UK, Ireland / Polish in Britain - will I get decked if I speak Polish to these people? [63]


No, I'm not saying that at all Chemi. I meant that in the case of the girl mentioned in the link you posted, her failure to pick up any English over six years together with an inability to use a computer would suggest below average intelligence. As a teacher I've known many children with below average learning ability who still manage to use the internet and by their teens can create a basic document and do simple computing tasks. When an adult shows a lack of initiative or interest in acquiring those skills, and has also failed to pick up even the basics of a language after six years in the country, it would suggest a deficit of mental acuity in the first place.

One of the first signs of future learning difficulties visible in young children is a lack of interest. When a young child shows a lack of curiosity, it's an indicator that they may have learning difficulties. A child's natural response at eg the age of four, when you put something like a jigsaw puzzle in front of them, is to have a go. The brighter child will generally sustain the effort to complete the task for longer even if they ultimately fail, the less bright child gives up more quickly and the let's call it 'remedial case' doesn't attempt it at all.

Also I wouldn't say it's fair to call somebody with an IQ of let's say 80 'retarded'. They can be quite capable within their own limits, if given the right tasks and can have other talents and abilities. But there are some things that are simply beyond them.

UK, Ireland / Polish in Britain - will I get decked if I speak Polish to these people? [63]


That's the bottom line really, I suppose we all bring our personal experience to the table. The only Poles I met in Ireland in recent years with very little English were the grandmothers who'd simply come over to act as childminders to their grandchildren.

Having taken a look at the link you posted, the OP was referring to a Polish woman who hadn't learnt English in the six years she'd lived in the UK. However this Polish woman was also unable to use a computer. As she had recently had a child, she's clearly a young woman. Now, in this day and age, a woman of childbearing years, who hasn't learned how to use a computer, would suggest that she's not very bright. So as I said, those with learning difficulties or special needs..............


Yes that sounds like a fair assessment.


Judge for yourself as to her integrity:
This is how she introduced herself to the forum:

https://polishforums.com/love/men-penis-size-77796/

Her main topic of conversation is penises and in particular that of Wulkan whom she's been stalking for several weeks now. She has also requested nude photos of Harry and wants to know whether his penis is larger than Wulkans and whether Wulkan has to have his taped to his leg.

She's a trolly dolly Chemikiem.

News / How will BREXIT affect the immigrants in UK and Poland. [1114]

And so it begins:

belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/italy-in-call-over-irish-border-following-brexit-vote-34877946.html

The Italian Minister for something-or-other was in Dublin a few days ago, the first visit by an Italian in donkey's years and lo and behold Italy is on the Irish side in negotiations! The entertainment budget will be taking a severe battering over the coming months. I'll suppose we'll start with the nations that have a good few Catholics in them or reason to dislike the French or Germans.

'Dublin's foreign affairs minister Charlie Flanagan said he very much appreciated Italy's understanding of "our unique position on the island of Ireland" which he said must be "fully considered by EU colleagues" in the forthcoming negotiations'.

Actually we really need to get Poland on our side in this one. But unfortunately despite all the lip service given to Polish/Irish connections there is very little real friendship between the two governments.

News / How will BREXIT affect the immigrants in UK and Poland. [1114]

The Common Travel Area is more important to Irish people. We've done without Schengen all these years but the CTA means more than uncontrolled travel. It's the unrestricted recipocral right for Irish and British citizens to live in each other's countries. Irish people have a special status in the UK which is important to us because of our many ties with the UK and the number of families who have close relatives in both. Also it's imperative that we keep an open border with Northern Ireland.

Just to further clarify Ireland's Brexit stand, the Irish minister for European Affairs, Dara Murphy has stated that the Common Travel Area must be respected and that Ireland is not giving consideration to joining the Schengen agreement. The Director General of the British-Irish chamber of commerce has said that:

'there is limited sensitivity in Europe to the detail of the special relationship between Ireland and the UK, including Northern Ireland and the border.'

and that a bad deal for the UK means a bad deal for Ireland so it's :

'important that Ireland's story, special circumstances and exposure to trade and other links with Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK is "very clearly understood" during the negotiations around the UK's exit from the EU.'

