Life / Abrupt Poles explained ! [51]


I wondered who actually watched that. :-)

It's not really like that now is it? It wasn't when I used to spend every weekend down there 8 - 10 years ago.

News / Polish teenager pregnant after rape - A recent result to an older story [34]

Are you really thinking clearly about this or is religion so far up your rear that you think its fine to force this child through pregnancy and childbearing. On abortion, I have to say, your religion stinks. Try thinking for yourself and having a little compassion for others in a bad place.

All this holier than thou crap on here stinks. You RC nutters are fighting a losing battle. The times they are a changin.


Did I say that? No so you have your answer before you asked a dumb question.

News / Polish teenager pregnant after rape - A recent result to an older story [34]

But there is such a thing as basic human rights which Poland is constantly being dragged through the European courts for violating. Someone, sooner rather than later, should drag the RC Church through as well.

History / Soviet/Russian Army leaving Poland 1992 [21]

But Tusk thinks it is fine

Travel / Is it safe to travel to Poland? [194]

It rather depends on if you have upset a 'Pies' previously :)

Travel / Is it safe to travel to Poland? [194]

Apparently its a bit dodgy walking round Poznan just now. I hear there is an upsurge in the Police pulling people up in the street asking for ID. Stepping back into the past?

UK, Ireland / Do the poles like British culture [127]


Find Simin Schama's history of britain to find out just how bloody our past is. It's excellent. Well worth watching.

Love / Polish husband threatens divorce and wants to send me back to Asia [15]


Incorrect. If one party is not contactable or fails to respond then the other gets a result.

Life / Is Poland a poor country? [578]


So there lies the problem. Not comparing like with like. For example a minimum expectation would be to have toilet within your apartment, not a communal one. How many apartments don't have a bath/shower? A good few from what I have seen is Poznan.

But Poland isn't a poor country, there is just a massive gap between the haves and have nots. And as for a the minimum wage, there appears to be ways to circumvent this!

USA, Canada / Free phone calls from America to Poland? [9]

UK to Poland we use O2 International sim but only for calling Poland and 02 to 02 in the UK. Four pence a minute bought in £15.00 chunks, combined with skype makes it pretty inexpensive compared to a few £200+ bills that had been run up on the landline in the past.

UK, Ireland / Dying Polish woman in the uK whose last wish is to spend last few weeks back in Poland [50]


The reality is if they did this for everyone then it would be a huge burden on the state. It is tragic when things like this happen but by relocating permanently responsibility was transfered to the host country. The home country, be Poland England or where ever has only finite resources which should be spent on people within the home country.

Where would you set the bar for repatriation? Do you set it at the point where it is going to be cheap or at the point where you need a full medical flight? It is horrible, but at some point we must have a responsibility not only to ourselves but others also.

This is an unpleasant discussion, and I'm sure governments around the world have had it also.

Food / Any królik (rabbit) fanciers on PF? [76]

I just stew them with a range of veg. Brown off the meat first in a hot pan. Slow cook it with parsnips, swede, carrots, leeks, potatoes and a few herbs to taste.

Bit like chicken really.

I can't help looking at the children's pet rabbit and salivating. She won't let me have a gun in the house so no fresh rabbit for me.

Love / What differences is there among Polish girls and British girls as girlfriends? [102]

Women are pretty much the same everywhere you go in my experience.

The Polish girls tend to criticise the English girls for being porkers, justifiably in most cases. What you do tend to find in the UK is that there is a high propensity of fatties in low income areas, which is of course is where the Polish tend to congregate so there opinion is clouded.

Polish girls are very good at make up and can make a silk purse out of pigs ear, with little effort. The English ones on the other hand treat it like they are still wearing wode.

Travel / Polish or British passport (child traveling to Poland) [51]


So who creates the mess. Bloody parents that become selfish when they separate. Lets say the child is 7 and has been in the UK for 3 years. Probably the child speaks fluent English has friends and most importantly for the child, routine and a stable home life. The father ups off to Poland and a couple of months later start missing the child as you would. Do you really think its right to create a massive upheaval for the child and place him/her back in Poland? Should the mother be dragged back to Poland just because Dad left?

