Study / Admitted To Warsaw University Of Technology (Politechnika Warszawska) [69]


There is no work for foreign students that can't speak Polish, unless you count native English speakers moonlighting as English teachers.

If you do find work, it'll be for about 5zl an hour.

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


He hasn't got a chance of getting elected, however, he has a core support of around 20% of the population. Most of them (as can be seen from the recent election figures) are badly educated older people from Poland B. Interestingly, he enjoys heavy support from the American Polonia, one of only two places where he won in the recent election.

From my perspective, he'll be finished after the next election. His mental decline is obvious to everyone, his party appears to be paying lip service to him (but not true loyalty).

As marketis says, there's a need for a good opposition party in Poland. PiS are capable of being this (their Catholic-Socialist values are *very* electable) - but with Kaczynski at the helm, they haven't got a chance. Funnily enough, his Presidential campaign was very well fought - to paraphrase, "Kaczynski with a human face" had a serious chance of winning the next elections. But he's destroyed that, and he seems to be hell-bent on scoring own goals repeatedly.

He appears to be in simple denial about what's happened - he's lost power, he has no twin to manipulate and his party isn't strong enough to win.

News / Should government monitor the net in Poland? [38]


I think they'd happily see all opposition political forums closed down!


I get the impression many leaders can't deal with it - Tusk's utter mishandling of the previous internet control bill told you all you need to know. But look at the UK and elsewhere - endless bills created by people who don't appear to know the first thing about how it all works.

Law / Setting up a sole trader business and becoming a resident in Poland - Procedure? [32]

Doesn't matter - for instance, my home address is my business address, but no-one comes here to do any business except to pick up the occasional translation. The address is really only where they can find the official documents for the business - and it can be anywhere.

News / Should government monitor the net in Poland? [38]


Well, his previous posts certainly suggest this. It's also a common theme among Kaczynski voters to support a strong dictatorial state - not Communist, but rather something more similar to the so-called National Democracy. Many of them also have very similar views to Franco's Spain - strong, centralised State characterised by a strong belief in the dictatorship of the Church.

News / Politician shot in Lodz - two assistants to lawmakers from Law and Justice (PiS) party [66]


Kaczynski wasn't even man enough to take on the authorities, no doubt because daddy would be disappointed in him. So - son of a traitor and a coward.


Do I have to remind you that Komrowski was imprisoned, while Jaroslaw Kaczynski wasn't? If we're talking about cowardice, Jarek wins there too.


I'm quite happy to accept money from brave people like Michnik - after all, he was jailed, unlike that coward Kaczynski.

News / Is Poland headed for a civil war? [30]


Hypothetically, anything could happen. But you said you know where there are lots of hungry people - so - where? I've even been to former PGR areas and they weren't hungry there.


Better? The country had to pay market rate suddenly for things such as oil and gas. The country was genuinely poor and people were genuinely in financial trouble suddenly. It isn't happening now.

News / Giant Jesus Rising in Świebodzin ( Tallest in world ) [323]

Because it's Rio de Janeiro. It's not some provincial backwater village in a minor European country.

Anyway, we're not fuming, but laughing.

News / Politician shot in Lodz - two assistants to lawmakers from Law and Justice (PiS) party [66]


No, by being a traitor. It's pretty obvious that someone did a nice deal with the authorities - after all, not everyone's children got to star in a movie....

I know it's hard for you to accept, but at the end of the day, your heroes are nothing but the bastard sons of a traitor.

News / Is Poland headed for a civil war? [30]


What about the dramatic hike in pensions and salaries? Unless of course, you think people are worse off now than in 1990 when the average wage was below $100 a month.


Because there exists a safety net for the poorest people. Of course, if they choose to spend the safety net on booze rather than food, it's their choice.

I do wonder where all these hungry people are, because I've visited some terribly poor (in comparison to the West) parts of Poland and no-one was hungry there. Heck, how the hell can someone be hungry when you can buy a kilo of potatoes for less than 1zl?

News / Giant Jesus Rising in Świebodzin ( Tallest in world ) [323]


The RCC is rather big on idolatry! But they don't see it as a sin in the same way that Protestant churches do, so I guess it's no problem on their part.


No no, Kaczynski's statue must be bigger. He is the Second Coming, after all.

