History / Future of Kaliningrad Oblast - is it possible to annex by Poland or will it become an independent country? [137]


Pretty well true.

In Kaliningrad it's complicated. The behaviour of the Russians in 1945 was certainly inhumane. The behaviour of the citizens there who voted for and supported the NDSAP (Koenigsberg was a stronghold for them) was equally inhumane.

One great tragedy about Kaliningrad was the sweeping away of centuries of history, though of course that process had started more than a decade before the Russians came and nothing can now bring it back, not even a change in the city's status.

Life / Single mothers in Poland [175]


Villages basically, the same everywhere.

Stigmatising single parents just causes misery. Forcing someone to stay in an abusive or stagnant relationship for the sake of 'stability', 'appearances' or 'for the kids' (who invariable grow up miserable) etc is a crime beyond forgiveness on the part of those who do it and those who encourage it.

History / Future of Kaliningrad Oblast - is it possible to annex by Poland or will it become an independent country? [137]


I'm not sure you can blame the Italians, the Vichy French etc for the fate of Kaliningrad.


Indeed, however much they may be victims too, it would be far too hard (probably impossible) to weed out every German in former-Konigsberg to find ones who had never, in any way whatsoever, benefitted from the post-1933 regime in order to let them stay in Kaliningrad.


See above. Even those who disliked the regime didn't hold back from accepting its material benefits.


Russia would fight that tooth and nail. Your Tilsit/Tylzyc/Sovetsk example is just a symptom of it, but a fairly telling one. The Russian military tradition is firmly entrenched in Kaliningrad - not just the state but the people. Even some of teh proposals for a free economic zone were rebuffed.


Yes - Children and animals are the silent victims of war.

Life / Single mothers in Poland [175]


And this is the key to it: pressure. It leads to people choosing or staying with the wrong person and a life of misery that carries on over the generations.

History / Future of Kaliningrad Oblast - is it possible to annex by Poland or will it become an independent country? [137]

There was a huge (and sensible) rush to leave - in fact those fleeing Kaliningrad ahead of the Red Army were a huge strain on resources for Germany.

And no, I don't think people can be blamed for things before their lifetime, however there is a strong case for reparations today to some of the Eastern Bloc countries that did not receive any. Kaliningrad would not count among them.

It's still definitely Russian now, whether we like that or not, and I don't see that changing any time soon.

News / Poland's indecent junk capitalism? [53]

Free in Poland, fortunately - although some medical professionals are rapacious the basic standards of a civilised society like socialised healthcare still apply.

History / Future of Kaliningrad Oblast - is it possible to annex by Poland or will it become an independent country? [137]


Don't forget the rest of the Germans.

I suppose we could analyse voting patterns in the early 30s or levels of actual support for the German regime afterwards, however responsibility is collective and collectively only Germans are responsible. As a nation they acknowledge this - and (in the British zone of occupation at any rate) got off extremely lightly afterwards. To lose Kaliningrad and the great chunks of land that are now Poland is as nothing compared to what they did to others.

To stick to the thread, no it is not possible for Poland to 'annexe' it, nor is it going to become an independent country. The residents are very secure in their identity as Russians.

News / Poland's indecent junk capitalism? [53]


This went on much longer than that.

I know one who gave her (entirely untrained and unqualified) sister a signed and stamped prescription pads so she could sell prescriptions for antibiotics for less than the cost of a doctor's visit. This was in Warsaw and after 2000.

There are some doctors even now in Poland who can and will do almost anything for money. Scary that such people are allowed to practise medicine elsewhere in the EU.

Life / Single mothers in Poland [175]


Exactly. How someone lives is nobody elses concern. There isn't even any sort of base for their moralising. No sort of 'universal' moral standard or underlying valid philosophy.


Some people just seem unable to do that.

History / Future of Kaliningrad Oblast - is it possible to annex by Poland or will it become an independent country? [137]


Konigberg is nothing more than a historical term,


They were very lucky indeed that the rest of Europe didn't use them in the same way to rebuild the damage (both material and economic) from the war that they, and nobody else but they, had started. And done that until all economies other than their own had returned to pre-war levels.


Nothing they hadn't delliberately and thoroughly visited upon others, including in Kaliningrad Oblast and especially in Poland, during that shameful period.

Life / Single mothers in Poland [175]

And all outside influence that just hurts people inside. The sad thing is that it still goes on - certainly in Poland.

In the UK, it simply isn't an issue, even in villages.

Life / Single mothers in Poland [175]

And the kids are stigmatised and get complexes so the shame goes on from generation to generation.

Life / Single mothers in Poland [175]


Essentially in less urban or developed societies.

Life / Single mothers in Poland [175]


Spot on - it's a form of social manipulation and yes, a deliberate attempt to enforce conformity to a religious norm by stigmatising those outside it.

