History / Poland's undying debt to Polonia [76]


Except that some of us have been educated here (I could introduce you to several graduates, if you wish?), some of us do speak Polish (if I couldn't, why did I just vote in a local referendum today?) and some of us take the time to actually learn about Poland.

Either way, we know a hell of a lot more than some guys who are of 3rd/4th generation and who think they know the truth because they read some crap newspaper written by politically biased people.

Life / Polish cartoons for kids [43]

Such petty nationalism is common in Europe, isn't it?

It's why I think there should be a European court dedicated to cross border disputes rather than relying on national legal systems to make fair judgements. The French are notoriously bad for it.

History / Poland's undying debt to Polonia [76]


I'm not convinced that it was so low - I've never seen any reliable figures on the matter, but there was a degree of support from the lower classes of society who were promised much more than they had. If I was guessing - I'd estimate somewhere less than a million, but more than half a million.

Life / Polish cartoons for kids [43]


Perfectly, thank you :)

History / Poland's undying debt to Polonia [76]


Let's face it, you probably won't. You'll have got your education in the UK, you'll have grown up there - Poland will be a foreign place to you, especially as you'll have no idea how things actually work here from an adult perspective.


Depends what you do. IT guys are in huge demand at the moment, as are people who can use (properly) at least two foreign languages.

Life / Polish cartoons for kids [43]


Can you explain more for us who have no idea about the case?

History / Poland's undying debt to Polonia [76]


Sorry, but Poland is a free country. If someone loved Poland, they'd stay here - hence why several non-Poles on this forum stay here.


If you want to care for them, you'd pay taxation in Poland and help us deal with the rampant social problems. Poland's rate of volunteering is the worst in the EU - why not come here and help change that for us?

Wielki Polak on here already offered - and he has my utmost respect for doing so. But he's the only one that ever took me up on my offer of sorting out a volunteer placement here.


Of course we would - anyone claiming to love Poland and yet hiding in the UK from a war would be nothing but a lying bastard.

History / Poland's undying debt to Polonia [76]


Some Poles might have chosen it, but the majority certainly didn't. If they chose it willingly, then why was the 3xTAK referendum rigged so badly?


Indeed. I've seen an excellent series of photos from Poznan during Communism, and the city is quite unrecognisable now.

History / Poland's undying debt to Polonia [76]


In fact - it would seem that they are dramatically out of touch with even their own people, as from what I've read - the US Polonia tends to vote Democrat.

History / Poland's undying debt to Polonia [76]


Worth pointing out that even in the USA, the Polonia weren't united -some areas of New York, Washington, California and some other places all voted for PO. It was only the massive vote in one or two areas of Chicago that tipped it firmly in the favour of PiS. So - trying to claim that the US Polonia 'know best' because they voted PiS is nonsense.

Don't forget that many working class people vote PO too.

History / Poland's undying debt to Polonia [76]


The problem is that people are still fighting this war in their heads when the war is over.

Same problem in Poland, of course.

History / Poland's undying debt to Polonia [76]


This arrogance makes me sick. Trying to say that people actually living real life in Poland are "misguided" while living thousands of miles away is - well - arrogant to say the least.

Why say this stuff, Polonius? The voting figures clearly show that PiS only won in the US and Canada - in every other single place in the world, they lost. What makes them better than the Polonia in the UK, for instance?


Again - why should Poland feel thankful for this? America (of which the US Polonia are a part) betrayed Poland in WW2 - all the cash in the world can't make up for the fact that this betrayal happened.

Love / Sexually liberal ----- Is this a fact or myth for Polish women living in Poland? [61]

Indeed, when was the last time anyone ran into British strippers abroad?

Amusing that he spent so much time in the strip clubs to be able to ascertain their nationality ;)

Work / How much to pay a housekeeper in Warsaw? [23]

If you went up to 200PLN, that would be fair and decent, I think?

20PLN an hour is what I know some people are paying in Poznan for someone decent and reliable.

News / The Political Circus of Poland [309]

He didn't have much choice really - Lepper was corrupt to the bone, but he also knew that he could bring down Jaroslaw Kaczynski if he switched his allegiances to the opposition. If Kaczynski had upset Lepper one more time, then Lepper may very well have proposed a constructive vote of no confidence against him. They were certainly no friends!

The failure of the minority (non-Lepper/Giertych) government was everything to do with PiS not being able to build parliamentary consensus. Minority governments can work, after all.

Law / Poland economy is slowing down - how does it affect you? [117]


Doesn't surprise me in the slightest - graduate unemployment from the numerous private universities is awful. People keep telling me that they're getting presented with papers and no skills - a consequence of the "education for all" policy.

Law / Poland economy is slowing down - how does it affect you? [117]


No, nothing at all, apart from the fact that without much of them, the country wouldn't be ticking at all. Then again, who was it that didn't have a bank account and ridiculed others for shopping in certain shops? Ah, that would be Jaroslaw Kaczynski - a man who is the definition of out of touch.


I think we proved a long time ago that you're the one who hasn't got a clue about what's going on in Poland. 12% unemployment means nothing - how many of them are actually working on the rather large Polish black market?


There's plenty of work there for people if they want it. Someone from Gorzow can easily commute to Szczecin these days.

Your view of Poland as being some sort of oppressed state where only Jaroslaw Kaczynski can lead Poland to salvation (well, Communism) is cartoonish here.

News / The Political Circus of Poland [309]


Care to provide evidence for that claim?

