UK, Ireland / We welcome Polish people to Britain! [224]

The Scots have been remarkably tolerant as maybe they are more sure of the skills that they have and what they can bring to the job market. I'd like to see it this way but maybe the reality is that Scotland hasn't experienced the second wave of Poles. The English were initially welcoming to Poles but when hordes starting coming across, the tide turned and the tune changed. The job market was swamped. I have the same fears of Macduff. Scots and Poles are quite alike and that may help keep down any flare-ups

UK, Ireland / We welcome Polish people to Britain! [224]

I agree, the UK has many great places to go to. We should welcome fresh blood but those immigrants who don't get the jobs they want shouldn't be too dispirited as the same rings true for many Brits.

UK, Ireland / The Changing Face of Scotland - we need more immigrants! [178]

Again, noimmigration has a point. Many Poles are proud, often overly so, but don't want to make a difference in their own back yard. Having lived here for over 3 years, we can point the finger at the govt to a large extent as they pay peanuts for skilled occupations. I know of a dentist who studied for 6 years and then worked for 1,900zl a month. Take 19% tax off of that, 1,500zl about and 200zl for ZUS, 1,300zl and maybe 700zl for rent and utilities/media per month, that leaves 600zl for a month. Doesn't leave much room for having kids really. It can be done of course but is that all these hard-working people have to look forward to? A life of drudgery and non-stop thriftiness!! We all have purple patches or money for a rainy day (the black hour Poles say) where money is tight but not constantly

Language / How long to get fluent in Polish? [41]

Italian and Polish, well, the vowel use can be similar. I wasn't suggesting that Polish is a form of esperanto, hehehe.

UK, Ireland / The Changing Face of Scotland - we need more immigrants! [178]

Noimmigration has a good point. Many Poles throw away their much cherished education to do menial work. As I've said on another thread, the salaries in Poland don't match their high level of education which is why they move. This needs to be addressed by Mr Tusk

History / Should Germany claim to be the victims in Poland? [510]

Poles are rugged fighters, never say die. But Britain played a major part at that time

UK, Ireland / The Changing Face of Scotland - we need more immigrants! [178]

Scottish electricians are really good. I don't think it's a question of intelligence, more of skills for the jobs. Both Scots and Poles are pretty cluey when it comes to engineering. Scottish history points to us having the edge but it's not a competition

Language / How long to get fluent in Polish? [41]

No basis in Latin? I wouldn't agree with that. Many of the Latin-based words we use, Poles use in a different form, e.g circus is cyrk in Polish. It's largely a case of vowel changes. It's also similar to French at times

UK, Ireland / The Changing Face of Scotland - we need more immigrants! [178]

People do things for different reasons. Manual labour does attract some undesirables for sure but without these people, vital jobs wouldn't get done. Poles provide these skills through special technical schools which they call technicum

UK, Ireland / The Changing Face of Scotland - we need more immigrants! [178]

I was a grasscutter for 3 months back in 1996 when the minimum wage didn't even exist. I worked for 3.71 per hour and then 3.82 after my raise but my stomach was toned and I felt alive after it. Some of my studies bored me to tears. I was prepared to work in a deprived area as are Poles. There were druggies and rough guys aplenty and I worked on the same streets as they walked. I never complained, that's real world work and learning a social skill, survival, hehehe.

UK, Ireland / The Changing Face of Scotland - we need more immigrants! [178]

I can tell you that many people operate through contacts in law or closed circles if u plan to be an academic. It's not that easy, trust me. I was tipped to be an academic writer as I often scored well but I was soon woken up.

UK, Ireland / The Changing Face of Scotland - we need more immigrants! [178]

What do u hope to be upon graduation?

Language / How long to get fluent in Polish? [41]

Also, the immersion approaches work. I learned a lot of Japanese in a relatively short space of time by being relaxed, putting on headphones and just letting the info from the tape seep in. I started out with greetings and built up from there. Specialised Polish doesn't interest me that much as even my Polish girlfriend doesn't always understand certain documents completely. The pinning idea works, my Canadian roommate in Izumo did that and he learned quickly

UK, Ireland / The Changing Face of Scotland - we need more immigrants! [178]

I was also a student of Scots law for 4 years, and 1 of the top 3 highest scorers in a group of 45 students, but I wasn't guaranteed employment given the size of Scotland. I did a postgrad with a scholarship in International and European Law to increase my chances/options. Paying 10,000 in tax was the govt's decision, not that of immigrants.

