News / The Guardian destroys the Kaczynski twins [42]


Same with The Times, The Economist - and any other sensible analysis.

Still, they've got Fronda on their side :-)))))

News / The Guardian destroys the Kaczynski twins [42]

A very good article - it collates and sums up the facts very well.


Yes - one of the top five most visited news websites in the world (no. 2 in the UK after the Daily Mail) and the only mainstream British publication that doesn't belong to investors - basically as independent as it gets.

That article is the best analysis of the appalling situation so far.

Life / Tacky commerpop and the slob chic in Poland? [24]

So basically day to day culture. And who decides what has merit and what doesn't?

Life / Tacky commerpop and the slob chic in Poland? [24]


But what exactly are you suggesting does that?

History / "Poland's Concentration Camp" ?? [570]


IS please, you evidently have no idea. It takes little or nothing to set the media off on a frenzy and here especially they absolutely love writing about perceived slights to the country and nation.

Life / Tacky commerpop and the slob chic in Poland? [24]


That word implies a problem and there simply isn't one. People's tastes differ and if you don't like something (though you are very vague about what exactly you dislike and entirely silent on who decides what is of merit and what isn't) you can always become a hermit.

History / "Poland's Concentration Camp" ?? [570]


Why would anyone 'autograph' someone else's book?

Anyway, you'll doubtless read it (or selected extracts, anyway) when the fringe right-wing media in Poland go into meltdown over it.

It's meticulously researched though doubtless the usual hysterical nationalists will claim it's all a plot.

Life / If UK votes to leave the EU - what repercussions for British people living in Poland? [32]

Precisely. And one drawback about being in the EEA is that all the things that eurosceptics dislike about the EU would still be there however the UK wouldn't have any say whatsoever in decision making and certainly wouldn't have their current veto.

Life / Tacky commerpop and the slob chic in Poland? [24]

That's not an alternative to anything; it's just another whinging Jeremiad.

People will always have very different tastes and the world is richer for that.

I prefer serious literature and music, the theatre, ballet, etc, others prefer the new Star Wars film, some sort of pop music, a tv soap and there's nothing at all wrong with that.

And after all, who actually decides what has artistic merit and what doesn't? A committee of something?

History / "Poland's Concentration Camp" ?? [570]


There's a new book out that discusses the concentration camps set up by Sikorski. When it comes out in Polish translation we can expect the usual outrage.

I gather the no win-no fee vulture lawyers are already trying to trace (very elderly) survivors and family members of those who were shot trying to escape.

History / "Poland's Concentration Camp" ?? [570]


At least one member state (Belgium certainly and I think others) automatically puts EAWs issued by Poland to the back of the queue - effectively meaning they aren't acted upon. Other member states have discussed the issue of Poland's a ing the system and an attempt to use the EAW in a political way, especially against citizens of other countries (and who are likely to be journalists from high-profile newspapers or politicians FFS) will just mean Poland hers suspended from the EAW system.

Life / Tacky commerpop and the slob chic in Poland? [24]


Po, you whine and whine across many threads here about this thing you call "tacky pop culture" and rail about all the dangers you see lurking therein however whining is all it is; you don't suggest any alternative.

From the tone of some of your posts, even many of them, you give the distinct impression that products like music, fashionable clothes, reading materials, diets, Valentine's cards etc that some people like but you don't should be banned from the shops if they don't meet some sort of nebulous standard of quality. And you don't even suggest what that benchmark of quality is.

Life / Tacky commerpop and the slob chic in Poland? [24]


I think it's about hating life.

That and wanting the world (specifically Poland) to be more like North Korea - every form of cultural output, every product in the shops, every new idea or fashion approved and permitted by someone.

The question is actually: by whom?

History / "Poland's Concentration Camp" ?? [570]


Marian Zyndram-Kościałkowski certainly was, and we can expect quite a bit of discussion on this issue during 2016...

History / "Poland's Concentration Camp" ?? [570]


Marian Zyndram-Kościałkowski...

History / "Poland's Concentration Camp" ?? [570]

It's mostly political and diplomatic sabre-rattling.

That and a certain unease and sensitivity to criticism about various events in the war, the recent publication of a book (not yet available in Polish, but the storm clouds are gathering already for when it is) with a couple of chapters on the Polish Conventration camps operated in Scotland by Sikorski and of course the ever-present issue about the real estate and other property of holocaust victims from Poland.

News / Poland's proposed change to farmers land inheritance [7]

It makes no difference who owns what - and there are no restrictions on Poles buying up properly in other member states as some are doing in eastern Germany.

What it will do is to cause even more chaos about inheritance, more acrimony among heirs and more neighbourhood animosity among farmers - none of these things are lacking anyway in Poland.

