Life / Polish church music versus African-American gospel [29]


Something like this would do nicely and bring something new to most village churches.

News / What should Poland do with the problem of Belarus? [1800]


Twice this year.


What 'excuses'. Don't you think it's better to analyse a situation dispassionately rather than sound like a Daily Mail reader mouthing off in Wetherspoons?


Sarcasm is so dull. Truthfully, I may move there at some point. It's a nice place, though majority rule is causing problems at the moment.

History / 20 years of Poland in the EU. [317]


I've a bit feeling that it's barely started. China is the place to watch.

News / What should Poland do with the problem of Belarus? [1800]

We're talking about serious things. Try to show some much needed self-restraint, felon...


Is not the President of Poland or Belarus.

It's quite clear that the current border crisis is an act of hybrid war by r*SSia; another reason to support Ukraine and ensure they have the tools to finish the job. The fact that it's escalated recently is a worrying sign. There have been a number of incidents recently, saboteurs in Poland, a bomber in France, a cyberattack in the U.K..

Putler obviously wants to increase fear. A very wise person once said that we "have nothing to fear except fear itself". Whatever Putler does, we shouldn't allow support for Ukraine to wane, even if he pulls a stunt during Euro 2024 or the Olympics,

The Olympics are a particular worry due to France's stance. We should not however worry.

News / What should Poland do with the problem of Belarus? [1800]


That and wider.

If you keep whole swathes of the world down and if human development is as asymmetrical as it has been, then it will come back to bite you.

Remember Maf, that 8mmigratio; can't be reversed; we need to concentrate on developing the next generation.

And as I said, this thread is about the current border issue, not migration as a whole.


Sort of. It's actually the workers' control of the means of production, either through the French statist model or through the British mixed model. Both have very large state/regional/cooperative sectors, despite the Tories' attempts to sabotage that, and both have a high degree of public control over capitalistic activity.

And don't forget that our Health Servić is the third largest public sector employer in the world, after the Chinese Army and the Indian Railway.

News / What should Poland do with the problem of Belarus? [1800]


No Labour government in the U.K. or Socialist government in France has ever done so.

Are you confusing Socialism with totalitarian Communism?


So as I say, the fault lies with governmental policy.

News / What should Poland do with the problem of Belarus? [1800]

@PolAmKrakow
No 'evidence' at all 😂


It hasn't started yet. But will.

Perhaps it's better to criticise r*SSia for ćreating this border crisis rather than be distracted by subject give opinions about completely different places.

News / What should Poland do with the problem of Belarus? [1800]


That is naive. Of course they have 'agency' and the people involved (from a low information culture with an unrealistic view of the west) took a chance to have a better life based on something that was offered to them by malign state actors. I suspect most would prefer to have stayed in safety at home.


So again, it's the fault of the government in question for handling the situation badly.

@PolAmKrakow
An amusing rant, and all fiction.

As I said earlier, if you had more personal restraint and personal honesty, you'd have a shorter criminal record and no need to make silly threats that you can't see through or make up nonsense about people "grooming". Now run along; haven't you got a closed down restaurant to not run?

News / What should Poland do with the problem of Belarus? [1800]


Which means you don't hate the other 99.99%

It's best not to judge an entire group of people by its tiny criminal minority, nor to forget that the other poor people being pushed through the border probsnly hate that one violent one too.

News / What should Poland do with the problem of Belarus? [1800]

@PolAmKrakow
The difference is that I speak the documented truth (and there's plenty online and in the media in both countries) and you just make things up.

We aren't however talking about your disgraceful recidivism or your bile about your country's elected politicians.

We're talking about the crisis on the border with Belarus, where people are being forced (in some cases literally pushed) across the border by malign state actors.


It won't, since not one word I've said about you is false. And I don't recall seeing your real name on this forum. Perhaps if you were better acquainted with the law, you would have a shorter criminal record.


