Life / How much do you HATE POLISH PEOPLE and POLAND [1260]


Nope! We know it! ;)

UK, Ireland / Polls for Poles in the UK [178]

While I disagree with Tornado, because the point he made originally has been proved to be unfounded, and that personally I don't care who votes in the UK for elections in other countries, or even if the election was on Mars... paid for by Martians of course! ;)

But, here's something I got to wondering about. Should people, from one nation, now living in another, be allowed to vote in an election where the outcome will not affect them?

For example. Someone from Poland, living in the UK, and paying tax in the UK and no tax in Poland. Votes for a political party that says they'll reduce taxation, but at the cost of public services. (Like Th*tcher did in the UK) The impact of that will affect those in Poland, but will not affect those Polish living in the UK.

Is that OK?

And Tornado.. this does NOT validate your point... OK! ;)

UK, Ireland / Polls for Poles in the UK [178]


While the statistics there are impressive, something else even more vital is missed.

The Battle of Britain was a pivotal battle during WW2. The UK stood alone against Nazi Germany after the fall of France.

Hitler, to enact his plan of the invasion of the UK, needed total air superiority to make sure of the success of a sea and airborne invasion. The RAF had to be destroyed. This was going to plan, as at one point during the Battle of Britain, we had every available pilot in the air. The RAF was on its knees with losses that we couldn't replace quick enough. Then we threw the Polish pilots into the battle... who up until then hadn't been involved in the battle as fighter pilots...which gave the RAF more resources and turned the battle.

You could say, quite easily, that without these additional pilots, we'd have lost the Battle of Britain and the invasion of the UK would have then been a real possibility. So, while the figures alone are impressive, the more important aspect is that by using Polish pilots, we didn't get invaded... and letting Poles vote here, in a Polish election, paid for by Poles/EU is the very least we could do.

There endeth the lesson!!!

Life / Redheads in Poland - How many? [95]

The MC1R gene is responsible for red hair...

Interestingly, this news item came up today.

uk.news.yahoo/afp/20071025/tsc-science-neanderthals-us-e123fef.htm l

Not too sure on the Polish connection though!

As for Poles in the UK, I've not met any with red hair.

UK, Ireland / Is violence in the UK vs Poland natural? [19]

Agreed there. On the breast cancer awareness website, it says this:

# In 2004, there were 44,659 new cases of breast cancer diagnosed in the UK: 44,335 (99%) in women and 324 (1%) in men.
# Breast cancer causes more than 12,500 deaths each year in the UK

On the Women's Aid, website, they say this:
Did you know that domestic violence kills over two women per week? More key statistics are available in each section of the FAQs.

It might have been a confusion over the amounts of Domestic Violence incidents reported each year... not actual deaths. (2 a week is still 2 too many!!! )

As someone else said above, the UK is a multi-cultural society, and as such, the figures might be distorted a bit, in that it only deals with crimes committed here, not who they're caused by. For instance, if someone kills their wife, then it's treated as a murder. But that murder might be part of an "honour killing" which is seen as "acceptable" by certain people in certain immigrant communities... and yes, being very careful not to say ALL...

Saying that, yes, undoubtedly there is domestic violence committed here by British on British too. I don't think now though, that women are as likely to tolerate it as they did in the past. Just my view though.

UK, Ireland / English people attitude towards Poles? [761]

Here's my 2p's worth!

Damn.... amongst all of the arguing and sarcastic remarks, I seem to have forgotten my point....

Oh yeah. That's it.

I work for an agency. I'm English. I've many Polish friends, workmates and an ex-girlfriend who is Polish. I'm slowly learning to speak Polish.

As far as the work situation goes, yes, having so many Polish arrive so quickly, has made life as an agency worker, extremely tough. If there are, for ease of example, 100 jobs to be given out in one week, from the agency. Then, before the "invasion" ( I hate that term!) the agency would have struggled to fill even half of those positions... leaving me with the option of taking the highest paying work that week.

