History / Its decided. If Germany interfere in Silesia, Russia would support Poland. New winds [17]

Crow is simply projecting his own desires on others.

He dreams of war and violence against those his country has historical grievances with, and can only imagine that others feel the same.

History / 20 years of Poland in the EU. [317]

Genuine question regarding the Three Seas:

Does anyone really think, that the actions of Orban's Hungary and Fico's Slovakia align more with Poland's interests than what Germany is doing? Or how Austria's neutrality? How about Greek reluctance to provide Ukraine with some of its' impressive weapons arsenal?

I understand that we Germans can be hard to work with, but it seems to me that the alternatives are hardly appealing as well.

History / 20 years of Poland in the EU. [317]

The idea of Brexit was supposedly that the UK could negotiate alone and get better conditions. If you wre unhappy with the French, you'll need to make them a better offer.

Honestly, the French are looking like the real winners of Brexit. Amongst the EU there is now one less voice against their economic fantasies. They managed to grab the EBA and improved the standing of Paris as a financial center. They get to improve on may standing deals they have with the UK. And Macron is now using the Ukraine war to become the undisputed leader of Europe. Napoleon could have only dreamt of the Brits making such a mistake.

History / 20 years of Poland in the EU. [317]

@jon357


1/4 of it was and it seems to me that most German investors in Poland are from West Germany. Miele, Bosch, Mercedes ALDI just to name a few.


Accumulating money takes time. And I am sure it would go well amongst the Polish public if the government decides: "Here Company X, you get a tax write-off, invest the money into Germany so that we can balance the investments".

Given that Germany has currently a problem to attract foreign investors, with many domestic investors instead investing into foreign markets, I fail to see the problem for Poland here. Be happy that you are a target for investments and suffering from capital flight.


Do you really want to pretend that this kind of concern is unique to Germans? A quick search reveals tons of articles describing risks and concerns regarding the take-over of British companies by foreign investors. Sometimes those concerns are legitimate, especially when it can mean the loss of a strategic industry.

As for newspapers engaging in xenophobic scaremongering against foreign competitors... That is really thin ice here.

History / 20 years of Poland in the EU. [317]

I'd argue that concern over the loss of competivness through undercutting of standards is something that drives all governments. And indeed, that may become particulary thorny issue between Poland and Ukraine once the latter joins the EU and the free market.

History / 20 years of Poland in the EU. [317]

@jon357


Nothing shocking about this. Just an inevitable result of having an economy that suffered from 45 years of communist rule compared to one that did not. One side has a result wealthy investors, the other side has not. We have a similar disparity between West and East Germany.

History / 20 years of Poland in the EU. [317]

@Ironside
I think we can both admit that it wasn't just Berlin who was being stubborn and noncooperative... .

History / 20 years of Poland in the EU. [317]

So I take it there are really Poles who take Kaczynski's mad rantings about Tusk being a "German agent" seriously?

News / Polish coal will be back [141]

As someone from the Ruhr Valley I can see the charm of coal and its' value to the community. But knowing the damage it does to the planet and the fact it is also increasing the risk of lung diseases, it is for the best once its' no longer used.

Off-Topic / The case of Srebrenica, stance of Poland and international consequences [31]

@Crow


I am ignoring things that you make up. It has been established that thousands of people were murdered by the Bosnian Serb army. The International Tribunal has soundly rejected any defense of the genocide with previously real or fictional crimes commited by muslims. Ratko Mladic has been convicted for this atrocity and now serves a life-sentence.

To quote the ruling of the tribunal.

"By seeking to eliminate a part of the Bosnian Muslims, the Bosnian Serb forces committed genocide. They targeted for extinction the 40,000 Bosnian Muslims living in Srebrenica, a group which was emblematic of the Bosnian Muslims in general. They stripped all the male Muslim prisoners, military and civilian, elderly and young, of their personal belongings and identification, and deliberately and methodically killed them solely on the basis of their identity.["

Off-Topic / The case of Srebrenica, stance of Poland and international consequences [31]

@Crow


You can' have a dialogue if one person makes up things and denies basic facts. The truth about the genocide in Srebenica is well-documented and has been established in numerous trials. If given the choice, no sane person would disregard this evidence in favour of the ranting of some crazy person on the internet.

Off-Topic / The case of Srebrenica, stance of Poland and international consequences [31]

I suppose you can frame everything in a positive way, even when a resolution is approved by an overwhelming majority and your president embarasses himself and his country with his behaviour... .

Off-Topic / Serbia etc. thread 3 [437]

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Law / Gun control in Poland: should Polish people be allowed to own guns? [1070]


No, they don't. The statistics are very clear on this.


Without the Nazis, there would not have been WW2 period.


It is the only right and safe thing to do. They are trained professionals. When your grandchild has an appendicitis, you dont get your knife and operate on her yourself. You drive her to a hospital.


Only to yourself, your family, and anyone in your vicinity. Do the right thing, get rid of your guns. Those intruders are just in your head, your family is real.


Seems like a no-brainer to me. Not trying to be unpolite here, but this whole gun thing seems irrational to me. It makes everyone more unsafe and it causes a lot of other issues down the line (my suspicion is that police brutality is such an issue in the US partly because US police officers have to be a lot more forceful and careful in their interaction with civilians, since anyone could carry a gun).

Even if owning a gun is a right, there should be checks in place to make sure that the person is mentally stable and knows what he is doing. Don't know how the situation is in Poland, but I am currently looking into acquiring a hunting license in Germany. It is quite a long way, but I think the conditions (completing mandatory training over several weeks, background checks and irregular checks on how I store my gun) are reasonable.

