History / "I was more afraid of fellow Poles than Nazi German Officers", says Bartoszewski [130]


Getting there. Thenews.pl is still the best way to get a snapshot of what's going on though, even if the actual stories are terribly written and dreadfully biased at times.

History / "I was more afraid of fellow Poles than Nazi German Officers", says Bartoszewski [130]

But I was quoting thenews.pl which hates GW :(

History / "I was more afraid of fellow Poles than Nazi German Officers", says Bartoszewski [130]


I think you misunderstand. They got what was coming in terms of abuse from many people after doing exactly that to their political opponents - indeed, the almost widespread mockery of the twins after the 2007 election was brought on by their own paranoid witchhunts during the 2005-2007 government period.

The fact that people are still ridiculing Jaroslaw today is a direct result of what he was doing after winning the 2005 elections - and it will continue until he retires from politics.


Me? Pretty much politically unaffiliated. None of the parties particularly appeal - I'm a centre-left voter by nature, and none of them tick that box. Perhaps I would be closest to the liberal elements within PO, but - again - maybe not.

At the same time, I'm convinced that once PiS get rid of the hardliners, they'll become incredibly electable.

History / "I was more afraid of fellow Poles than Nazi German Officers", says Bartoszewski [130]


Well deserved comments, no doubt.

Don't forget, the Kaczynskis only got what was coming to them after years of hateful nonsense from them.

Work / Need for Public Accountants in Polska? Poland [11]


Exactly as it says - you'd be hired on the same basis as any ordinary Polish worker, instead of as an expat on some ridiculously large salary.

Life / An example of what is wrong with Poland (fatal traffic accident and a tram) [55]


Funnily enough, I was in a tram crash a couple of weeks ago. Some muppet tried to make an illegal left turn across the path of the tram, tram smashed into the side of the car. No-one hurt, but interestingly, the MPK Poznan workers ordered the tram to move clear of the junction despite the car being a write-off. After a few minutes of taking photos, the tram drove off.

Life / Bureaucratic issues in Poland - I sorted complex problem using the telephone and email [37]


Hmm. I wonder - businesses have been issuing electronic invoices for ages, but perhaps this means that it will be (now) legal to keep these invoices on CD/pen drive/hard drive instead of having to print them out?

(must ask accountant)


Grr. It would make my life so much easier if I could just issue invoices by e-mail - every month, I have to spend about 35zl on posting 10 invoices to different clients :(


I did indeed, thank you :)

Definitely a step in the right direction - it seems to me that Poland is adopting the UK model, where there's less paperwork but more regulations to comply with. Good or bad? Not sure.

Life / Bureaucratic issues in Poland - I sorted complex problem using the telephone and email [37]


It was supposed to get abolished for sole traders as well, but it was retained due to the EU requirement for businesses to have a unique tax reference.

Certainly, the introduction of the PESEL being used as a personal tax number is a very sensible move.


Any idea what this is about? Is it just legalising electronic invoices from non-VAT payers?

Law / Healthcare for British Citizens living in Poland [30]


Blimey - just goes to show how utterly different the system is - ZUS here have been totally incapable of giving a straight answer as to the actual cost of this on a voluntary basis. It's certainly the best way forward for anyone who definitely needs to have health care.

A good question actually - would the OP be liable for Polish taxation on his pension?

Life / "Letter from Poland" - very important movie to watch [51]


There's not much explanation needed. Blasik was reliant on Kaczynski for his command.


Are you denying that PiS conduct witchhunts?

Life / Texas Holdem - impact in Poland? [3]


It definitely did have some impact - many of the people at the Politechnika are making a decent amount of cash from playing it.

As for poker chips here - your best bet is to buy them online.

I know there are some organised games here, but I know nothing about them :( always wanted to get into playing live tournaments...

Law / Healthcare for British Citizens living in Poland [30]


Yeah, it does. The NI contributions are what matter.

But - at the same time - you need to be wary that the EHIC card won't cover you for anything that isn't emergency - although the practice differs, you don't want to be caught in the situation where they refuse to cover you for a follow up appointment with a specialist on the grounds that it's non-emergency care.


Unfortunately, you're not mentioning that signing up for ZUS is much easier said than done, if not paying ZUS contributions directly. While it is possible to pay ZUS as a private individual, it's a minefield - and certainly one of those "huh?" situations that Polish bureaucrats try to avoid at all costs.