On top of that, if a company were absolutely desperate for extra staff, then they'd pay higher, often above those of its regular staff... because the market economy dictates that is how they need to behave. When there was no need for those staff, then they'd lay you off. No problem, I'd go and pick the next highest paying... or best conditioned job, with the hours that suited me.

Now. If there are 100 jobs available in one week, then there are ( I am guessing here) about 200 people to choose from. We're all on pretty much minimum wage, because, it's a market economy, and the employers and agency know that they can get anyone they want... because we all know there're 100 people behind us who'll take the work if we say we wont work for minimum wage.

Most weeks now, I am lucky if I get 3 shifts. I'm sitting here today, in a seasonal work town, with many many unemployed, because I have no work. Tomorrow I do. Yesterday I worked. Next week? I don't know. Maybe nothing, maybe 5 shifts. And yes, life is bloody difficult. But I don't blame the Polish for it. Many English have done exactly the same as the Poles, when unemployment was high in the UK in the past, we went abroad and worked in Spain and Germany and elsewhere.

I like where I live, I have roots here, I have a mortgage. I can't just pick up and leave. I also wont sign-on. Unless I was absolutely desperate. It hasn't come to that yet. I can normally get enough money each week to pay the bills. Just.

As I said, I don't blame the Poles. Life is Brutal, as many of them say. Things will even out eventually, and hopefully soon. I was laid off from a decent job I'd held (as an agency fella) recently. I got a bit pissed drowning my sorrows, as I'd had little work that week, and went round to talk to a mate about how shite the situation for work is in Scarborough. He said the problem was too many Polish in town... i disagreed, there's not enough decent work, but... and here's the thing... my mate is Polish! Kind of weird eh????

Anyhows, just a ramble, to kind of explain it from one Englishman's perspective. Hope that enlightens some people.

UK, Ireland / Polish Londoners get free courses & help from London Development Agency [6]

Any free Polish lessons going??? :)
not sure about free courses but the polish cultural institute used to run subsidised courses

UK, Ireland / Polls for Poles in the UK [178]

To summarize...

Point made, regarding Poles voting in the UK in Polish Election.

Question asked, who pays for this?

Point answered. The Polish.

And.... relax! :)

And z_darius quoted the RotP act 1989... which, and I may be mistaken, was brought in by the Conservative Govt, purely to extend and round up votes of Ex-Pat UK citizens, who'd gone to live in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Caymen Islands, Jersey, etc etc.... as those tax avoiders were more likely to vote Conservative. There was a bit of an outcry about it at the time.

So, Tornado, we do have the right to vote, from abroad, for an election in this country and it is paid for by you and me (and those Poles here paying tax!)

UK, Ireland / Poles in GB: Why did you go - for money or something else? [53]

I'm English and I've met and worked and got drunk with loads of Poles over the last year or so, and being quite a nosey sod, I've asked most of them why they're here.

There doesn't seem to be one specific reason. Some come for work. As unemployment in Poland is high. Some come because while they had work in Poland, the money wasn't enough to live on. Some come because they want to improve their English. Some because they're pissed off with the Govt / think Poland is too corrupt. Some because they want to earn a shed load of money. (that isn't always possible... but maybe it's easier here than Poland) Some because they've heard the UK is more relaxed (maybe that's a Catholic Polish thing.. not too sure)

That's the simple version. I get the feeling that most come here for a mixture of the reasons above.

I'm only saying what I have heard with my own ears, this isn't a dig at Poland, far from it.

The answer I've heard most though... is that wages here are good. Which may be true if you're prepared to deny yourself everything for a couple of years, then go back to Poland with your savings. I can see that. But as soon as you start to "live" here, like the natives then you realise the wages aren't too high, that the cost of living is comparative, and you end up just like most Brits, working to pay the bills.

Interestingly, a lot of the Poles I know very well, have no intention of returning to Poland but really like it here and intend to stay. :)