Law / Problem with making an appointment for Polish student VISA [20]

Yes, it's always worth calling the embassy but it may be difficult to get through. Embassies often don't answer the phone!

I don't have any experience with applying for a visa but I would suggest that maybe you could try contacting the Vietnamese embassy in Poland explaining your difficulties in making the visa appointment. Send them an email and maybe they can contact the Polish embassy in Vietnam on your behalf. Here's the link:

vietnamembassy-poland.org/en/nr070626153733

I see that there is a gentleman called Mr. Nguyen Minh Que, (Research, Reception and student in Poland)
Maybe his office could help you. Their number is Tel: 651 60 98/ ext. 51 Don't forget to put the code for Poland in front of that number! It might be expensive to call them from a phone but you could use Skype. Or you could just give them a quick call and ask for his email address. If you have the individual's email address instead of just the general embassy email, it may be dealt with quicker.

Good luck, hope you get it sorted out ok.

UK, Ireland / Polish in Britain - will I get decked if I speak Polish to these people? [63]


At this stage, there is no Polish person in the UK without basic English, unless they have learning difficulties/special educational needs. In Ireland, I never met a Polish person, even working in a Polish shop who didn't speak basic English. Even way back, when they first began arriving in signifcant numbers, they made a real effort to learn English as quickly as possible.

I have to say, without being sexist, that the men were much more active in that respect. I suppose it makes a man feel 'weak' if he can't communicate but the first wave of women, who mostly came over to join their men, felt they didn't really need to learn as their man could do the talking. However that really changed once they began having children. They wanted to be able to deal with all the situations that arise when you're a mother and need to discuss your child with teachers, doctors etc. Also, after a time, more educated, professional Polish women began arriving on their own and wanted to work in their professions.

I knew several Poles who passed their professional exams in Ireland in areas like accountancy, banking, etc. and several working in various roles in government departments. The level of English spoken by Poles in Ireland anyway, is really very good at this stage.

Love / Polish relationsip and translation - help needed... [11]

Ic4ru5, you're very welcome.

Can I give you a bit of advice, don't get drawn into discussions on the internet with people who want to 'help' you. Sometimes such people are genuine, sometimes not, but even if they mean well, they don't know you, or your girlfriend and it's best for you to deal with this in your own way. You only came here because you wanted some help with a translation, not relationship counselling, so just be cautious about getting into your personal stuff with strangers. It can end up messing with your head and leaving you more confused than ever.

Good luck with everything :)

Love / Polish relationsip and translation - help needed... [11]

I'd say:

Bardzo przepraszam ,ale wie Pani, nie znam Polski bardzo dobrze. Google Translate nie ma opcja na Pan/Pani. Muszę mowić 'ty'.

it basically translates as: I'm very sorry but you know I don't know Polish very welll. Google Translate doesn't have an option for Pan/Pani. I must say 'ty'.'

Now that's just my own rubbish Polish! My grammar is terrible but any Polish speaker will understand that.

There are a few native Polish speakers on this forum so maybe one will come to your rescue if they're around, Sorry I can't be of more help.

Love / Polish relationsip and translation - help needed... [11]

I only speak basic Polish but I understand the message. It's not perfect, because you can't translate literally from English into Polish but I think the meaning would be pretty clear even for a native Polish speaker. The main problem is that you shouldn't be using the 'ty' form with an older lady unless you have her permission to do so. As you're addressing her as Pani, I'm assuming that you're on quite formal terms with her and using 'ty' comes across as very cheeky/rude.

Unfortunately I don't think Google Tranlsate can cope with the Pan/Pani forms, not even from Polish to English. It translates Pan literally as 'the Lord' so it's a big mess. I would suggest you add a short sentence at the beginning apologising for using 'ty' and say the Translator doesn't have Pan/Pani option.

