-WING VERSUS A CENTER-LEFT-LIBERAL COALITION POSITIONED WITHIN THE EUROPEAN MAINSTREAM - ACCORDING TO JANICKI: “It is clear where the front line may be in 2026 and especially in 2027 – a complicated, radicalizing, anti-EU right-wing versus a center-left-liberal coalition positioned within the European mainstream. This is also because in 2025, the right-wing further intensified its race for radicalism, its extreme wing openly shifting towards Polexit, anti-Semitism, and anti-immigrant sentiments increasingly bordering on racism. This confrontation promises to be all the more intense as the proportion of those who want to leave the EU has sharply increased this past year – now a quarter of Poles. President Nawrocki, who is maneuvering between Kaczyński, Mentzen, and Braun, is contributing to these trends.”

-- IT IS UNKNOWN HOW LONG KO WILL MAINTAIN THE POSITIVE TREND FROM THE END OF THE YEAR; A DECADE OR TWO AGO, CYCLES WERE LONGER - STATES MARIUSZ JANICKI: “But it is unknown how long KO will maintain the positive trend from the end of the year. The budget situation is difficult, the deficit is serious, Poland's ratings are at risk of downgrades, healthcare is in a financial and structural crisis, there are announcements of protests from right-wing unions, and the international situation is very unstable. The improvement in KO's and the government's ratings is current for now, but without constant stimulation, it might mean nothing in a quarter. A decade or two ago, cycles were longer.”
https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/kraj/2325827,1,cztery-polityczne-lekcje-2025-r-to-byl-rollercoaster-a-nastepne-starcia-beda-jeszcze-gwaltowniejsze.read

-- "KORONA" IS GATHERING VOTERS AS IF THEY WERE CATAPULTED FROM THE 90S, WHEN ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION AND POLITICAL CHAOS CAUSED A VERY STRONG REJECTION OF THE DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM AND A LONGING FOR A POLITICAL STRONGMAN - MICHAŁ DANIELEWSKI IN TYGODNIK POLITYKA: “'Korona' is gathering voters as if they were catapulted from the 90s, when economic transformation and political chaos caused a very strong rejection of the democratic system and a longing for a political strongman, an autocrat who would sort out 'all this mess.' As many as one-third of Braun's party supporters declare that the state system enshrined in the constitution requires radical changes, and at the same time, there is no social group that more frequently expresses such a view. If we are looking for similarities in the profile of Korona Polska's supporters with other groups, they are closest not to voters of other opposition parties, but to people who declare non-participation in elections.”

-- WE MUST SERIOUSLY CONSIDER THE HYPOTHESIS THAT A SOCIOPOLITICAL PHENOMENON IS BEING BORN BEFORE OUR EYES, CHARACTERIZED BY ALMOST COMPLETE REJECTION OF THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE POLISH POLITICAL CLASS SINCE 1989 - FURTHERMORE, DANIELEWSKI: “Therefore, we must increasingly seriously consider the hypothesis that a sociopolitical phenomenon is being born before our eyes, consistent at the declarative level, characterized by the rejection of almost all achievements of the Polish political class since 1989: not only the liberal-democratic state project but also the concept of its transformation into illiberal democracy, which we know under the codename IV RP [Fourth Polish Republic]. Here too, our study is consistent with other measurements, for example, with the Eurobazooka poll referenced by 'Gazeta Wyborcza,' in which 25% of respondents are in favor of our country leaving the European Union.”

-- THERE IS NOT MUCH ROOM IN PUBLIC DEBATE TODAY FOR AN OPTIMISTIC NARRATIVE ABOUT A GROWING, STRONGER POLAND - STATES DANIELEWSKI: “Our study also shows that there is not much room in public debate today for an optimistic narrative about a growing, stronger Poland: where the economy is flourishing, most of us are getting richer, and we are rapidly catching up with Western countries. Respondents in our study are rather skeptical of such a narrative.”

-- THE GOOD MOOD OF THE RULING PARTY'S HARDEST SOCIAL BASE GIVES DONALD TUSK'S FORMATION A MOMENT OF RESPITE, MARGIN FOR ERROR, AND A FOUNDATION FOR OPTIMISM - WRITES MICHAŁ DANIELEWSKI FURTHER IN TYGODNIK POLITYKA: “On the one hand, the good mood of the ruling party's hardest social base is not surprising, but after the first two years of the term filled with turbulence and dashed hopes, it gives Donald Tusk's formation a moment of respite, margin for error, and a foundation for optimism, on which one can try to rebuild, in some form, the alliance that led to the current governing camp's victory in 2023. Although let's not be under any illusions: this reconstruction process will be incredibly difficult. Especially for the consistently hidden PSL and Poland 2050 under the electoral banner.”

-- REGAINING SUPPORT FOR THE ENTIRE COALITION WILL HAVE TO INVOLVE CONVINCING SOCIAL GROUPS THAT ARE LESS ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT REALITY - FURTHERMORE, DANIELEWSKI: “Here, regaining support will have to involve convincing social groups that are less enthusiastic about reality. Because the enthusiasts are already catered to by KO and Lewica.”

-- HOW TO RESPOND TO THE PHENOMENON OF GROWING "DE-ROMANTICIZATION" OF SOCIAL ATTITUDES; THE PRO-EUROPEAN MODERNIZATION MODEL IS STARTING TO BURN OUT - MICHAŁ DANIELEWSKI WRITES FURTHER IN THE CHRISTMAS EDITION OF TYGODNIK POLITYKA: “We also face the challenge of how to respond to the phenomenon of growing 'de-romanticization' of social attitudes, which we have taken for granted until now: the obvious, pro-European modernization model is beginning to burn out with subsequent generations entering the political market. The theory that 'European natives,' who are unfamiliar with or barely remember the world when Poland was outside Western structures, would be our anchor in the European Union, turned out to be somewhat naive. The Europeanization of the mentality of younger generations also brings increased skepticism and demands towards the EU.”
https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/kraj/2326155,1,sondaz-polityki-jest-dobrze-ale-nie-beznadziejnie-usmiechamy-sie-przez-zacisniete-zeby.read

-- 25 YEARS AGO Leszek Balcerowicz became President of the National Bank of Poland (22.12.2020).

-- BIRTHDAYS: Jan Parys, Szczepan Twardoch.