The fact remains - unlike the UK, Poland operates an insurance system for health care. No payment, no care.

History / "I was more afraid of fellow Poles than Nazi German Officers", says Bartoszewski [130]


True, damn those Poles at Treblinka!

Law / Healthcare for British Citizens living in Poland [30]


I would strongly urge you to make arrangements for some sort of private health insurance then. The Polish system is set up so that if you need emergency treatment, they will treat you - and then link a large bill to your personal data. It's also worth pointing out that while the EHIC card will cover you for emergency treatment, it won't cover you for follow up care - and you'll find that many health care providers are rather reluctant to accept the card due to the long delays in being paid from the State Insurance Institution (ZUS).


Be careful with this approach. I've heard mumurings that the UK is now starting to cross check against people's NI numbers if they're actually resident in the UK or not - you'll have no entitlement to UK health care if you're out of the UK for more than 185 days a year and not paying UK taxes.


If she's a teacher in the State system, no problem - but if she's a private teacher, she may very well not have health insurance paid.

All I can say is that I strongly stress that you have some sort of health care here - although private medicine for routine cases (such as check-ups) is cheap, any sort of more serious situation can be incredibly expensive.

USA, Canada / Dual citizenship - US doesn't care if you don't give up Polish passport [103]


I imagine that his allegiance will change according to the prevailing wind.

"Yes sir, you have been drafted to go fight in the jungle against those towel heads" "IM POLISH"
"Yes sir, you have been drafted to fight against some Ukrainian insurgency in the mountains" "IM AMERICAN"

Treasonous as ****.

Law / Healthcare for British Citizens living in Poland [30]

If it's so expensive, it's probably very unlikely that it will be funded in anyway by the NFZ system.

As for getting married - it's not enough to be married, one of you must also be paying ZUS - and many people are on "freelance" contracts which allows you to pay very little tax - but as a result, with no healthcare either.

USA, Canada / Dual citizenship - US doesn't care if you don't give up Polish passport [103]

So - you're saying that you treat the oath of citizenship (which is a very serious deal to Americans) as a joke?

Nice to see that not only have you betrayed Poland, but you're also disrespecting your host country. Your father really did teach you well!

UK, Ireland / Scottish people in Poland [14]

He likes his vanishing acts, no doubt he'll be back soon.

Life / "Letter from Poland" - very important movie to watch [51]

To be honest, the only time I've ever agreed with them is when they quote something officially.

Mark my words MW - we're going to see a report which slams Blasik, probably released in about June - just in time for the association in people's heads that Blasik = Kaczynski appointee = murderer.

UK, Ireland / Scottish people in Poland [14]


You can give me a shout - I moved here from Scotland and I've got my own business here :)

If you want to get in touch - my e-mail is office@lindenia.

Life / "Letter from Poland" - very important movie to watch [51]


Frankly, I'm of the opinion that "fine news site" and "Poland" doesn't go too well together.


I don't read wprost, but thenews.pl is well known to be politically biased towards PiS. You know MediaWatch - perhaps I should start a thread outlining political allegiances in media in Poland? There's really no such thing as independent media here - sadly.


If the video corroborates what the witnesses say, then it shows everything just fine.


You really don't understand Polish politics, do you?

Let's see - if a BOR agent (responsible for protection of the Government) testifies against Blasik right now, then he's safe politically. Blasik was a PiS puppet - so the current PO government and President will protect him. Great, right?

But what if PO lose and somehow, Kaczynski (or his allies) get into power? They'll punish the BOR officer - Kaczynski has already made it clear that if he was Prime Minister, he'd be prosecuting anyone who says anything that doesn't agree with his interpretation of events. Hence - common sense is to refuse to say anything.

And before you say anything - ask yourself, what happened to that pilot who refused to land in Tiblisi? Ask yourself - did he ever fly the President again?

This isn't America, MW - unlike in the US, where civil servants are professional and non-aligned, Poland is a young democracy - and with it, all the problems of individuals being appointed based on politics and not abilities.

