News / PiS to impose blanket retail tax in Poland [291]


So your role models are communists... who'd of thunk it? (besides all the people that would of thunk it)


So you're admitting that all PiS can do is tax and spend. Interesting. And people wonder why Poland was downgraded....


Here's a big ole hint: The political language of keeping people in national boxes and taxing them as the government sees fit is dead, dead, dead in the 21st century.

For good or ill, the planet has moved past national capitlaism (ie Fordism - the economic system of the 20th century everywhere, even the USSR) into the age of liquid capital where money flows to places where it's welcome and can increase and leaves places where it isn't.To even begin to hope to change that you have to realize what you're dealing with but PiS (in the form of JK) is still fighting the economic battles of the 1970s with 1970s weapons. There's no way he can be successful.

News / PiS to impose blanket retail tax in Poland [291]


Unintended consequences, who could possibly have foreseen them (besides all the people that foresaw them).


You can fight economic realities, but economic realities will win every. single. time.

News / PiS to impose blanket retail tax in Poland [291]


The ideologically pure at heart have no time to spare for real world considerations.... Old ladies cutting down their meat purchases are just so many eggs to be broken for the beautiful omelet of creating a Poland with a single strong party ruling unopposed and a church giving succor to the downtrodden.... hey didn't they raise holy hell to get rid of that system?

News / PiS to impose blanket retail tax in Poland [291]


What part of "free movement of goods and services" do you not understand?


Well with the current government that's not that hard. Just apply basic economic ideas and voila! PiS's laws boomerang against the Polish public (especially hard against the PiS core voters).


Polonius3 thinks that policies that have always failed in the past will now suddenly work because....... PiS!

How can you be a catholic if you believe in economic voodoo?

News / PiS to impose blanket retail tax in Poland [291]


Pretty sure there's no way to do that in the EU and leaving the EU would cause major economic problems for the country as it's a net gainer from membership.

News / PiS to impose blanket retail tax in Poland [291]


Somebody needs to be thinking about how to get around policies in order to not create horrible unintended consequences. What's the point of passing legislation that creates worse situations than the one the legislation was supposed to fix.

Think of as being like the devil's advocate - it's an entirely necessary part of the process and I suspect JK has no one like that around because he can't stand the thought of anyone disagreeing with him openly or pointing out any flaws in his plans. He has considerable political talent but is a terrible administrator because he only surrounds himself with yes-men.


Well that would explain a lot.....

Language / "Róbta, co chceta" - Polish slogan meaning and usage [25]


Of all the Polonius 3's in the world.... you're the Polonius 3est!


Dziki też człowiek!

News / PiS to impose blanket retail tax in Poland [291]


You're seriously proposing price controls? How on earth are you going to enforce that? Wouldn't it just encourage large buyers to source outside of Poland?

The problem with a lot of PiS supporters is that they don't understand how infrastructure works or how economies work.


And Ponies for Everyone! Don't forget the Ponies!

Language / "Róbta, co chceta" - Polish slogan meaning and usage [25]


What about the old African American(?) "(just) keep on keepin' on" which used to suggest carrying on with the hope that things might get better.


You're right! What a relief? I can hold my Sprachgefühl high and with Stolz!

Language / "Róbta, co chceta" - Polish slogan meaning and usage [25]


I'm sure my clients will be unhappy to hear of your judgement


I didn't say it did, I said quite the opposite. Reread please.

Language / "Róbta, co chceta" - Polish slogan meaning and usage [25]


Culturally, "do your own thing" is from the hippies, the folks that did woodstock, and it generated moral indignation when it was new.

Owsiak, does a music festival called woodstock and the hasło from his old tv show generates moral indignation from a similar crowd (i.e. you)

In translation terms it's about as close as you can get in terms of "dynamic equivalence" or "functional equivalence" (look it up) even if it lacks a certain degree of exactness.

That is, it doesn't translate the specific nuances of róbta... but it gets the idea across of youth rebelling against a restrictive social order (and older people not liking that). Trying to capture the rustic flavor of the Polish will make it hard to understand why the show would become popular with young people.

Similarly, the dynamic or functional equivalent of kvrwa in Polish is not vvhore but fvck (an expletive with no real meaning*).

For exmaple "Zamknij się kvrwa!"** Shut up vvhore, or Shut the vvhore up don't work as translations because no English speaker would say that, whereas "Shut the fvck up!" works as an almost perfect equivalent in English.

*most european languages have one or two of these, Spanish has different ones in different countries

**not aimed at you, it's just an easy example


I disagree. The idea of not sticking out (cause you might get hammered down) is absent from "do your own thing" (quite the opposite).

I'd suggest something more like "just do your job" and/or "don't stick your neck out" or "keep your head down". I might even go with something like "just do your job and don't think about it" for the alienation and fatalism.

Language / "Róbta, co chceta" - Polish slogan meaning and usage [25]


Never change, Polonius3, you're a rare and very special presence here. (and I'm American so smart *ss is more appropriate)

And I don't like the translation with the swear, it seems way too strong for the (pretty mild) hint of rusticicity (is that a word) in the original. I still say "Do your own thing" is the closest (American) translation though something else might be better for other varieties. If you really want to add a touch of rurality the "Do your own darn thing" maybe.

Language / "Róbta, co chceta" - Polish slogan meaning and usage [25]


tch tch tch, do you kiss your busha with that mouth?