They aren't, however the problem is that desperation in the global south is being weaponised by authoritarian states against the global north. It isn't just r*SSia, China and Iran are doing it too.

In the short term, this will probably increase, especially as it is in China's interest to act the way they are.

There's other threads about the pros and cons of migration generally. It would be a breath of fresh air to discuss the wider issues here without hating on the individual migrants who are availing themselves of something available to them.

History / 20 years of Poland in the EU. [317]

Are you on drugs or does your brain produce those chemicals by itself?

History / 20 years of Poland in the EU. [317]

Association football, Rugby football. cricket, darts, snooker and a few games we invented that others play but we never do.

News / What should Poland do with the problem of Belarus? [1800]


There you go again.

As you can see, mass immigration is a reality in all of the places you mentioned.


Perhaps if you had more personal restraint, you'd have spent fewer years being sodomised in the prison showers. Remind us how long your felony rap sheet is?

History / 20 years of Poland in the EU. [317]

And thanks for asking. As I said, chalk and cheese.

Poles often assume that nobody understands them and their culture, whereas in fact many people do. The U.K. is the opposite. Many people think they understand how things work there but almost never do. Those who are wise accept that.


We invented the Worker's movement, Socialism, the cooperative movement, universal healthcare, the welfare state and free compulsory education. We also have thriving capitalism and conservative voices, invented modern industry and we have a very effective and traditional military class. Yet we've never had a revolution, and rarely do what outsiders expect us to do.

History / 20 years of Poland in the EU. [317]


Very. Chalk and cheese. People have made the mistake of not understanding that before.


Very pro-Ukraine.


What does that even mean?

News / What should Poland do with the problem of Belarus? [1800]


Except they aren't, are they. Regardless of politics, economics, military strength; none of them are doing so.


Civilised society is tough on criminals, isn't it...

And tends to be sensible and decent enough not to rant about 'scum'.

History / 20 years of Poland in the EU. [317]


Labour will win. The Tories are likely to be wiped out for the foreseeable.


Don't confuse ours with yours. Or try to understand ours. Many have tried, none have succeeded.


That's something that doesn't appeal there, and another reason why there would need to be major changes before we could be tempted to return. National sovereignty, and end to 'federalist' fantasies and the primacy of the nation state, yes. European 'nationalists' and 'ethnocentrists', no.


Given their declining state, plummeting prestige on the world stage, regular civil disobedience at home and their likely change of government, it looks like they won't. There are certainly scandals that are likely to come into the public domain over the next couple of years, and for reasons of safety and security, I wouldn't want to be in Paris at the time of the Olympics next month. They've already found one bomb and it is a gift for r*SSia and other malign state actors.

History / 20 years of Poland in the EU. [317]


The "idea" was to leave something that had been a good trading bloc but which was increasingly to our disadvantage including actively working against our interests.


Why would we need to make any "offer" to French companies? Any contracts they have are there to be fulfilled by them to the letter. And the return of infrastructure to public and domestic ownership when the contracts expire affects 'investors' from several countries.


Except they don't; their prime minister was recently begging for either a way out of projects that his partly state owned energy company committed to dishonestly and can't afford to fulfill or for funding from the UK to enable them to fulfill it without huge expense on their part. The answer was "non".

We shall see a lot more of that after the election.


Or a decision which looks better daily.

News / What should Poland do with the problem of Belarus? [1800]


There you go again.


So in fact you're saying it's the fault of the people for electing governments who enable the situation?

History / 20 years of Poland in the EU. [317]


One reason that the contracts for public utility companies, railways etc aren't being renewed. There's no reason they should be a cash cow for so one else, either elsewhere in Europe or further afield. This has already started and is likely to go further under the new Labour government. Especially where there are clear Service Level Agreements that aren't being met. Poland should think about doing this more.


Something to block on grounds of national security.


Yet.

And they also see that much of this is the result of deliberate actions by France who actively enable migrants to cross the channel. Their police just stand and watch and their shops still sell the inflatable dinghies.

