News / Tusk wants to privatize PKP Cargo. [38]

And yet you live in the country which pioneered privatisations in Europe...

News / Tusk wants to privatize PKP Cargo. [38]


Good good. It's been the cards for a while, and previous Governments have also been involved in the process (PiS, SLD) - so there should be no problem there.

The only important thing is to make sure that there are no barriers to other companies running freight operations in Poland, too. It should certainly not be the case that whoever buys PKP Cargo also buys a monopoly.

(incidentally, I see you're supporting Tusk in the election tomorrow, otherwise you wouldn't be posting such things)


Why? What does the country need a rail freight operator for, with all the liabilities that come with it?

As for the passenger side of things - PKP Intercity is potentially very profitable, if only they were allowed to get rid of half of the trains. Placing a lot of the TLK connections with PKP Intercity was an exceptionally stupid idea - let Przewozy Regionalne die, the provinces will run their own services (KM, KW, KD, etc) and everyone will be happy.

(except, of course, those who view 700km journeys for 12.50 euro as a "human right")


Actually, one big problem that Greece has at the minute is that there's a huge amount of corruption within State owned companies - they simply don't want to be sold because they won't be able to line their own pockets anymore.

Ask yourself - what use is PKP Cargo to the government?

Work / Teaching English in Krakow. Is there still enough work? [9]

If there is, you're not going to get anything from outside Poland.

You and ten million others want to teach in Krakow.

News / PIS propaganda on Warsaw public transport [27]

Ah well, we can't help that his parents only taught him gutter Polish, can we?

News / PIS propaganda on Warsaw public transport [27]


You seem to have a huge hang up over people not speaking Polish. Could it be that you're projecting your own inabilities onto others?

(using words like "głupku" is nothing impressive, I know 2 year olds who use such language)

News / Predicitng Poland's parliamentary election, 2011? [12]

Plenty of PO-voting devout Catholics go to mass regardless. I know plenty of them.


PO - 37%
PiS - 29%
Ruch Palikota - 9%
PSL - 7%
SLD - 7%
PJN - 3%

With 8% going to 'others'.

Prediction : Minority PO government which does deals with individual combinations of parties to get legislation through the Sejm.

Real Estate / Question about Czynsz (Building maintenance fees/utilies) in Poland [129]

Patrick, if you give me the address of the Kamenica, I'll be happy to keep an eye on the work for you if you want?

It's no bother to take a look once in a while for you to make sure that something is actually happening for your money.

UK, Ireland / The truth about the purchasing of cigarettes in the UK [11]


Severely limited? What you've posted makes it crystal clear that Customs must only establish a reasonable suspicion. Now - Hoverspeed at the time were backed by Sea Containers, which was (at the time) a huge company. They had the pockets to go all the way, and were able to afford the best lawyers that money can buy. The average man doesn't have access to such resources, and even to use a defence of precedent is exceptionally difficult for the "ordinary man in the street".

So - we've established that Customs need a reasonable suspicion. What do you think they're going to say when submitting evidence? Let's see...

"On Saturday 8th October at 20:00, I observed a man passing through Customs who had arrived on a flight from Krakow. He appeared to be uncomfortable and was perspiring heavily, despite the cool Autumn tempatures. I therefore stopped him and asked him in accordance with the law to open his bags, where I found 10,000 cigarettes. Blah blah blah". Voila - the stop was justified - how are you going to prove otherwise?

So - you'd have to go to court to prove that it was for personal use. Easier said than done, especially because you're relying on the court to believe you over a man in uniform.


Nah, I just know better than to pick a fight with UKBA over something that's subjective.

By the way, you mentioned a coach trip - have you mentioned to the trip goers that transporting more than 800 cigarettes at once is illegal under French law, unless it's on a commercial basis?

News / British man prosecuted for raping teenage girls in Kraków [47]


Problem is that most EU citizens don't bother with residency certificates.

However, until he's found guilty, let's remember that equine girls tend to be spoilt brats - it wouldn't be a shock if some of them complained about him maliciously because he didn't let them enter some competition.

