UK, Ireland / Polish candidate for London mayor to represent 2nd-class citzens [26]

In London, in the place you are registered to vote. If you look at your local council's website (the London Borough, NOT the Mayoral site) it will list polling stations - you need to go to your local one since you will be turned away from any other. It should also be listed on the Polling Card that you receive in the mail. You do not need to take this card with you to vote, however nowadays some ID is a good idea. Alternatively ask at the local office of any political party or email Zylinski's campaign office. If they do not get back to you this is a bad sign. Your local public library will also be able to advise.

Worth mentioning that Zylinski is a sort of joke candidate and probably does not have much of a campaign team.

Work / I'M SO SURPRISED BY THIS SALARY FOR IBM in WROCLAW 3000 ZL gross [135]

Yes, it is a good salary for a couple to live on.

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]

I suppose those of us presently travelling outside the country are not obliged to observe electoral silence so can comment.

In reality, the Forum being in English means the authorities would care even less than they do about Polish language fora. Anyway. It's discussion, which is not banned.

Classifieds / Coming to Poznan in December - Looking for some girl in Christmas times [33]


Or maybe the opposite...

UK, Ireland / Sugar tax in the UK. Polish friends addicted? [55]


This makes sense, though the revenue from the tax would have been useful I suppose.

Last time I went to the doctor in the UK, I was called into the nurses' room for a health talk (apparently they have to do it every so often now) where they asked about 5-a-day, cigarettes, booze and all that. I got a lecture about healthy eating, red meat etc. They didn't bother weighing me saying "we can see right away that you're not obese". The irony was that both nurses weren't just fuller figured but actually massive. Sort of do as I say, not as I do.

At least they care, at least they were nice about it, the weight thing was probably embarrassing for them to have to ask people about (it's a rough area and I can imagine some of the comments they get) and thank God we have the NHS.

I think I'd rather be fat and happy than thin and miserable. I'm lucky that something (genes? taste in food? drinking/smoking habits? something else?) keeps me (apart from a bit of middle aged spread) away from extremes.

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]


With Kopacz, it's the Gordon Brown factor. Having a technician as premier might make for efficiency, but the voters are swayed by charisma.

Love / Scottish & Polish relationships [229]

So make your mind up. Now you're denying it.

Genealogy / Slavs are descendants of Sarmatians? [600]

Practically nothing? Rubbish. As explained to you carefully yesterday, no civilisation is older than half that, and Jandaczek is just some guy in America with a home made website who believes in pseudoscience.

Love / Scottish & Polish relationships [229]

Nope, Crowie, Scotland was never part of the 'Slavic World"...

UK, Ireland / Sugar tax in the UK. Polish friends addicted? [55]

White sugar kills, but it doesn't take much willpower to avoid it - after a while you stop liking it. I suppose the tax will help the NHS treat the obese.

If anything should be taxed though, it's wędliny, especially kielbasa. Apparently as carcinogenic as ciggies.

Love / Asking a Polish man to marry me... [10]

It would be unusual, but there's always room for that if the couple in question want it.

Love / Scottish & Polish relationships [229]

The topic is Scottish & Polish (actually Polish/Scottish according to protocol) relations, which do not have a political aspect other than in the sense of Scotland being an independent country within the UK. Should they vote to secede, that may change (or may not, since diplomatic relations are not likely to be unaffected since the rest of Britain and Scotland share common goals, would never be competitors and would most likely share diplomacy) and Crowie, we will certainly let you know if that happens.

You may be disappointed though, since the ethos, the politics, the commitment to human rights etc of Scotland would be as far from those of Serbia as it gets. You can take the Sturgeon person if you like (please!) - though given a choice, she'd almost certainly prefer Kososvo to Serbia. Love her or hate her, she is committed to fairness, equality, Socialism, pluralism and peace - all those things that Serbia dislikes.

And in Polish/Scottish relations, most of those concepts ready exist.

