News / Previous Poland's government corrupting the media. [125]


Uh...you have read that link, right? Not only does it expose Morawiecki as lying, but you're also failing to take into account that Poland's economy grew strongly in the second part of the 2010's. A rise in VAT revenues would be quite normal during economic boom periods.

alebank.pl/kryzys-zweryfikowal-efekty-uszczelniania-vat-%E2%80%92-luka-wzrosla-do-36-mld-zlotych

It gets worse - the so-called 'sealing' simply hasn't worked. There's now a VAT gap of around 36bn PLN, which is similar to what existed before.


Is it really, really so hard to understand that PiS have lied through their teeth about the source of income for those social benefits, and that they're really being financed through endless taxes and printing of money?


Was he wrong, in light of the fact that 500+ is unfunded as we can see?

News / Previous Poland's government corrupting the media. [125]


I'm telling you that it's simply not true. The VAT 'sealing' brought around 22bn a year (may I also remind you that they simply implemented the plans brought by PO/PSL in order to achieve that?) - while 500+ costs around 40bn. You simply cannot avoid mathematics here, no matter how much the PiS controlled media tells you otherwise.

If there is to be 500+, it should be in the form of a 500zł tax credit for every child. Someone with 3 children would get a 1500zł monthly tax credit, meaning that they could earn up to around 10,000zł without paying taxes. Fair, reasonable and encourages hard work and pension contributions.

As for politicians and pay rises - losing 20-25% of your salary means nothing when your partner has a very well paid job in a state-controlled company. Standard practice for PiS, and means that only the opposition is hurt by such cuts.


If they check out TVP, they're going to be thoroughly disgusted by it. It's primitive propaganda at best, as witnessed by the fact that even people in PiS can't stand what Kurski has done to it.

News / Previous Poland's government corrupting the media. [125]


Gumishu, are you really incapable of believing nothing other than propaganda produced by PiS?

strefabiznesu.pl/koniec-ogromnych-zyskow-budzetu-z-uszczelniania-vat-z-czego-rzad-sfinansuje-program-500-plus/ar/c3-15006283

It's simply not true that the VAT revenues cover 500+. The Ministry of Finance's own numbers proved that.


Sorry Gumishu, but you really have to rely on different media than that run by PIS.

These programmes are unfunded, which means that it's our children that will have to pay the price of these handouts. Do you think that's fair or in any way socially acceptable, given that taxes tend to disproportionately affect the poorest?

Let's not forget that in Poland, you pay income tax on almost your entire earnings.

History / Malinowo: Polish-Nazi Supression? [447]


The truth is that they only want one approved version of the Holocaust. It's exactly what the Communists did after WW2 as well.

News / Previous Poland's government corrupting the media. [125]


The margin is irrelevant in this case, because the money from this is what pays for the entire media operation.

And more importantly - why do they need to be taxed at all? The Polish companies already pay taxes - so why do you want to tax them again?

News / Previous Poland's government corrupting the media. [125]


It's economics. Gumishu doesn't want to admit to us that the tax will punish independent media, who won't have the advantage of being handed 2bn yearly in the budget. If TVP doesn't have money, PiS will print it and give it to them. If Gazeta Wałbrzyska doesn't have cash, they're not going to get it from the government. Or if they do get it, it'll come with political conditions - replacing the editor, replacing certain journalists, etc etc.

History / Malinowo: Polish-Nazi Supression? [447]


President and an iconic figure in Polish history, no matter how much some jealous little dwarves might try and change that.

News / Previous Poland's government corrupting the media. [125]


Because PO no longer allowed the SKOKi to be run in the way that they were previously. It's not exactly a big secret that the whole SKOKi network is a financial mess.


Because it's a waste of time, as we saw by the Amber Gold and Smoleńsk committees.


wgospodarce.pl/polityka-prywatnosci

Owned by Fratria sp. z o.o. A little bit of internet research reveals - pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fratria_(przedsi%C4%99biorstwo) - which tells us that Fratria sp z o.o. is controlled by Apella SA, which in turn is controlled by SKOK Holding S.à.r.l. in Luxembourg.

Who controls SKOK Holding S.à.r.l. in Luxembourg?

News / Previous Poland's government corrupting the media. [125]


Can you tell us about the link given? It's really not difficult - is it factual, or is it not?

