Failures of Poland and Tusk`s government

yes - the liberalisation of rail roads is strange thing to do - it caused a lot of trouble - it is difficult to separate the actual transporting operations from the infrastructure - on what basis do you for example create timetables when there are a couple of competing operators

Good point! Way back in the early 90s, California decided to deregulate (for the benefit of Cali consumers) its power industry. W/ little, or none at all, oversight, SDG&E, instead of building power plants and thus increasing power output, started buying (and speculating) power from nearby states. Guess what happened? An everage electirc bill went thru the roof from $20 to $100! The company went into Chapter 11 and their response to high mthly bills was to use energy eff light bulbs! Perhaps, after all, breaking up a state monopoly aint too good, or you might end up w/ rollbacks, blackouts, etc. I dunno much about Polish Telecom but having French controlling them, that's not a good news. I worked w/ French mgmnt back in Korea (Carrefoure) and they were horrible! And what's funny, as you know French being French, is that the French mgmnt insisted on speaking English while holding meets! Gotta tell ya: It was a challange having the Koreans and French speaking English!

I'm not surprised. I used to travel regularly between London and Norwich (about 100 miles) on the weekends about 8 years ago. I would start the journey off on train, then I'd have to get off and wait in the freezing cold for a bus because of urgent ongoing railway works (that were urgent and ongoing for several years), and then I'd have to get off the bus and take the train again. It should have been a direct train journey that takes about 2 hours. What it actually took was 6 hours, and I had to pay £40 for the privilege.

A few years back, I quite often used to take a train from Krakow to Warsaw (about 160 miles), and not only were the old, Soviet trains (with bilingual Polish/Russian signs) more spacious and comfortable, but the journey was quicker and much, much cheaper to boot. Now, I'm sure there are horror stories about the Polish rail network too, since it's hardly modern and seriously underdeveloped, but the effects of privatisation in the UK have been such a disaster, that my experiences on the Polish railways have actually been better.

Only in the last few years have things begun to improve in the UK thanks to none other than increased regulation and accountability to the government. It seems Poland is going in the opposite direction.

I often get into heated debates in Poland about privatisation. Some people become so devoted to their pet economic theory that they can't see they're a carbon copy of the Marxists they so oppose. And apparently, because I'm quite moderate and pragmatic, and thus don't share their radically anarcho-capitalist outlook, that makes me a communist. [Sigh]

I'm w/ ya! The prob is the so-called magmnt gurus tryina sell their expertise to gov't and thus to make money off their naivete. Again, Korea has a very, very good rail system - fast, reliable though you may have to inhale some kimchi from time to time - a very efficient power system, providing one of the lowest rates in the world, and Korea Telco, offering onea the fastest Internet connections (all fiber optic) in the world. Guess what? they want to deregulate or privatize them! Sadly, US-based mgmnt consulting groups are feeding the Koreans w/ these ideas for a fee, of course! It might be the same case in Poland. Buyer be aware!

Oh God no! I love the Korean transport system. It's so efficient, and I loved that I could travel anywhere in Seoul for just a few thousand won, and the trains would run like clockwork and take me to my destination without delay. Plus, underground mobile phone reception and air conditioning during the Korean summer can't be beat! They've done things so right that I can't believe they too are looking into importing yet another failed Western way of doing things.

Despite criticism from all sides, Prime Minister Tusk has just announced that 2013 will be a good year for Poland. Unemployment will go down, Polish bonds will go up, Poland will avoid recession.

an optimist simply heheh - internal demand that was driving Poland's growth is dwindling - energy prices will rise this year further decreasing the purchasing power of the populace - the growth of unemployment is unavoidable in this situation

So he says, "2013 will be better for Poland than what the pessimists think."

Well, probably, since some doomsayers predict catastrophe every year. I don't think it will be a catastrophe. But I doubt it will be better than 2012.

Polish bond prices are as much dependent on foreign and internal investors as they are on the NBP. If the Bank cuts rates, which is what central banks do when faced with a potential recession, then of course bond prices are going to go up, because the Bank will have to buy more of them to meet its interest rate target. In fact, the NBP can effectively control bond prices if it so chooses, because it is the issuer of the Polish national currency, and can issue as much as it wants to buy as many bonds as it pleases. Doing so is inflationary but useful in times of crisis, and Greece is f*cked because it doesn't have that option, having surrendered monetary sovereignty to the German-run ECB.

Unemployment could potentially go down if either a) there is continued economic growth or b) the government employs more people.

I'm sceptical about there being significant economic growth in Poland in 2013, but it's not out of the question. Even if there is little or no growth, however, it's entirely possible that unemployment will go down in the second half of the year, as Tusk predicted, especially if it goes up a lot beforehand, or if the government undertakes public works projects to boost the economy.

I hope Tusk is right, but I'm not so sure.

