News / Poland's President-Elect Duda leads in public trust - CBOS poll [185]


Even more that it was full of opportunists. Some good and capable people like Barbara Blida, Aleksander Kwasniewski etc and some idealists like Ikonowicz. But mostly opportunists.

This means that when it all ended so much of the party clung on to what they could. And that compromised the genuine left opposition.

That gave Duda an easy ride - all SLD could put up was Ogorek, a joke candidate. SLD still have a lot of strength in certain areas and at a local level however the crushing effect that they have on the left of centre means that the genuine political left is fractured and in effect we now have two Conservative Parties and a kind of 'tribal voting'.

Something new will come and it will be hard to say who will hate it more, Duda's PiS or Platforma. Somewhere a Tspiras (or a Corbyn much as he worries me) will emerge. And that person will have the (genuine) public trust that Duda does not. Grodzka and Biedron would both of them make a great premier, however I can't see them getting the small town vote. Maybe in a generation when Grodza will be too old and Biedron ready for leadership.

I just don't believe this CBOS opinion poll. After all, what percentage of people have a landline now and how many are at home when they call?

Study / Formalities For Studying In Poland - Sponsoring [22]

And I can well believe they're still putting out information referring to 'the foreigner' without taking into account that if you're a citizen of an EU member state you don't have to meet any conditions whatsoever.

Certainly no 'sponsoring' or financial requirement or intention to leave the country.

Study / Formalities For Studying In Poland - Sponsoring [22]

You'd be surprised. Especially when the printed/online info doesn't take that into account. They still say that all foreigners need to register as resident, even though they can't actually insist on that.

Study / Formalities For Studying In Poland - Sponsoring [22]


Hi Howie, your profile says you're in England. Is this correct? In which case 'foreigner' doesn't mean you. You're within the EU and assuming your nephew is a British citizen there's no requirement whatsoever to have a certain amount of money. He has an absolute right to be in Poland, just as Poles have a right to be in the UK.


The normal NHS card that you get for international use - google it on the NHS website


He has no reason to show "intention to leave" - in fact he can stay as long as he likes. The "intention to leave" thing is for people from outside the EU.


None of this applies to British citizens.

Love / How official and important are engagements in Poland? [9]


That only applies if you're a szlachta.

Otherwise you have to ride into the village and seize them on horseback.

News / Poland's President-Elect Duda leads in public trust - CBOS poll [185]

Nope. To anyone who understands standard political economics. The PiSuarzy favour socialist economics with an unpleasantly nationalistic slant, one of the many reasons they were such a laughing stock when they were briefly in office.

News / Poland's President-Elect Duda leads in public trust - CBOS poll [185]

Platforma is very far from left-leaning. If anything the PiSuarzy are the left leaning party economically.

Roger, it's anyone's guess where the next genuinely popular movement will come from. There's clearly a need for it and certainly support. It will basically be the next generation.

As for bipartisan, worth remembering that the two parties in the U.S. Have a long tradition. Neither of the two conservative groupings in Poland have any tradition (or stability) at all. Just changing political 'camps', splits and factions. I don't think it will settle down into a 2 party system any time soon.

News / Poland's President-Elect Duda leads in public trust - CBOS poll [185]

Not just 'seems' it is far fetched. I don't think there's the risk of a bipartisan assembly - Poles love factionalism too much for that.

And there's a stronger tradition of the left in Europe, which will sooner or later have it's effect. Poland is unusual in that the two main parties are both conservative. I don't see that lasting long.

News / Secularism = a dying society. How this phenomenon affects birth rate in Poland? [20]

Trying to manipulate cultures never works. Anyway Cyprus is doing fine.

News / Secularism = a dying society. How this phenomenon affects birth rate in Poland? [20]

They all have conducted a pro-family policy.

News / Secularism = a dying society. How this phenomenon affects birth rate in Poland? [20]

Seems strange anyone would want to stage a counter event to Przystanek Woodstock. I wonder which was more popular and why that has been Pospieszalski turned up.

News / Have PO (Platforma) operatives in Poland fallen into a panic? [332]

Very, given that I'm not a member of Platforma or are ever likely to be. In Poland they're the lesser of two evils. Both parties conservative but Platforma the only one with a shred of integrity and common sense. The bunch of clown who want to replace them are something we know about from bitter experience.

And as for sleeping, remember we aren't all in the same time zone ;-)

Nighty night.

