News / Poland's political crisis deepens [228]

At the moment Ironside no journalists are being allowed in the Sejm - none. Where is that in the regulations ?

Real Estate / Making an offer on a new flat in Poland [15]

Of course you can negotiate with developers. At 240k i doubt he would be snapping your hand off - build cost is about 4000 per sqm - add finance, marketing, tax on top of that and it would not leave him much profit on say a 50sqm place.

But 290 certainly would keep you in his mind - a few years ago you could probably go with 275k but good new flats go quickly these days and market information is good. What town is that in ?

News / What will drive Poland after 2020 - when Eu funding dries up? [96]

More nonsense - this was a resoultion with no legal force even in Germany and it does not affect the rest of the EU. But maybe its worth debating - might be useful if we were less reliant on Putin and Iran for oil ?

Any evidence for your ridiculous claim about a Dutch cartel controlling fruit prices ? Have you any experience of that ?

And why don't you register ? Its fine for unregistered posters to ask how to buy a train ticket or look for a bigos recipe, but why should they be able to post ad infinitum in order to spread their unsubstantiated views ?

News / Polish Stalinist criminal hiding abroad supports KOD [101]

Turning off microphones ? Moving to a different room to vote ? Dragging unarmed protestors out of the way ? Who is creating the banana republic again ?

Love / Polish Girl & Me...Is She Interested? [57]

They are like most women - they like confident guys who will show them respect and make them feel secure and make them laugh sometimes. Your attitude is awful, so I doubt you have a chance as she will pick up on that - but if you want to quit wasting time you want to be direct then ask her for a coffee and tell her she's not your type but you may as well bang her. You will probably end up wearing your coffee.

Law / Deportation Law related to Crimes in Poland [4]

Well what nationaility is he and where is he now ? But surely this would be a question for a lawyer, not a bunch of bored people clicking on a forum ?

News / What will drive Poland after 2020 - when Eu funding dries up? [96]

The 1m Ukranians claim was made by Szydlo in a speech but subsequently pulled to pieces by the Polish press - the probable number is around 500k. but the number of asylum seekers is tiny - round about 5000. And by the way, she is not really the leader of Poland.

Given that you spend so much time in Poland After2020, you will know that you can tell a car's hometown in a blink of an eye from its plates. These are locally owned cars - in my village out of 500 homes I guess around 5 are second homes. And I am not from Warsaw.

But I don't need superficial evidence like car plates - an easier number is the amount I need to pay to keep farm workers - its now 15 zloty an hour and more if you want someone who can drive - i can remember paying 8 zloty about 10 years ago and having people come and offer to work for 5.

You are, remarkably, right about one thing - that much money comes from foreign remittances. But that is surely a good effect of the EU ? People that used to have to swim accross the Oder on a lilo can now work legally, change money and export it legally and with far lower middleman costs, learn new skills and have a wider choice of careers. i spent some time growing up in North Carolina - when I go there now many of my old friends are working in DC or in NYC - surely that is just the same concept ?

If you just state you are opposed to the EU for ideological reasons then that would be an easier case to make than saying it is materially bad for Poles.

The boom in car leasing is not the fault of the car producers (why would they ask where the money comes from ?), the leasing companies are mostly Polish banks and could be easily reined in by the govt of the KNF if needed - in fact two of the largest are now owned by the govt. If the govt wants to deflate that boom then it could do so at a stroke of Kaczynski's pen and say the 500 zloty is paid in food stamps or clothes stamps, or that there is an earnings limit - neither will happen as it is the bedrock of the govts support - so the kids it is intended to help can enjoy paying for it in 2040.

How is your Brexit going ? I see the other 27 countries were too busy talking about other things last night but it did get 20 minutes over the brandy. When is that letter going to come ?

