News / Tusk turning his back to idea about Intermarium (New Commonwealth), seeing only EU as future for Poland [124]

Lawdy Miss Clawdy! Russia doesn't have 'partners' junior or otherwise. I'm beginning to suspect that you're a graduate of the Kremlin Trolling Academy.

History / Poland and Britain started WW2 [356]

Yes, I'm sure I read some quote from him years ago along the lines of 'one can be either a German or a Christian but not both'. But I'm not sure it's fair to suggest that German society was pagan at heart. Anyway is Pagan such a bad thing? Apart from human sacrifice of course and I don't think all Pagan religions practised that.

History / Poland and Britain started WW2 [356]

But that doesn't justify your earlier assumption that anyone who thinks Hitler was wrong is a Jew. Once you start widening the net you have 'if you think Hitler was wrong you're either a Jew or a Christian' which really does sound ridiculous. You'd actually have to add the Atheists too as most of them wouldn't agree with his worldview either so you then end up with 'if you think Hitler was wrong you're either a Jew, a Christian or an Atheist'. Also you wouldn't find too many Buddhists who'd be fans of old Adolf, so the whole thing becomes ludicrous.

History / Poland and Britain started WW2 [356]


Well that's a bit silly now isn't it seeing as he's not very popular with Christians either.

News / Polish lorry driver attacked by migrants in Belgium [21]

Add British and Czech drivers amongst others to the title of this thread. An English guy was attacked a while back by a group of about 30-40 migrants. It's an absolute disgrace that the French authorities aren't policing the area properly.

UK, Ireland / Polish lorry driver arrested for smuggling 9 million cigarettes [64]

There's already a massive tobacco smuggling racket in Ireland. No problem at all to get it across the open border into the North and then over to the UK.

UK, Ireland / Polish lorry driver arrested for smuggling 9 million cigarettes [64]

Well in the Brexit talks it's going to be one of the first issues discussed. In fact they're talking about it today.

UK, Ireland / Polish lorry driver arrested for smuggling 9 million cigarettes [64]


But it's not. It has a land border with another EU country, the Republic of Ireland.

History / Time for Slavic Commonwealth around Poland as center [223]

I thought Kosovo wasn't applying this year?? When did that change?

News / Poles say a big YES to our European Union [996]

Poles may not do totalitarianism but some of them would like to. Just look at the changes to the primary school curriculum. Basically once children are brought into the education system they will be given an ideology to follow based on a certain form of nationalism and a certain version of Polish history. More time is scheduled in the teaching hours for history at the expense of maths and technology. What does that tell you? If PIS manage to stay in power you can also bet that national service will be brought back into the picture. But that's all a long way down the road. First they have to fix things so they can make sure they 'win' the next election, hence the necessity to get the Supreme Court under party control.


Well this isn't really a democracy as you and I know it so they'll find a way. Do bear in mind that at the moment he's been blocked from direct contact with the military. They can disable him in a number of ways. He may break away, form a new party and thus stand down and be replaced by somebody more suitable. It's an interesting time ahead.

News / Poles say a big YES to our European Union [996]


They won't pay it and they won't stop the logging in Białowieża Forest and they won't comply with any EU directives which they don't like. Kaczyński and his supporters want Poland out of the EU. They know the mechanism exists to leave but they're not going to bother going through talks etc and pay some kind of 'leaving penalty' like the UK. Balls to that is their view. No. What they will do is everything in their power to be sanctioned,effectively paralysed and banned from participation in the EU. Then they can play their favourite martyr card, 'see how we stood up to the bureaucrats and see how our poor nation has suffered by having its funding cut, our voting rights stripped' yadda, yadda.

I believe they think Poland is strong enough now to carve out a new role for itself in the world without EU membership, where Poland leads the way in demonstrating that anyone can give the EU the finger and defy directives, policies etc. They hope and probably believe that various other nations, mostly from the accession countries will then follow suit, there will a rebellion of sorts with Poland as the dominant nation in a new European alliance. I think that's their vision.

