-- CIESZYŃSKI ON THE NATIONAL CYBERSECURITY SYSTEM: I WILL VOTE AGAINST ANY PRO-CHINA AMENDMENTS - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/pl/live

-- PERHAPS IN THE CIVIC COALITION'S OPTICS, THIS CONFEDERATION HAS BECOME SOMEWHAT MORE CIVILIZED THANKS TO THIS, AND IT MAY BECOME A POLITICAL PARTNER THAT WON'T BE AS OBNOXIOUS IN ECONOMIC MATTERS AS THE LEFT – ANNA MARIA ŻUKOWSKA ON POLITYCZNY WF POLSAT NEWS AND INTERIA: “I think there are certain signs that might indicate this. These signs appeared in the previous term when Sławomir Nitras addressed me saying that if they (the Civic Platform) governed with Konfederacja, they would deal with PiS, and Konfederacja would deal with us. He denies this statement, but there is a recording from the parliamentary chamber, so anyone can check it. Those words were spoken, and it was the first moment when we realized that the Civic Platform might actually be closer to Konfederacja, especially after weeding out the 'rats' from Grzegorz Braun. When? Meaning, this is not my opinion, but perhaps in the Civic Coalition's optics, this Konfederacja has become somewhat more civilized thanks to this, and it might become a political partner that won't be as obnoxious in economic matters as the Left, won't demand protection of employees' rights and reform of the State Labour Inspectorate, and will simply be an easier partner in this regard.”

-- OBVIOUSLY, THE PRIME MINISTER MAY TRY TO RENEGOTIATE, BUT I THINK IT WON'T ACHIEVE MUCH, BECAUSE MOST COUNTRIES HAVE ALREADY TAKEN STEPS TO ADJUST THE LABOR MARKET TO THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION'S EXPECTATIONS SO THAT THERE IS NO EMPLOYEE DUMPING IN ANY EU MEMBER STATE – ŻUKOWSKA CONTINUES WITH WITWICKI AND FIJOŁEK: “We have returned to what we have to return to anyway, because it is the fulfillment of one of the milestones. Obviously, the Prime Minister may try to renegotiate, but I think it won't achieve much, because most countries have already taken steps to adjust the labor market to the European Commission's expectations, and it expects that there will be no employee dumping in any EU member state, meaning one where precarious contracts can be used. And that's why the ultimate goal of the European Commission was to have all contracts subject to social security contributions, the same as contributions depending on the country.”

-- THERE IS A POLITICAL PROBLEM THAT THE PLATFORM WANTS TO PRESENT ITSELF AS COMPATIBLE WITH THE CONFEDERATION'S ELECTORATE, MEANING NO NEW TAXES – ŻUKOWSKA FURTHER ON POLITYCZNY WF: “There is a political problem in that the Civic Platform wants to present itself as compatible with the Confederation's electorate, meaning no new taxes. However, I would like to remind you that this tax would simultaneously abolish the health contribution, so it wouldn't be like that. Additionally, for many people, it would be a significantly lower burden than they currently have. For the lowest earners, but not for the richest.”

-- 10 YEARS AGO, MARCELINA ZAWISZA REFUSED TO SHAKE WLODZIMIERZ CZARZASTY'S HAND, YET WE EVENTUALLY REACHED AN AGREEMENT AND RAN TOGETHER – ŻUKOWSKA ON WITWICKI AND FIJOŁEK'S QUESTION ABOUT THE RAZEM PARTY: “And what is the current position of the Razem party, because I haven't heard them praise this government for anything, anything at all. And the problem is precisely that Razem is in opposition, and radical opposition at that. And we are in the government, and it's hard to reconcile these two. It was clear from the very beginning that two such stances within one club, although at the beginning it was a, let's say, constructive criticism of the government, but currently, it's criticism across the board when it comes to the Razem party. So, it was really difficult to reconcile, and now it will be even harder. I would very much like, of course, for us to manage to run for the Sejm for the third time. And I'm not saying it's impossible, because I remember, 10 years ago, well, excuse me, on May 1st. 10 years ago, Marcelina Zawisza refused to shake Włodzimierz Czarzasty's hand, yet we eventually reached an agreement and ran together.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHqQNW50JIg&list=PL3tbuFnhc9p8DiUN6dFFL_IYIpsduWNKi

-- RAZEM WILL BE THAT THIRD CHOICE – MATEUSZ MERTA FROM RAZEM CITED BY ARKADIUSZ GRUSZCZYŃSKI IN GW: “- We cannot imagine running together with Nowa Lewica, which is part of Donald Tusk's government. Razem disagrees with the current Prime Minister's policy; we are in opposition to this government because it does not implement the postulates we agreed upon, once with Nowa Lewica. This includes, for instance, issues related to increasing healthcare system funding. In 2027, Poland deserves a better choice than a government that fails to deliver on promises, and the coalition of PiS, Konfederacja, and Braun led by Przemysław Czarnek. Razem will be that third choice. We already have nearly a million voters who voted for Adrian Zandberg last year, and we will expand this base – Mateusz Merta tells me.”

