Life / Bribery and corruption 'fact of life' in Poland? [152]

He probably knows as much about state bond valuations as your average electrician does.

By your logic Kaczynski is responsible for the bribes in the KNF. Maybe that is far-fetched, but as for Morawiecki - and experienced banker and formerly head of a large bank he must've had a fair idea of what kind of people he was appointing to crucial oversight bodies. .

Life / Bribery and corruption 'fact of life' in Poland? [152]

Some guys did serious time for FOZZ (and have now been released) but plenty got away with it.

Im more bothered about corruption today than things that happened 25 years ago. The weakening of the KNF and NBP will have serious consequences for Poland's economic credibility (just as FOZZ did at the time)

News / Pawel Adamowicz, Gdansk mayor, dies after stabbing [354]

Maybe he was independent and not official PO - hatdly justifies stabbing him to death does it ?

News / Pawel Adamowicz, Gdansk mayor, dies after stabbing [354]

These comments by the way are on the official fb page of Marsz Niepodleglosci - an organization some claim is a harmless display of patriotism by flag waving women and kids. Of course people have a right to free speech but I am surprised that this organization can not police itself and also that it has charitable status.

News / Degenerate "rainbow" eyesore to disappear from Saviour Square (Plac Zbawiciela) in Warsaw [297]

Right - holidays in Key West. If you are lucky you might get a free week at the ministry of interior sanatorium somewhere in the forests near Moscow where you can play cards and smoke strong cigarettes.

News / Poland's News sources [59]

To me one difference is that a Populist will simply believe that what appeals to the majority of citizens is right , however small that majority is. He also disregards practical aspects and a common theme is that the resulting goodies are often paid for by the people who did not vote for them - normally people who are able to think logically that all govt actions have costs and consequences.

Today's example with the domestic violence law illlustrates that - it is possible that 51 percent of Poles agree with that but the 49 percent who do not are all the doctors, lawyers, police etc that have had to address the issue in the past and will be the ones tasked with its implementation

Genealogy / Leszczynski surname, Balcerzak [51]

It is a common name in Lithuania but spelled Lescinskas - there will be hundreds of them using this Lithuanian form

Law / The right to own guns: would you support such legislation in Poland? [2237]

Nasz kraj nasze zasady

As a proud Pole you should no that means no guns unless you want to join the hunting club and be tested by a shrink

Law / The right to own guns: would you support such legislation in Poland? [2237]

1212

You will have to ask Ironside about his data - he does not give his source

Law / The right to own guns: would you support such legislation in Poland? [2237]

As said a few posts up 86 percent of Poles in a poll are against it.

No major party has ever included looser gun laws in their election manifesto. Only Kukiz has ever mentioned it.

I'm sure there are gun nut forums you can visit to discuss your love of guns.

Law / The right to own guns: would you support such legislation in Poland? [2237]

Even if they want to they can not - its going to remian strictly controlled, just as the Polish public wants

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

Dolno - there has been that split for 15 years but what is different now is that the towns in the east and the small towns in the west are not voting for PiS.

As a result there is a huge gap growing between the political views of those people who pay taxes and employ people and those that do not - it is very dangerous for the country and neither of the political sides is doing enough to fix this issue.

I think there are quite a lot of people who are happy with the policies of PiS but are put off by the links with the church and the vindictiveness and propaganda

Life / Polish Wedding March & Funny Hat [37]

Fair enough - horses for courses. But if you can't find common ground with her family over an innocent party game then probably no surprise that your marriage was a challenge. At my own wedding there were some daft local traditions but I was drunk, everyone else was drunk and generally happy - it's a Polish wedding after all. A good rule of thumb at Polish family events (and work events) is that if you join in and smile and laugh then they will like you for that.

Life / Polish Wedding March & Funny Hat [37]

Wearing a silly hat for a few minutes made you so upset ?

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

But I think PiS I doing quite well in the suburbs - their message definitely resonates with young families who have some spare money for the first time

UK, Ireland / Double Taxation coming back between Poland & UK? [6]

Yes when you set up a Polish bank account you have to say where you pay tax - it is to comply with US regulations.

It is also the same in German banks and probably in other countries.