News / British man prosecuted for raping teenage girls in Kraków [47]


No surprise there, with the total lack of criminal background checks in Poland and a tendency for children to "sit down and shut up", well.

However, make your mind up - did he assault them, or did he rape them?

Life / Can any young Poles can still speak Russian [25]


I'm not convinced it's accurate - Ukrainian is far closer to Polish in terms of nouns.

Real Estate / Question about Czynsz (Building maintenance fees/utilies) in Poland [129]


It's not that high for Poznan - around 600zl a month is normal in the big housing cooperatives. Stands to reason that a single kamenica would have higher bills. But that 600zl does include everything but electricity.


Not that much if you consider that the whole thing probably needs thoroughly renovated.

Work / Internships in Polish mass media [23]

You do realise that some of the PiS-owned media has very dubious roots, too?

USA, Canada / Where do most Polish-Americans identify on the political spectrum? [142]


Given that IQ tests have been thoroughly discredited, it really isn't enough.

Still, statistics please? I'm not interested in PolskiMoc style "facts" - we need evidence!


They sound equally idiotic. I can imagine that if I encountered such idiots, I'd laugh in their face. I do know the kind though - they learn Gaelic despite having ancestors who came from a non-Gaelic area. Morons.

However, this is PolishForums, and so, off topic.

News / Poland Parliament elections in October 2011 [944]

Gumishu - interesting side story -

Did you know that there appears to be nothing stopping non-Polish citizens (but who have a PESEL) from nominating candidates?

USA, Canada / Where do most Polish-Americans identify on the political spectrum? [142]


Such is their national pride.

I expect they still wave Polish flags and talk about how POLISH they are.


Yeah, yeah. How about some evidence for your claim?

As they say - proof or it's not true.

USA, Canada / Where do most Polish-Americans identify on the political spectrum? [142]

Most is still "too many".

USA, Canada / Where do most Polish-Americans identify on the political spectrum? [142]

So how does this equate with them voting for Kaczynski (one of only two countries in the world to do so) in the last election?

It's a shame that this alleged higher intelligence (which, after reading this forum, we can see is a myth) isn't used in our elections, too.

By the way - care to prove your comments about "more affluent" and "more educated"?

UK, Ireland / The truth about the purchasing of cigarettes in the UK [11]


Random checks have been outlawed? That's a curious interpretation of the Hoverspeed case if there ever was one. Perhaps the cigarette smugglers like to think so, but anyone with a passing interest in English law knows that no such thing has been set. While the English system of precedent is helpful in some cases - it only applies in the specific circumstances. And the 2002 case makes it clear that nothing changed for Customs.

Incidentally, relying on the Hoverspeed judgement for the entire UK is also wrong - it will have no validity in the UK or Northern Ireland, for instance. The Scottish system also doesn't even have the principle of precedent.

But anyway, start by reading this -
1cor.com/1315/?form_1155.replyids=482

You'll soon see that the Hoverspeed case didn't actually change very much. If you look further, you'll also find out that Customs settled the 2004-2006 case out of court - which isn't binding. Neither of these two cases changed the 1979 law in any practical way.

All that changed was that Customs must have a reason to stop someone. That can be as simple as "they appeared nervous when passing through the blue lane".


Read the law. They have the full right to check your documents and baggage without you being under arrest. If you think otherwise - good luck to you, but I'll trust the text of the law more than I'll trust some random internet people who have a vested interest in people listening to them.


You're willing to be arrested by the UKBA? Doesn't matter what they do and don't do on anecdotal evidence - all that matters is that they have the power to do so.


They can certainly detain you for obstructing an officer in his duty.


Read the law.


Good luck to him - anyone who knows anything about UK Customs knows that they'll get their man in the end.

Life / Are Polish people so chaotic and disorganized like Germans say? [89]


The infrastructure is improving, but it's exactly where you'd expect them to be.

Bureaucracy? You've never lived in France.

News / Poland Parliament elections in October 2011 [944]

Didn't he already accuse people of stealing the election from him?

I'm just waiting for the inevitable face-change of many PiS types after they finally get sick of losing and decide that the hardliners must go, along with the pandering to hooligans/mohairowe/etc

Study / Learning Polish in Krakow - do you know any private teachers? [8]

You mean they'll get a Polish teacher of English to do the job (badly).