One of them is professor Rybiński who regularly predicts economic disaster but seldom is right. What about this time? He claims 2013 will be black year for Poland - mass redundancies and unemployment at 15%, lack of funds for medical and other services, tax rises, cuts of investment etc

This will depend on how the Americans handle their so-called "fiscal cliff". If they fail to reach an agreement, the US economy might take a major hit and return to a deep recession - taking the EU and Poland with it.

Come on, they won`t fail. :):):)

This time it's different. Both Republicans and Democrats see an advantage in not coming to an agreement. First they raise the taxes and hurt the economy big time, then they lower the taxes again and look like the good guys. It's a political game; they don't care about what happens to the country and the world economy.

No, impossible. It is just a show.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_the_world%27s_a_stage

Krzysztof Rybiński is a very smart guy, check his bio, he became a chief economist at ING being 30 years old and a vice chairman of NBP at the age of 37, just some of his many achievements... Poland would have been a much better place If people like him were in charge.

He's seldom right ? Imagine a group of teenagers, all of the rest are smoking stuff (including Tusk and his buddies, he really did by the way...) while one is screaming (that's Rybiński) that they should give it up or otherwise they will become drug addicts... they laugh at him, some years later It turns out that they were lucky, gave up pot before it was too late... what does it tell you ? That smoking pot is good and not dangerous at all ?

Poland has been running totally irresponsible economic policy for years, Rybiński (and many other economists, including Balcerowicz) has been criticizing it and rightly so, a fact that we have managed to keep our heads slightly over s*hyt level doesn't prove him wrong, sooner or later our luck will run out, besides even If we again mange not to drawn into **** in 2013, growing debt, growing tax burden, huge administration, corruption etc. are keeping us much below our real potential.

Rybiński is a kind of whistle blower, he's not making any money on it or any other benefits, the guy is right on so many things that all the decent people should support him and create the pressure on the bunch of imbeciles, psychos, thieves and traitors that our "political class" is made of.

Grzegorz, I have suspected you of being professor Rybinski for a long time. Or his assistant at least. :):):)

Aww, wasn't I going to be a jobless ex-PGR dweller, who can't afford TGV ticket ? I will have to edit my profile.

That is a clever camouflage. You think we really believe you look like that :

So you are wrong! Now we know you look like that!:

Well, as they say, a broken clock is right twice a day. Who knows, it could be the year for the doomsayers.

There was once a man who proclaimed the end of "boom and bust" in a not-too-faraway land, and hardly had a year passed after he made that statement that a decade of uninterrupted boom did eventually turn to bust.

this is about nepotism a la PO

Yes, of course, nobody denies it. But such things happened with PiS and others in power too. It happens all over the world. After all, people form or join parties to get the perks connected with holding power.

Priceless :)) 20 more years for Tusk and then Amber Michałek will replace daddy :))

Like Balzer said in FT, each party must recognize that small business indeed is an engine of economic growth n rather than choking it (w/ heavy taxation) the gov't should cut it some slack. Successful Polish busienss people (working their butts off) are getting punished for being successful! (Btw, successful means you start your own business and grow it.)

Wow! You are an optimist. So why do you never cease to critisize his government? :):)


I agree. But it is not Tusk`s fault that small business has to struggle. it is red tape which is like a hydra, when chopped off, it still grows.

Amazing. Pawi, are you for real ?

:D
Stop writing rubbish peewee! I haven't been point out nonsenses and inconsistencies you are posting on this thread in defense of Tusk's government. Naturally qestion arise are you just an empty headed happy go lucky peewee or more sinister type who actually gain personally on Tusk's government and therefore is harmful to Poland.

I'm know it cannot be solved on the internet, possibly you are bit of both but if you are not getting paid for those posts just restrain yourself from posting more of the same rubbish even if been a clown is agreeable to you.

Ironsik, don`t be silly. You are not the one to tell me what I should or shouldn`t do. Most of your posts in the forum are utter nonsense. A Pol Am moron who knows nothing about real Poland wants to teach a native Pole????? Come on :):):):):):)

Oh come on, what would the other party done differently concerning small business?
And anyway economy fortunately(or in this times reversed) doesnt give a **** who is in power.

Didn`t I say it was a show? :):):)

LOL! Yes, but they only postponed the real decisions for two months. Then the whole show starts all over again...

Cause life is an eternal stage.....

Sejm leaders from main parties are going to receive bonuses for the last year`s work. About 40.000 zlotys each. Together 245.000 zlotys. You can buy a small apartment in Warsaw with that money.

The decision to grant bonuses was taken by the Parliament Marshall who is a member of the ruling party.

It caused an outrage in the society which is already going through difficult times as the recession has hit Poland and caused high unemployment.

Shame!! Scandal!!

" Embarrassment ", "is shameful " - write on the Contact box 24 internet users . Sharp 's comments sparked an indication that Parliament Speaker Ewa Kopacz and Deputy Marshals awarded a total of 245,000 zł bonus for the previous year . " The government of Donald Tusk stabbed scoring an own goal " - feel outraged . There is no shortage , however, and those who defend politicians. " Parliament is a place of work" - recall.