UK, Ireland / Wish to adopt a newborn baby from Poland (we live in the UK) [7]

Its not an easy process to adopt even if you are both Poles living in Poland. Throw one foreigner into the equation and that will generate huge hassle - you would be better off checking a specialist website in Polish language, i know one expat with a Polish wife who adopted here and it was a painful and intrusive process lasting about 6 months - and he is someone living here for a long time.

News / Jesus Christ is Now Officially the King of Poland [164]

Of course there is no equivalence between the BBC and RT - i dont often watch BBC telly but listen to many podcasts on BBC that are critcal of the UK govt and many that are objective. You do not get that with RT.

blue red cat - there are many successful nations that practice the separation of church and state - and not just in the EU, it is a cornerstone of American public life. Examples of theocracies are far less appealing places to live - Iran and Saudi for starters.

Life / What is the worst bank in Poland that I should avoid at all costs? [21]

The problem with the SKOK started under the previous government.

News / Polish Stalinist criminal hiding abroad supports KOD [101]

But last week, you were suggesting that anybody who served as an officer in the armed forces income in PRL times be stripped of their rank - surely many of those people also only want to put some food on the table and make sure they have the best opportunity in life in life?

Language / Polish inscription in a book for a loved one [35]

EuroBrit - hope you have the advice you need. just one more piece :) i think if you are not yet in a relationship the kochany and zawsze can be quite heavy in Polish context - if she is into you then no problem as Poles like romance, but if you are more in a chatting and flirting phase (i.e. Before you have done the deed) then it might freak her out a bit.

News / What will drive Poland after 2020 - when Eu funding dries up? [96]

The 600.000 refugees is just one piece of divisive nonsense from the OPs big book of statistics. It goes with his ridiculous statement that small town Poles have never had it so bad. In fact the precise opposite is true (and I spend a lot of time in the Polish countryside so can see with my own eyes the vehicles in the church car park getting better every year).

You can choose any gmina in Poland and you will see increased income (double since 2004), increased purchasing power, lower unemployment (there are plenty of jobs in Poland and nobody needs to go abroad, those who WANT to now have the chance), better infrastructure and better life expectancy. That is not all the EUs doing but absolutely EU membership has been the strongest factor - confirmed by the fortunes of the basket case countries who are outside - Serbia, Moldova etc.

Nobody here really disagrees with the result of Brexit vote - we just think it was ill informed and harmful. but the best thing now is for It to be executed quickly and decisively and leave the other 27 countries to work out how they might possibly manage without Britain. So what is the UK govt waiting for ? Do they realise it might not be the great idea it seemed in June ?

thinking Brexit is stupid does not make you a socialist - I am far from that.

And what is so wrong with a Pole being in a senior EU role ? Wouldnt being a pragmatic centrist with a lot of experience managing a large economy be a good qualification ? Or do you rather think that Poles can neve qualify for that role ?

News / What will drive Poland after 2020 - when Eu funding dries up? [96]

Yes, I am aware of that - it has nothing to do with the EU and everything to do with the current government, whose unpredictable interference in several key sectors is discouraging investment and harming the zloty and the stock market. However growth is still postive, household incomes are going up and unemployment is still quite low by historical standards.

No, I am not a Monnet professor and I dont work for a bank. I pay tax here, run my business across several central european countries and employ people here and raise my family here. I don't have much interest in what is happening in Spain frankly and not much in Britain either. What I do know is that in this part of the world then EU membership is giving people a standard of living and an economic perspective that they never had before, as well as peace and stability.

The brits have taken their decision and I wish them luck with it, but you seem to want to validation that the crazy idea of Brexit is correct and will spread to other countries. That is unlikely, so why not just get your government to have the balls to send that artcile 50 letter and float off in your own direction (and you will probably need to work out what to do with Scotland and Ireland first). Then when you have your paradise outside the EU you can open and run whatever kind of banks you want and no yound people will ever be out of a job.

enjoy your weekend - I will let some other people continue this debate

News / What will drive Poland after 2020 - when Eu funding dries up? [96]

Yes, small banks that nobody would put their money in. So they would have no money to lend out. So if you wanted to own a car or a house you would have to stash it under your mattress and hope nobody steals it. That sounds far better than the current system of regulated banks owned by their shareholders and able to move their capital to where it is most needed.

