Real Estate / How do I rent a flat in Poland? [44]


One good side of this is that you can unashamedly ask for less money and simply walk away if they don't match it - they won't waste your time mmming and aahing over it.

Must admit though, I've never understood the Polish mentality of leaving a place empty and having to eat the family dog just for the sake of a bit more cash at the end.

News / Achievements of the Tusk's Polish government [532]


Bad governments tend to get kicked out. Good governments tend to get re-elected.

That's how it works in most developed countries. Poland is no exception.


Poland is pretty much equal with the rest of the EU-8 countries, except Slovenia - and that's because Slovenia started from a much better position with no debts, along with being smaller and therefore easier to manage. The 7 countries I'm referring to (Estonia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland) are all catching up rapidly with Greece and Portugal - so Poland is doing just fine.

History / Whom do the people in Poland hate more: Germans or Russians? [869]

To be fair, Lwów looks far better than Wroclaw - I really don't like Wroclaw's mix of new and old.

Law / Poland - Temporary Residence card - Karta pobytu - required documents [142]


You don't need a visa - as the family member of an EU citizen, no visa is required for some (not all - be careful of the implementation of the EU Directive 2004/38/EC) EU countries. You must travel with the family member - but if you google about the directive, you'll find a wealth of information about the subject.

In general though, you have visa-free access to the EU.

Language / Is Polish amongst the best-sounding languages in the world? [123]


Ukrainian is much nicer to my ears - softer, more melodic.

News / Achievements of the Tusk's Polish government [532]


They can't be the worst if they're on course to be the first Government to be re-elected, can they?


By encouraging people not to run away with the capital the second the crisis hit. Look at what happened in Latvia, Ukraine, Greece, etc - investors got scared. Poland managed to stay stable throughout all of it - and enjoyed the confidence of investors as a result.


You must be kidding. Perhaps to get someone who likes drinking during work and so on, but to get a reliable physical worker who doesn't drink/slack off, you're looking at almost double that in the cities.


Behind many African countries? Care to name some?

News / Achievements of the Tusk's Polish government [532]

Another success of the Tusk government - Poland-Wages-grow-faster-than-inflation-show-new-stats. Of course, the usual suspects will accuse GUS of lying.

Law / Weapons laws in Poland. Carrying a concealed handgun? [918]

The United States made it very clear all along that they wouldn't intervene militarily, but economically. I don't suppose you've read any history books, but if you had, you'd know this. Several books make it very clear that Moscow was warned with economic sanctions should they repeat the invasion of Czechoslovakia.


You really are a Dumb Polack, aren't you?

There are plenty of people in Poland with the right to shoot their own food.

News / Achievements of the Tusk's Polish government [532]

That's fine - we enjoy showing the world why Tusk is going to win easily.

News / Achievements of the Tusk's Polish government [532]


Funny thing is - you're making the usual PiS mistake of assuming that anyone who opposes you is automatically a PO voter.

News / Achievements of the Tusk's Polish government [532]


So, where do you find wisdom?

Or is it the case (as is usual with your type) that the only acceptable wisdom is the kind of wisdom that you agree with?

Travel / Why so many Indian Restaurants in Poland? Which one is the best? [42]


Speaking of this KEN street - does it mean anything? I do some very part time work for a school based there, and it's always amusing when I write al. KEN on the address...

News / Achievements of the Tusk's Polish government [532]

Funnily enough, I was reading an article about this a while ago - and PO is (apart from the core of the SLD) the first time in Poland since 1991 that there's actually been a party set up like a party, rather than a loose coalition of people. You just need to look at the way that no-one appears to speak in PO without Tusk's approval to see that - party discipline is far stronger (especially now that Palikot's gone) within PO than in PiS, for instance.

What's more likely, at least from my point of view, is that the SLD will make a stunning comeback in 2015 - either that, or a renewed PiS (without the Kaczynski maniacs) will win. I can certainly see a new era for PiS coming - they desperately need to get rid of Kaczynski et al and start focusing on their key strength - the Catholic-Socialism.

Truth be it, right now, PO have absolutely no opposition. Until PiS get that part sorted, PO will dominate Polish politics for years to come.

News / Achievements of the Tusk's Polish government [532]


And I notice that instead of talking about them, people are just attacking Tusk instead. Funnily enough, when the SLD started behaving like an opposition party, they saw their poll ratings go up and up. But the same old PiS supporters just cannot bear to actually behave like an opposition party.

And *that*, ladies and gentlemen, is why PO will romp to another victory.

News / Achievements of the Tusk's Polish government [532]

Definitely so.

I mean, fair enough - there's not much opportunity in a small village in the middle of nowhere, but anyone living in a decent sized town or city really has no excuse not to better themselves. The black economy is strong here, no-one is particularly bothered if some work is done without an invoice - just so long as the job is done on time and properly.