You are talking and thinking about this in exactly the way Polish courts do. They put the parents first, then the children. Check out how a Polish divorce works. The residence order doesn't come until right at the end. 2 years of trauma in a lot of cases. Would you want that for your child? I doubt it.

The Hague and Brussels II were created to straighten out the mess that parents create Internationally. The problem is Poland isn't playing by the rules and is creating a pretty grim situation for an awful lot of people and at the same time discrediting itself across Europe.

News / Upping the speed limit in Poland [92]


Where in the UK? I've only seen them go down.

News / Poznan's Citizens Budget - expenses for the year 2012 [8]

Is Malta publicly owned or a private venture?

Either way it should generate enough traffic to finance a Family playground surely.

Travel / Polish or British passport (child traveling to Poland) [51]


No, in fact it's not my experience its my partners, and the fact is, it is the general experience that happens with custody/contact cases where one partner is outside of Poland be they Polish or any other nationality. Conclusive proof can be found in the amount of Hague violations Poland has been involved in.


So the father screwed up big time then. He had a duty to his child to resolve custody/contact before he shipped out to Poland. So in reality he was unaware of International Law and didn't know that because his daughter was habitually resident in England the Polish courts had no jurisdiction over her.

So this proves my point about posting here then doesn't it. If people don't know they f*** up don't they. In this case if he had used the English courts, I can assure you his position with contact would have been far better. Don't forget in Poland there is little or no consequence for ignoring a contact order, in the UK its an imprison-able offense.


Remember this quote "Norway is trying to steal our blond blue eyed children"

Brussels II advocates communication between courts of different states as well as recognizing and enforcing orders made by another state. Poland does neither. Because of its constant failings Poland is considered one of the worst offenders in Poland and is referred to as the "Poor man of Europe". You don't earn that for nothing Ironside.

Ironside I have many criticisms I could make about Poland, but there really not important to you or me. On the whole its an OK place. This subject is close to my heart, for obvious reasons, and as you have clearly demonstrated yourself, people need to understand Law. It is available to all but possibly not all will understand.

Travel / Polish or British passport (child traveling to Poland) [51]


I don't have any. They are Polish through and through.

The fact remains if the the father/mother refuses consent, the court can and will override their refusal so, you are, in fact, wrong. I think you have been listening to old wives tales. Next you will be telling people that if they are Polish they have to get divorced in Poland.

If you need a good lawyer thats Polish and understands International law, I can point you in the right direction. She doesn't live in Poland though. I can assure you there are very few lawyers in Poland that have good enough knowledge, but plenty that will lie through their teeth otherwise. It's amazing how many that we have visited in Poznan that said the Hague was impossible in Poland, now include it on their websites. I seriously doubt that there knowledge has increased, just their extensive list of what they have heard of.

Travel / Polish or British passport (child traveling to Poland) [51]


I don't think you understand the point I'm trying to make here. It's nothing to do with who has or does not have the children. When a child is removed from a country by one parent without the others permission, we have a very broken situation for the child and left behind parent. There are systems (treaties) in place to bring about a resolution to these situations quickly. So for example, mum takes daughter to England without Dads knowledge, the treaties are there to bring both parents back to the original position , in this case Poland, and then the legal system is able to intervene, as it should , to find the best compromise for the child because the parents obviously can't. You could pretty much guarantee this would be Poland in this case which I'm sure you would agree with.

The problem, as ever with these treaties, Poland treats them as a one way ticket and politics, rather than child welfare come into play. A hague hearing in the UK averages 6 weeks from start to finish which is outside the guidelines of the treaty. In Poland by contrast, the first hearing will on average take 3 months to happen, and a year is not unheard of before completion though six months is a rule of thumb. When(rare) a return order is is granted by a Polish court it is possible that it will not be enforced. This is more common than you would imagine. In the UK, they are always enforced as are all foreign court orders.

