News / French chopper - a good choice for Poland? [8]

Exactly. As part of at deal on that scale there is support by the supplier provided in situ.

News / French chopper - a good choice for Poland? [8]

As part of the deal there'll doubtless be a French or French-trained team involved. No harm in Mielec being taken over by the French however yes, having a production facility in Poland would make sense.

Law / Problems in Poland - Swiss mortgage, bankruptcy, jail, mental health etc [26]


Repossessions are extremely rare fortunately.


A difficult one. Maybe the courts will be more sympathetic due to him being a 'Frankowicz' and his current psychological state (they do have a psychologist present in courts if there's any issue however unfortunately they almost invariably support the prosecutor), however Polish courts are notoriously unpredictable and vindictive. If he's fortunate it will be dealt with by one of the new 'electronic courts' so he won't have to go and the penalty will be low.

One issue that may help is that the Franc mortgages thing affects the middle classes more than most Polish financial injustices so it's getting plenty of attention and not just being swept under the carpet. One of my closest friends (a tax inspector) is in this situation himself and barely coping.

The renegotiation thing is tricky. It makes good sense but sense is the one thing that this Franc mortgage affair has lacked from start to finish.

I wish your friends well - they are lucky to have somebody like you supporting them.

News / US slaps Poland in the face (Comey Poland) [92]


You are right and I'd add that we all must.


One awkward situation is that those who control the narrative are happy to mention things like the former while emphatically denying the latter. The current issue about Comey's comments is part of that, sadly.


Same here - it's amazing. Poland's best museum.

News / US slaps Poland in the face (Comey Poland) [92]

This Channel Islands stuff is a distraction however from the terrible things that happened in Poland, the locals selling water at barely believable prices to deportees while the cattle trucks were stopped at junctions, the people in villages who denounced their neighbours for the rewards of a bag of sugar, others who denounced their neighbours (and the denunciation letters still exist) for no obvious reward. Pretending that things like this did not happen does nobody a service and some of the protestations within Poland when a narrative emerges (as in the case of the comments in America that inspired this thread) that deviates from the national mythos simply look unconvincing and cause any intelligent observer to question them.

I've posted this before, but worthwhile returning to it:
Jan Karski ....now seen as a Polish national hero - delivered his first report to the government in exile. He described the Polish attitude toward Jews as "ruthless, often without pity. A large part avails itself of the prerogatives that they have in the new situation . . . to some extent this brings the Poles closer to the Germans." Anti-Semitism, he wrote, "is something akin to a narrow bridge upon which the Germans and a . . . large part of Polish society are finding agreement." The truth is that local authorities were often left intact in occupied Poland, and many officials exploited their power in ways that proved fatal to their Jewish constituents.

edited to remove a rebuttal of the Channel Islands nonsense that had been moved prior to me pressing post.

Real Estate / Stronger zloty - potential driver for Poland's property market [42]


Exactly. It's a tribute to Norwegian common sense and foresight that the Sovereign Wealth Fund is in place and so well managed.


It is very much so.

News / US slaps Poland in the face (Comey Poland) [92]


If they'd had better access to fuel supplies the world would be a very different place now.


Yes, the deportations started in Germany long before and by the time Poland was invaded the plans for ghettos were already in place.


No slap. Sometimes people are oversensitive and that is not a good sign. It makes other people wonder what there is to hide.

This is quite a good article about it:


washingtonpost.com/opinions/confronting-chilling-truths-about-polands-wartime-history/2015/04/21/f0588dce-e782-11e4-aae1-d642717d8afa_story.html

News / French chopper - a good choice for Poland? [8]


If we make them within the Union it makes sense to buy our own rather than from a different continent. Shame about Mielec though, however they have just given a vast contract to Raytheon.

Law / Problems in Poland - Swiss mortgage, bankruptcy, jail, mental health etc [26]

One issue is that nobody was forced into taking these mortgages. Normal ones were available, terms and conditions were well advertised. People chose them because they liked the idea of a lower percentage and didn't consider any of the obvious risks in taking large amounts of credit in a currency they don't have.

No banking scandal (unless it can be proven that banks lied, which they didn't). The sad thing is that ordinary people were taking on complex financial instruments rather than exercising caution. No grounds for a "letter to the Ombudsman". This is a big issue throughout Poland and Central Europe at the moment.

No bankruptcy as such in Poland, and no reason for banks to compensate borrowers who took credit in a foreign currency only to find that the exchange rate changed, as they do.

By the way, you can't be jailed for unpaid gas bills (they just cut you off), this police thing sounds fishy - they do not usually get involved in unpaid bills or disconnection (unless someone is threatening or impeding the gas man) and as far as I know the banks are not yet repossessing houses (huge numbers of people are affected by the way and repossession is extremely rare in Poland). It looks like there's more to this story that they are perhaps not telling you or are dramatising.

Language / Polish - Absolute Beginner Questions. Study plan. [75]

Given that some immigrants/expats/whatever have lived here for decades and speak nothing else at home, plus read books, write lectures and function entirely in Polish for long periods, you bet right, people do "know the alphabet". And yes, some people here "really speak it". It isn't exactly an obscure or rarely learnt language like Basque, Wymysorys or Caucasian Gothic.

History / Was the holocaust by Germans in Poland the worse genocide in history? [210]


Indeed. Poland has always had a huge range of opinions and a diverse set of hotly debated views.