News / Have PO (Platforma) operatives in Poland fallen into a panic? [332]

Well, you're certainly entitled to your point of view. If that's the calibre of PiSuar sympathisers, Platforma will sleep well in their beds tonight.

News / Have PO (Platforma) operatives in Poland fallen into a panic? [332]

Yes, indeed you are 'sorry'; the description fits well.

Not that someone who believes that a microscopic cluster of cells without a central nervous system or brain "might feel pain, we don't know" or that "families I know" are the basis upon which Platforma should base the retirement age, rather than hard fact is especially worth "enlightening". I suspect dimness rather than light appeals more.

News / Have PO (Platforma) operatives in Poland fallen into a panic? [332]

There you go again, just call it 'propaganda' when it doesn't fit your opinion or whatever you pretend is your opinion and try to argue about.

Make sure you ask a 'family you know' the best position to sleep in. They might even tell you that every government in Europe has been taken in by the 'lies' of statisticians. And microscopic clusters of cells saying "ouch".

News / Have PO (Platforma) operatives in Poland fallen into a panic? [332]

So ignore expertise, science, analysis and intellectual rigour and just leave it up to a 'family you know'. Or a man you met in the pub. Or the Vicar's sister-in-law's dentist. Of course a family you don't know may think otherwise, but hey, you don't know them.

Just feel free to ignore the facts and base all political decisions on a 'family you know'.

And if you disagree with a decision, just call it 'make-believe propaganda'. And since the other day you speculated that a cluster of cells with no central nervous system or brain 'might feel pain', you're evidently very at home in the realm of make-believe.

That seems to be the way the PiSuarzy actually work.

News / Have PO (Platforma) operatives in Poland fallen into a panic? [332]

Yes, the real world, dealing with hard facts and economic realities. Where decisions are based on a bit more than 'families you know'.

Maybe you'd like to set the defence budget according to 'families you know' or a man you met in the pub. Or when setting the policies for in-vitro fertilisation and stem-cell research, ignore the doctors and scientists and just ask some nuns.

News / Have PO (Platforma) operatives in Poland fallen into a panic? [332]

'Families you know'. That makes all the difference. May as well abolish the National Statistics office.

UK, Ireland / Why did you move to the UK / Ireland from Poland - what incentives were you given ? [26]

That's often the best reason NocyMrok.

I moved to Poland for a brief change of scenery. Half a lifetime ago.

I'm sure quite a few Poles in the UK can say much the same.

UK, Ireland / Why did you move to the UK / Ireland from Poland - what incentives were you given ? [26]


None at all. It's way out there with UFOs and Pres. Obama being born in whatever country, or the Masons conspiring to run the planet. And there's absolutely no conspiracy about Poles moving to the UK - just a specific type of job market.


You mean the annual voluntary think tank intended to be a forum for public servants and business people from different spheres who wouldn't normally get the chance to exchange views to meet and also discuss current affairs with retired experts. The one named after the Bilderberg Hotel where the first one was held - you can stay there, Lastminute.com do some nice deals.

No sort of conspiracy, nothing hidden, no 'world order' and above all, nothing to do with Poles migrating to other EU states for work after 2006.

The only reason that a company would specifically recruit in Poland is because the high employment at home meant they had found it hard to recruit locally. Any government involvement is because the UK Department of Trade and Industry has a legal responsibility to assist businesses in such matters. Most of it was done through the Chamber of Commerce anyway


She's a shill for the Greys, the Nordics, the Putinists and the hollow-earth Antarctic dwelling nazi crystal skull Jesus-bloodline reptilians.

UK, Ireland / Why did you move to the UK / Ireland from Poland - what incentives were you given ? [26]

And definitely not Polish, judging by his use of English...

Also when people start coming out with laughable terms like 'NWO' (google it if you're unfamiliar - pure conspiracy theory comedy) there's a pretty big warning sign of trolling.

UK, Ireland / Why did you move to the UK / Ireland from Poland - what incentives were you given ? [26]

No global strategy at all, just a need for cheap labour, hence promoting work opportunities in the UK. Same for Ireland.

History / The story about German- Polish reconciliation [194]


This is the key to it. I'd add (and perhaps this is what Pastor Gauck was thinking) is that Germany has a moral duty to take part in international military actions. After all, Germany benefits very strongly from the stability and economic opportunities when there is peace. And of course is as vulnerable as any other large economy to the effects of oil and other commodity prices as well as the downturn in exports and the currency swings when there is not.