UK, Ireland / The Changing Face of Scotland - we need more immigrants! [178]

Noimmigration, have the Poles in ur workplace been appraised? If so, how did they fare? I seem to recall u saying that more Scots are being employed which will drive some Poles out perhaps. What kind of jobs are they vying for?

UK, Ireland / The Changing Face of Scotland - we need more immigrants! [178]

Destroy this country? I'm in Poland now, the EU Treaty guarantees Poles the right to move with few obstacles. The UK is MY country too if u c it that way

UK, Ireland / The Changing Face of Scotland - we need more immigrants! [178]

Noimmigration, you despise the BNP's far right policies but u may vote for them? Surely it would be better to resolve ur grievances with Poles by letting them know how u feel, or just ignoring them. Many people have others in their workplace that they don't like but we gotta live together within the boundaries of tolerance

UK, Ireland / The Changing Face of Scotland - we need more immigrants! [178]

It's just a case of supply and demand. Maybe there has been increased job creation in recent years but Scotland is a small country and doesn't necessarily need more immigrants but it's good to have options

History / Should Germany claim to be the victims in Poland? [510]

Hehehe, I meant the allied forces, Great Britain in particular

History / Should Germany claim to be the victims in Poland? [510]

Thanks for all that Celinski. It's the people who stopped Stalin and Hitler that should be proud, the Poles put up some great resistance and stood up for their way of life. America helped out a lot in WWII, we must acknowledge their part. I haven't heard many arguments suggesting that the Germans were the victims, that's the way it should be

History / Should Germany claim to be the victims in Poland? [510]

I agree but if the Aryan philosophy was so absolute, so targetted, why weren't blue-eyed blonde people spared? This was Hitler's vision, to have such people

History / Should Germany claim to be the victims in Poland? [510]

I echo the sentiments of Maxxx Payne, beautifully put and, yes Celinski, there was a Polish Holocaust of sorts but the world will always remember the Jewish one more. Greater numbers died

History / Should Germany claim to be the victims in Poland? [510]

It's hard to get clear evidence of who u r capturing or killing sometimes, just look at the case of NI and the Stormont Parliament who swept up many IRA guys who were active way back in the 1950's but had long since put down their arms and renounced terrorist activities come the advent of the internment campaign. Bowyer Bell is a good author on this one. What I can say is that the Nazis specifically targetted the Jewish intelligentsia and prominent Jewish figures, not Poles, early days. Sometimes, the German authorities couldn't differentiate Poles and Jews. I agree more with southern, it was anti-Semitism that fuelled the killings, not being anti-Polish

Love / meaning of receiving empty text [21]

It's certainly not a Scottish thing, Scots usually fill texts to the last character, just to get their money's worth, hehehe. I've received empty texts b4, here in Poland

UK, Ireland / The Changing Face of Scotland - we need more immigrants! [178]

A little off thread maybe but what's ur view on the BNP? Well, they are directly involved in the immigration issue some might say

Love / Polish ladies seem to be in high demand at the moment. [105]

Yeah, recently it has been her level of practicality that I've been impressed by. Many English toffs snobbishly wander around shops, looking for something for their house or garden that's befitting of their oh so eminent status. My girl just gets on with it, she knows what's required and we go ahead and buy it. She has just done some repairs, something a man traditionally does. Why did I not do it I hear u asking? Well, she really loves tasks like that, seeing them as a good way to spend time rather than as chores.

History / Should Germany claim to be the victims in Poland? [510]

I agree but largely at the hands of the Russians as u rightly acknowledged. It was to be expected that a certain section of the Polish population would also vent their spleen and toss out some Germans. Just read The Pianist by Szpilman and you will see how badly Poles were treated. Germany could have claimed to be victims in a sense but 'the victims', I'm afraid not!!

UK, Ireland / The Changing Face of Scotland - we need more immigrants! [178]

There's definitely a lot who pride themselves on being that way, chamstwo they call it in Polish. U just got in with a bad shower

UK, Ireland / The Changing Face of Scotland - we need more immigrants! [178]

How do u get on with Scots?

History / Should Germany claim to be the victims in Poland? [510]

I agree, I had to go to Google Images to get a picture of Cheney, he is the secretive man behind the scenes, the right hand man of Bush who is, rather peculiarly, rarely at his right hand, hehehe. He does appear to be anonymous.

Way back in 2001-2002, I met many Americans in Japan who expressed fears about travelling given the anti-American sentiment that was going around. Many of them had already sewn/sewed Canadian flags onto their backpacks/rucksacks. I judge people as people (what a cliche I know), irrespective of their nationality. I am 'supposed to' hate English people but I've met many whom I've liked a lot, great drinking partners.

Let's return to the German issue