As for paying tax twicw then you shouldn't have to but if there is a no deal Brexit then yes the Polish-british tax treaty would need to be either extended or renegotiated - if neither of those things happened then yes you would pay tax twice. It's unlikely at the moment but certainly not impossible.

Law / How do I verify a Polish company's existence? [249]

It looks weird - there is a street with that name - Pelcowiczna actually but the postcode and office address looks strange.

Ask them for a NIP number and a REGON number - if you have those then you can easily check online who the owners are.

Law / Opening a Mini Market Store in Poland. Starting cost / Expected monthly income? [22]

Yes it might but you will need to sell a lot to cover Warsaw rents - minimum is around 60 zloty per sqm

History / Do Polish people in general dislike Russia or Germany more? [369]

Ever tried to do business there Vlad ?

History / Do Polish people in general dislike Russia or Germany more? [369]

Yeah right Canada.

What kind od reforms ? Rule of law, free markets, citizens rights - you know the script

History / Do Polish people in general dislike Russia or Germany more? [369]

No it is not one of the richest now - but it is in the middle and has overtaken wvery other east european nation except Slovenia.

The poorest ? Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, Serbia, Kosovo etc. What they all have in common is Russian intervention and a refusal to reform.

History / Do Polish people in general dislike Russia or Germany more? [369]

Yes in 1939 they bombarded and destroyed many Eastern Polish cities with artillery. Whole villages were burned and the inhabitants slaughtered and raped during the Soviet advance at the end of the war,

Yes the USSR deported hundreds of thousands of Poles, basically just for being Polish,

Soviet rule left Poland one of the poorest countries in Europe by 1989.

Life / Differences between Irish, British, Polish, American and other nations culture, tradition, music - loose talk [241]

What ? You dont like either American or British music ? INXS and ACDC it is then :)

News / Poland in the European Union. Polexit? [559]

These elite nazis would be over 100 now. Probably unable to go to the toilet unassisted, let alone take over Europe.

News / Poland in the European Union. Polexit? [559]

There is some truly nutty economics on this thread. All of the stupid claims come from people who don't live in Poland and have little or no

experience of what it was like before 2004.

Yes EU funds are only 2% of GDP but trade with the EU, investment from EU companies, salaries deriving therefrom, spending all those salaries in the Polish economy et cetera et cetera adds up to more like 50% of GDP. Which makes sense because GDP has more than doubled since 2004.

Of course the zloty was getting stronger in 1999 - that's because accession talks had already started and it was clear that Poland would join the EU.

Of course the road building program is flawed but it is still a hell of a lot better than before 2004 when literally nothing was done. Want a comparison? Try driving around a non-EU country like Ukraine or Moldova.

The number of foreign investors in Poland since the start of EU accession talks has tripled. Yes some of the big boys came in before then - mainly those that could afford losses while the economy strengthened.

You have votes and voices in the US and your government they can spend money on whatever they like. How you suddenly decide that you know what is best for this economy from your Illinois bedrooms is beyond me.

News / Poland in the European Union. Polexit? [559]

No they cant. Tarriffs and non tarriff barriers have to be identical for all 28 countries.

News / Poland in the European Union. Polexit? [559]

Hungary has the same trade deal with China as the other 27 countries have - thats how the EU works.

News / Poland's Future in the EU under PIS [51]

No - that is total nonsense

there would be no bilateral deal with Germany, France, czech, italy etc. That is what the UK have just found out.

Any bilateral deals with other countries outside the EU are obviously going to be worse than the ones that the EU got to go see it - Polsnd would only have the negotiating power of one mid-sized quite poor country.

Were you alive in 2003? Do you really remember what any of the trade deals were like before EU membership? Remember higher prices for inferior products, huge queues at the border and lomg waits to get your stuff into the country?

News / Poland's Future in the EU under PIS [51]

That's precisely it Maf - at the bery moment when pragmatism is needed she could only form a govt by getting the 10 votes from the Northern ireland protestants.

The catholic party Sinn Fein also has about 7 seats but they dont use their vote in parliament because I don't recognise themselves as part of Britain. If they did then they could probably bring down the government this time.

I can't see either Brexit or the Irish border problem being solved without another election.

News / Poland's Future in the EU under PIS [51]

Social benefits for tax paying Poles would be a good start ! At the moment they hardly exist - and its not the fault of immigrants