Food / Fermenting Ogórki? [8]

I've experienced this before too and I think the same as you, they were fermenting.

Drunk on gherkins, no thanks. I'll stick with conventional options.

UK, Ireland / Polish students are rising to the top of the class [30]

Many gimnazjum students are super bright, I have the utmost respect for them and their level. It doesn't surprise me that they are making such good progress.

What goes wrong? ;)

Work / Non Polish nationals living in Poland - What do you do for a living? [23]

Thanks!! It was with The Smiths and not solo.

I teach at Britam and Speak Up/EMPIK and a wide variety of things from Cambridge courses to Business English.

History / Damning archives of cleansing in communist Poland [16]

You are more than welcome to enlighten us, Prince. We're all ears :)

The resident Poles are very much invited to set the record straight. This is what we expect when us 'amateurs' are so wrong.

Exactly, hairball. It was all about control and in such an iron grip was created. I've heard stories from different older people here in Poland. Wałęsa had it much harder than people thought. He successfully defended himself several times and would clear his name one more time for the record books.

History / Damning archives of cleansing in communist Poland [16]

If you are talking about the Kaczyński brothers, then yes, they were aware for sure. They are the chief protagonists.

However, I'm talking about the wave of people who jumped on the bandwagon of blame, those that didn't live in that era. They didn't realise just how potent and dangerous a force the communist secret police were.

It is easy for those to point the finger at wrongdoings but we must fully understand the environment at that time. Ask yourself this, why did it take so long to shake off the scourge of communism?

Genealogy / Does the name Boleslaw have an English equivalent? [7]

Bolesław could become Bolek only I think

History / Panslavic vision of Poland. [32]

So, you prefer the romanticism of Piłsudski to the nationalism of Dmowski, Prince?

UK, Ireland / TRUTH AND DELUSION ABOUT POLES IN UK [65]

Excellent link, Trevek. Thanks for that. A lot of Poles are well received in Scotland. I posted a link elsewhere about a Polish-Scottish society aimed at fostering positive ties between our 2 people.

UK, Ireland / Here comes the Anti-Immigration marches.... [114]

But are the Wild Horses off to get some Brown Sugar??

Law / Poland: the most attractive European country for future investors [55]

Putin, as the nominated leading speaker, chose to talk generally about the economic predicament. This will have knock-on effects in due course on Poland.

How short-sighted you appear, Prince. A dent in confidence directly affects the propensity to trade with others. Are you saying that you have no trade with Russia and will not have in the future? How about those Russian businessmen, do you naively assume that they will just sidestep Poland altogether as a viable business proposition?

UK, Ireland / Here comes the Anti-Immigration marches.... [114]

Still, John Reed made the case for refusing access to Bulgarians and Romanians. Surely that is a positive step. Then again, it throws up what I might call 'selective discrimination' against these countries. I didn't mean it as disrespectful to the abovementioned nations, just as a means of tightening control on immigration.

UK, Ireland / ARE BRITS MEANER AND LESS HOSPITABLE THAN POLES? [79]

It did seem like a quantum leap, an odd switch, yeah.

I think we were just keeping each other on our toes, LOL

Put your way, Seanny, we were talking smack ;)

UK, Ireland / ARE BRITS MEANER AND LESS HOSPITABLE THAN POLES? [79]

Seanny, you are a smart guy and a top poster. You'll understand me when I ask you to quote me. What did I say that was "shite"?

UK, Ireland / ARE BRITS MEANER AND LESS HOSPITABLE THAN POLES? [79]

Does the sheep know what? Please quote me, I don't get your drift, Seanny :(

UK, Ireland / ARE BRITS MEANER AND LESS HOSPITABLE THAN POLES? [79]

We were talking generally, Seanny. At least I was. Nothing to do with beer drinking, everything to do with feeling guilty and giving yourself something to confess at Mass.

UK, Ireland / ARE BRITS MEANER AND LESS HOSPITABLE THAN POLES? [79]

This is another fundamental difference. The Poles don't seem to accept that guilt is part and parcel of the Catholic religion.

I don't want to appear controversial or disingenuous here, but Mass seems to, albeit in a small way, let people do wrong things, safe in the knowledge that their sins or wrongdoings will be purged and they will emerge forgiven. As a Scot, I must agree with your opinion, Osioł. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that many see guilt as synonymous with Catholicism.