Genealogy / Slavs are descendants of Sarmatians? [600]

Crowie, the earliest civilisations arose about 5500 years ago. So saying


is bonkers. As are the Jandacek's if they are really saying that Slavic civilisation, Sarmatians, whatever pre-date that as a coherent civilisation. Though they are not.

Nice pics on their website though...

Love / Scottish & Polish relationships [229]

Quite. And the thread is about Scottish/Polish relations, since 1801 largely cultural, something outside politics and certainly nothing to do with the Balkans.

Love / Scottish & Polish relationships [229]

Sean Connery, Crowie, is very far from authoritative.


I will repeat this slowly and carefully. The Scots chose to stay.


Codswallop.

You're just sullen and bitter because Britain (including Scotland - do you know how many Scots are in the army?) did the right thing when Serbia were massacring and raping women and children.

Genealogy / Slavs are descendants of Sarmatians? [600]


What? 10,000 years? Longer than civilisation itself? A tiny fragment??? Would you care to clarify that point?

Love / Scottish & Polish relationships [229]

You do realise that in a free and fair referendum, Scotland voted no and also that were the same referendum held again today the NAW vote may well be higher? Perhaps not.

Should they choose to separate in the future, nobody will stand in their way. The Poles when under the Russian yoke among other nasty regimes could not say the same.

To compare Poland's struggle against and Scotland's Nats is fallacious. Aside from Poland having a population 8 times higher or thereabouts, Poland struggled against three cruel oppressors and Scotland had no oppressor at all - in fact it joined the UK through free choice. Scotland does not lack influence - there was a period a little while ago where the leader of 2 the UK's 3 major political parties were from Scotland: Brown and Menzies-Campbell. The other was called Cameron.

Of course you can always prefer the words of a retired actor who lives in America.

News / Kaczyński slams "political correctness" plague in Poland [85]

If he'd have done that, all hell would have broken loose. The president refusing to accept the result of an election in which his identical twin brother lost? Not even in Kaczynskistan could they have got away with that.


Not that there was much in the way of democracy to accept back in the day, that and the President having been assassinated by someone from a political tendency that is the forerunner of the PiS party prats. JK was booted out, didn't have the huge popular support and respect that The Marshal had, and didn't have an army either.

Love / Asking a Polish man to marry me... [10]

Asking the parents would very much not be as good idea if a woman proposes to a man anywhere. Very dated in Europe even the other way round anyway, since an unmarried woman is no longer considered to be under the protection and authority of her father.

As Ziemowit said, it isn't traditional in Poland, however traditions aren't written in stone, it has doubtless happened often, not all Poles are the same, and since you're from somewhere else, Polish traditions are only half of the story at most and probably much less.

But yes, be careful, raise the subject tactfully and test the water first to see what his views are on marriage in general and where you're heading as a couple in particular. Though since you're considering this, you presumably know already.

As for the parents, it isn't their marriage and whether traditional or modern, it would be very odd for them to receive a request like that.

News / Kaczyński slams "political correctness" plague in Poland [85]

Apart from the absurdity of comparing a great man and a hackneyed politician, are you seriously suggesting that refusing to leave office when he was dumped by the electorate was an option???

News / Kaczyński slams "political correctness" plague in Poland [85]


Did he have the option not to step down when he lost the election? If he hadn't, he'd simply have been locked out of the office.

News / Kaczyński slams "political correctness" plague in Poland [85]


He'd have nobody to rail against, and in any case wouldn't have any legal grounds to ban a major party.

News / Kaczyński slams "political correctness" plague in Poland [85]


Not quite. It's nothing to do with 'biting your tongue' unless you make a habit of using words to hurt people. It's about choosing the language you use in order to be decent, positive and rounded by not demeaning others or yourself. Common sense really and nothing new..


I've never heard anyone suggest that it is, and am pretty sure that the concept had never occurred to Kaczynski.

News / Kaczyński slams "political correctness" plague in Poland [85]


How would you define it?