My balcony door was broken - I called some guy, he came exactly on time and fixed it in a few minutes. I had no issue at all with giving him 30zl for the job - heck, it was a five minute job, but he did it properly - and didn't come smelling of booze.

News / Parliament in Poland clears way for nuclear plant [78]


Hahaha.

I can't even be bothered to comment, just...hahaahaha.

News / Achievements of the Tusk's Polish government [532]


You know, I'd make even more money if I could do something physical - I noticed recently that the rates for a decent, reliable physical worker are going through the roof. It seems that by virtue of not drinking on the job and being able to do something to a deadline = $$$.


Oh, nearly 3 years.


Well, I'm content with the current system where people are afraid to take bribes. It's not perfect, but no country really is when it comes to high level corruption. For what it's worth - have you ever paid a bribe? I've never even been asked for one here.


Mystery to me. Most PO voters I know are dead against it - and is another genuine failing of the Tusk administration to keep troops there. PiS support it, so shouldn't that be a logical political decision to pull out?


The problem, I think - is that many people involved in education are basically dinosaurs. For every progressive thinker, there's a counterpart who is content to keep the same old system with the same old methods for years. It doesn't matter about political origin - there are just far too many dinosaurs in the system.

I'm not afraid to bash PO heavily for their strategy on education - until they get rid of the system where most professors are there because of personal connections rather than talent, nothing will change. It's the same old nomeklatura system all over again.

One small example, and a reform that should be made - PE shouldn't be graded in schools. It does nothing to encourage children to exercise, instead - all it does is create resentment. Would be a trivial reform to make, yet it hasn't been done. As I said countless times - many PO measures are good, but they've failed on education.

News / Achievements of the Tusk's Polish government [532]


The problem is that people demand things that really shouldn't be anything to do with the government.

I'm centre-left politically, yet I'm totally against transferring money to lazy, unmotivated people who want to be paid to do nothing. You want something, you work for it. If you suffer genuine misfortune, then the government can help you properly - resources being targeted properly.

Don't forget that a fair old percentage of people in Poland want a return to the Communist system in terms of guaranteed jobs, guaranteed pensions, guaranteed holidays, guaranteed flats and so on.


Uh, the current Government is actually doing quite a good job of it. There's a lot of funds available, there's a lot of help available - generally speaking, there's no excuse right now for people not to go and work. Of course, the Government's not going to hand it to you on a plate - and nor should they.

I managed to start from nothing and now earn a pretty decent salary every month - why can't others?

News / Achievements of the Tusk's Polish government [532]


Exactly. The Government of Poland makes sure that everyone has a roof over their head and food in their stomach (though it might not be particularly nice food and definitely no cakes - but fuel is fuel). After that, it's solely up to yourself - Governments are not to provide foreign holidays, nice clothes, sweets, luxurious flats, cars, etc.

While there might be a reason for people rotting away in villages and especially those former PGR places - anyone living in a town of 20,000 or more really has no excuse for not trying to better themselves. But it's easier to blame the Government than to accept personal responsibility, isn't it?

News / Achievements of the Tusk's Polish government [532]

The vast majority of people have no excuses, especially those who finished school after 1989.

Most of the moaning I hear comes from people who were in a prime position in 1989 to improve themselves - but chose to sit around complaining instead. No-one's going to criticise someone who genuinely didn't have the opportunity - but many of the people moaning were in the prime of their life when the system changed.

Sorry, but a job and holidays are not a human right.


We're actually the ones who create opportunity. You know, instead of expecting the Government to provide us with jobs, flats, holidays and so on. It's funny - but many of the people complaining just want the old system back.


Your grasp of economics, like most socialists, seems to be rather weak indeed. The real question is the real cost of things - and I'd be willing to bet that the average Pole is far richer in 2010 than in 1990. Could Poles go for coffees in Frankurt (Oder) or Gorlitz in 1991? I doubt it, what with the average salary being around $25 a month. Nowadays? Easily. And *that* is the real measure.


You're right, actually. And I'd just hire someone to do it rather than do it myself - why would I want to waste my time fooling around with wood when someone can do it quicker and better than I can? Hey, look - I'm providing employment!

The people that make this country tick are not those who sit around whining and complaining about Tusk - but rather those who get off their backside and do something for the country. I know many people, even a few PiS voters who have absolutely no time for these people - I even know one PiS supporter who deplores the lazy socialist attitude that many people have.

Anyway, if there's no opportunity, why did I find it incredibly difficult to recruit a salesperson, even when offering 4,000zl a month and pretty generous terms and conditions?

News / Achievements of the Tusk's Polish government [532]


The amount of blunders and mistakes made during that time was staggering - the election results in the subsequent election tells you all. There was definite political instability during that time.


That's the perception, but wages are increasing all the time - minimum wage is about to go up to 1500zl, and you just need to look at the cars in the cities (even compared to 5 years ago) to see that the country is getting richer.

