News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]


In my experience Polish people will work very hard if they think they will be suitably rewarded. That is not usually the case in Poland....

This also feeds into the equality gap (not terrible in Poland but growing) which feeds into large portions of the population thinking they're being cheated out of their birthright which leads to daft behavior like voting for PiS.

News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]

So you've never been to Poland, you might not realize this, but... the number one issue of voters is job creation (esp in the private sector) that's why they voted against PO because it wasn't doing enough to facilitate the private sector in creating jobs.

To the extent that PiS doesn't deliver on increased employment it's support will whither (except for its hardcore electorate of those who have not really adapted to post PRL life).

News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]

and just how many jobs in the private sector are these going to create?

News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]


When are these good changes going to start coming? The number one good change that most Poles want is job creation and everything they've done so far means more unemployment....

I may say you're a dreamer, but you're not the only one. Perhaps some day you'll all join us in the real light of the sun.....

Work / What would be a good salary for an MBA graduate in Poland? [27]


There is no demand for "news anchors" in either Gujarati or in Indian English in Poland so your average salary would be ... .nothing.

News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]


You can try to minimize it while realizing that doing away with it entirely takes generations or you can glory in it and exploit it for all it's worth (as PiS is doing).

Quite a difference in practice. And to be clear I mean that patronage always exists everywhere but can be ameliorated by meritocratic (if that's a word) considerations or not. In terms of patronage PiS is like travelling back into the early 90s whereas PO was trying (slowly and not always effectively) to keep up with the present and head toward the future.

News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]


Patronage has always been the rule in Poland (and PO indulged as much as anyone) but PiS is just so blatantly obvious about it:
In the PiSiverse

skills + experience = nothing

loyalty - scruples = everything

Language / [SEX] Polish sentences/expressions [41]

The old Czech song Láska nebeská (heavenly love) was interpreted by many Polish speakers as referring to a blue peener, causing jokes like

Dlaczego laska jest niebieska? Dżinsy farbują.

Of course the Polish cognate of Czech laska (love) is not laska but łaska (grace, clemency etc) as Czech lost the distinction between hard and soft l (ł and l) long ago (I think they're still distinct in Slovak).

There's also a story (apocryphal?) of Stan Borys making an impression in Czechoslovakia by singing Szukam przyjaciela (I'm looking for a friend) not realizing(?) that it sounded to them like "I fvkk my friend".

Language / [SEX] Polish sentences/expressions [41]


I do have to admit that I'm a bit surprised that you're so familiar with that phrase..... Oh yeah! Catholic school! I totally get it!

(just kidding: I was quoting smurf's mistake as an excuse to write the joke)

Language / [SEX] Polish sentences/expressions [41]


There's an old joke: Did you hear about the ambitious blonde?

She wanted to make more ice cream than Algida.

Life / Living like a local in Poland - What does it even mean? [30]


They used to do a lot of home canning of fruits and vegetables for that reason but I don't think it's so common anymore with produce being shipped from southern europe now.

News / Jacek Kurski, the new chairman of TVP (Telewizja Polska) [37]


Family values, a la PiS!

News / Jacek Kurski, the new chairman of TVP (Telewizja Polska) [37]


Silly me, honest people are convicted of libel all the time.

As for nasty, there are the reports about the time he pulled down his drawers to prove he wasn't Jewish to some LPR types.... No sleaze there!


Actually he said the grandfather volunteered (rather than being drafted and deserting and then fighting with Polish forces the first chance he got).

News / Jacek Kurski, the new chairman of TVP (Telewizja Polska) [37]

I sometimes wonder if PiS has a reverse vetting process - the nastier and more dishonest you are the more likely they are to appoint you to an important position.

no, neither of them has been convicted of libel....

This is an old management technique - appoint incompetent or dishonest people who owe their job to you (because no one else will have them) in order to ensure their loyalty.

Sometimes I think they're just playing an elaborate game of "Psych!" on the Polish public.

We're putting the younger generation like Duda and Szydlo in charge - Psych!

We're against former PZPR members being in government - Psych!

We're not going to obsess about Smolensk - Psych!

We'll create jobs - Psych!

News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]


Some years ago, not long after the first PiS election victory a co-worker referred to one of the K brothers (forget which one) as a "stary komuch"* meaning that he learned his management style from the communist period and had never updated it. I've never come across any data that would lead me to think otherwise.