News / Previous Poland's government corrupting the media. [125]


People, here we see the classic example of someone who only consumes pro-PiS media.

Tell me Gumishu, which part of this article is factually incorrect? dotyczy.pl/skoki-afera-wszechczasow-pochlonely-juz-ponad-5mld-zl-eksperci-twierdza-ze-to-nawet-nie-polowa-strat/4459/


Really?

Who was responsible for the financial oversight of GetBack? Why did GetBack grow from nothing to a massively overinflated company during the PiS government? And most importantly, why did GetBack sponsor plenty of pro-PiS events?


And who pays for the journalists, the offices, the transport, etc etc? Santa?

News / Previous Poland's government corrupting the media. [125]


Why don't you tell us about the SKOKi and the GetBack scandals? Come on, you're better than this, what happened to the billions that Polish people lost? Why are PiS unwilling to establish a parliamentary commission to investigate what happened there?

dotyczy.pl/skoki-afera-wszechczasow-pochlonely-juz-ponad-5mld-zl-eksperci-twierdza-ze-to-nawet-nie-polowa-strat/4459/

Where's the money?


"Polish media isn't entirely behind PiS, therefore it needs to be shaken up and the management replaced with those who are loyal to the Party."

News / Previous Poland's government corrupting the media. [125]


Nothing less, to be honest. The denial is strong, but it's very clear that for their electorate, a return to the PRL wouldn't be a tragedy at all.


Tell us about the SKOKi, please. Oh and GetBack.

enerad.pl/aktualnosci/afera-skok/
rmf24.pl/fakty/polska/news-wniosek-o-komisje-sledcza-ws-getback-odeslany-do-prawnikow-p,nId,4322523

News / Previous Poland's government corrupting the media. [125]

Well, not close down, they just want to bring it under PiS control.

What's frightening is how their supporters see no harm in the media being completely controlled by the government.

News / Previous Poland's government corrupting the media. [125]


It won't affect them. They use Irish companies (sometimes Dutch or Luxembourgish), so they won't be obliged to pay it. It's only for companies that are registered in PL - so private media will be heavily affected by it. Think about the small independent newspapers - do you think 5% tax on every złoty earnt from advertising is affordable for them?


It's standard for PiS supporters. They point at 500+ as being somehow making up for the countless taxes imposed by the government, even though we can all see how prices have risen dramatically.

News / Previous Poland's government corrupting the media. [125]


You probably can't count as well, otherwise you'd know all about the new taxes that PiS have introduced.

Even Bosak made a lot of fuss out of it - wrealu24.pl/lista-32-podwyzek-podatkow-i-oplat-wprowadzonych-przez-rzad-pis-i-prezydenta-andrzeja-dude/ - and that's not counting the new taxes such as the 'sugar' (actually a tax on all sweeteners in drinks) tax, the new taxes on small bottles of booze and so on.

What's the problem with a 5% tax? You do realise that they want to tax every single złoty earnt in advertising, not just on profits?

PiS are doing this for one reason and one reason only - to destroy independent media by making them financially unviable, therefore allowing them the chance to take over independent media and turn them into propaganda outlets.

Life / Poles turn their backs on organised religion. [148]


I'm not surprised. They have absolutely nothing to offer young people, and religion classes are treated with utter contempt by schoolchildren in general.

The Spanish and Irish scenario is repeating itself.

News / Previous Poland's government corrupting the media. [125]


You do realise that PiS have applied so many new taxes and 'charges' that 500+ has more or less been swallowed by it?

Travel / Poland in photo riddles - part 2 [1680]


Aha, very close :D You're more or less right - for some reason, the seat of the municipal administration is in Skalmierzyce, not Nowe Skalmierzyce. So people need to go 'next door' to pick up their ID cards.

I can see that my originally planned riddle makes no sense now as you'll almost certainly know it ;)

Food / Is brain-damaging vegan fad growing in Poland? [176]


Also very acceptable, but with olives and onion.

Food / Is brain-damaging vegan fad growing in Poland? [176]


Pineapple, mozzarella, tomato, onion and pepperoni. Get in.

Life / Poles turn their backs on organised religion. [148]

Well no, we all know how one church Elder clearly got involved so he could help himself to the roof repair funds.