-- IF ZANDBERG SEES HE HAS OVER 3 PERCENT IN THE POLLS, THEN HE WON'T WANT TO RUN WITH US FOR THE SEJM – A LEWICA DEPUTY IN GRUSZCZYŃSKI'S ARTICLE ON OFF: “I hear more or less the same thing in Nowa Lewica. - If Zandberg sees he has over 3 percent in the polls, then he won't want to run with us for the Sejm. And you must know that we are not closed off to such cooperation; after all, we all care about a strong Left in 2027 – says a deputy from Czarzasty's party.”
https://wyborcza.pl/magazyn/7,124059,32533305,szybciej-utne-sobie-reke-niz-zgodze-sie-na-wspolny-start-z.html

-- DEMOGRAPHIC STALEMATE. FEWER AND FEWER CHILDREN ARE BEING BORN, MATERNITY WARDS ARE DISAPPEARING, WOMEN ARE AFRAID TO GIVE BIRTH, ETC. – DOMINIKA WANTUCH IN GW: “The fears of women about closing maternity wards are heard everywhere. Patients are afraid that they will have to travel dozens of kilometers to hospitals far from their homes, that they won't reach them in time, that it will be dangerous for newborns. These fears are difficult to dismiss, especially when we look at global data. A study on perinatal care and pregnancy-related mortality, conducted in 2021 by scientists from the School of Public Health at Tulane University in Louisiana, showed that 'the risk of death during pregnancy and up to one year after childbirth from any cause (...) obstetric was significantly higher among women living in areas without obstetric care,' i.e., in so-called 'perinatal care deserts.' By closing maternity wards in Poland, especially in smaller towns, we are adding another stone, increasing uncertainty and fear for patient safety.”
https://www.wysokieobcasy.pl/wysokie-obcasy/7,163229,32535967,demograficzny-pat-rodzi-sie-coraz-mniej-dzieci-znikaja-porodowki.html

-- WITHOUT THE INFLUX OF UKRAINIANS WORKING IN POLAND, OUR GDP WOULD BE APPROXIMATELY 7% LOWER – EMPHASIZES PROF. LESZEK BALCEROWICZ IN AN INTERVIEW WITH JACEK NIZINKIEWICZ IN RZ: “We must also mention that many Ukrainians have come to Poland to work. This factor, hoping that Ukrainians will successfully stop Putin's aggression, will not repeat itself. And Poland's demographic situation is one of the most dramatic in Europe overall. Without the influx of Ukrainians working in Poland, our GDP would be approximately 7% lower. The percentage of Ukrainians working in Poland is high. They contribute more to our budget than the expenditures directed towards them. These voices are either an expression of complete, hateful ignorance or populist, perfidious propaganda.”

-- WE HAVE A RECORD HIGH DEFICIT IN EUROPE – 7% OF GDP. ALL OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES HAVE LOWER DEFICITS, EVEN HUNGARY. SUCH A POLICY CANNOT LEAD TO A HAPPY END, ONLY TO HITTING A WALL – BALCEROWICZ FURTHER WITH NIZINKIEWICZ IN RZ: “The size of the deficit is most important. I repeat, we have a record high deficit in Europe – 7% of GDP. All other European countries have lower deficits, even Hungary. Too few people involved in shaping public opinion are paying attention to the problems of a huge deficit and growing debt. The continuation of this course, which began over a dozen years ago, still under the PiS government, continues under the current coalition's government. Such a policy cannot lead to a happy end, only to hitting a wall. And what is the best measure of this? How much is paid year after year for debt servicing costs? And these costs are growing and will continue to grow as a result of maintaining excessive spending and deficit. So, how can this end? Without limiting expenditures, Poland faces hitting a wall. And this would mean declaring insolvency.”

-- IT WOULD BE BETTER IF THIS KIND OF CURRENT WITHIN POLITICAL PARTIES STRENGTHENED – BALCEROWICZ ON NIZINKIEWICZ'S QUESTION WHETHER IT WOULD BE BETTER FOR THE POLISH ECONOMY IF THE ECONOMICALLY LIBERAL CONFEDERACJA CO-GOVERNED WITH KO: “Assuming a more free-market and responsible course in relation to public finances, it would be better if this kind of current within political parties strengthened. Regarding taxes, the problem is their excessive complexity. We are in one of the last places in the OECD in this regard.”

-- RELATIVELY RESPONSIBLE – BALCEROWICZ ON NIZINKIEWICZ'S QUESTION WHETHER CONFEDERACJA APPEARS AS AN ECONOMICALLY RESPONSIBLE GROUPING.
https://www.rp.pl/polityka/art43653871-prof-leszek-balcerowicz-zamiast-happy-endu-bedzie-zderzenie-ze-sciana

-- BIRTHDAYS: Leszek Balcerowicz (78), Magdalena Gawin, Łukasz Konarski, Andrzej Szlachta, Waldemar Skrzypczak.