History / Why is the Diary of Saint Sister Faustina Kowalska still unknown to Polonia and other countries? [29]


The concepts can be linked but are certainly separate. The Pope certainly chooses his words very carefully and on the subject of mercy they are certainly worth listening to.

Sister Faustyna's book is promoted heavily by her followers and is available very easily and translated into many languages. It isn't as if it's a secret - after all, she was canonised recently.

History / Why is the Diary of Saint Sister Faustina Kowalska still unknown to Polonia and other countries? [29]

No. What sort of a conspiracy do you mean? Cui bono?.

The concept of mercy is a very broad one, certainly not confined to religions and the RC devotion to the Divine Mercy is much much bigger than Sister Faustyna's particular devotion.

News / Poland's proposed change to farmers land inheritance [7]


Unless it's changed, owning 3 hectares of agricultural land is the benchmark. Much abused by people who want to pay KRUS rather than ZUS.

Interestingly enough, I'd be prepay to bet that a hefty chunk of the people who will be affected badly are rural PIS voters.

News / Poland's proposed change to farmers land inheritance [7]

I wonder if that's possible for an EU member state. Sounds like something from Belarus - doubtless Jaro admires Łukaszenko.


This bit I like, though stricter planning regs would achieve it more easily.


They've certainly got a whiff of the 30s about them...

History / Why is the Diary of Saint Sister Faustina Kowalska still unknown to Polonia and other countries? [29]

I wonder why you think that? She's very well-known here and has been for many years.

There are 100 million followers worldwide of her 'Divine Mercy' devotion and she has a Major Shrine at the Basilica of Divine Mercy down south.

Life / If UK votes to leave the EU - what repercussions for British people living in Poland? [32]

Not even the "vote leave" campaign are suggesting that. The upheaval would be huge and expensive.

Mind you, the swivel-eyed anti-Europe campaigners are not generally known for common sense or vision...

Real Estate / Real Estate current condition in Sopot area (checking the market) [21]

It's true that people from Poland are going abroad more. Croatia used to be popular but got expensive and Athens always seems to have plenty of Poles there (we go there quite often; partly for the reason Poles go - the very low cost of a break somewhere nice and partly for the weather and food) but Sopot is a bit of a strange one and still hugely popular.

Why Sopot is popular is a bit more complicated. It's nothing special at all and in terms of scenery, beaches, architecture, amenities etc compares very badly with an average resort in the UK. It does well financially for several reasons - it's the only seaside resort comfortably drivable from the capital, it's part of a conurbation, it has very little competition from other resorts and importantly, a (recent) tradition has developed of people with money spending a week or two there each year plus of course weekenders. These factors sustain it and keep real estate prices high.

Some of the other places around the Tri-City have greater potential for development although the returns on investments are slow and not interesting enough for major developers.

Real Estate / Real Estate current condition in Sopot area (checking the market) [21]


Way too far away from large centres of population. Although Sopot is rather overpriced for commercial real estate, the area around Gdansk is a better bet, since Swinoujscie is just too far to drive from anywhere that punters with money live.


Thousands of people every year - in peak season the main drag there is jammed with people and the hotels are full. The prices there suggest that the consumers are more affluent than average.

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


Basically no plan at all and just a face-saving exercise which will just end up with them digging themselves deeper and deeper into a hole.

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


This rather sums up the appalling 'economic' proposals by the awful regime, thinking specifically of the openly-derided retail tax we have at the moment - basically unachievable and which will above all, impoverish ordinary people in jobs that are already low-paid. Not just by forcing prices up, but by costing retail workers (a poorly-paid occupation) their jobs.

And of course it does suit PiS - not only electorally but also as part of their wider outlook and 'vision' for Poland - to keep people poor and unhappy.

Life / If UK votes to leave the EU - what repercussions for British people living in Poland? [32]


No, no chance at all for the reason below. Plus Poland will still be in Schengen (or its successor) so it would be impossible to police, particularly for people who don't need/want to work in Poland.


Way too many and near impossible to enforce. Plus the CBI would oppose it, as would people on the left (and right across the political spectrum).

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


Their 'budgetary trustworthiness' has never been in doubt.

Unlike the clowns who are temporarily in office - they have no 'budgetary trustworthiness' whatsoever (or any other kind of 'trustworthiness') and are very aware that they've made promises they can't keep; hence this ridiculous new retail tax that will only hurt the lowest-paid in society.

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


They aren't doing those vigils again are they? Some seriously creepy people used to assemble outside the presidential palace and yell through megaphones from a tent they'd set up.

Very annoying for the residents of Dom Bez Kantów and bad for the restaurants around - after all, who wants to pay to eat a meal when there's some nutter yelling creepy conspiracy theories through a megaphone and a crowd of miserable looking nuns and their groupies all of them with hate in their eyes.

A contrast to the Polish pro-democracy rallies; generally very good natured and positive things.