News / How will BREXIT affect the immigrants in UK and Poland. [1114]

The EU will want to keep things as simple as possible so I don't think that will happen. They won't want to add further complexities. If the UK was outside Schengen, then I believe the EU would honour that where Scotland was concerned.

News / How will BREXIT affect the immigrants in UK and Poland. [1114]


That's up to them. Each country has to decide what they think is in their own best interests and negotiate accordingly.

Ireland has a complex situation with the UK in regards to freedom of movement between the two countries. It's called the Common Travel Area and has existed since the 1920s, long before the EU. Neither the UK nor Ireland will want to give that up and indeed the reintroduction of any border controls between the Republic and the North is a big no-no for us. So it will be interesting to see how Ireland's position influences the final outcome for the UK. Our Taoiseach (prime minister) is meeting Merkel and Hollande in the next few days to discuss our position.

News / How will BREXIT affect the immigrants in UK and Poland. [1114]


I'm Irish. But the UK is very important to us and we certainly won't be veto-ing them. If anything we'll be working for keeping them involved as much as possible as it's in our interests to do so.

News / How will BREXIT affect the immigrants in UK and Poland. [1114]


Poles don't think that way though. They believe in punitive measures.


Yes but the EU chooses to extend it to others when it's to the advantage of the European economy as a whole to do so. Thus Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway have access to the single market as does Switzerland, even though it's neither an EU nor EEA member. The UK is an important trading partner for other EU members and everyone will want to keep it that way.

UK, Ireland / Polish passport - Can I apply from the UK? [51]

Hi Fostercarer.

There's no way round the appointment I'm afraid. Just be very sure that you have all the documentation etc that you need on the day of the appointment. You can book your appointment here:

secure.e-konsulat.gov.pl/default.aspx

Bring all your necessary documents with you, fill in the form at the consulate (it may be all in Polish with no translation) and hand everything in with the fee. If you want a temporary passport 'paszport tymczasowy' you have to give the reason why you want it. They don't really like issuing them except for emergency travel, such as an illness in the family or some urgent business related matter like being sent overseas for your work but they might take pity on a child and let the poor little pet have her holiday. They take about two weeks to process. The 'real' passport takes longer.

The appointment booking rules are here in case you didn't see them already:

london.mfa.gov.pl/en/consular_information/passports

I took a look at the consulate website and it seems that the best thing would be to send an email to this address, explaining your situation and making sure of exactly what documentation, photos etc you need and whether they're likely to let her have the temporary passport for a holiday, so you don't have an expensive and wasted journey:

londyn.paszporty@msz.gov.pl

Good luck with it!

UK, Ireland / Polish passport - Can I apply from the UK? [51]

Go to the Polish consulate in the place where you live. It can be done through them but you may not be able to get it in time for your holiday.

History / Poland in WWI [38]


Point out to me the threads where I have demonstrated prejudice against Poles. You say this occurs often. Provide examples.


As I said, it was very nice of you to go to so much trouble for the poster who was looking for information. However that doesn't mean that you're universally lovely in all respects.


Ziemowit and Johnny Reb refer to British Brilliance and I have never been ridiculed by Ziemowit.


Red Army monuments are connected to WWII Paulina. And the subsequent handing over of Poland to the Soviets is in exactly the same time frame. What I mean by odd is that many Polish people find such glorification of the Soviets deeply offensive in view of the fact that the Russians literally sat and watched the destruction of Warsaw. then marched in and proclaimed themselves the saviours of Poland and subsequently subjected your country to fifty years of repression. I personally feel pity for the individual Russian soldiers who died, most of whom weren't monsters, just ordinary men caught up in war. I do think that one simple memorial is appropriate but I do think it odd to see a plethora of monuments to Russian domination and nothing obvious to the memory of the Great War.


That is an astonishing statement. It truly beggars belief.


By that, I assume you mean neutrality. It would be going too far off topic to discuss that. Goverment policy aside, the contribution of individual Irish men and women who were all volunteers is something we can be very proud of.