Word has it that the plans to press ahead with the Supreme Court reforms will go ahead in the Autumn and that Kaczyński may replace Her Nibs as PM in November. The army is already under the control of the party. Kaczyński has mentioned how he expects 'strong resistance' to his proposed media bill and that the universities are also in need of 'deep change' and will be next on the agenda but that he is 'prepared'. If things go on like this, one fine day we're going to wake up to martial law. Poland at present is heading towards becoming a totalitarian state.

News / Poles say a big YES to our European Union [996]

A prosecutor says the crash is not being treated as a terrorist incident. Seems to have been deliberate though as the guy drove into two different bus stops an hour apart. Anyway he's already known to police for petty crime of various sorts and is said to have 'psychological problems'. He's probably just a run of the mill nut job, not a terrorist.

News / Poles say a big YES to our European Union [996]


I'm not so sure about that. I think it would be truer to say that the governments/rulers of countries with largely Muslim populations took a secular approach. I'm quite certain that for the majority of the people religion continued to play an important part in their daily lives. Everybody would have been observant to some degree.

The concern I have, is that PIS is taking advantage of the nation's fear of being overrrun by Muslim hordes to distract attention from their own very sinister actions involving dismantling democracy and turning Poland into a Catholic, Fascist totalitarian state. Poland is in far greater danger from its own government at the moment than it is from Islamic fundamentalists.

Woops sorry, just saw the 'stick to topic' thing Mods. Consider this my last word on Muslims in this thread. Mind you you can hardly talk about Europe without talking about immigration. And it is a fact that immigration policy is a stumbling factor in terms of Polish support for EU membership.

News / Poles say a big YES to our European Union [996]


I think it's too young a religion for that. The other problem of course is that they're filled with evangelical zeal to convert non-believers, much as Christians were a thousand years ago. Go back to Christianity in the 11th century and there you have the present state of Islam. I remember chatting with a lovely Algerian lady in Dublin, very intelligent, educated etc who was completely 'Western' in her demeanour, jeans, uncovered hair, and I was quite startled when she mentioned in passing how we're all descended from Adam and Eve. The fact that her belief system was so literal, that there was no concept of the Old Testament being symbolic rather than fact was a surprise to me because as I say she wasn't an unsophisticated person. A thousand years ago, educated, intelligent Christians would have shared her views and had a similar interpretation of the Bible.

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


Not sure to whom you're referring there Polly or at what period in history.


Well they had a big slide in their sales about ten years ago and came back up again so I wouldn't see it as a major change in Polish public opinion. It'll swing back again time.

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

Gumi I'm beginning to wonder, I really am, can you be such an innocent?? It starts with state owned media and it reaches out gradually so that controls are imposed on others and eventually you'll one state sanctioned sation and somebody reading the news in an army uniform like my husband recalls from his childhood.

I remember Polish television from ten or eleven years ago and I never saw a single intelligent political discussion of any kind by anyone, of any party.

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


Well firstly debate doesn't have to be only media based but in any case in Poland at the moment PIS has already begun to exercise control over the media therefore it could hardly be described as unbiased.

In very simple terms, on our national TV and radio stations in Ireland the representatives of both the yes and no campaigns would be interviewed regularly and allowed to place their arguments before the people, as the campaign progressed they would meet for face to face debate on television progammes with a studio audience of ordinary members of the public, there would be billboarding and public advertising campaigns from both sides, and of course lots of printed material would arrive through your door. You can't stop members of the media from commenting and doing editorials etc but usually they're just preaching to the converted because people who buy a certain newspaper or follow a particular broadcaster think that way already and simply want to hear their own views reinforced rather than being challenged to think differently.

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

I get your point. What you're suggesting is that I favour that system because Ireland is a fairly liberal society where you suspect that my view will accord with that of the majority but that's not the issue Gumi. The issue is participation in government in a meaningful and considered manner by the people. The Citizens' Assembly is a fairly recent idea but we had many referendums in the past on issues that were very contentious in Irish society and sometimes the results were not to my liking but I accepted them because they were reached in a fair and transparent manner and they reflected the will of the majority of those who voted.

