Feedback / Staying on thread (re-closed) [26]

Honestly, it's fine if people living here are discussing it, but it's weird that someone with no connection to Poland would want to discuss such a thing without knowing the slightest thing about Poland.

Food / Supermarket or small corner shop for grocery shopping in Poland? [23]


If you get the chance, try the raw milk from a mlekomat. It's fantastic stuff, and the price at the minute is between 3-3.50zł a litre. I'm very fond of it.


Did you look in Biedronka? They've got some decent cuts of meat recently for not very much money - they even have lamb in my local one!

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]


If PiS were genuine, they would immediately severe all links with anyone suspected of corruption until an independent political commission investigates and releases a public report on the matter. They could also make it clear that they will not cooperate with anyone with any links whatsoever to the old regime, and demand that all senior party officials undergo a thorough vetting (with the results made public) as well as all candidates for political office.

I'm sure I'm not the only one that would welcome a party that had a genuine hard line on the topics listed above. The problem is that we can already see how PiS are soft on corruption, what with Duda refusing to cooperate with any investigation and the way that crooks such as Hoffman are openly working for companies that cooperate with PiS.

Funny thing is Polonius, me and you aren't so far apart. I just want any lustration/anti-corruption process to be fair, genuine and open to public scrutiny rather than the PiS version where they investigate political enemies. A true test of honour would be to investigate what Duda did as a member of PiS, and immediately cut all links to him if it's found that he defrauded the taxpayer.

Feedback / Staying on thread (re-closed) [26]


Please, no. I'd be very happy if it was kept closed, on the grounds that it's simply weird that an American with no connection to Poland would want to discuss Muslims in Poland.

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]


Blimey. A PiS/Kukiz coalition would be lucky to last as long as the last one.

Remember, you need to win the vote of confidence in the Sejm and also be able to defend against dissolution. If PiS cannot put together a viable and stable majority, they'll be at PO's mercy again, just like last time.

But this mentality -


- is exactly why PiS will never be able to form a long term government.

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]

Nice, selective memory Polonius.

Actually, what PO did was absolutely nothing. PiS were actually running a fairly popular government under Marcinkiewicz, but Kaczyński ruined it. He took over with a mere 30% approval rating, and almost immediately went about trying to destroy LPR and Samobroona. I remember it well - Kaczyński went mad with power, and PO sat back and did absolutely nothing as the headlines wrote themselves. The SLD were attacking PiS frequently, but PO had very little to do with it.

No-one in their right mind believes that Szydło has any chance of remaining Premier for more than a few months.

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]

Says the alleged Kukiz supporter.

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]

Hello, Kaczyński's troll ;) Learnt from Putin, have we?


Not really. Most local authorities are run by independents with only nominal affiliation to political parties.

Study / What is the best medical school in Poland? [33]


Nice try, but highly unlikely to have happened.


If you're smart, you don't go to English-language medical school in Poland unless you're one of the very, very few exceptions.

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]

Latest poll...

PiS - 36%
PO - 24%
Kukiz - 6%
ZL - 4%
Nowoczesna - 4%
PSL - 4%

So my feelings are correct. PiS are struggling to find the last few percent needed to get over the line, and this entire election will hinge on whether or not ZL and Kukiz make it. If ZL make it and Kukiz doesn't, then PiS will be in opposition. If Kukiz makes it and ZL doesn't, then PiS form the next government. If both of them make it, then PiS have a very difficult decision to make.

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]


Not a bad idea! Petru can put a hold on the socialist promises that PO have made, while making sure to stick to a free market agenda that stops us pouring vast amounts of money into money-losing businesses such as coal mines.

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]


So it's official - vote Kukiz, get PiS.

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]


PiS may have had a chance before of such a high percentage, but Kaczyński and Macierewicz have ruined that.

The big question right now is whether the PO voters that have gone to Nowoczesna will stay there, or if they'll vote for PO on election day.

Language / Czesc/pa vs. no czesc/no pa [18]

do Niemiec.

Niemczech is used with w (in), for example, mieszkam w Niemczech - I live in Germany

By the way, it's jadę, not jade. Two completely different letters :)

News / Is it honourbale for ex-presidents to commercialise themselves? [12]


What, you're saying that Poles aren't all for obtaining money?

It might not be the nicest thing to say, but a common observation among foreigners is just how money-obsessed Poles are.

News / Polish people's criticism of European Union [104]


Oh, they will. PiS are in a somewhat dreadful position in this respect - if they stand up to the EU, then the money stops flowing to the poorest regions in Poland - where their vote is strongest. PO hasn't really suffered at all - Kopacz actually seems to have been strengthened in the last few weeks, while PiS haven't gained anything. They will pretend otherwise, of course - we'll hear lots of rhetoric about it, but when push comes to shove, they'll capitulate. Lech Kaczyński did just that with Lisbon...

Worth pointing out that PiS in government were cooperative in reality while mouthing off in the domestic press constantly. It was rather funny to watch - they were shouting about the EU on one hand, but agreeing to everything on the other.