Off-Topic / Let's talk about shoes [344]


I wouldn't really have thought about ceramic tiles outside bathrooms and maybe a kitchen, however they're really good (providing they're heated) ours look like parquet except they never scratch. I'd have them again.

History / 20 years of Poland in the EU. [317]


Absolutely.

The French are finding that out to their cost since Brexit. All those state tenders they underbid other companies for with the intention of not delivering what they promised and using pressure to get funding from the U.K. government. Now their ability to put pressure on has vanished and they're being held to their contracts, penalty clauses and all.


It works two ways; Brussels has zero influence in London, and at the same time voters in mainland Europe see that all the dire predictions of worsening standards of living etc never came true. Apparently two EU countries are screaming in anger that new companies are listing their shares in London and that the pound is strong; and they can do nothing about it.

Off-Topic / Let's talk about shoes [344]


We have additional electric underfloor heating in the bathrooms to use when the main heating isn't on. Though we don't use those much. It's more expensive and basically overkill and in any case, we have a cat litter tray in one of the bathrooms and I don't fancy keeping that on a simmer. The rest of the rooms all have underfloor pipes with a higher concentration in the living room and hall and less elsewhere.

It works very well and I'm glad we have it.

Off-Topic / Let's talk about shoes [344]


I just googled it. It's what's called "bathroom heaters" in the U.K. popular years ago due to providing heat quickly. Good that they're being developed.


We have a couple of rugs. Our cleaner hoovers them when she comes, washes them sometimes (I only buy washable ones due to having pets) and roomba does the rest. Normal in Poland. They're more for decoration/acoustics than anything else.

Off-Topic / Let's talk about shoes [344]


Popular in newly-built social housing in the 1960s in the U.K. until people got their first quarterly bill and switched it off en masse, within minutes of opening the envelope.

Ours is gas powered. Instead of radiators, there's a web of small pipes under the floor. Even with double height ceilings, we can leave windows open in winter and the costs are not excessive. My folks in the U.K. installed it in just their main living room and didn't regret it.


That sounds interesting, is it one of Sir James Dyson's products? The air heater he developed is very good.

News / What should Poland do with the problem of Belarus? [1800]


Are you saying that the governments that have led to the situation aren't?


We don't have "unrestricted migration" into Poland or elsewhere.


How cynical; isn't tax expenditure an issue for governments?

Off-Topic / Let's talk about shoes [344]


I have it, as do many other people in Poland. It's a very good thing.


We have tiles, warm in winter due to being heated and cool in summer. Not cheap to buy, but long lasting, better looking than carpets, impossible to stain and much more hygienic.

History / 20 years of Poland in the EU. [317]


Not 'inevitable' and in any case, a large part of Germany was Communist.


In which case, it is incumbent on people's elected representatives to mitigate this, and of course the Polish economy had grown to a point where it is appropriate that the situation begins to reverse.


This sometimes happens. Not just regarding Polish investors either. A few years ago, a large German company was taken over by a British company and there were howls of outrage and calls for their government to intervene. So e media commentators even claimed that it was not 'correct' for a German company to be taken over by a foreign one and that it was only 'correct' for the opposite to happen.

History / 20 years of Poland in the EU. [317]


There is shocking asymmetricality in that plenty of German companies own large production and distribution facilities in Poland whereas far fewer Polish companies own large production and distribution facilities in Germany.

How best to mitigate or reverse that?

News / What should Poland do with the problem of Belarus? [1800]


Hard to know where you get that from.


Except it is now Europe's problem. We'd not be discussing it otherwise.


That's a weird thing to say, and shows little understanding of how people actually live. Hard to know where you get the 'fast food' thing from either; it tends to be sit down meals of very high quality. The level of custom they get shows there's a demand.


Again, a crabby council estate housewife comment; Ethiopia's actually a nice place (have you been?) with a shifting demographic that has led to their higher social strata being marginalised. There are plenty of Europeans living there; why shouldn't the opposite happen?