According to my first google hit the unemployment rate for Spanish graduates is 14 percent. Not sure where your 75 percent comes from.

News / What will drive Poland after 2020 - when Eu funding dries up? [96]

As discussed on another thread there is a high correlation between lower education levels and brexit voters - links were provided. Democracy means their lack of understanding has the same weight as more informed views. Britain has to deal with the consequences and they can get on with it - though it seems like that article 50 letter is stuck somewhere in the post.

In the countries you mentioned then yes a rag tag of racists, loonies and opportunists are pickng up votes from the gullible and the geriatric, but it will not be enough to end the EU.

Maybe you would register here before you call other people trolls ?

News / What will drive Poland after 2020 - when Eu funding dries up? [96]

Well from the tone of your language I guess you think that Britain or Germany are Mum and Dad and we are weak and innocent children here ?

Poland was the largest recipient of EU aid, but that is obvious - it is the same size as all the other 2004 countries added together. On a per capita basis or percent of GNI then all 3 baltic countries and Hungary have received more, and yet they had deep recessions in 2009 and 2010. Poland did not, so it is not QED that the EU aid was the only factor in Poland's relative economic success in the region. Part of that is down to a strong internal market, hands off management by the govt in the 2000s, and considerable investment in manufacturing and value added services.

What will happen after 2020 ? Probably something similar to what happens now - higher spec exports the 80m rich people next door and lower spec exports plus agriculture to the 250m in the east. The current govt is maybe not helping matters in terms of investment but lots of economic indicators are still quite strong.

Will it become a base for US FDI ? In what sector ? If its manufacturing well there is already a big place just south of the USA, right where Trump wants to build a wall. if its services then maybe in IT and banking a bit but in retail, real estate, fmcg etc then US companies could not compete here with Germans and French for many reasons.

it is not inevitable that the EU will fail - it has many successes to its name and the strong support of much of the sensible and educated populations of the 27 remaining states. if Britain wants to leave that will be a little local difficulty but it will not bring the house down.

News / Poland: veterans and freedom-fighters want Jaruzelski posthumously demoted [20]

So in 1989, the most unstable and uncertain year since the war, it would have been a good idea to strip everyone in the army of newly independent Poland of their rank ? And to do the same for the police ?

Even by the standards of this forum its a moronic suggestion

News / What impact will Donald Trump's election have on Poland? [331]

Crow I don't know how old you were when these events were happening, but the reality is that Croatia and Slovenia wanted to get away from a Serb run commie state because they could see their neighbours like Poland and Hungary already on a path to freedom and prosperity in the EU. Germany, only recently reunited, was simple acknowledging reality of the changes in Central Europe.

And at least in a material sense they made a wise choice - Slovenia has gdp per head 4x that of Serbia. Croatia is twice as richas Serbia.

Real Estate / The tenant in Poland can't terminate the rent ? [10]

Well in that case you need to talk to the guy and come to an arrangement - but it does not sound very healthy that you are his tenant and his employee - I trust he is paying you the Polish minimum wage (PLN 12 per hour).

Law / How much will the total investment of opening new craft beer pub be in Poland? [3]

Well there is huge competition at the moment - assume you have checked that out. In Warsaw I can think of at least 10 craft beer pubs and 5 or 6 are pretty decent.

But nobody can answer your question until you tell them what city - in order of expensive rents then Warsaw highest, followed by Krakow, Poznan, Wroclaw, Gdansk and Szczecin, Lodz, Katowice probably quite a lot cheaper. Warsaw rents are double Lodz rents for example.

