There are folk who post on here almost every week asking about life in Poland. their misconceptions are there for all to see. and yet some of these same people have a right to vote. it's fcuking ridiculous.
I think it's a lot to do with the English language reporting - when you see Jaroslaw Kaczynski being described as the "Conservative" candidate, you get the ridiculous situation where people come on here and assume that he's the "pro-business" candidate.
on a more serious note, does anyone know how many generations this US Polish citizenship right to vote thingy goes back?
clearly great grandmothers do not count
but if your grandmother was Polish could you apply for Polish citizenship?
It's not based on generations, but rather several citizenship laws. It's a bit messy, but it depends on things such as - did the ancestor claim a foreign citizenship before 1962, did they join a foreign army - and some other stuff. But it can only be obtained from the mother or father (and before 1951, only the father if the parents were unmarried) - essentially, a bit of a minefield.
Polonia pays taxes in the countries whose infrastructures they use. They are not selfish. The demands that Polonians pay the Polish government to exercise their right to vote as Polish citizens is stupid
They aren't selfish, but they vote in our elections without paying taxes to the country - perhaps the ultimate act of unpatriotism.
As for the demands - nice to see that you think paying money to the Polish Government is "stupid". I mean - that's 38 million people you're insulting right there.
as is the demand that they drop their careers in the countries in which they are living to go do volunteer work in Poland.
If they cared half as much about Poland as they say they do, they wouldn't hesitate. Why are you hesitating, Des? Is it because you would prefer to volunteer in Ukraine (which, admittedly, needs help even more than Poland does)?
but people in Poland, excepting some stingy English teachers and some ultra-partisan ideologues, are generous enough to know that the Polish nation comprises more than just those people living in Poland, and they trust their fellow Polish citizens abroad to make informed choices at the ballot box.
Actually, most Poles don't want them voting abroad. We already know that they can't make informed choices ;)