UK, Ireland / Polish greeting cards - do Poles in in Britain buy them? [19]

Many corner shops are run by people with the entrepreneurial spirit.
Placing them by the Polish beer or Polish food shelves would be the sort of thing my local shop would think of.
But yes, it might take more than just that, but then again, why spend money on leaflets that never get read?

UK, Ireland / Polish greeting cards - do Poles in in Britain buy them? [19]

Making your own greetings cards...
(Sorry, Millie - I still think you might have a good idea - I'm just one of those cheapskates!)

Some people say it's tacky.
Some people say it's more personal.

You can use whatever language you want.


There are some areas populated by huge numbers of Polish people.
Cornershops and the like might be a good place to start.

UK, Ireland / Polish Thoughts on Britain and the British [273]


You're not sorry are you?
I couldn't have put it better myself.

News / Women on the Political Scene in Poland - Women's Party [17]


Thankfully, Thatcher never tried this trick.
Or possibly, she should have, then she'd never have been.

Life / Tranquilizers (A Polish led band) [6]


I don't know if he's still with the Blue Aeroplanes. I know it can sound a bit weird - someone in a band, but only as a dancer, but there was always something that made their shows exciting - a man leaping around the stage between the countless guitarists they always had, at 100 mph. Unlike other dancers with bands, he didn't need a pair of maraccas (like The Happy Mondays' Bez did) to hide behind.

Life / Tranquilizers (A Polish led band) [6]


Note for fans of obscure 1980s indie bands:
He sang on The Blue Aeroplanes' song 'Tolerance' circa 1986.
Wojtek Dmochowski (his brother, I think) danced on stage with the aforementioned band for many a year.

UK, Ireland / Polish Thoughts on Britain and the British [273]


Not really. Some areas, especially in bigger towns and cities have become ghettoised. I don't like this, but very rarely do I feel threatened by stepping into such an area. Going into poorer areas that are unfamiliar to me generally is what makes me feel uneasy.

Areas that are culturally mixed are fine. I don't know where I'd be without the complete mix of people you find in London for example. In some towns, particularly in the north of England, there have been riots involving some Muslims of Pakistani descent and some of the nastier side of white British people. This is not a regular occurrence.

Something that I really don't like is the chavs that hang around my local shops who make anyone and everyone uncomfortable.

To summarise, the problems we find are more to do with communities condensing into their own areas, and not the fact of having people from all corners of the globe living in our fantastic country. People who continuously moan about the state of Britain are small-minded pessimists who will always find someone else to blame.

UK, Ireland / UK firms face recruitment ban for exploiting migrant workers [15]


Some are quite simply criminals.
Some are just bad and need to be stopped or put right.

The agency the company I work for had been using, it turns out, had not been doing their paperwork.
We recruited one of the workers full-time. He was without any of the proper documentation. We had to help him get himself national insurance registration and prove to the home office that he was legally allowed to work in the UK amongst other things.

I did hear from the agency workers before about being paid late nearly every week.
My company paid the agency for them to sit on the money, earning interest, whilst leaving their employees in a position where it was difficult for them to get by without borrowing money off other people,. They also couldn't easily find work with more reputable employment firms as many knew little about the official paperwork they should have.

Some of them worked evenings and weekends doing second jobs just to pay the rent.
At least when they did work in my team, they were treated fairly and with respect, but even for these individuals, that's less than half the story.

UK, Ireland / Polish Thoughts on Britain and the British [273]

In some situations, effective communication is more important than cultural differences.
Particularly when doing heavy manual work where accidents and injuries can happen.

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


I worked with a Polish chap who picked Strawberries in both Spain and the UK.


An amateur Strawberry picker.
This chap was a professional.

It could be used as an offensive term, but no-one has decided yet what kind of things a Strawberry picker might be doing at the same time as picking Strawberries.


No. It is a song.

Life / I'm a Polish immigrant. And I'm not going back to Poland. [40]


Interest in one's (lost) heritage is something that often grows with age.

UK, Ireland / Gullible pretty polish girls with immigrants in Ireland [60]


Like anywhere, you get used to it the longer you're there.
I am fascinated by the place for completely different reasons than why I'm fascinated by other, much older places.
It's the way footpaths don't follow the roads, the straight lines of streetlights suddenly cathing you any drawing your eye into the distance,

some of the graffiti is quite good.