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


Gumi I don't think you understand. I just said that I AM in favour of participation in the law making process such as we have in my own country. But it must be informed choice, not the result of hysteria and it has to be very specific. People can't just be asked (and indeed they're not even asked in Poland) 'are you in favour of court reforms, education reforms' etc. That's far too vague. The details of the proposed changes have to be presented or debated and the yes and no arguments resulting must be presented over a period of months to the entire population for public debate. Here's an example of how it works in Ireland and in particular at the momet in relation to changing the present abortion law which is also an issue in Poland:

citizensassembly.ie/en/Home
citizensassembly.ie/en/The-Eighth-Amendment-of-the-Constitution

The conclusions reached by the Citizens' Assembly will then go before parliament for consideration after which they will be put to the public in referendum following a proper public debate on the issue.

Now that's how a modern democracy should work in terms of major reforms.

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


Not in the least. Do bear in mind that I come from a country far more democratic than yours where since the very foundation of our state, almost a hundred years ago, anything requiring an amendment to our constitution requires the endorsement of the people by referendum and I am absolutely in favour of that. We also have the Citizens's Assembly now, which is consulted regarding legislation and policy. However both those aspects are very well organised and properly administrated. What's happening in Poland is a haphazard shambles based on whatever the mood of the moment is and that is not an effective long term strategy for ensuring meaningful particpation in government by the Polish people.

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

@ Gumishu, Democracy is not the rule of the people, but rather the right of the people to participate in government and have a say in how the country is ruled and most importantly that the government should be accountable to the people. It is underpinned by an ideal of transparency and accountabliity which extends to the law making process bearing in mind that government is not just about legislation.

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

That is not the essence of democracy and the fact that you would think so is very revealing because it demonstrates how many people in the former Eastern Bloc don't understand the fundamental principles of the democratic system of government.

Food / What's your favorite Polish coffee? [75]


I've seen Lady Grey but I thought it was tea?? Perhaps a slightly different blend of Earl Grey. I would tend to avoid anything specifically marketed at women, I find it a bit cringeworthy, it has a hint of Father Ted and the 'Lovely Girls' competition. Another thing that irritates me in this part of the world, is the sugary dessert wines which are clearly targeted at 'the ladies'. I've lost count of the number of times that a host has offered me 'a nice wine for the ladies' some horrible sickly concoction which is clearly considered more suitable for my delicate palette and digestion, whilst the males of the company get to work on the real thing! Of course being Irish and not wanting to 'upset' anybody instead of saying 'thank you but I prefer a dry wine', I very lamely say 'oh thank you very much, how thoughtful of you, of course I'd love to try it, oh yes, it's delicious' and whenever I visit that house again I'm offered 'your favourite' :D

Food / What's your favorite Polish coffee? [75]


Indeed. One of the best ways to find out what's available in either tea or coffee or any other foodstuffs, is to go to the online shopping portal of any of the big supermarkets trading in Poland like Auchan, Carrefour, Lidl etc.

A weird thing about teas in Poland is that many of them are marketed as 'English' with names like Sir Roger Something-or-Other or London this-and-that but none of them are brands that you find in England or indeed anywhere in the British Isles. Another thing to note is that the blends of tea being offered as 'English' are very bland and weak compared to what you'd actually get in England. When it comes to real English tea such as Liptons and Tetley, the blends are somewhat coarse and not very tasty, I don't know whether they blend them specially for the Polish market. Liptons is certainly not a popular tea in England anymore. The best genuine English blends available in Poland in my opinion are from Twinings. I drink their English Breakfast and Earl Grey, both loose teas.

@CMS, thanks for the tip about Carrefour. Will be trying that!

Travel / Why do you visit Poland? [223]

Well now hang on a second, this is an interesting topic. Ostentatious public displays of wealth are as much a part of traditional Polish culture as they are of any western ones. In fact Poland is merely rediscovering something that is clearly deeply buried within the national psyche. Here's a nice quote on the subject of the szlachta of the early seventeeth century, from Adam Zamoyski (sic):

'[....]invested in things they could wear or use out in the open clothes, jewels, arms, saddlery, horses, servants and almost anything else that could be paraded. Weapons were covered in gold, silver and precious stones. Saddles and bridles were embroidered with gold thread and sewn with sequins. It was common for a nobleman who had a number of fine horses and several caparisons to have them all harnessed and led along behind him by pages, rather than leave them at home where no one would be able to see them.'