Quite - and as ever, blame it on an enemy, whether political correctness or other, even more nebulous, forces.

News / Kaczyński slams "political correctness" plague in Poland [85]


Before you start accusing people of lying, you might want to research the views of some of the individuals supporting his old Fourth Republic project.


This is spot on.


Demonising is what that crowd specialise in. They need a bogeyman, a silent enemy to validate their paranoia and the feeling of powerlessness that underlies their support base - read Adorno on this.

Hence the crapola in his speech about 'political correctness' when in fact he wasn't talking about that at all, just misusing the term for his own ends - which to restate are quite simply the above bogeyman thing, and anticipation of having someone/something to blame when so many of their legislative projects are knocked back by the European Union.

News / Kaczyński slams "political correctness" plague in Poland [85]

There speaks a declared supporter of Kaczynski who, like the ghastly Kaczynski misunderstands the concept of political correctness, perhaps (like so many of the uninformed) in reality rather than empty rabble-rousing rhetoric like Kaczynski's pretence.

We can expect so much more nonsense like this, and JK is setting a precedent. As last time, they'll try to ban all sorts of things that their Mrs Grundy supporters dislike. This time however they'll be knocked back by the EU and will blame - wait for it - political correctness, despite maybe 1% of their core electorate, if that, actually being able to define the term.

Though Gumishu is right about one thing - kaczynski himself is unlikely to favour the thing mentioned above being criminalised given his own personal life.

News / Kaczyński slams "political correctness" plague in Poland [85]


Don't pretend what exactly? Over the UK (where the poster's brother is) the law isn't like that, In Poland, not everyone knows about such things nor is there any reason they should have to do something that others don't. So don't pretend, Gumishu.

And in Kaczynskistan/4th republic/whatever, the elderly couple in my example would be criminals anyway.

As for Kaczynski, it was (like so much of his drivel) he's making a point about something that doesn't exist, deliberately confusing concepts and terminology (he is an educated person - he may be ignorant as pig sh1t on so many levels, but he does understand political concepts) in order to appeal to what the Americans sometimes call the 'Archie Bunker vote'.

We should not be fooled into thinking that his speech was for the benefit of those who heard it live - they were just there to clap. It's the people sat in front of the telly at home, wheezing about the evils of the modern world that he was playing to.

Real Estate / Help on choosing the best neighborhood to live in Warsaw.. [20]

Yes! That bit round Uniwersytecka is especially beautiful. The whole area is handy for trams etc as well. Not always easy to find flats there because so many people want to live in the area.

About Saska Kępa, if you go further up Al. Waszyngtona and turn up any of the side streets north after the park finishes (like ul. Grenadierów) there are some nice streets. Still not cheap, but cheaper and also nice. Not so much if you turn south after the allotments finish, but that part of town is still convenient.

Real Estate / Help on choosing the best neighborhood to live in Warsaw.. [20]

PippoZ is pretty well right. I'd add though that the bridge will re-open very soon (most of the repair work is finished and they're now doing the safety tests) and in any case, in the 'proper' bit of Saska Kępa that Piglet mentions, you wouldn't use that bridge anyway and the trams are unaffected.

Saska Kępa is a nicer place to live than near the Presidential Palace where there are sometimes demonstrations/parades etc that clog the streets. Handier for the shops too, nice & leafy and the restaurants/bars are very good. It is considered a very desirable place to live for good reasons.

Food / Best Polish Potato Variety for Mashing [67]

The ones I end up buying by mistake, usually :-)

I find Polish mash quite dry (I haven't had the pleasure of a meal in Ireland yet) compared to the Yorkshire type, made with waxy potatoes and a lot of butter as well as milk. I'm pretty sure they don't even always add milk in Poland.

Atch, there's a good recent thread here about potatoes. A poster (I think DominicB) mentions which commonly sold varieties are floury and which are waxy. I much prefer the waxy.