A good question, us men need to ask ourselves sometimes is can we offer the same care as a mother? The truth is often No which is why it appears there is a bias toward women. It's just how it is.

You have a fathers rights organisation in Poland, of which I forget the name. Interestingly, one the psychologists that is highly active in supporting and guiding this organisation, was the psychologist that interviewed my partner and her children for the divorce hearing. A very interesting report followed. TBH it would be hilarious if it was not so serious a subject and it was amazing how the psychologist couldn't remember what he had written when confronted with solid evidence to the contrary. Funny how the judge agreed with what he said even though she had seen and heard with her own eyes it was a false statement. Now I could say there is a bias toward men in a Polish court but actually in this case its politics.


Come on, how on earth did you manage to deduce that Freud. How can offering knowledge be controlling.

Travel / Polish or British passport (child traveling to Poland) [51]

As child abduction to and from Poland is rising year on year at an alarming rate, and I have experience and wealth of knowledge on this subject, then I feel its my duty to inform people of the trauma that awaits them and supply information that can assist them in their plight or to ensure it never happens in the first place.

As it was more than clear from the original posters first post that there was an issue which was later confirmed then the conclusion I came to was correct. The fact is if you are in an International relationship this could affect you. No-one can say it will and no-one can say it will not. Who knows you may go out for a beer tonight, slip up with the local hussie, and few days later you come home to an empty house.

Quite obviously you do not read posts fully as you would understand that it not only dealings with an ex, but dealings with a legal system that is fatally flawed, political bias and a typical Polish stance of "it would never happen to me". Quite frankly Poland is at the bottom of the pile when it comes to child matters.


The fact is she has and then found out he wants to use the kids/kid as ammunition.


I'm english and I know thats not true. All you do is go to your local court and ask them for permission. As its Poland you will be expected and encouraged to lie without consequence. Get your facts right. Polish law is very flexible when it suits!

Perhaps it is the fact that what I am posting is factual and true that you can't deal with. There is an organisation in Poland that is about to create waves in Poland and change will come from this. Massive change. Until that time I will continue to post fact about Poland and not the fiction you would like people to believe.


Well done! You are obviously a self obsessed person. You must be Polish.

If you would like to discuss anything regarding child abduction in a constructive manner, I'm open.

USA, Canada / Differences in How Polish People Raise a Child and How Americans Raise a Child [149]


It is the Polish way to generalize. They want to keep them as babies for as long as possible where as we want them to grow up and be strong from day 1. Jumping at every whimper teaches the child to expect a reaction. And so it continues as they grow older. And as they grow older they become more manipulative which of course the mother never sees. They grow blind to it.

And sleeping in the same bed as your child is just plain wrong. I can understand with a small baby but when you hear of six and seven year olds. Yuk! Don't want to accept my opinion, ask a psychologist. Not that I'd hold one of those in particularly high esteem. Most of them talk tripe and are easily undermined but Poles seem to have an unhealthy reliance on them.

And to the woman giving a 5 year old a bottle. Get some help. You need it. How humiliating for the child is that?

Law / Was married in Poland and now I'm looking for a fast divorce [4]

Don't do that its a big mistake.

Do it in a UK court and don't let anyone tell you can't. At all cost keep Poland out of it. It will save you time and money.

Check out Brussels II. You can find it on reunite.org site library. It's a tough read but it clearly states what you can and can't do and you can divorce from here. I can't remember the article number off the top of my head, but once you have the court seised in the UK then jurisdiction lies here. Your Ex cannot argue against it. Job done!

Travel / Polish or British passport (child traveling to Poland) [51]


It's totally daft either way or do they have a nationality detection machine at the border :-)

It appears, through a process of deduction, you cannot actually be dual nationality in Poland.

Why would you want to cast this affliction on your child when they can make a reasoned choice themselves when they come of age? It's not a fashion accessory. Make your choice, stick with one, or suffer the consequences if the sh*t hits the fan. It's a chance you take but in my opinion not worth the gamble when your talking about children.