The thing I find sad is that such displays now involve mass-produced plastic tat :D

Travel / Why do you visit Poland? [223]

Johnny and Notty, you both fail to see Lyzko's point which is precisely that a trip to Auschwitz should not be presented as a form of tourist attraction alongside other 'sight-seeing'.

Incidentally Notty, you'll find that a typical liberal tends to have a healthy social conscience, unlike most newly upwardly mobile Poles who are indeed obsessed with money and image, judging from the nausea-inducing Polish lifestyle magazines urging idiot readers to spend 400 złotych on a plastic light switch - and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

News / Dodgy PRL-holdover judiciary finally reformed [420]

Where did I ever state that Che Guevara was any kind of hero of mine. I simply stated the fact that an Irish artist was responsible for the well known image of Guevara that one sees plastered all over the place. I don't know a lot about him so can't comment from an informed position, but I have the impression that he wasn't as bad as Fidel and would have made a better leader of Cuba. Unfortunately those South American countries are all politically insane places where the normal rules of civilised statesmanship just don't seem to apply and you must remember that he was operating more than fifty years ago. I'm sure that Guevara loved his country and believed that what he was doing was for the best, but there you go Notty...............one could say much the same of Kaczyński who sees himself as the saviour of Poland and I'm certain believes that he is acting in the country's best interests.

Mind you I do feel that with Kaczyński there's a lot of personal vanity involved and a very real desire to earn a place in the history books, not just a mention on a couple of pages, but a few chapters all to himself.

News / Dodgy PRL-holdover judiciary finally reformed [420]


Never said that did I? We have enough heroes of our own. I wouldn't say he's a figure of great importance to the Irish but for those who do think about him, opinions are mixed.

News / Dodgy PRL-holdover judiciary finally reformed [420]


We also had the Legion Irlandaise in Napolean's army (the only foreign legion to be awarded the Eagle), numerous regiments in the Spanish army, we even helped out Poland in the Muscovite Wars :) The list of Irish who served with distinction in foreign armies and were staggering under the weight of their medals and decorations, is too numerous to mention. Why Gregy dear, even Che Guevara's father said, 'the first thing you must understand about my son is that the blood of the Irish revolutionary ran in his veins'. That great image of Guevara that everybody knows was done by an Irish artist called Jim Fitzpatrick who was on his school holidays when he met him in a bar in Co Clare back in 1961. They had a chat po Angielsku and the first thing Guevara talked about was his Irish roots.


Tens of thousands of Irish men and women joined the British forces. Since you're so keen on facts, the Irish contribution to WWII is precisely that, a fact.


No it isn't. You're talking through your arse again. Sadly you're too stupid to realise that Britain whom you are claiming would be wiped out in a few weeks, defeated pretty much every army it encountered at those periods of history to which you refer.

Do share with us Missy G, what is it like to go through life knowing nothing about anything whilst not actually realising that you know nothing about anything??

News / Dodgy PRL-holdover judiciary finally reformed [420]


Not the same thing Polly. None of those uprisings lasted more than a few weeks and occurred as a result of Poland being unhappy with the deal on the table regarding re-establishing the nation of Poland which was returned to them as a result of the allied victory in the First World War. Having said that of course I have the utmost respect for the Poles who fought in those and previous uprisings.


As did Ireland against England from the 1100s onwards, before that the Vikings as well as doing our bit in both the First and Second World Wars, with an entirely voluntary force, not conscripted.


You great ignorant lummox. We were an occupied nation. Just for a small sample of what that meant, read about Cromwell and his activities in Ireland. But of course you won't. Funnily enough,there's a lighthearted Irish rebel song with the chorus:

The sea, oh the sea is the 'grádh geal mo croídhe' (that means love of my heart)
Long may it stay between England and me
It's a sure guarantee that some hour we'll be free
Thank God we're surrounded by water.


Of which you are entirely ignorant. At least I know something of Polish history so I'm in a position to discuss it.

By the way, on the subject of Lenin, bet you didn't know that he spoke English with an Irish accent (as indeed and coincidentally did the daughters of Tsar Nicholas II).