Law / Poland economy is slowing down - how does it affect you? [117]

Not really - the worst that it ever got in the III RP was 20% - from around 2002 to the start of 2004 when the SLD really stopped funding the loss making state owned businesses. At least in Western Poland, there's still plenty of jobs available if you just want to work. But again - even if it was 20%, it wouldn't matter - Poland doesn't have a 'welfare state' and is based upon household rather than personal income.

Curiously, I met a Spanish guy handing out leaflets in Poznan - that was very very very strange.

News / The Political Circus of Poland [309]

No, it wouldn't be like saying that at all.

It's hardly a "minor point" - either you're clinging to a modern invention, or you're clinging to a Communist invention. Which is it?

(by the way - again - what was that about not interfering in Polish politics?)

Law / Poland economy is slowing down - how does it affect you? [117]

Because in Poland, that 12% aren't much of a burden. Many of them are also only technically unemployed - they will be unemployed to get their healthcare provided, but in reality, they'll be working in some way. The black market is absolutely huge here - it's quite normal to hand over cash for a service and not to get a receipt. If they are genuinely unemployed, they'll probably live with their families and not really represent any trouble to society. Essentially, the unemployed are pretty much forced to find some sort of employment - legal or otherwise.

And 12% isn't that much by European terms - the 25% in Spain (with a giant welfare bill to match) is much more damaging.

Law / Poland economy is slowing down - how does it affect you? [117]


Better to take a paycut and have a job than to refuse paycuts and end up unemployed, right? Germany has followed the same model and it has protected much of their workforce as a result - they know and understand that short term pain equals long term gain.


I do wonder what kind of mortgages they were taking if they have "massive problems" as a result of a 30% paycut. One would suggest that their financial planning hasn't been particularly sound - either they were living way beyond their means, or they are still spending much more than they need to.


Are they? That's certainly not what I'm seeing here. Either you're associating with people who were massively living beyond their means, or it's simply not true.


I'm pretty certain you won't be able to provide empirical evidence for this, just "word on the street".


Revenge for what?

I think you must hang out with some pretty strange people if they're taking 30% paycuts in a society where they aren't the norm at all. I've heard of exactly one industry cutting their wages - the EFL industry, and that's because there is such intense competition on the market.

If you told me that people were taking 10% paycuts, I'd believe you - because that's what has generally happened in Germany. But 30-40%? Not believable.

Anyway, I've just made a few searches online and can find absolutely no mention of such massive paycuts in Poland. I've looked in the Polish media (both pro and anti Government), I've had a look in respectable newspapers - nowhere is such a scenario mentioned. There's some talk of pay being frozen, but that's about it. The story you tell of 30-40% paycuts seems to be just that - a story.

News / The Political Circus of Poland [309]


Gowin also promotes the "interests of the people" above the rule of law. If you haven't noticed, that's exactly what Communists said. Why do you keep promoting Communist doctrines on PF, Polonius?


No, it really hasn't. The name might be the same, but as I explained to you, the Zloty has either been around since 1950 or 1995. Pre-1950 was a totally different currency - the name is the only similarity.

Law / Poland economy is slowing down - how does it affect you? [117]


No harm in that - in fact, it's generally known that a labour force willing to take paycuts when times are bad (and payrises when times are good) will succeed much more than the Greek version where no-one saw cuts in their salaries until it really was too late.

News / The Political Circus of Poland [309]

Oh, Polonius, you're such fun.

The current currency of Poland has two possible birthdates - either 1995 (with the unofficial name new Polish Zloty and corresponding change in the currency code) - or 1950 when the law was changed and the 3rd Zloty introduced. In a legal sense, the 1950 date wins - in a practical sense, the 1995 date wins. Certainly - the changing of the currency code from PLZ to PLN suggests that it's a new currency, but the 1950 (as amended) law is still in place.

Either way, it hasn't been around for 350 years. The name might be the same, but that's meaningless - it's not the same currency.

Of course, it's curious that you would choose to recognise the Nazi-era Zloty as well as the Lublin Government Zloty.

News / The Political Circus of Poland [309]


Why would they vote in the USA if they don't have the right to?

Your logic is getting stranger and stranger Polonius.

News / The Political Circus of Poland [309]


Long live the Złoty, which has been around for what, 17 years? Such a historical currency!

Anyway Polonius, nice of you to admit to us that you think that aliens should keep out of Polish affairs. We'll be sure to remind you of it in future threads when you start posting rubbish about Tusk et al.

Real Estate / Polish law on inheritance and real estate [42]


Fingers crossed. Ewalina's English is fine too - so you can help if needs be.

I wish you all the best of luck - and as I said, if you need any help 'on the ground' - I'm here to help.

News / The Political Circus of Poland [309]


Curiously, EU citizens are prohibited from voting in the provincial elections.


It's fine - you don't portray yourself as some sort of expert on Polish affairs while refusing to actually provide any substance to your comments.


Good good. I'll remember that next time you post about Polish politics. We have a right to take part in the Polish political life - you don't.

News / The Political Circus of Poland [309]

I'm just quoting this for...well, to make sure that he doesn't edit his post.


Because fringe Catholic groups have never used violence to achieve their aims, right? The RCC has also never collaborated with fascist regimes that used terror as a core part of their philosophy, right? Hmm.


Interesting. I take it that you feel that aliens in Poland should similarly refrain from interfering with Polish issues?