News / Politician shot in Lodz - two assistants to lawmakers from Law and Justice (PiS) party [66]


Would that be the same way that ex-SB thugs are working for the Church as well?


Lech was interned briefly, but Jarek? He wasn't even there to be jailed - he's a coward who only entered politics after the Communists went away. Anyway, he was too busy enjoying the fruits of his father's traitorism during Communism to want to fight them - after all, just how did an ex-AK solider get his children on TV, get them a nice education and enjoy quite a nice life?

Jarek has tried, quite consciously, to present himself as someone who was there all along. But he's not mentioned in any of the history books, he wasn't at the Round Table - so...where was he? That's right, he was too busy being the son of the worst kind of traitor.

Anyway, Michnik spent several years in jail. Jaroslaw Kaczynski spent none. I know who the bigger patriot is.

Love / Polish girls fall for Indian guys ? [217]


I saw one today in the Foreigners Office. The wife....let's just say that she looked like something that you'd find lurking under a bridge, demanding money to cross it ;)

(clearly obvious that he only married her for the residence permit and nothing else)

News / Why is Poland developing so slowly or in the wrong direction? Who is responsible ? [317]


Yep, bang on.

News / Politician shot in Lodz - two assistants to lawmakers from Law and Justice (PiS) party [66]


Michnik has nothing to do with the fact that Jaroslaw Kaczynski's father was a traitor.

Anyway, Michnik was jailed without trial for a few years. Kaczynski was never jailed - indeed, he enjoyed the protection of his traitorous father who turned his back on his AK allies. Must admit, it's very odd that you choose to attack someone who was jailed, while defending someone who was actively sheltered by a traitor to Poland.

You lot really are rather obsessed with Michnik though - is it because he was a patriot during Communism, while Jaroslaw was too busy not being active in Solidarity?

News / Giant Jesus Rising in Świebodzin ( Tallest in world ) [323]


No, the statue stands for nothing but a grotesque example of overindulgence. The money used could be used to fund a better life for orphans, for instance!

The Christ statue in Rio is a work of art. This one? It explains why we look down on villagers.

News / Is Poland headed for a civil war? [30]


Nothing will happen when Poland gets the Euro.

And civil war? Don't be ridiculous - what would the PiS side fight with? Pitchforks?


The only real poverty in Poland is self made.

News / Giant Jesus Rising in Świebodzin ( Tallest in world ) [323]


The Africarium in the zoo will generate huge interest, won't it? As I recall, it'll be the only exhibit like it in Poland.


Dearie me, do try to keep up with events in Poland. The town is being bypassed by the motorway. No-one will see the statue, except people interested in tasteless modern art.

News / Politician shot in Lodz - two assistants to lawmakers from Law and Justice (PiS) party [66]


What communists? I don't see any, apart from the imagined ones that Jarek dreams about.

Anyway, PiS is led by the son of a Communist traitor.

News / Politician shot in Lodz - two assistants to lawmakers from Law and Justice (PiS) party [66]


Traditional Polish values like racism, homophobia and general narrow mindedness?

Anti-EU? Well, I'm sure Poles just cannot wait to go back to the days of being poor, with a crumbling infrastructure and absolutely no money to improve it.


Ah, typical Kaczynski supporter, seeing Communists everywhere. Here's a hint : Communism is dead. It's not coming back.


Ah yes, that would be why your favourite RCC hired ex-SB guys to commit fraud on their behalf, right?

Anyway, what did Jaroslaw Kaczynski do in Solidarnosc? Errr...nothing!

News / Is Poland headed for a civil war? [30]


I don't see any hungry people around me.

I wasn't aware that hunger was a problem in today's Poland.

News / Is Poland headed for a civil war? [30]


What hungry people?

News / Politician shot in Lodz - two assistants to lawmakers from Law and Justice (PiS) party [66]


Sounds like someone has Platforma on the brain. Trust me, PO supporters don't have to do anything to eliminate PiS from politics - and they certainly don't have to resort to such measures.

It's more likely that it's the work of a deranged lunatic. Given his age, it would hardly be a surprise if he was ex-PZPR.

Love / Polish girls fall for Indian guys ? [217]


From our eyes - Indians are difficult to deal with, they have an inability to accept any responsibility for their actions and they tend to be drama queens at the best of times.

The Commonwealth Games showed it all - they had years to prepare for it, yet the organisation was a disgrace. And when asked about it, they had the nerve to suggest that Indian standards were different to Western standards!

