Life / Why Do You Love Poland? [907]


Of course. Because you are American - not Polish. It is very difficult for Americans to get right of stay here simply because of the visa requirements for Poles visiting America. Tit for tat.

Nothing to do with Poland being protective of who lives in the country. It's a simple matter for other EU citizens to settle here. A group of Syrians live down the road (market traders) They have EU passports, and happen to be muslim, Poland can't keep them out even if they wanted to, much as the racists would love to.

Life / Why Do You Love Poland? [907]


So are you saying that the Asian guy born in Poland that PolAm references isn't Polish? So, by the same token, Asians born in Britain who have lived there all their lives aren't British?

That would also mean that PolAm isn't American.

Travel / Best place to exchange money in Poland? [98]

We've had this discussion. Revolut gets my custom.

History / The memory about the Invasion of Poland 1939 - today's events [25]


Dougpol in agrees completely with Rich Mazur shocker!!
PIS are busy rewriting all history to show that all Poles acted with the highest valour - at ALL times.
Complete nonsense of course. There is nothing especially historic about the Polish nation as a whole that sets it at the top of some imaginary "Bravery" table, as the evidence shows. Meanwhile PIS carry on with their censorship, and it is up to the old to educate their families about the truth.

News / How could PiS better spend billions instead of 500+ ? [280]

Free healthcare for children, instead of the service that passes for free healthcare at present. Free prescriptions for the over 65s.
A lowering of the tax threshold for working parents with children.

Life / Owning a house in true countryside of Poland - stories [648]


Not really. Why should we have to subsidise people that choose to live in a rural idyll?

USA, Canada / Poles Living in the Chicago Area [300]

Anybody can see that is not a gun. You are paranoid joker. And very possibly racist.

Food / British food products in Poland? [334]


Really? Superb. Thanks for the report!

History / Modern myths and legends about communist past in Poland [227]

It's worse than that Pawian.
See the photoshopped picture of the Solidarity negeotiators at the Gdanskshipyard
Kaczynski's image is accentuated.
Walesa's is out of focus.
A dangerous re-writing of history, like the Soviets before them.

History / Modern myths and legends about communist past in Poland [227]


People like you make me want to vomit. You mention Walesa in the same thread as Jarulzelski and Kisczak, yet pretend to be a patriot?

History / Modern myths and legends about communist past in Poland [227]


They (Jaruzelski and Kisczak) should have served jail time and been publicly disgraced. I don't remember the East Germans or Czechs brushing everything under the carpet, but then again, they did have something (the Poles) to model their transition on.

History / Modern myths and legends about communist past in Poland [227]


Truly shocking if true, and shows the power of nepotism and brainwashing. One could "understand" the initial allure of National socialism from the uneducated German's point of view - but communism, for a country ruined by war? Nah. Stupid beyond words.

History / Modern myths and legends about communist past in Poland [227]


I took that to mean active or passive supporters. You also referred to 30 percent of the population, in another paragraph, as being pro-communist. Care to back up those statistics?

History / Modern myths and legends about communist past in Poland [227]


All through the 80s, after Martial Law, it was shocking, what with the inflation and general intimidation. A step back to the 60s I would imagine. I didn't know Poland in the 70s, but wifey says it was somewhat better under Gierek for a time. with the slogan of "lets help each other", and maybe that is what our friend is referring to.

He's full of it of course. It was alright for people like him and me. We could get on a plane after 2 weeks and go home to modern civilisation and freedom.


In Martial Law nobody knew if their families would come home from work or not. The MIL worked in public admin in Sosnowiec and was active in Solidarity. The police smashed up the place and took 2 of her workmates away, and returned them with bruises all over their bodies.


I thought you said communism had 18 million supporters...?

History / Modern myths and legends about communist past in Poland [227]


Absolute nonsense. Maybe in the Gierek early years people were buying into the lie, after the Gomulka politbureau regime. Suddenly people could travel, and children were guaranteed two state paid holidays a year.

Nobody understood what it really entailed though when Gierek said that "some loans were taken" and within 8 years the social experiment had failed. After that, with default on repayments, things pretty soon turmed horrendous.

Forever after, and before Gierek, the huge huge majority of Poles wouild have fought the system on the streets given the means to do so. Your assertion that people backed communism is ridiculous. There was the 3 million who took the party card...and...?

Nobody knows how many died in the immediate days following Martial Law through the breakdown in order, through no communication, food distribution, lack of access to healthcare, and travel bans, which meant families were unable to help their loved ones.

Jarulzelski is a traitor - no doubt in my mind. He could have appeared on televison, and said "Ludzi - the Soviets have ordered me to reign in Solidarnoscz\ and the new freedoms - otherwise.......but I have told them that if they invade, we will fight".

Instead , he colloborated with the Soviets, without the will of the people.
Forever scum. As told by Mrs Dougpol.

History / Modern myths and legends about communist past in Poland [227]


I meant that in the 80s the rioters would have got him. As Bob Marley said:
"A hungry mob is an angry mob."