Travel / DRIVING TO POLAND THIS THURSDAY ANY TIPS? [35]


But...the junction makes that clear. It's actually good, because it means less sign clutter.


But they do - the city sign with the line through it makes it clear. The same sort of sign is used all over Europe.

Life / Are Polish people so chaotic and disorganized like Germans say? [89]


Have you ever been to Poland? Have you ever experienced the Polish work ethic in person?

Ah...no. You haven't. You've clearly never experienced the wonders that is the urząd, and the working hours designed to suit them. Work ethic? What work ethic?

Life / Expats/Immigrants in Poland: Needy, Greedy or contributor. Which one are you? [118]


Tut. Polish women would assume you were mentally ill, or something.

Pregnancy is very much a severe illness that stops people working here!

For what it's worth, I know someone who had a problem with an employee doing this - she went off after 4 weeks on "sick leave". So - instead of letting her screw the country, he paid someone to follow her movements/take photographs/etc and handed it all to ZUS. She got busted.

News / Do Poles take Kaczynski seriously!? [199]


He's for real?

That's why he says one thing to the moustaches/hooligans/old people, but then all his candidates for the Sejm are from the educated middle class of society?

I got a flyer today for one candidate - she's studying law at UAM. Hardly the typical PiS voter, is it?


No problem, after all, I remember the fuss Poles caused when their access to the West (well, West Berlin at least) was closed.

UK, Ireland / The truth about the purchasing of cigarettes in the UK [11]


Okay, let's look at this analytically -

Yes, in theory, they cannot impede your passage if coming from an EU country and using the "blue lane". However, in EU law, there exists the right to conduct random checks at the border - which they use in order to stop you in the first place. While you can argue the toss about this - the truth is that random checks are perfectly allowed. They don't need proof - in fact, the only proof they need is that the check was made at random (unless they have evidence).


Wrong. The relevant laws make it clear that UK Customs have the right to search your baggage and check your identity documents. You can argue otherwise, but the law clearly states that they have this right. In fact, if you fail to do so, you'll be arrested for obstructing an officer in the course of his duties. Incidentally, because the UKBA now do both immigration and Customs - it could simply be argued that it was a second immigration check.


Being arrested isn't going to work in your favour when you consider that such things stay on an enhanced CRB check. I'm sure 'arrested by Customs' would be looked at favourably by touchy employers.


Pissing someone off who has the power of search and arrest really isn't the wisest idea. It might seem funny at the time, but when you find yourself detained in their cells, it won't be so funny, will it?


This is true, at least.


They'll just arrest you and use the statutory powers to search you - no big deal. I suggest you acquiaint yourself with what the law actually says (as opposed to what a few internet experts say).

UK, Ireland / Cigarettes in Poland (cost, brands). The situation in the UK? [57]

And you think you could handle being stuck there for several hours while they use high pressure tactics on you?

It's one thing to talk about it on an internet forum, it's a whole different story when you've got people who will quite happily remind you of exactly what powers they have and what they don't have. Sure, they might not be allowed to do "random" searches - but they certainly have a look at everything that's coming in.

Sure, some of us would just sit there, say "no comment" to everything and leave it for a day in court. But most people will crack when confronted with an empty room, a tape recorder and an interrogation from someone in a uniform.

Wroclaw - for what it's worth, there's controls set up on the A16 from the Belgian border to Calais - they're forever pulling people in and seizing everything if they've got in excess of 800. No discussion about EU law, no debate - you've got more than 800, hand them over. Likewise with the Germans - at least in Frankfurt (Oder), they're almost always sat on the Stadtbruecke and checking bags.

News / Poland Parliament elections in October 2011 [944]

To be fair, isn't it both in PO and in PiS's interest to keep Korwin Mikke's crowd out?

News / Do Poles take Kaczynski seriously!? [199]

And with it, Poles can continue to queue for 4-6 hours on the Western border, too!

Oh, and Poland can take back the 2 million or so to be unemployed, yay! Eastern Poland's unemployment problem will get worse - yay!