That's because the history of Polish partition and your relations with the three countries involved were not as bitter and prolonged as that between the Irish and the British. I mentioned the thousand years of conflict and bloodshed that characterised the colonisation of Ireland which I know you can't understand. But those Irish men who fought in WWI were seen as fighting for Britain at the exact same time that other Irish men were being killed by the British forces in Ireland. And those who fought in WWII were seen as carrying on that pattern.

To give you an example of how it permeated Irish society, my maternal grandfather was already serving in the British army at the outbreak of WWI but my paternal grandfather was a member of the Irish Volunteers and active in the War of Independence. My paternal grandfather barely spoke to my maternal one so deep was the resentment on his part. His older cousins had been fighting on the streets of Dublin in 1916. And this was extremely common in Irish society. You really cannot begin to appreciate the intensity of those feelings, due to the sheer smallness of Ireland. Virtually everyone was directly involved. In Poland yes, there were patriots during partition, but nothing like the scale of personal involvement by ordinary people both men and women, that existed in Ireland. My maternal grandmother was an active member of Cumann na mBan, the womens' auxilliary corps of the Irish Volunteers. She was just an ordinary farmer's daugher but she was one of many such women, training in the use of firearms, gathering intelligence, storing arms in their homes, carrying dispatches. Unless you've visited Ireland and seen for yourself the smallness of it and the impossiblity of living immune from the politics of the time, you can't understand how powerful those emotions were.


And by that logic, it will soon be time to forget the dead of WWII. It ended seventy years ago.


Take the time to read it properly before commenting.


The three battlefields referred to in the article (which are noted because they were the site of significant WWI engagements) involved the German and Austrian forces. It's postWWI de-Germanization the author refers to. And it's just a theory. The main point of the article is that as a casual observer, an outsider visiting Poland, there is nothing prominently displayed at any of those sites to suggest that they were the site of significant WWI battles.


No, that's anger.


Great link thanks Othery. I've sent it to Prof Walton, the author of the article.


Just to pick up that point again. I know quite well that they're there because of Communism but my point is that subsequent governments have left them in place and are still humming and hawing about what to do with them.

Another very interesting article for those willing to take time to read it:

encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/commemoration_cult_of_the_fallen_east_central_europe

It's co-authored by Piotr Szlanta who is a professor of history at the University of Warsaw. The article concludes that:
'During communist rule and domination,the commemoration of the First World War was intentionally marginalised or blurred in public consciousness'.

However I'm not sure that I agree with the final summing up that:

'After the fall of the communist bloc and Soviet Union, the commemoration of the First War regained its place in the public memory and the state's historic policy, becoming an important part of the national identity'

Not for Paulina. Another example of the way in which Communism continues to reach out its tentacles into Polish society almost a generation after its demise.

History / Poland in WWI [38]


If you mean the article I linked to in the Canadian Journal 'Review of European Studies', he's a professor of history but yes that's an error. However as he's an academic he would hopefully welcome having that pointed out to him. His speciality is not Poland, it's military history. I think he brings an interesting dimension to historical subjects because he's not only an historian but a Doctor of Philosophy - and he's a Vietnam vet. Quite a combination! The blog I linked to isn't actually his, but he's a contributor. You should make a comment there.

History / Poland in WWI [38]


I always find it strange when people reduce individual dead human beings to statistics. The number doesn't matter. The people do. Each person who died in WWI was a person with parents, siblings, a wife, children. They mattered.


I never said there weren't. I asked a question:


I was seeking information Paulina. If you are a friendly and open minded person who wants to have good relations with foreigners domiciled in your country, then it might be better to show a little patience and courtesy towards them. In Britain evidence of commemoration of war dead is very public and obvious, here not so much for WWI. Obviously there is a huge public profile for WWII. However, I find it odd that there are Red Army monuments etc all over the place still, after all these years since the end of communism, yet very little to draw public attention to the victims of WWI.