Classifieds / I need in UK a traditional Polish Attire (garment) cloth for a man. It's urgent. [6]

Most of that stuff is frankly a bit naff but I suppose it depends why he wants it. Mostly easy to run up on a sewing machine in a couple of hours but frankly you could hire all sorts of things and it would pass.

Classifieds / I need in UK a traditional Polish Attire (garment) cloth for a man. It's urgent. [6]

No such thing, unless you mean a folk dancing costume and there are plenty of those differing in colour from region to region.. None of them genuinely like the day to day wear of the time and place they're meant to represent though. Too stylised and frankly too colourful and clean. The nearest is maybe góralski clothing - a few (but only a very tiny few) wear that if they aren't performing something. That resembles Swiss Alpine folk dress a little.

Why not Google Polish folk costume and see if you can find something similar at a theatrical costume hire place. Most would have something that would pass for it, especially if they hire for opera.

News / Have PO (Platforma) operatives in Poland fallen into a panic? [332]


Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel as someone once said. I doubt there's even one elected politician who isn't patriotic and JK is less so than most - it's just that he trumpets nationalism to his elderly and sentimental core support base.


On a local level they are spectacularly corrupt, really the worst of the various parties since the PZRR.

As for the retirement age, 70 is the new 50 (should cheer you up Pol3) and most people nowadays no longer drop dead a few years after retiring at 65.

Work / Advice on Teaching English in Poland [709]

Pearson LCCI is a very respectable qualification, however yes, it's unfortunately not well known in Poland. You should print off a qualifications equivalent table and attach it to your CV. You should also think about the British Council because frankly with the level 5 you are better qualified in TEFL than some of their Poland staff. Also, no need to mention I-I on your CV; just LCCI (use the full name as well as the initials) Pearson and Mention the QCF connection. You could also stress that it's the equivalent to a Polish licencjat.

As for the Kraków/Lublin thing, Kraków is in my opinion overrated and touristy but a much bigger city. Lublin is friendlier and there is less competition for teaching jobs however it isn't for the easily bored.

What about Warsaw?

News / Have PO (Platforma) operatives in Poland fallen into a panic? [332]


Better the latter.

We've got an ageing population, increased life expectancy, increased years of healthy life but hey, what does he care?

History / Climate, weather event and Polish history [23]

The historical variations that Varsovian mentioned in his first Post are neither here nor there - they don't tell us anything about man-made climate change either as an argument for it or against it.. A bad winter in the Fifteenth Century is simply an irrelevance. The real damage started much later and is continuing now.

You could justifiably talk about fracking in this thread if you believe it is simply exacerbating a process that already started in history - basically the industrial revolution as a whole. Not Varsovians examples which cover a period when there were simply too few humans to make any impact.That came later to Poland than the UK or most of the industrial regions of Germany which are much cleaner than they were. The thread title does say and history, rather than in history, too. Also, it's very hard to separate one issue from another here - the damage from the past is not being allowed to heal. Fracking however won't be happening much in Poland and doesn't contribute on its own to global warming. The way gas is used, yes, the way it's extracted, no.

There are still problems in Poland. In Katowice, there's been a century of damage for example. As for fracking, some is dirty and some is clean - it all depends on how near the reservoir is to the ground surface. Unfortunately in Poland (as in Southern England) it is mostly shallow.

The big baddie for climate change is the ethyl lead that the Americans poisoned the planet with for a century. This isn't a Poish thing however the air pollution round Warsaw is severe - they took the public display board outside DH Smyk away because the readings were usually off the scale. This is in part due to the (historical) push for industrialisation after the last war and partly due to (state owned) companies being above the law - just dumping industrial waste.

China and India are the problem now. A mushrooming population, massive industrial growth and using dirty fuels and tech. If anyone thinks that isn't relevant to Poland they're deluded. The man-made global warming that it causes (and has already caused) affects Poland too.

Some of Varsovian's examples are interesting, but as somebody just said, all they prove is that hungry people riot. The 'year without a summer' caused by Krakatoa brought governments down and there have been similar problems. There will be more. It just shows how vulnerable we are and how badly man-made climate change is damaging the earth - these examples from history are just a taste of what's to come.

Genealogy / Tristyn - Polish version of my Celtic name? [7]

Tristan is Wagnerian isn't it? As in Tristan and Isolde.