Poles should have more children and the crisis slashes contracts of top media personalities.

Presented by Slawek Szefs

‘Donald Tusk’s new sheriff‘ writes DZIENNIK in its frontpage article on the Prime Minister’s nomination of new justice minister Andrzej Czuma. The paper quotes a politician from the ruling Civic Platform (PO) saying: Czuma was picked because his image fits the PM’s expectations. He’s an authority nobody would dare to question. As if relating to the problems and challenges facing the head of the judiciary RZECZPOSPOLITA focuses on a seemingly minor aspect – empty court coffers. The crisis has even hit courts which are on the brink of bankruptcy, alarms the daily. Overdue electricity and heating bills need to be paid, there is no money for defense counsels and court experts. Courts stopped paying because their accounts are clean due to a finance ministry blockade of part of their funds, explains the justice ministry. So, in whose court, figuratively speaking, is the ball? 

Poles should have more children - GAZETA WYBORCZA propagates a joint idea of the major ruling and opposition parties to fight the crisis. Their concern arises from demographic statistics clearly showing Poland’s current birth rate placing it in 26th place among 27 EU member countries. To encourage Poles to at least consider this important and vital step the parties have even joined ranks in forging projects to aid the prospective parents. A gamut of financial incentives and social schemes is to convince them that having children is not tantamount to scrapping good career perspectives or sacrificing life ambitions. Time will show to what extent these declarations shall materialize. 

The same GAZETA WYBORCZA, in its local Warsaw section, reports on the raging epidemic of colds. Long lines are seen in front of doctors’ offices and equally impressive crowds of sneezing and coughing clients at drugstores, while factory crews and office staffs have been decimated by high fever mercilessly attacking potential victims. The result has been a wave of sick leaves. Personnel managers have coined a new division of employees – those who have been sick, who are sick and those who undoubtedly will be sick. Specialists claim this is only a prelude to a wider outbreak of the real flu season.

The tabloid FAKT writes about effects of the financial crisis hitting top media stars. TVP – Poland’s public television – has slashed contracts of its leading news presenters and program hosts even by one third. The cuts are part of a package of measures introduced by the TVP board to offset a looming deficit.