Lol??? Really? You find the war dead a source of amusement do you? My grandfather lost his twin brother in the Battle of the Somme and his older brother at Ypres. Oddly enough when he died at the age of 86, 60 years later, he was still rather upset about his brothers. And still had shrapnel lodged in his own head from his war wounds.


I'm Irish. A thousand years of war and bloodshed. Let's take just two examples The Nine Years War fought by the Gaelic chieftains against the British between 1594 and 1603. Around 100,000 Irish died in that.Bear in mind that the Nine Years War was the culmination of sixty years of continuous war which completed the Tudor Conquest of Ireland. Cromwell's campaign in 1649-1653 - around a quarter of a million Irish dead and 50,000 deported to the West Indies as indentured labour. And let's not forget the famines of 1845-1852, around a million dead. So for a small country like Ireland, that's a lot of war, suffering and death. And that's just a sample of it. Not the whole by any means.


Interestingly, Ireland was unable to bring itself until very recently to honour the war dead of those two conflicts because they served in the British army. Now thank God Ireland is mature enough to acknowledge and honour the sacrifice of those men.

Here's a link to an interesting article that addresses the questions I originally asked about the lack of public awareness and official acknowledgement of the dead of WWI. It's from the blog of Professor of history, Rodney Earl Walton.

roadstothegreatwar-ww1.blogspot.com/2013/08/polands-absent-world-war-i-memorials.html

Here's the full essay:

Collective Memory in Contemporary Poland and Pre-Independence (1918) Warfare: An Early 21 st Century Foreign Traveler's Observations concerning Polish Battlefield Memorials

ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/res/article/view/26480/16195

It's very well worth reading and I think it's of interest to Polish people.

Study / INDIAN student applied at Warsaw University of Technology in Poland with some delicate questions [22]


You need to ask the Warsaw university. These conditions vary from university to university. Nobody can answer that question accurately other than the Admissions office of the university at which you intend to study.

History / Poland in WWI [38]


Wasn't Polish independence established at the Treaty of Versaillesin 1918/19?? And thereafter it was a series of boundary wars to establish the new territories?

History / Poland in WWI [38]


This is another very interesting point about Poland which strikes an 'outsider'. The lack of community spirit and volunteering within communities. I think it really is a legacy of communism when people learned to make themselves as inconspicuous as possible and of course you couldn't just do anything off your own bat, everything needed rubber stamps and 'permsission'. There is a lack of civic pride and always a sense that it's someone else's responsiblity, it's up to the government. It's nice to know that people were trying.

I don't mean to sound horrible, really I don't, but it's as if Poland likes to perpetuate and promote the image of Poland as the victim of WWII and tries to diminish its involvement in WWI because it doesn't sit very comfortably with that image. Because of the ambivalence of Poland's role, not officially existing as a nation and fighting to all intents and purposes on the wrong side with the Hun, the First World War is conveniently forgotten and viewed only in terms of its relationship to re-establishing an independent Poland. I think also perhaps the fact that you didn't see Poles leaving Poland in their droves to volunteer with the Allied forces may be a source of discomfort, when compared with the Polish contribution in WWII.

The fact that you had Pole forced to fight his fellow Pole in the engagements between the Russian and German forces on Polish soil, surely deserves some acknowledgement. The tragedy of Poles who were forced to kill each other should certainly be treated with some regret and respect for those dead.

News / The Guardian destroys the Kaczynski twins [42]


underwesterneyes.org/about

And Bob's your uncle.

It nevers fails to amaze me how with the wonders of the 'interweb' people can't do the most basic research that takes all of twenty seconds to accomplish. Couldn't even locate the journalist's blog and then takes it upon himself to dismiss the man out of hand based on nothing whatsoever except his own inablility to use the internet effectively.

So, to sum up Christian Davies was born in California in 1986, his primary degree is in history with distinction for his Polish studies and his postgrad Alma Mater is the London School of Economics. He spent a year as a minsterial adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Poland and then four years as a parliamentary researcher at the House of Commons in the good old UK.