History / Future of Kaliningrad Oblast - is it possible to annex by Poland or will it become an independent country? [137]


Why 'Russians' and not Russians? And by the way, no they haven't developed any such identity. Kaliningrad has nothing to do with Germany or Germans. The last ones fled with their tails between their legs decades ago.


Fighting to the bitter end is a better way of putting it.


Given the cruelty of the vile German regime I'd say their choices were somewhat limited. Wouldn't you?

Real Estate / Notice period with rental contract of flats in Poland [15]


No. It depends on the notice clause. Almost all rental contracts have one.

Life / Single mothers in Poland [175]


Yes. This stigmatises single mothers and their children.


Precisely. In the country I came from, parents' names are never ever asked and a mother can give her child whatever surname she likes - in fact the child's surname is not recorded on the birth certificate.

Work / Average earnings and cost of living in Warsaw? [42]

It's below average for Warsaw. A room in a shared flat is about 8 or 900zl, a monthly travel card is (I think) about 100zl now. People live on far less, but not well.

News / Poland's indecent junk capitalism? [53]


This is the key to it. The welfare state though needs massive support just to provide the minimum for a civilised society.

The problem here is that a promise was made to the workers who largely kept their part. Without which there would have had to be a lot more lines drawn in 1990.

History / Future of Kaliningrad Oblast - is it possible to annex by Poland or will it become an independent country? [137]

I wonder where he's from. There's something in there to offend almost everyone.

History / Future of Kaliningrad Oblast - is it possible to annex by Poland or will it become an independent country? [137]


Because they're Russian.


It was.


They did.


This happened. Check out the Warsaw Uprising.

Food / What Polish foods and brands do you miss when you go to other countries? [216]

There's something in that, and yes, I agree.

With Poles in the UK at the moment, there's a demographic weighting towards younger males with lower educational attainment, often from the sticks. Many simply have never cooked; it's what women do. Hence liking the brands of ready made stuff they know from home, Gorący Kubek, for example.

Food / What Polish foods and brands do you miss when you go to other countries? [216]

It does however contain plenty of nasties and in any case, I doubt the people who buy it have ever looked at the ingredients. Premium it is not, nor is Masmix or Kubuś; just brands that conservative eaters know.

Food / What Polish foods and brands do you miss when you go to other countries? [216]

Yes, though I'd add that you can cook well from basic ingredients. Meat especially in its processed forms like kielbasa is the problem. That and cheap chicken - basically protein biomass that involved immense cruelty.

One thing about the expat foods. In the UK, in Polish shops they sell Jogobella and Masmix. Why? Margarine is margarine, the same everywhere and Jogobella is just a rather sugary yoghurt. A lot to do with sentiment, plus a youngish, male and less sophisticated demographic.

News / SHOULD POLAND HAVE NUKES?? [154]

NATO has nukes. Poland is a full member of NATO. Therefore Poland has nukes.

Just not on their territory. I have never heard anyone here in Poland suggest there should be.

Food / What Polish foods and brands do you miss when you go to other countries? [216]

Wedel chocolate is still good, but Wawel seems better.

Food / What Polish foods and brands do you miss when you go to other countries? [216]

Exactly the same as Polish mass-produced food then. The largest consumer of frozen chips in Europe, by the way. Bread the same. How or why someone would miss Baltonowski (a mass produced product) is a mystery.

Sure you can make everything from scratch, however most people back in Poland don't. In the UK although they have processed foods too, the quality and choice tend to be higher. Just no Pasztet Podlaski, Goracy Kubek, parowki, paprykarz szczecinskie (a 1960s invention), kielbasa Torunska & similar.

Missing Ptasie Mleko is an odd one too - basically a mass-produced downmarket product full of chemicals. There are nicer things to miss, and more similar but better quality products available in the UK.

UK, Ireland / My bad experiences with Polish neighbours in UK (not meant to offend) [173]


She doesn't need to 'seem convinced', she is right as far as migration to the UK is concerned. Also most are small-town/rural people with a corresponding lack of savoir-faire. Plus the demographic is skewed in favour of the 24-32 age group and towards single men. This does have an affect on what some of these people are like as neighbours.

There are certainly some of the more sophisticated and cosmopolitan people that you describe, however they are in a tiny minority.

Food / What Polish foods and brands do you miss when you go to other countries? [216]


A strange question. Britain has more breweries per head than any other country in the world. Most produce several beers and many have at least one lager. You should try Samuel Smiths.

What you won't find there so much is mass-produced headache-inducing local rubbish like Zywiec, Tyskie or Lech. They tried than in the 70s and it is now less popular.

Carling, by the way, is a Canadian company.

foreign food is off-topic

News / Coal-Powered Poland Refuses to "Go Green". EU Ain't Happy. [304]


I fear this may be true. There are a few ideas around this. One concept is something called The Great Filter. Google it; it's depressing.