Law / Child Alimony in Poland - 1700 PLN? [74]

Yes but there are two sides to the coin. I have no idea what evidence they need to produce but unlike Poland it's not acceptable to lie to a court. Judging by the characters I saw, they didn't have two halfpennies to rub together so to be in their shoes, if they were skint, would not be a pleasant place to be. Can't go home because it's off to prison and can't work legally here for a proper wage because they couldn't live on what there left with. Lets not forget, a lot of these guys have probably been dropped right in it by a former partner. They most likely had momma to pick up the pieces back home, where as the guy had nothing to go back for.

And I know of a case where a father used his mother debts to secure lower alimony payments claiming they were his. Nothing was checked by the Polish court even though the previous court had branded him a liar.

Its all crap really

Law / Child Alimony in Poland - 1700 PLN? [74]

There is something not right with this Polish system.

A couple of months ago I was in Northampton Magistrates Court, applying for a Prohibitive Steps order, which was complicated and had to be looked over by the court solicitor. While we were waiting, 4 Poles passed through, one to pay a ticket and 3 with applications to vary their child maintenance payments. Interested, I asked the clerk a few questions and was told the courts were very busy with this currently as many Poles had lost their jobs, or in some cases were paying 90% of there income and there was no possible way of them paying what was demanded of them. The clerk went on to say the Polish courts never varied the orders so it was a fruitless exercise for them.

Life / Polish vs British vs American - Clash of cultures [390]

Give this a bash sometime.

bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/9975/creamy-mustard-and-tarragon-chicken

My Polish partner is a little limited in the kitchen. I tried lamb chops and home made mint sauce today. It didn't end well. The sofa for me tonight :-)

Really

Life / Polish vs British vs American - Clash of cultures [390]


Not in my family home man. The mere shout of "Dinners ready!" struck fear in to me and my three sisters, and the dog would would wimper in his basket. My father would humour the situation with its "It's a lovely shade of black Maureen", "If its not black its not done", "Mind your teeth children, it's a bit tough".

If you remember the comedy serial Butterflies, Wendy was an expert in comparison. My sisters inherited her culinary talents. I was fortunate to work in an italian restaurant and 'discovered' food.

To generalize in return. I have found most Poles I have met, to be totally unadventurous with food, more than happy making sure the chicken breast they are about to eat is really dead by beating it to a pulp with a hammer. I did meet one lush little Polka who knocked up a nice Golabki for me and I am partial to a nice Zurek but generally I've found Polish food fairly basic stodge that pretty much anyone could knock up. IE. no skill required.

Pierogi. Why on earth boil pastry? It's just wrong!

Travel / Polish or British passport (child traveling to Poland) [51]


To get them to respond properly you would need a court order. A court order can be obtained via a county court same day. There is still a high chance of getting out via ferry/coach. This is the preferred method.

If you have any doubts, first get a residence order, stating that the child should not be removed from the jurisdiction of the UK and Wales (same law) without your permission. If you perceive there is a real threat, you can obtain these same day but you may need to travel. The residence order can be for both of you but have prohibitive steps included. This is a good preventative measure but it is usually completely ignored by Polish courts if the child arrives there. You would be told that it is just a piece of paper. Funny thing so are the Polish orders which usually have little basis in law. This also makes a Hague case water tight but is no guarantee the child would be returned to the UK. Unfortunately most are not and left behind parent can end up paying £1000+ in child maintenance just to rub salt into the open wounds.

Bintheredunthat's post does not apply outside the US although it does matter who starts the divorce in Poland. English/Welsh law is generally well balanced. Our legal system has its faults but is generally considered one of the best in the world. Poland is known as "The poor man of Europe" in legal circles.

If it ever got to the point that you divorce in Poland because he started a divorce there( you have no argument against that), then your opening statement should begin with. "I am unable to discuss anything relating to our child in a Polish court because jurisdiction lies with the English and Welsh courts" and you must stick to it whatever a Polish solicitor says. Do not be persuaded otherwise, Polish solicitors have a very limited understanding of International Law if any at all. Doing the opposite can transfer jurisdiction to Poland.