Travel / Getting from Wrocław to Lubin [17]

No problem, enjoy yourself in Poland :)

Travel / Getting from Wrocław to Lubin [17]

Not sure, but on such a journey, it will probably be a coach.

Travel / Getting from Wrocław to Lubin [17]

e-podroznik.pl/3473,80516,13019,rozklad-jazdy-pks-wroclaw-lubin.html#veryTop

Should have details of most/all buses there.

News / Polish people's criticism of European Union [104]

Don't be so sure about Bavaria. The CDU needs the CSU's mandates (a lot of them) - and if AfD starts to make real progress in the polls, then the CSU could even break the link with the CDU - or at least demand Merkel's resignation.

My feeling right now is that if 1.5 million turn up like some predict, then Merkel will be gone sooner rather than later.

News / Polish people's criticism of European Union [104]


PiS won't keep them, and neither will anyone else. Germany will be told quite clearly that border control is their problem, and that Poland isn't going to abandon the ideals of Schengen. They'll cross the border easily, re-register in Germany under a new name and problem solved. Poland will say "they've vanished" and that will be that.


I think everyone is ready for Germany in this sense - you can already see that Poland told Germany that they agree only if Germany pays, and everyone else will take the same attitude. It's a dreadful deal for the German taxpayer, and I think that it's rather more likely that the German Lander will rebel.

News / Polish people's criticism of European Union [104]


They won't cancel it. PiS always made a big show of "standing up to Germany" while actually being very obedient about everything.

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]


Indeed. Time to embrace Nowoczesna.

(you surely didn't mean PiS, who have their own share of problems with stealing from the public?)

News / Polish people's criticism of European Union [104]


These are certainly happening, as I've been following it and almost everyone is agreed that it's happening. It seems to be mostly Albanians fighting with people from further afield such as Pakistan and Afghanistan. Quite what any of them are doing in Germany in the first place is beyond me...

Can't say about the other things because it's not so interesting for me personally.


I'm surprised that it hasn't happened already.

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]


Why bet on something so absolutely uncertain? The polls are suggesting one thing and one thing only - there will be 6 parties in the Sejm and that forming a government could be very problematic.


Perhaps you could tell us the problems with the methodology used by the polling organisations? It's not hard, they publish all their data freely - so why not show us what's wrong with them?

By the way, Komorowski wasn't polling over 50% on the day. It was only 39% a few days before.

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]


Win in terms of most seats - most probably.
Win in terms of being able to win a vote of confidence for their chosen Prime Minister - not so clear.


They're not going to get 50% of the seats. ZL, Nowoczesna and the PSL are all polling above the threshold, and Kukiz has realised that shutting up is the best way to obtain at least something. With 4 small parties in the Sejm, they're not going to get a majority.

Forming a coalition with Kukiz would be suicidal for them, and the PSL aren't as stupid as PiS voters seem to think they are. It would not be in their interest in the slightest to enter a coalition with Kaczyński around, given the well-documented behaviour by him towards previous coalition partners. Furthermore, if the electoral mathematics mean that PiS+Kukiz cannot put together a majority, then the PSL are the most likely candidates to provide a new Prime Minister due to their centrist politics. Why would they go near PiS in that case?

Let's not forget that there's still a long 2 weeks to go, and PiS are stumbling now. Szydło is failing to engage the voters, PiS are already talking about Kaczyński being the Premier instead - all in all, they're by no means home.

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]

Are you suggesting that they won't pick up 0.1% from the undecided voters?


They did, but that was months before the election.

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]


It's really not going to happen, no matter how much you wish. The poll numbers are staying firmly around 35% - it won't give a majority.


At 7.9%, they certainly will. The SLD took 27 seats in 2011 on a mere 8.2%.


Poll numbers suggest strongly otherwise.

As much as you try and paint it otherwise, PiS are looking at relying on Kukiz to provide a majority. A good outcome for Poland, all things considered - the government will fall quickly and we can return to a normal government.

Something else that you've forgotten - PiS, historically, have always polled better than they performed.

One poll yesterday suggested that voters vastly prefer Kopacz to Szydło.

Work / Recruitement Process / Interview with an IT company in Poland [13]


What I did once was to find some supporting evidence (research, published surveys, etc) and offered them in the middle of the lowest and highest salaries quoted, to reflect the fact that I wasn't the strongest candidate but also to show that I wanted more than the minimum.

USA, Canada / Pulaski Day (celebrated in the US only) [54]

Merged: Pułaski Day celebrations in New York

I found this on Skyscrapercity and thought I'd share. It's quite interesting - I found the marching by commercial businesses to be something completely unfamiliar here, for instance. Some other things are also interesting, such as the stork on the front of the ZHP truck.

facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1062856400399506.1073741845.111343195550836&type=3

Can anyone tell me (Polonius?) what the flags are here?

facebook.com/TheBestOfPoland/photos/a.1062856400399506.1073741845.111343195550836/1062856410399505/?type=3&theater

The American and Polish flags are obvious, but the next two?