History / Poland in WWI [38]


Thanks very much for all the links etc Trevek. I appreciate your going to so much trouble. Very kind of you.

However, what really interests me is that it's only due to the efforts of the British that the above cemetery was renovated. If it wasn't for the Commonwealth Wargraves Commission, would anything have been done to honour the memory of these men?

I have to say I find it mildly shocking, the coldhearted indifference of the Polish authorities and indeed of the Polish nation to the dead of a massive conflict that claimed so many lives. As you rightly point out, many of these men were Polish and indeed many were conscripted by the occupying forces of Austria, Germany and Russia. In any case, regardless of nationality or which side they were fighting for, it was a hundred years ago and surely we're all mature enough to be able to put aside political differences of the those times.

I must make a point of taking note of what's done by the Polish government on 11 November to commemorate the WWI dead. I think it's a very interesting aspect of Polish history and one that somehow sets Poland apart because this is celebrated as Poland's Independence Day whereas in the West, it's a day of solemn reflection and rememberance of the debt we owe to those who gave their lives for us:

'Went the day well?
We died and never knew
But well or ill
Freedom we died for you'


Thanks Othery. Much appreciated.

News / How will BREXIT affect the immigrants in UK and Poland. [1114]

And now Farage is stepping down as party leader and seems to be indicating that he's retiring from politics - after causing all that fuss!

News / How will BREXIT affect the immigrants in UK and Poland. [1114]

I have a feeling that they're heading towards a second referendum. That may be what the stalling tactics are about in not triggering Article 50. As another poster Spiritus pointed out in this thread a few days ago, a referendum in the UK has no statutory status and is not legally binding upon a goverment in any way. It is simply an opinion poll. That's one of the reasons that Mishcon de Reya are in a position to bring a legal case. A precedent for a second referendum has been set by Ireland and the Lisbon Treaty back in 2008/2009 so it's not inconceivable. They allow panic to mount about the consequences of leaving and a couple of months from now give people a chance to vote again.

In the end I think we all know that it's Whitehall and the senior civil servants who run Britian, not the politicians. At times of national crisis they pretty much take charge. The UK will stay in if that's what they want. The legal case is being brought on behalf of a group of anonymous clients..........intriguing stuff.

News / How will BREXIT affect the immigrants in UK and Poland. [1114]

I think they're slightly in shock because they didn't expect to be given the bum's rush as they have been. And I think they're angry too for the same reason. It's a bit like being man-handled out the doors of an exclusive gentlemens' club and given a kick up the arse out into the street! Very undignified.

News / How will BREXIT affect the immigrants in UK and Poland. [1114]


I think Gove is being deliberately awkward. The EU are trying to give them the hurry-up and Britain are not having any of it. His actual words were:

"We control the timing of when we trigger Article 50 and we will do it when we're good and ready."

News / How will BREXIT affect the immigrants in UK and Poland. [1114]

According to Michael Gove he doesn't expect Britain to trigger Article 50 this year. EU has also indicated that Britian will be given two options, either a Norway style package or something similar to Canada.

History / Poland in WWI [38]

Thanks Jon. I'm pretty sure that if Poland had been an independent nation at the time of WWI they would have fought on the allied side as they had no reason to love their neighbours.

I managed to find some figures. Apparently around two million Poles fought with the three central powers and around 450,000 died. But I really am intrigued to know whether Poland honours those war dead. And where did they bury them?

That's very interesting about the Commonwealth war graves in Poland. I took a quick look, very few graves from WWI. Amazing they managed to maintain them during the Communist regime.

I haven't read that book Jon. Thanks for mentioning it. I'll put it on my winter reading list :)


Found something on First World War graves in Poland:

blog.polishorigins/2014/07/17/war-cemeteries-in-western-galicia

Great stuff together with photos for anyone who's interested.

There were 400 cemeteries created by the Austrians containing the graves of soldiers of many nationalities who fell. Sadly not all the cemeteries have survived.