Interesting times :)

UK, Ireland / Here comes the Anti-Immigration marches.... [114]

Illegal immigration should be investigated, of course. You know, many Poles would do themselves a favour by playing ball. As far as I can see, this has been the main obstacle to America not waivering the visa requirement. They have made a mockery of the immigration system by circumventing the requirements.

As for policing, well, the police pick easy targets. It made me angry that they targetted my mother for going a few mph too fast when there are far worse criminals out there.

UK, Ireland / ARE BRITS MEANER AND LESS HOSPITABLE THAN POLES? [79]

It is OK, Osioł, but the Poles value hospitality. They know what it means to be the host. In this respect, they are very different from us and the US.

Any products taken should be gifts only.

Life / Divorce rates in Poland [26]

This was the very statistic that sounded the alarm bells in the UK many years ago. It strikes me as odd as the Poles tend to be quite traditional in their perception of marriage. The advent of capitalism cannot really be singled out as the proximate cause. Capitalism, for many, brings new-found wealth and, for many, that means happiness. Especially when you have been relatively unaccustomed to it for so long.

It's hard to pinpoint the causes but I'd proffer the view that natural dissatisfaction ranks high. Many want to be part of the nouveau riche but, as capitalism dictates, not everyone gets a slice of the pie. There are, and will be for the foreseeable future, the haves and have-nots.

Unhappy marriages being served moral justice, a nice way to put it. I don't know the divorce provisions here but I guess that they broadly follow the 'irretrievable breakdown of marriage' test (1 of 5) that we employ in Scottish courts. It could be that courts here interpret that rather too laxly.

UK, Ireland / ARE BRITS MEANER AND LESS HOSPITABLE THAN POLES? [79]

You get these chancers everywhere, chancing their mit as and when...

You seem to be a jolly, happy-go-lucky kinda dude, BW. You even offered your nemesis, Puzzy, a beer. I salute you for that.

The Scots are seen as stingy but I think we are quite open when it comes to buying rounds

UK, Ireland / ARE BRITS MEANER AND LESS HOSPITABLE THAN POLES? [79]

Is this true, BW? Do you think that Poles will sit back and let you buy the beer? You may be right, I've just never come across that. However, I have seen mysterious disappearances by some come pay time. Usually, they pay their share tho.

News / Israeli youths misbehave in Poland ceremony score [47]

Judging by how many Poles can't even separate i from e, we can rule the alphabet out.

News / Israeli youths misbehave in Poland ceremony score [47]

I'd blame it on the LSD if I were you ;)

UK, Ireland / Here comes the Anti-Immigration marches.... [114]

Well, MisterH, you know as well as I do that many have gone through the 'proper' means of grievance redress. You know, the channels where you contact your MP, only to not get a response or a very inept one, littered with the language of prevarication.

Another important point here is not to become paranoid. Maintaining a sense of perspective is key for British workers. A rounded and balanced front against this problem is required.

What do you propose be done, MisterH?

youtube.com/watch?v=wJZzQJOuWJo&feature=related, The Polish Onslaught

The impact of competition in the UK is explored above.

News / Israeli youths misbehave in Poland ceremony score [47]

He probably doesn't know what a Zionist is. His library consists of one book ;) ;)

UK, Ireland / Here comes the Anti-Immigration marches.... [114]

Yeah, just look at the nursing strikes in Britain. It needed a lot of them and with backing of some management figures before anyone really batted an eyelid.

The government just has to look inward and be prepared to point the finger at itself. Easier said than done. They just don't care enough about how mass immigration adversely impacts people's lives. 'Keep your hands off of my stack' seems to apply.

In Scotland, we have many such "I'm alright Jack' types. Bellends!!

Life / What do you do for fun in poland? [15]

A good thread. I hope that more people contribute.

News / Has global warming affected Poland? And in what ways? [73]

Prince is certainly blowing a lot of hot air, enough to make a telling contribution to this phenomenon ;) ;)

Life / When in Poland, should I be British or Scottish? [104]

Scotland helps to define the boundaries better. Sometimes you are just lumped as an Anglik which is misleading.