Language / "Róbta, co chceta" - Polish slogan meaning and usage [25]


For translation you need to take into account the cultural background and the target audience and "Do whatever you damn please" is not going to appeal to young anglophones at all (at any time or place that I can think of). And I do remember students in the early 90s joking around with such forms (also first person plural forms like róbma...)


That's just what I was referring to. People who got upset at "do your own thing" were the US rough equivalents of the PiS and/or Rydzyk base.


Okay, "Y'all do what you want to now, hear?" might be a bit closer then (though again, probably not going to resonate with them young uns, dag nabbit)

Language / "Róbta, co chceta" - Polish slogan meaning and usage [25]


Except that it sounds like a grouchy old man (with maybe some hillbilly ancestory) and not something aimed at young people....


It comes from the late 60's or so and was associated with the hippies, and caused the same sort of moral indignation in the US that 'róbta co chceta' does in Poland (and from similar people).

Language / "Róbta, co chceta" - Polish slogan meaning and usage [25]


Not very competent as schools, parents and churches if three magic words can undo all their efforts.

In the meantime, here's what he said: "Róbta, co chceta" to była nazwa mojego programu telewizyjnego z lat 90., bo rzeczywiście mogłem w nim robić, co chciałem. (...) Pełny odlot. Dzisiaj wyglądałoby to poczciwie, ale w ówczesnej telewizji było czymś świeżym. I trafialiśmy w estetykę młodych ludzi. Tymczasem "Róbta, co chceta" ze zgrozą powtarzane jest przez krytyków Orkiestry, chociaż ja tego hasła nie używam.

Since you might not have time to find a translator, here's my version (a little free but faithful enough to the spirit) Róbta co chceta" was the name of the tv show I did back in the 90s because I really could do what I wanted on it () It was crazy. Today it would look pretty tame but for TV at that time it was a breath of fresh air. And we really hooked in to what young people's tastes. In the meantime, "Róbta co chceta" is repeated in horrified tones by critics of the Orchestra, but I don't use it as a slogan"

And "Do whatever you damn please" is a clunky, old fashioned translation, maybe "Do your own thing" would be closer to the original. And note that the program hasn't been on tv for about 20 years....

News / Demonstrations in Poland in defence of democracy. [2554]


After the protests against unicorns and dragons? How can people protest something that doesn't exist?

News / Demonstrations in Poland in defence of democracy. [2554]


You are certainly evidence of that....

News / Demonstrations in Poland in defence of democracy. [2554]


Two were improperly appointed and three were properly appointed - when is Duda going to swear them in and stop disgracing the office by scoffing at the law?

News / WOSP Poland charity - is it value for money? [60]

I reckon you reckon wrong.

But seeing nomenklatura everywhere is a very good way for covering one's own nomenklatura heritage... Hiding in plain sight as it were.

News / WOSP Poland charity - is it value for money? [60]


But it was from the usual suspects (the PiS/Radio Maryja axis).

News / WOSP Poland charity - is it value for money? [60]


Stop right there, don't write anything more and ruin it.


Just had to ruin it, didn't you? You must be a lot of fun at parties....

News / Demonstrations in Poland in defence of democracy. [2554]

Only 15% of the population is still in favor of taking in more "refugees" this means that to continue her policy Merkel has to go against the stated wishes of overf 80 % of the population. That is untenable. It either won't happen or there will be mass revolt (and/or major economic hit as the Germans who make the economy work start leaving in similar numbers)

Focus on demonstrations in Poland or the thread might get closed.

News / WOSP Poland charity - is it value for money? [60]

You do realize that getting a little rowdy and loud appeals to young people more than non-stop praying and rosaries do, don't you? Please tell me you realize that.

He's doing good, if you don't like the exact way he's doing it then fine. You're old. No reason to disrespect his good works.

News / WOSP Poland charity - is it value for money? [60]


Well apart from the religious angle, PiS tends to hate any example of citizens organizing that they're not in charge of.


Doing good in an entirely secular way is a major threat to those who think that organized religion is all that stands between humanity and chaos. The happy unbeliever is not supposed to exist.

News / Demonstrations in Poland in defence of democracy. [2554]


I've never suggested otherwise, whatever your overheated imagination may be telling you.

As a devotee of Rule of Law (and not Rule of Party of Rule by Decree) I'm very much against the PiS led attempts to subvert the constitutional process and then try to patch it over with retro-active legislation. I'm equally against Merkel's unilateral decision to suspend normal border controls in other countries and attempts to force the results of her unilateral decisions on other countries like Poland. The only reason Poland should accept any "refugees" is the certain knowledge that they would immediately return to Germany, though for reasons of principle I'm not against not accepting any. Nic o polskiej polityce migracyjnej bez Polski, if you will.

Any questions? Haben Sie noch Fragen?

News / Demonstrations in Poland in defence of democracy. [2554]


How do you know I didn't?

News / Demonstrations in Poland in defence of democracy. [2554]


Duda did that all by himself (though I'm sure, as a lap dog, he was ordered to by his master).

News / WOSP Poland charity - is it value for money? [60]


I asked....


And was answered.


Ya know.... charity doesn't have to pick sides. You can support anyone doing good work.....

News / WOSP Poland charity - is it value for money? [60]


"Look! He's raising money for sick children! Destroy him!!!"

What kind of sick life-hating m8therfvck3rs are against raising money to help sick children????

The PiS kind?