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Posts by jon357  

Joined: 15 Mar 2012 / Male ♂
Last Post: 27 Aug 2025
Threads: Total: 74 / In This Archive: 51
Posts: Total: 24945 / In This Archive: 10045
From: In the Heart of Darkness
Speaks Polish?: Tak

Displayed posts: 10096 / page 116 of 337
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jon357   
17 Apr 2016
News / Poland -- Europe's only counterweight to Russia [271]

it would only be making a token political statement of which Russia would take no notice of.

Quite. More heat, less light.

Home army or Militia made up of trained citizens who are armed on a permanent basis

That's an interesting one, though fraught with risks.
jon357   
17 Apr 2016
News / Poland -- Europe's only counterweight to Russia [271]

That's what any country in the world would say... ;)

And some are less credible than others. To repeat, since you evidently have issues understanding, Poland respects Ukraine's borders.

Didn't you read the comments of the article?

People who comment on articles are representative of nothing.

I do follow geopolitics quite a lot

Evidently not that much, given the rather weak 'examples' you tried to give.

The bottom line is that Poland is a full and committed member of NATO and the EU. Russia is disliked in Poland and has made threats, as well as invading a friendly neighbouring country.

A few interesting developments this morning:

Poland's foreign minister, Witold Waszczykowski, said he wanted "presence, presence, presence and once again presence" of Nato troops to act as a "symbol of readiness to defend the eastern flank."

German defence minister Ursula von der Leyen.....said that Nato's new rapid reaction force is enough to ensure that "Russia should not even think about trying" to attack Poland or one of the Baltic states."

Ian Brzezinski, a former Pentagon official whonow works forthe Atlantic Council...predicted that Russia will stage a military provocation ahead of the Warsaw summit.

Unnarmed Russian jets simulated attacks on a US warship, the USS Donald Cook, in the Baltic Sea over a three-day period earlier this week, the Pentagon's Townsend said.

euobserver.com/foreign/133084

The summit will be very interesting (as well as a nuisance to Warsaw residents, just as G20 was) however it's doubtful that much will change.
jon357   
17 Apr 2016
Law / EU nationals with a child and in cohabitation - long term Poland registration questions, job offer [13]

I was wondering if they would also be eligible for residency beyond the initial 3 months

Any citizen of an EU member state has the right to live here in Poland. The three months thing is an irrelevance - basically a legacy of the pre-EU system. They can't make an EU citizen move elsewhere, nor can they enforce any conditions on your stay. The residence documents are not a permit, nor can you be asked to leave if you choose not to apply for one.

You may choose to register residence, however whether you do or whether you don't, they won't deport your baby!
jon357   
17 Apr 2016
News / Demonstrations in Poland in defence of democracy. [2554]

He'll want to fire Duda for his goings-on

I did wonder that myself, however a president is less easy to fire than a premier. There are ways, and remember there was discussion about removing LK due to unfitness to hold the job.

Emergency powers will be installed and instead of a presidential election he'll take over the job 'until there's enough stability' for an election (when he dies).

This is what he and his cronies would like. Basically a PiS version of Germany's Enabling Act 1933 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enabling_Act_of_1933 - they're almost transparent about that and no wonder at all that thousands take to the streets in defence of democracy.

Do you really want to return to the 1980s?
Nobody wants that.

When imported goods start to disappear from the shops...
jon357   
17 Apr 2016
News / Demonstrations in Poland in defence of democracy. [2554]

eave the car building to Detroit.

Detroit? Is there still a car industry there?

decent, low-cost electric cars could be a winner

This is the future.

Kaczyński's economic views are straight from the PRL

Not only his economic views. He's transparent about the fact that he does not see democracy as the way forward for Poland. He really does want his political tendency to stay in power for ever and he would abolish free elections at the drop of a hat if he could get away with that, Hence the Polish pro-democracy movement.

One only wonders what he has planned next.
jon357   
17 Apr 2016
News / Poland -- Europe's only counterweight to Russia [271]

Until the day they get the chance to take Lwów back into Poland...

Not a chance - there's no territorial ambition for Lwow and Poland respects Ukraines borders...

a danger that doesn't exist (to me).

It does however exist for the rest of us.

I don't know. Finland, Belarus, Mongolia, and China seem to be fine.

You don't follow geopolitics much, do you, given that one is a near satellite, another is a rival, one is a buffer and the most developed of them has very strained relations...
jon357   
16 Apr 2016
News / Demonstrations in Poland in defence of democracy. [2554]

Many tyrants claimed

"Many tyrants" can claim whatsoever they want. Here in Poland the current regime (who really do want to be in power for a thousand years in their 4th reich/republic) have put into practice a set of policies that have alienated millions - basically a full frontal attack on democracy...
jon357   
16 Apr 2016
News / Poland -- Europe's only counterweight to Russia [271]

I'm really concerned about some Polish politicians' mental health.

One of the few sensible thing to come out of that party - though there is one thing that all major political parties in Poland agree on - their support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and their awareness that Russia is a threat.

What do you think?

It's what you can do and what you can't do - plus of course the scale of the threat. And nobody likes to share a border with Russia, do they?
jon357   
16 Apr 2016
Food / How to find Halal Food in Poznan (Muslim food in Poland) [55]

Spot on nowadays.

In the period and place those rules were formed they made a lot of sense and certainly contributed to the progress of humanity, but now we know more than we did then.