History / Modern myths and legends about communist past in Poland [227]


Really when I say "shot...." I mean he was exiled, but then rehabilitated. Why? Of course the country is split 50/50, as most countries were - but we are not talking about a Margaret Thatcher, and miners hating her policies. This (Martial Law) was abject humiliation for many, and harassment and worse for many thousands of others. Many millions said "Let the Russians come - then we can see the enemy, and it couldn't get any worse...". Instead he betrayed them. Lets not forget he was the generalissmo - and that's the person who falls. If the mob had got hold of him he would have ended the same way as Gadaffi - and that's just the way of it.

History / Modern myths and legends about communist past in Poland [227]

When we were young everything was better:):)
Poland hasn't changed that much. I still cycle and put up the tent anywhere I want.
A couple of times the landowners came along, and were quite amiable when they realised I was following all the conventions.
Those rangers in the Tatry are a different story....

History / Modern myths and legends about communist past in Poland [227]

@pawian
I've told the forum the story before where my wife was threatened with assault and rape, until another policeman intervened.
Maybe different areas had different levels of abuse, just like today.
Slask was shocking - for obvious reasons. And it is my business. I spent 25 years helping in my own way to put my wife's parents back together again psychologically - even if Pis then proceeded to successfully brainwash them, after their escape from one system, that they were convinced would go on and on, without any real future.

The father in law was a leading mining engineer, and had to suffer all the demotions and exploitation upon consistently declining the Party card..

History / Modern myths and legends about communist past in Poland [227]

Pawian - Jaruzelski put the army on the streets and into housing estates and into factories - against his own people, with the inevitable result that people died. And the majority were cowed and were stripped of their dignity, and were overtly threatened on a daily basis.

Traitorous, and we now know that the Soviets had no plans to invade or call their troops out of barracks.
Simply a once revered general trying to make the "republic" great again.
The Romanians had the right idea, and no 600 would have died in Poland either.
Instead you let a traitor profit through his memoirs and gave him chat show time. That is the Polish shame.

News / Poland's LBGT Seen as Dangerous Foreign Idea. [39]

Only a very small minority here care about the question johnny.
The huge majority are for live and let live, and don't care either way. If Pis actually helped people who live in rural poverty, instead of feeding their inherited fears, then society might see real progress.

I wont hold my breath.

Food / British food products in Poland? [334]


Yes, understandable - for the sandwiches at supper. The MIL used to make enough to feed the Russian army!

History / Modern myths and legends about communist past in Poland [227]


Co-op tea and disenfectant were lavishly displayed in ther main Spolem state shop in Sosnowiec by the second railway station. Nothing else of any distinction after 2 PM that I recall. All meat and cheese was gone, and there were weirdly no tinned foods.

The street sold ice cream was terrific though:)

News / Poland's LBGT Seen as Dangerous Foreign Idea. [39]


Yes, it is strange though that you can't necessarily keep wifey out of your will if she been done you wrong......simply because the state wants to abdicate all responsibility.

In this country the state decides to do with your estate - quite criminal really. On the other hand, I agree with Lena, that common law partnerships needs to be legally recognised - time for the EU to sort it out, and this is precisiely what they should be doing, if Poland persists in insisting on living in the Middle Ages.

Food / British food products in Poland? [334]


Nothing has changed much there. Kaufland especially are weird for this. They got in a batch of British beer (4 boxes), sold it, then said there was nothing more in the warehouses.

So why bother in the first place? They don't know or care about the concept of selling lines, but only alienate the shopper. My opinion anyway.

Food / British food products in Poland? [334]


Yes. That's what irritates me about Polish shops - the fictitious supply chain. Here today, not available tomorrow.

Food / British food products in Poland? [334]


Yeah.....sorry Atch - but "Cadbury's" '"chocolate'" sold here is produced in Poland, by the same multi-conglomerate, but to a different recipe from Cadbury's in Britain - and is total vegetable fat gash.

Avoid at all costs.


Stop it - you're killing me. No proper din-dins today as Mrs Dougpol is not present, so couldn't work up the energy to cook for one, and only the dog ate well.

News / Poland's LBGT Seen as Dangerous Foreign Idea. [39]


Which neither the OP or Rich reside in, so I fail to see what the hell it has to do with them - the question was simply johnny attention seeking, because he doesn't have a life. Now that he has our attention he feels vindicated.

Quite sick actually.

Food / British food products in Poland? [334]


(Fresh) fish and chips and mushy peas.
Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding
Steak and kidney pie
Aberdeen Angus steak
Scottish salmon
The list goes on and on and on......

Meanwhile, enjoy your pork saddle "roasted" in a bag:)

News / Poland's LBGT Seen as Dangerous Foreign Idea. [39]


Yes, absolutely johnny. There's a gay guy living in a turreted house up on the hill near me. Enough is enough, so I have been organising the neighbours, and tonight, after dark, we are all marching up there with baying hounds, crucifixes, and flaming torches, to burn the bastard out!