Still we wait for the Polish report. PAF-102 is now fixed, so the tests can be carried out. It would be nice if the Polish investigation concludes before April 10th, but I doubt it :(

UK, Ireland / Interesting Job Ideas For Intelligent Polish People To Do In The UK? I've given 2 here :) [7]


The fact that she's unhappy about working in a hotel and doesn't want to get involved with computer games suggests only one word - princess.

I know a guy here who has a daughter in the UK - she started off 3 years ago as a waitress in a hotel, and is already now the assistant manager - they recognised her hard work and promoted her to the moon. Frankly speaking, I can't see how someone with a run-of-the-mill Masters degree in a soft subject is going to get much in the UK.

Life / "Letter from Poland" - very important movie to watch [51]


You're not listening, as per usual.

There are at least one, possibly two witnesses from the BOR (look it up) that can confirm what the video shows - that Blasik ordered Protasiuk into the cockpit. There's history between those two - it certainly wasn't a case of Blasik ordering some unknown around. The lip reading experts are simply to confirm what the eyewitnesses are saying - although there's a problem in that the eyewitnesses are reluctant to testify, probably out of fear for what will happen if Kaczynski's mob gets elected.


Where on earth are you reading such nonsense? The Polish investigation has said nothing whatsoever about the lack of authenticity of the transcripts - in fact, the way that it was released was a de facto approval by the Polish state.

You really need to stop believing what you read on crackpot conspiracy websites run by lunatics on "renta".

I really can't wait for the official Polish report to shut you up once and for all. Sadly, I suspect that people like you (unknown internet crackpots) will just attempt to discredit the official report and cause further pain for the families.

Law / ACN direct selling telecom company in Poland [45]


Ah yes, you're quite correct.

While he's at it - he should be able to tell us the profit made by ACN Inc, right?

Law / ACN direct selling telecom company in Poland [45]


Well done - as a representative of ACN, you're now insulting Polish people in Poland by associating them with drinking vodka.

Tell you what, I'll rephrase the question.

How many people made a profit last year (or in 2009) as an ACN Independent Representative?

Law / ACN direct selling telecom company in Poland [45]


It's like MediaWatch all over again!

Perhaps he can also explain why the ACN product is actually a resold product - sold at a higher price than the actual provider!

Harry - according to one study, the amount of people that leave ACN with a profit is actually less than 0.5%.

Funnily enough, as a private company, ACN doesn't publish any detailed information about their finances. And, the ACN Integrity site is owned/operated by ACN Inc.

It really doesn't get any better than this :)


You really do seem to have problems with the basic question of -


Such an ACN devotee should be able to answer such questions easily, right?

Don't worry about the other questions - just answer this one question. Go on, I'm begging you.

Law / ACN direct selling telecom company in Poland [45]


You still haven't answered my question.


But, just for fun - tell us, why does ACN prohibit people from marketing the product, but not from marketing the "opportunity"?

Don't get me wrong - ACN Inc. is doing a great job at making money for the shareholders of ACN. In fact, I'd guess that ACN must be ridiculously profitable - for the shareholders of ACN Inc. But the ones who sign up to sell their products? They're making nothing.

Harry - if you want a good laugh, it turns out that with ACN, you're even responsible for the unpaid bills of people that sign up. Whoever heard of a salesman being punished for the clients failure to pay their bills?

Law / ACN direct selling telecom company in Poland [45]

And - folks - there you have it. Instead of providing a concrete answer to this one very simple question -


We instead get endless drivel about believing in something.

I've seen figures of a 98% failure rate within ACN. Ask yourself - do you want to "invest" into a business that has such a high failure rate?

USA, Canada / Dual citizenship - US doesn't care if you don't give up Polish passport [103]


Those were hardly democratic countries!


It's a vocal minority with nothing better to do than sit online and whine all day. The same people are usually on "renta" and have precious little to do but complain because the country isn't giving them everything they want.


I'll be sleeping soundly tonight.

Life / "Letter from Poland" - very important movie to watch [51]


It's currently being analysed by lip reading experts, according to the Polish investigators.


Nothing is said - it's a CCTV camera. However, there's at least one eyewitness to this event, and apparently more.

MediaWatch, you don't live here - you don't understand the Polish military culture. Heck, even your own Americans have been criticising the Polish armed forces in Afghanistan - don't you see that Blasik's behaviour is part of the bigger problem?

(and that problem is that the armed forces were never allowed to become politically independent)