When will you post something that can actually make sense?

Life / Wroclaw KFC their shafting us [27]

No you wouldn't.
My friends the goats would have eaten you alive in your sleep.

Donkey Fried Ronek?

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

My flatmate did an IQ test on Facebook (pointless website for people to talk b******s on).
He got a higher score than his three English friends on there.
That's probably because he cheated. I helped him.

Life / Wroclaw KFC their shafting us [27]

Kentucky Fried Donkey?

Life / Wroclaw KFC their shafting us [27]

You can walk through many parts of London and see:

Alabama Fried Chicken, Tennessee Fried Chicken, Georgia Fried Chicken, Mississippi Fried Chicken, Alaska Fried Chicken...
Well, maybe I made the last one up myself.

Does this happen in Poland?
Fast food chains in a country with such a great food culture. Discuss.
(Discuss, or just disgusting?)

UK, Ireland / Polish Thoughts on Britain and the British [273]

I found learning Polish from workmates was a help to some of them learning English, mostly because it made communication generally between us a lot easier.

But for others, it made no difference - they weren't going to learn much anyway.


Auntie's a pain in the arse.
You know how it is when you haven't entirely got to grips with the language.

UK, Ireland / Polish Thoughts on Britain and the British [273]


I have worked with Polish people who knew little more English than the swear words.
If they tried to only speak English, that would have been rude.


That's why my minimal Polish speaking comes in handy when I don't want my fellow Englishmen to know what I am saying when I'm talking to Polish colleagues.

I do expect them to be able to understand what I am saying in English about the work they are doing, but between themselves, why the flip shouldn't they use Polish? I am just a rare example of an Englishman learning a foreign language.

Love / Why do you suppose the Polish guy I'm dating refuses to speak Polish? [22]


Did you dump him in English, Polish or a mixture of both?

UK, Ireland / Polish Thoughts on Britain and the British [273]


That's why many of us prefer other people's food.


and why Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland too?

Life / Wroclaw KFC their shafting us [27]

Buckets are for nails, sand or dung. They shouldn't be for food.
Why do KFC not realise this?

Life / Polish movie/directors [23]

I watched Kieslowski's 'Blind Chance' once. I think I liked it, but like many films, I only watched it once.
I suspect a second viewing one day will be in order.


Both films I watch again and again. It was White that drew me in in the first place.

Life / Polish movie/directors [23]


It is a tough call between White and Red.
White has such humour, the suitcase idea is brilliant, and most of it is set in Poland in winter,
but Red has such a way of exploring its interesting characters, and it has the lovely Irene Jacob.

Polonia / Polonia - will you vote? [14]

At the moment, I know one Pole in the UK.
100% of them will be abstaining (not being arsed).

News / Is the E.U. good for Poland?? [180]


This might be something to do with the Germans spending less and saving more.

News / Is the E.U. good for Poland?? [180]


People used to leave Ireland to find work even more than the Poles do nowadays.
Much more.

UK, Ireland / Polish Thoughts on Britain and the British [273]


Because nobody in politics is standing for it.
I couldn't really be arsed one way or the other.
If the majority of Scots or Welsh or Northern Irish want something different, they should have it.
There is the West Lothian question. Scottish MPs in Westminster can vote on matters that affect England and sometimes Wales in areas where the Scottish Parliament decides how things are done north of the border.


There are some I wouldn't want to let go.
But who really has hold over whom?

UK, Ireland / Polish Thoughts on Britain and the British [273]

What nationality is the Prime Minister?
What nationality are members of parliament?
How did the Scots and Welsh vote in devolution referenda?
Have you asked any English people what they think?

Learn something before you talk such rubbish.

UK, Ireland / Polish Thoughts on Britain and the British [273]


That should be the UK, not England.
In any case, hardly anyone in the rest of the UK gives a toss about NI.
It is SOME of the population of NI who are bothered about it.

History / Polish resettlement camps in Britain 1945 [82]


Make it up as you go along. It's the future. You can do that.
Unlike history, which more than enough people try to mould to suit their own view of the world.

If you see your glass as half full, you'll be looking forward to your next drink,
rather than moaning about someone who spilt one a long time ago.