I've never seen any hard data on it, but I'd be surprised if Poles were earning less in real terms.

I was taking a look at a small companies accounts the other day (employs between 7-10 people in that period). The wages have risen dramatically - so you really have to look not only what one zloty buys, but also how much wages have risen in the same time. By all measures, people are earning much, much more than they were 8 years ago.

Anyway, the election results will tell all. If PO get re-elected, then the majority of Poles will have shown that they're happy with the current situation. Will it stop the moaning on PF? Of course not - there, after all, will have been an International Liberal Socialist Jewish Conspiracy to prevent PiS from winning.

News / Achievements of the Tusk's Polish government [532]

In general, Tusk's achievement has been to promote Poland as an island of stability - a kind of Germany-lite if you will. You can see this from the endless foreign commentaries about Poland - the country is seen as stable and somewhat reliable. That has helped Poland no end - especially after the laughing stock that was the PiS, SLD and AWS governments.

Sure, it's also brought in very bitter partisan politics that didn't exist so violently before - but it can be argued that a stable democracy should always have two main parties that hate each others guts.

As I've said until I'm sick in the face - the problem with PiS isn't their policies (really, not so much difference between them and PO) - but the way in which they'll use political power to abuse their political enemies - and that's what makes them unelectable.

Oh, and at least Tusk's party has never virulently attacked a dead bishop.

Study / Top Language Schools to Work for in Warsaw? [32]

A cynic might suggest that there are no such things as best schools, only least-worst schools.

News / Achievements of the Tusk's Polish government [532]


Closest to the FDP, I think?

The party itself would be closer to the SDP in Germany, though.

News / Achievements of the Tusk's Polish government [532]


I think the endless new offices, warehouses and factories going up in Poznan and Wroclaw speak for themselves.


What's new? They've moaned about that for years in Poland. Then again - if you're only talking to PiS voters, no wonder they're complaining. Most people I know are happy with the situation - a lot of them remember the hardships of the early 1990's and realise now that things are definitely on the up.


Stable means that the political parties are stable, the Government looks likely to win re-election - all in all, stable. We've settled into a four party system quite comfortably - really, it's fine.


Well, duh - there's an economic crisis going on, didn't you see that? As for investments - open your eyes!


You do realise that tight governance would probably send quite a lot of people into financial difficulty? KRUS reform alone would send a lot of small farmers into poverty, let alone a serious pension reform to strip the generous pre-1990 allowances from pensioners. Poles don't *want* this - so I'm not sure what you're talking about. It could actually be said that by not cutting things, Tusk is doing exactly what the socialist electorate want.


Education is the building blocks of society. Anyway, most of the education reform was designed around cutting the free "second faculty" more than anything else.

News / Achievements of the Tusk's Polish government [532]


But how can you compare, when PiS were riding the wave of economic prosperity and PO have had to deal with the global crisis? It's like comparing apples and oranges.

In terms of stability, Tusk has done wonders - the country is now stable politically, something it wasn't for many, many years. We're actually looking like we'll see a Polish Prime Minister re-elected in a democratic election - the first time since...well, ever?


PO's greatest achievement has been stability. People are investing - big time.


What party would actually do "the best" for Poland?

Many people vote PO tactically simply because the alternatives are too scary to think about. Heck, look at me - I would only ever vote PO in order to keep PiS out, not because I like them. I haven't voted for them with any of my votes, and when confronted with a PO vs terrible mayor decision - I spoiled my vote on purpose. I'm certainly no PO apologist, but they're still the best option at a national level.

As for Tusk building a missile shield - where the hell is the money coming from? Poland tried the military-industrial method in the 20's and 30's and...it didn't work.

News / Achievements of the Tusk's Polish government [532]


Uh...

Since when? The nukes in Germany are controlled by the United States.

Law / Weapons laws in Poland. Carrying a concealed handgun? [918]


HahahahahahahahahahahAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Poles love nothing more than to cheat their fellow people.

News / Achievements of the Tusk's Polish government [532]


Walesa, strong leader?

He was anything but. In fact, he was similar to Kaczynski in terms of meddling and not behaving as how a President should behave - although in all fairness, he didn't have a proper job description either.

Kaczynski, strong? I don't recall one 'strong' act from either of the brothers - except when it came to witchhunts.

Don't forget that Lech Kaczynski, despite all the rhetoric, signed Lisbon.


Thankfully, the majority do.

Personally, it's all moot - Tusk is going to walk the election and we can all have a good laugh as PiS are cast into the political wilderness. Kaczynski is doomed, and he knows it - PiS simply cannot survive another 3 years with him as leader if he loses yet again.

News / Achievements of the Tusk's Polish government [532]


Open your eyes, then.

Tusk is seen as a beacon of stability in Eastern Europe by business.


It's certainly a far better career than sitting at home and complaining, like most PiS voters.