Work / Are there Job Opportunities for Americans in Poland? [20]

that is true but imagine how great it would be to walk out of the office now and have some chicken and biscuits or go to IHOP or have some great BBQ or some real Mexican (sorry Trump fans). In my office in the US they were all within 5 minutes :((

Real Estate / The tenant in Poland can't terminate the rent ? [10]

Well you are obliged to pay but if you don't then it is very difficult for the landlord to evict you under Polish law.

Alternatively then if you leave, but you don't have money to pay then there is not a lot the landlord can do to get money from you. He cannot get blood from a stone and the legal process would cost him a lot of time and money.

My suggestion - offer him an amount of money to break to contract (say one months rent). If he does not accept then leave the flat, make sure it is clean and tidy before you go. take a few photos on your phone to prove that, and then post the keys to him. Don't answer any of his calls or texts.

Work / Are there Job Opportunities for Americans in Poland? [20]

Well your best bet is to write or linkedin with a few of the bigger food companies in Poland - you could try Masterfoods, Nestle, Amrest, Unilever etc, or you could try some big foreign supermarkets like Auchan, Kaufland or Tesco. They might be short of people for specialist work but since you will need a work permit it really is going to be very tough for you. Of those then Amrest and Kaufland are the only ones in Wroclaw. However lab postions in these companies rearely pay more than about 1000 USD (4.000 zloty)

But you will also find it difficult because your attitude is awful. Maybe South Africa in the 1950s would be a more appropriate culture for you given your remarks about European descent. You call women fat abominations - any HR director who meets you will probably also be a woman. My view is that if you voted for Donald then stay there and take your chances that he makes America great again.

Totally disagree about the food by the way - I miss American food every day - the choice, the different flavors and the low prices.

UK, Ireland / Are Polish people moving back home from the UK? [68]

of course one vote is one vote - and the Brits can get on and implement it - that will be extremely difficult since it is not supported by business or really by the government, it will require a lot of unpopular decisions and will possibly lead to the break up of the kingdom but best wishes to them.

UK, Ireland / Are Polish people moving back home from the UK? [68]

well 52% thought that - the old, the northerners, the poor, Welsh and the less educated plus a small proportion of idealogues, civil liberties types, a few extreme left.

48% did not think that - Scots, Northern Irish, Londoners, Immigrants, more educated people, young people. Why were they not affected by this self regulating mechanism ? Maybe they think that being in the EU makes them safer, richer and gives them more opportunities.

UK, Ireland / Are Polish people moving back home from the UK? [68]

yes - it is a pro Brexit newspaper and the Conservative's preferred paper among the broadsheets - which is why I suggested it.

There are plenty of other such studies which you can browse at your leisure. Or you could take a look at a few simple maps e.g. Cambridgeshire and Oxfordshire voting leave but with some strange very strong "remain" dots in the middle of them - home to some of those experts that Brits had enough of.

UK, Ireland / Are Polish people moving back home from the UK? [68]

Sure - a google search on "education level of brexit voters' gives many hits and articles from left wing and right wing and think tanks - you could get that evidence literally in 3 minutes

here is an article from the pro-Brexit but normally reliable telegraph. Sample statistic - of 35 areas where 50% plus of voters had a degree then only 3 voted for Brexit. There are maps, correlations, graphs - everything you could need to support the fact that Brexit's core support comes from the lower educated.

telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/24/eu-referendum-how-the-results-compare-to-the-uks-educated-old-an/

UK, Ireland / Are Polish people moving back home from the UK? [68]

that is anecdotal Roz - the overwhelming trend is that education was closely correlated with voting preferences and that a large portion of that 17m came from people with less education. They were most susceptible to the divisive and simplistic solutions proposed by Brexit. It did have a lot of better educated supporters but they have been much quieter now that the complications and compromises required are more apparant.

News / Poland - exhuming Smolensk victims [30]

what surprised me is that quite a few of the families are in favor of it - jaw dropping. But I suppose their decision.