*old commie, but worse

News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]


Good point, he's broken the law for PiS which puts him forever in their power (as they will not hesitate to use that against them should he ever show signs of independence).

And that's what I dislike about JK's PiS, it's a horrible form of negative selection - the brownnosers thrive and those with principal (or their own support bases) get exiled. Very PZPRish when you actually think about it.

I'll add that Duda's body language in his recent address to the nation was a mess, like a frightened child more than a statesman. From the looks of it, he didn't believe what he was saying himself, how could anyone else?

News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]


It actually only shows the hubris of JK, he's a proven loser with youth (as is Macierewicz) hauling them out of mothballs and hamstringing Szydło (and maybe Duda*) was a major blunder. Younger people were possibly going to support a new generation of PiS in a more general Christian Democrat mold, they're not ever going to warm to JK or AM (or Kurski) or other experienced troughers.

*it's too early to tell if he simply has no backbone or is a true believer

News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]


And young educated Poles loathed PiS (I was there, you weren't). Former PiS coalition partner Roman Giertych even did the impossible - he awakened the political awareness in young educated Polish people who wanted no part of the nonsense he was spouting.

And... as Shirley Bassey said, it's all just a little bit of history repeating..... (current young educated Poles are already turning on PiS)

News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]


Yep, most of the charges against PO are baseless hysteria, but they really can be blamed for not doing more to create a non-partisan civil service, it's a non-negotiable in civilization evolution.

The problem is that it is not at all clear that the Polish public understands the importance of such institutions or would want them even if they did understand.

News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]


The more you write things like that the more I think you want PiS to rob Poland blind.

Life / Living like a local in Poland - What does it even mean? [30]


1. Learn the language (ignore those who say you don't need to, they are not your friends). It's hard and first and then gets very hard and then gets unbelievably hard and then starts to get easy. Most people most of the time will be able to hear past your mistakes to understand what you're saying. Also, Poland in Polish is far more interesting than in any other language.

2. Get involved, it's not too hard to find outdoor bulletin boards in older housing estates offering various types of classes or trips. Sign up for a dance class or a trip (or whatever) and start to meet people that way. Don't press it, just start showing up at places and the rest will happen.

If you can't find a bulletin board where you live, then go to some university building and there will be posters and flyers for all sorts of events and other activities.

Make any language difficulties part of the process - (in Polish) Explain that you're a foreigner and need some help, there will be some on offer.

News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]


This is the oldest trick in the book, accuse your enemies of what you yourself are doing. Then you can blame the negative consequences on your enemy instead of taking the blame yourself.

Take all the negative rhetoric about PiS from PO - That's a good benchmark for what PO was doing.

Take all the negative rhetoric about PO form PiS - That's a blueprint for what PiS wants to do.

Only the willfully self-deceiving can be fooled by this for long.

Life / Living like a local in Poland - What does it even mean? [30]


Ten years or so ago it was crap on a stick, but it's greatly improved both in terms of variety and quality. Produce isn't great (though better than it once was) but that's Poland more than the one chain (and light years ahead of the time when there were almost no fresh vegetables for several months of the year).

News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]


PiS basically did a bait and switch using Duda and Szydło to lure naive young voters with the promise of a new start only to revert back to form (and then some).

They couldn't possibly make it clearer that Duda is a figurehead who's supposed to do whatever JK tells him and that Szydło isn't even that.

I'm not sure if they'll last four years but they're burning a lot of bridges and souring a lot of young voters on the very idea of democracy. A shameful legacy is what they'll leave, I expect.

News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]


I'd be happy to if they just stopped breaking the law....

News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]

And the approach needed now is for PiS to break the law and for you to make excuses for them breaking the law apparently.

News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]


Actually didn't Lech Kaczyński himself speak out against a media law similar to that proposed now?

News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]


Apparently wanting a government to follow the law is now "deluded". That kind of says all I need to know.

Why should being democratically elected exempt a government from following the law?

I eagerly await an answer that is not an accusation of something.

News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]


Since when do you have ESP? I'm in favor of the protests because the ruling party is breaking the law. If PiS starts obeying the law then the protests would stop.


JK is doing that all by his lonesome.

News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]


Being democratically elected does not free a government to disregard the law or prohibit citizens (and other residents) from protesting them.

If a person believes in absolute iron rule by a party then yeah, the demonstrations are an abomination but for a person who believes in rule of law and democracy then they're okay.