History / How come Poles like Russians but not Germans? [216]


Spot on. The two countries have very long standing links, are massive trading partners, have achieved an understanding after centuries of intermittent problems and just don't need to consider Poland in the same way.

History / Was the holocaust by Germans in Poland the worse genocide in history? [210]


Like they had soooo many choices in life. Being Jews during the Holocaust and all that...


You forgot those who refused to let Holocaust survivors back into their own houses and flats.


Given that the ink was barely dry on the surrender document and thousands still not home from the camps yet at the time of the Kielce Pogrom, yes, they do.

History / Was the holocaust by Germans in Poland the worse genocide in history? [210]


Enough have and do, not that the Gestapo was exactly teeming with Jewish people - one has only to read some of the stuff on here and elsewhere smeared around the internet like an H Block dirty protest...


A little more than 56%, unless you're talking about full literacy however yes, some of them do have an odd view of Europe.

Life / Things getting cheaper in Poland? [6]

No difference, but I do notice more special offers in supermarkets whatever that indicates.

Real Estate / Is it a good idea to buy a Property in Poland -- with debt? [8]

I would be wary too however my ex once said that 'hipoteczny' (if that's what he means) is a good way to buy. A local wouldn't necessarily pay off the debt in one go. For myself, I wouldn't like it at all.

The OP should check this out very carefully with a lawyer (not one recommended by the vendor or estate agent) just in case there's something fishy.

Life / Things getting cheaper in Poland? [6]

No noticeable deflation but also only a few price increases over the past couple of years. A basket of groceries is still cheap.

Travel / Traveling out from Krakow to Slovakia for the May long weekend [7]

Zamość is a must, but if you can't make it, try Tarnów or Bochnia :-)

History / How come Poles like Russians but not Germans? [216]

The 'raven like' symbol in Russia and Germany is an eagle. Same as Poland however each varies slightly in form.

News / US slaps Poland in the face (Comey Poland) [92]


A very fair assessment though I'd add that the Judentrater were blameless - the ghetto communities were forced into that dreadful role.

Study / Opinion about West Pomeranian Business School in Szczecin? Is it a good school? [24]

I think that if this was my first visit to Europe and I was young, I'd be exited too. Szczecin isn't a bad place - it's an interesting city, not too large to be confusing and not too small to be boring. You will meet plenty of new people and make friends and it's a good place to travel from, both to Warsaw and to Berlin.

Poland (especially outside the capital) can be frustrating sometimes - this forum can be a good place to discuss if you find that happening. Most people around Szczecin have their roots much further east (it was always Germany, but the Germans were kicked out 70 years ago and the whole region re populated by people from the easternmost part of Poland that is now in Belarus/Ukraine. This means that the culture there is very Eastern European rather than the Central European feel that you get in, say, Kraków. Hopefully you'll enjoy the vodka!

I think you'll like it, and the Business School should be a decent place to study.

Study / What would be a better city to study in being Muslim Indian - Krakow or Warsaw? [11]

Ul. Freta is an excellent location in the old town (the bit called the new town but that's confusing) - one of the nicest parts of central Warsaw. Not a cheap address and plenty of things to do in the surrounding area. A bit touristy but OK.

History / When will you Poles give back German land and the cities which you robbed? [557]

I'll trust the archaeologists, thanks. They spend more time dealing with things like that. And yes, they can tell ethnicity, not that Polish or modern German ethnicity existed then.

Though as I say, Iron Age (iron side???) inhabitants have nothing to do with ownership today.

News / US slaps Poland in the face (Comey Poland) [92]


No grounds for slander and nobody named by him.


The entire republican party would be in court were that grounds to sue.

News / US slaps Poland in the face (Comey Poland) [92]


Sue him for what?

History / When will you Poles give back German land and the cities which you robbed? [557]

Perhaps you know something that archaeologists don't.

In any case, past inhabitants are irrelevant to current ownership. We all came from Africa anyway.

History / When will you Poles give back German land and the cities which you robbed? [557]


Very true, but no basis for land ownership today. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since.


Likewise.

News / US slaps Poland in the face (Comey Poland) [92]


The present discourse over that American person's mistake during his speech (have you read the speech in full?) doesn't have much to do with Nineteenth Century Austrian childrearing culture (hardly different from that in Poland, one thinks). An interesting theory, however it would help if the Yanks had their speeches checked just to make sure before they accidentally put their foot in things.

Study / Opinion about West Pomeranian Business School in Szczecin? Is it a good school? [24]


No, it is far lower in the ranking than Wroclaw. A whole different kettle of fish. Poznan however has a good reputation.

This gives a clue. Szczecin is so far down it isn't in the main list:
polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/nauka/rankinguczelni

Remember though that rankings aren't everything - there are lots of factors that you should consider. Better to be happy somewhere less well known than miserable somewhere prestigious. Life's too short for that.

'Scuse the repeat posts, but I've got a bit of time to kill and had a look on the Poland-wide rankings of all institutions. The Wroclaw University of Economics is number 44 in Poland among all Higher Education establishments, the Zachodniopomorskie Business School is number 289, 24 places behind the Vocational Higher School of Cherishing of Health and Beauty in Poznan. The Poznan Higher School of Business is number 34.

webometrics.info/en/Europe/Poland?page=2