Travel / Polish or British passport (child traveling to Poland) [51]

Unfortunately until they reform there laws there will be no change. They were supposed to do this when they signed the treaty.

I want my partner to go public on her case as it really is disgusting how the courts have treated the children and what risks the court is prepared to take with the children's lives. Her case is perfect for Polish people to understand what is wrong with their system and why the Hague and Brussels II are good treaties. So far in the Polish press, these treaties have been demonised. Unfortunately, it is far too dangerous for her to do it at the moment. When it is over then I hope she will, because I don't want to hear another parent crying on the phone, begging for help and telling me they have not seen or heard of their child for six months. It's heart breaking and completely unnecessary.

The first change that must be brought in is separation of Divorce and Custody. Custody must be first and based on fact, not who presents the better lies to court. If a child resides in another country or has resided in another country for a period of time then the childs welfare situation should be reviewed in the country in which they are resident not in Poland. It's common sen sense. Children's rights as determined by the Rights of a Child" should be primary, not whose fault the divorce was. Religious convictions must also be removed from the process.

Damn there is a lot that needs reviewing. There is an organization in Poland that is beginning to understand that there are different and better systems outside Poland. I have offered them my support.

Travel / Polish or British passport (child traveling to Poland) [51]


And exactly what use is that to a young child. As you well know this child can pick up a Polish passport at any time in the future.


It is not about politics, it is not about parents, it is about children's welfare.

Poland's current legal system regarding child welfare and parental responsibility could at best be described a shambles at worst based on Nazi ideology. Strong words I know but with some basis in fact.

This is a simple but good example of one thing that is wrong.

A couple seperate.
Children live with mum for a period of time.
Dad moves 300km away.
A while later he takes the children out for the day but does not return.
A week later they are found at Dads new address (note the Police will not be interested in this situation at all)
Mum has little or no contact with children.

Now I would like to believe that a reasonable human being would see there is a problem here. The law in most countries recognizes this as parental abduction and a recognizes that this situation is detrimental to a child's welfare amongst other things.

Not Poland. Oh no, you can do what you want if you have parental responsibility. It is not possible in Polish law to abduct your own child. This means you have no recourse to the law or police so in actual fact there appears to be little or no provision for child protection from a parent who has no thought for his/her child's welfare.

Throw into this scenario that this is an International relationship or a Polish family based in another country and it takes on a whole new context. Political and religious bias then take the driving seat. Lets take for example a Polish family that has lived in the UK for 5 years. They have a nine year old child that has been in school in the UK for five years. Dads a heavy drinker, knocks mum about and Mum discovers she doesn't have to put up with this in the UK , so asks him to leave. A week later Dad collects the child from school and returns to Poland with the child. This is a typical example by the way. What are the consequences for the child? Think about it from the child's point of view. It's not really ideal, its a disaster. Poland will of course think differently. The father has done nothing wrong and this is a Polish child, with Polish culture and therefore should be in Poland at all cost to the child's rights and welfare. Of course in the UK the father has become an International Child Abductor and would be considered a danger to the child until such time he can prove otherwise. In Poland the courts will support him, no matter what his previous behavior has been. Not only this, but because the Court Psychologists are in the direct pay of the courts, in fact each judge has a special relationship with those they employ, they cannot provide reports to court based on credible information they have, they must report what the court wants so any report will be pure fantasy. Why Poland has such a high reliance on psychologists, I find ridiculous. What the physco says is taken a fact when in truth it an opinion based on little or no knowledge of the real situation, but the lies placed in court. Of course we use them here but a judge is less likely to take what is written as trustworthy information. We can now see the Polish mother and the Polish child are in a bad position. Is this right? Of course not which is why we have the hague convention. Problem is, that although Poland has signed it's politics and religious convictions prevent it from applying law.