Travel / Poland in photo riddles - part 2 [1680]


Yes, it was deliberate ;) I was planning to lead people towards the area with some clues, such as writing something in Cieszyn Silesian. But I was really motivated by encouraging anyone reading to learn more about Zaolzie - if you get the chance, I'd really recommend exploring the whole area, as it has a very very interesting feel about it, even down to the bilingual use of Polish and Czech.


Bingo :D For an extra point - what was the meaning of "you need to go next door to get your identity card"?

Now to think up another fiendish riddle...

Travel / Poland in photo riddles - part 2 [1680]


This time, no :D

West met East here, the result of a carving knife used repeatedly.

Travel / Poland in photo riddles - part 2 [1680]


It is indeed. Remember that I'm very predictable :P


I admit to having a general love for Zaolzie, as there's such a unique culture there. Cieszyn is easily one of my favourite places in Poland too, and I've spent hours just wandering around the city on a warm summer day.

Study / School meals in Poland [145]

...Lenka? have you got a cat crawlling all over your keyboard? :D

But no - the teachers should be enforcing the rules. We had a rule about reasonably healthy food only, but the teachers were unwilling to do the right thing by confiscating the junk (the kids could get something from the kitchen if they didn't have anything else) and writing to the parents to come and collect it from the school office. There was a clear policy in place, but several teachers from 1-3 thought it was 'cruel' to force them to only have healthy things.

Parents were told repeatedly, but some of them were incredibly stubborn on the topic and unwilling to listen.

Study / School meals in Poland [145]

You'd think so, but some of them had very curious ideas about nutrition. My favourite situation involved a PE teacher telling a parent straight-out that her daughter was obese and needed to go on a diet, and the mother claimed that her nutrition was "correct". It turned out that the mother's idea of nutrition involved two "pizzerki" bought from Biedrońka and a packet of crisps!

Travel / Poland in photo riddles - part 2 [1680]

My next riddle:

You need to go next door to pick up your identity card.

• 
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Study / School meals in Poland [145]


It's a great example of the poor relationship that Polish people have with food. It's treated as an afterthought, something that is designed for calorie intake and little else. Things are changing among the younger generation, but the mentality in the public sector is that food is something that should be made as cheaply as possible, consequences be damned. It's the same problem in public hospitals.


We don't talk about my battle to eliminate crap from lunchboxes. Or more specifically, my battle with stupid teachers who thought that it was fine for kids to be bringing large amounts of sweets daily.

Travel / Poland in photo riddles - part 2 [1680]

Bingo!

It's taken from Most Wolności looking south - more or less exactly this: google.com/maps/@49.7432592,18.6291063,3a,15y,192.77h,92.2t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sS5Kl2ZoOD2nE78XLcgJM9w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

I'll explain the clues:

1. The Olza is mentioned in the anthem of Cieszyn Silesia - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C5%82yniesz_Olzo_po_dolinie - the first line of the anthem contains the words "Płyniesz, Olzo, po dolinie," - You flow, Olza, down the valley. - or from my clue, in this narrow valley in which the river flows. It's pretty much the defining symbol of local Poles in that area on both sides of the current border, and the name of the region on the Czech side - Zaolzie - "beyond the Olza" - so it's very much in the local consciousness of the people, way more than other rivers.

2. All roads lead from Lenin - I was proud of this one. The current ul. Strzelnicza - which leads onto ul. Wolności in Český Těšín used to be called ul. Lenina, and back then, Most Wolności was a one way street for entry into Poland (Most Przyjaźni was for entry into Czechoslovakia). So - all roads did indeed lead from Lenin, as this was a major border crossing between Czechoslovakia and Poland.

3. Being predictable - several previous pictures featured border crossings or border towns, and the last one was also of a border bridge.

4. Freedom and Friendship, the two most important aspects of this society - a direct reference to Most Wolności and Most Przyjaźni. I thought for sure that anyone looking at a map of the Olza would see the two bridges called that ;)

5. This river is sometimes compared to the Jordan by local inhabitants, particularly in song. - a reference to Jan Kubisz and especially Płyniesz, Olzo, po dolinie.

6. From where I stand, men and women once paid their dues. - a reference to the customs duties being collected on the bridge in the past.

That was enjoyable :D It's particularly nice to make clues which simply can't be googled without knowledge of Polish history, culture and language.

Travel / Poland in photo riddles - part 2 [1680]

There are not-quite-twin structures in this case. Which one is it? ;)