For me, the most infuriating thing about them is their inability to tell the truth - they'll tell you constantly that everything is fine, and will happily lie to you about it - even when the best answer is to admit that the situation isn't fine. I worked with one Indian guy who had a huge alcohol problem and was always late with his rent - yet he blamed our boss for "not understanding Indians". Yet - our boss only sacked him after he found him blind drunk in the restaurant at 4am. What he was doing there at 4am, drunk - is anyone's guess!

As far as I gather, most people prefer to deal with the Chinese rather than Indians, simply because the Chinese actually want the money.

News / Why is Poland developing so slowly or in the wrong direction? Who is responsible ? [317]

The worst thing is that, for now - ballet dancers can quite legally retire at 40 and collect a pension from ZUS for doing so. If there ever was an example of waste and nonsense, there's one! I don't have an issue with providing them with sponsorship to go away, get an education and continue contributing to the pot, but they shouldn't be receiving a pension.

(for that matter, the State shouldn't be funding early retirement full stop, except for those involved with essential State services - and even then, it should be after much more service than it currently is!)

News / Why is Poland developing so slowly or in the wrong direction? Who is responsible ? [317]


Then they have to work harder and longer for it - instead of retiring early and enjoying unproductive employment in State-subsidised enterprises. Why the hell should I, as a business owner, subsidise a bunch of lazy men with moustaches? Why should convex and I subsidise miners when their mines are unprofitable? Why should we subsidise shipyards?

The biggest mistake in Poland was to treat pre-1990 contributions to ZUS as being equal to post-1990 contributions. What a mistake...

News / Why is Poland developing so slowly or in the wrong direction? Who is responsible ? [317]


So you think Poland can afford all these huge pensions paid out to ex-Party, ex-Solidarity members? You think Poland can continue to keep allowing ballet dancers to retire at the age of 40? dream on....


Because the Polish people want it all, now. They aren't willing to tolerate a few years of pain for the greater good - and there is a rather large block of selfish individuals that will cause mayhem if their cushy living standards are threatened.

Roll on 2011, a PO-Palikot majority in the Sejm, a PO President and PO majority in the Senat and a vast axe being taken to many of these benefits.

News / Why is Poland developing so slowly or in the wrong direction? Who is responsible ? [317]


Ah, someone is worried that the next PO government will force him back to work instead of letting him sit at home on "renta".


Anyone who isn't socialist can see the huge problem in Poland - the country is in dire need of a major pension reform. Yes, it'll be painful, yes, it's going to hurt all those ex Party members who were in the top jobs - but it's going to happen.

I don't see why this generation should be paying for members of the PZPR. In fact, I'd go one further and only allocate a nominal amount to the money paid in before 1989. It wasn't real money - so why should I pay real money to it?

News / Palikot's "Modern Poland" and the Tea Party - how do they compare? Should be banned? [21]

The two couldn't be further apart ideologically.

Anyway, Palikot should do enough to enter the Sejm. As it stands, PO should take around 45% of the vote, the SLD and Palikot's movement should take around 5-6% each and PiS should take the remaining vote.

The Tea Party movement on the other hand is just a fad - the failure of many of their preferred candidates earlier this year tells you all you need to know about them. They're fundamentally Republicans, and they're unlikely to manage to organise outside of the Republican umbrella.

History / Recent Lech Walesa interview made by VBS [30]

Really? So why do Kaczynski supporters point to him being better educated than Komorowski? 1jola made this very point the other day - and indeed, most Polish people think that education (or at least, a piece of paper that says "I am educated") is important.

Anyway, isn't it a bit unrealistic to expect some simple electrician to be of profound intelligence? What he said is actually not that stupid - while the GDR was bankrupt, it was still the richest Warsaw Pact country. If Gorbachev had told them to open the borders (on condition that they leave permanently) and replaced them with people from Poland - there still would have been the GDR today.

The fact that the GDR leadership didn't have support from Gorbachev was what sealed their fate, nothing else. If Gorbachev had been fully behind the regime, it wouldn't have gone anywhere. In fact, opening the borders for permanent emigration in exchange for a massive financial bailout from the FRG would have done wonders for the country economically.

Heck, look at 1989 - many of them just wanted to have the ability to travel to the West, not to live there!