It's as much a tradition as good scientific reasoning, and one that's important to many while causing harm to none.
jon357   
16 Apr 2016
News / Demonstrations in Poland in defence of democracy. [2554]

The poltically moderate come out because they have been duped

That or most people are fundamentally decent enough to prefer a state where democracy and the constitution are valued, where extremism remains on the margins and where the economy is managed well.

Basically the opposite of the PiS 'vision'.
jon357   
16 Apr 2016
UK, Ireland / Are there too many East Europeans, Poles in West Europe now? [47]

saying they were "seriously concerned that the effective paralysis of the Constitutional Tribunal in Poland poses a danger

This is nothing whatsoever to do with the number of Polish or other migrants in Western Europe.
jon357   
16 Apr 2016
UK, Ireland / Are there too many East Europeans, Poles in West Europe now? [47]

Me?

So in fact nothing at all about:

Migrants

and everything about

adverts which "reduce women or men to sexual objects."

Why twist stuff, why twist stuff?

Very hard to see how its got anything to do with East European (or any other) immigrants to western Europe either.
jon357   
16 Apr 2016
News / Foreign investors fear Poland's instability [26]

"Poland's strengths include the size of its internal market,

This is now being systemattically destroyed.

ts weaknesses include the efficiency of its public institutions, its infrastructure, business sophistication and technological readiness."

This is increasing here.
jon357   
16 Apr 2016
News / What kind of Poland do most Poles want? [101]

turncoats in foreign pay.

Looking in a mirror?

Does anyone want the kind of Poland where (for example, I'm speaking entirely hypothetically of course, aren't I Po) they allow American draft dodgers who defected to the Communist bloc to avoid their patriotic duty and who notoriously served as red propagandists are allowed to go unpunished by anything other than Karma? Such people do exist, as well you know....

Most people here want to live in a multi-party democracy, very much within the EU (so popular in Poland) in a country that isn't a theocracy, one with free and unfettered media, openness to the free world and looking to the future not the past
jon357   
16 Apr 2016
News / Demonstrations in Poland in defence of democracy. [2554]

They deserve to be heard, yes. And now Duda is considering stripping Gross of the Order of Merit - for telling what is very likely the truth,

Have PiS ever cared about truth? Or decency? Or justice.

We should be under no illusions about their intentions. They would be happy if there was never an election again. Basically national socialist scum.

But the profits should mainly benefit Poles, not foreign profiteers.

Why?

we're all in it together.

Exactly. And Poland has done very very well out of the EU. Interesting how things will unfold next year when Poland has to start giving instead of receiving....

No wonder that normal, decent, politically moderate people come out on the streets because they feel that Poland deserves better than the truly appalling PiS and their opportunist cronies.
jon357   
16 Apr 2016
News / Poland -- Europe's only counterweight to Russia [271]

hat's not true.

It's very true:

Russia is more dangerous than Islamic State, Poland's foreign minister Witold Waszczykowski, told reporters during a visit to Slovakia.

"By all evidence, Russia's activity is a sort of existential threat because this activity can destroy countries," said Waszczykowski

theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/15/russia-more-dangerous-isis-polish-foreign-minister-witold-waszczykowski

Where was the "free world" when Irak and Libya (for instance) were destroyed?

Doing the destroying of course. If it's gotta go, it's gotta go. As Angus Wilson said, we have to fight fascism where we find it.
jon357   
15 Apr 2016
News / Demonstrations in Poland in defence of democracy. [2554]

siphoned abroad

Siphoned? Perhaps you just object to the principle of profit.

Nothing to stop youy (or anyone else here) buying shares in the companies you object to so much, and seeing a return on your investment - assuming the folly and ineptitude of PiS doesn't cause any more instability than it has already.

manpower and assembly-works

Jobs.
jon357   
15 Apr 2016
News / Demonstrations in Poland in defence of democracy. [2554]

But old Europe can lecture Poland

Old Europe, new Europe, we're all in it together - and this is something the majority here are happy with. The current regime don't seem to get that.
jon357   
15 Apr 2016
News / Poland -- Europe's only counterweight to Russia [271]

Frequently and ad nauseam.

Russia is not only an enemy of democracy, it is an enemy of Poland and the rest of the Union, hence the importance of Poland's robust support for Ukraine and above all something that everyone understands here - that the free world stands together against Russian expansionism, authoritarianism and aggression.
jon357   
15 Apr 2016
News / What kind of Poland do most Poles want? [101]

More online ranting about Jewish people and other groups that make you feel insecure? Here in Warsaw the normal moderate majority just find that tacky...

Remember that Poland has a centuries' old liberal tradition and extremism is not well regarded.
jon357   
15 Apr 2016
News / What kind of Poland do most Poles want? [101]

Maybe if more christians actually acted more christian towards everyone we'd have a lot less hassle/hatred/judgementalism/bigotry in the world

Indeed. Those who shout loudest about it tend to practise it the least.
jon357   
15 Apr 2016
News / Demonstrations in Poland in defence of democracy. [2554]

The crap got voted out of office last October

You're mistaking out for in.

Hence disgraceful scenes in parliament and tens of thousands of ordinary men and women protesting.

Their attacks on democracy will lead to their downfall.
jon357   
15 Apr 2016
News / Demonstrations in Poland in defence of democracy. [2554]

Like the ruse to have the vote disqualified by undermining the quorum.

Looks like you didn't (or more likely didn't want to) understand:

there was a case of voting fraud