Law / Gun control in Poland: should Polish people be allowed to own guns? [1070]

@Novichok


Hence we have a well-armed police force.


Police officers may realistically find themselves in situations in which guns can be useful. Whereas civilians with guns are statistically more of a danger to themselves or others. Police officers have undergone intensive, often-years long training and various psychological testing in order to prepare them an make sure they are fit to handle a gun responsibly.

Your mind may still be living in the Wild West, but times have changed. If you love your family, get rid of your gun.


As always, you might want to read up on your history. Here is a hint: People who spoke and thought like you gave us WWII when they got a chance to act on their depraved impulses.

Law / Gun control in Poland: should Polish people be allowed to own guns? [1070]

@jon357


Arguments from gun nuts in a nutshell.

Law / Gun control in Poland: should Polish people be allowed to own guns? [1070]

@johnny reb


And do you think that is reasonable? I get it that hunting may have been a necessary skill to learn as early as possible in rural areas 200 years ago, but today? The USA is a civilized country with what I can only assume broad access to supermarkets. Children should not have access to guns period. If they want to get extra fresh food, they can always go fishing.

@Novichok


Leaving aside the risk of accidental discharges. Living without cars or bathtubs is difficult, they pose little risk while offering great benefits. Guns do not offer any tangible benefits while posing great risks to yourself and your family. Living without them has no impact on your daily life, but your family will thank you for it. "At least now grandpa is less likely to shoot me" would be a very reassuring thought for them.

Law / Gun control in Poland: should Polish people be allowed to own guns? [1070]

@johnny reb


18 and of course only after passing a psychological evaluation.

@Novichok


Just repeat after me: Your gun endangers you and your loved ones. Your family is real, that dangerous intruder just part of your imagination. If you love your family, get rid off your gun. Your activities on this forum does not convince anybody that you are capable of handling your gun in an emergency.

Law / Gun control in Poland: should Polish people be allowed to own guns? [1070]

@Novichok


That is not how statistics work. With cars you look at the benefits of a car (greater mobility et al.) and compare them with other methods of transportation and their associated risks.

With guns it is easier since you can weigh their supposed benefit (protection, lifes saved) versus the lifes they claimed but were not supposed to.

And statistically speaking you are more likely to harm yourself and/or your loved ones than to shoot an intruder with. Guns make the life of their owners and all others more unsafe.

@johnny reb


Nonsense. If a person does not know how to drive, he'll be severely limited in his mobility and possibly job opportunities. Having sex is something natural everybody will want to experience, and we know from history that banning alcohol does more harm than good. But there is zero reason why a minor should learn how to handle a gun. He does not need it for his daily life, it poses further risks for him and others and given the right laws, it will be very difficult to ever get his hands on them unsupervised. Most people in Poland never used a gun in their life, nor did they have the need for it.

Law / Gun control in Poland: should Polish people be allowed to own guns? [1070]

@Novichok


Nope, we are just better at looking at statistics. You are more likely to use those gun against yourself, your family, or your family uses it to harm itself. Facts matter. Your gun is making your family more unsafe.


You mean events like this?

Child firing Uzi at Ariz. shooting range accidentally kills instructor, police say

cnn.com/2014/08/26/us/arizona-girl-fatal-shooting-accident/index.html

There are states in which people are not allowed to drink alcohol or drive a car until they are 21, but some people seem to believe it is perfectly fine to let children handle guns.

Law / Gun control in Poland: should Polish people be allowed to own guns? [1070]

Gun nuts like to fantasize about how they'd use their guns to heroically defend their families against intruders. Leaving aside how statistically unlikely such invasions are and how difficult it would be for trained professionals to act appropiately, let alone amateurs (which most of them). The ugly reality is that not only are they more likely to use those weapons to kill themselves or harm family members, but those family members may also (intentionally or accidentally) misuse those guns. Particulary children:

California toddler kills 1-year-old sister with handgun found in home, police say

Gun-related deaths have become a mayor cause of death for children and young adults

cbsnews.com/news/san-diego-toddler-shoots-kills-1-year-old-sister-with-unsecured-handgun/

everytownresearch.org/report/notanaccident/

I am sure that is one thing from the USA no one in Poland is interested in adopting.... .

So if you love your family and want to keep them safe, you should throw your gun away immediately. If you need them for work/hunting, keep them in a secure, locked box.

News / Will Poland as a NATO member be drawn into the Israel/Iran war ? [259]


The intention may not be the problem. Just no capabilities. We need everything we have to build a credible deterrence against Russia (which may not even enough).

News / Will Poland as a NATO member be drawn into the Israel/Iran war ? [259]

@Bratwurst Boy


A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one!

News / SHOULD POLAND HAVE NUKES?? [154]

@Alien

Poland has signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, so it can't have its' own nuclear weapons (and Poland unlike Russia usually adheres to international law).

I would also argue that the financial costs for an effective nuclear deterrent is too high. Better to instead increase Poland's conventional deterrence and supply Ukraine with more weapons.

News / Poland to officially demand $1.32 trillion WW2 reparations from Germany [457]


And yet Russia lost controle over the Baltics (and other occuppied areas) because they could no longer afford it.

Gorbachev did not relinquish controle over them and the Warsaw Pact because he was such a nice man, but because the Soviet Union desperately needed Western money, food and medical supplies to avoid a self-inflicted catastrophy.. Which it received without showing the proper gratitude for it.

Once the bill is due for Putin's mismanagement and warmongering, Russia can only hope that the Chinese will bail them out. They can not count again on the generosity of the West.

News / Poland to officially demand $1.32 trillion WW2 reparations from Germany [457]

They were released when the UdSSR was no longer able to occupy them. The same may happen with the parts of Ukraine it currently occuppies. If the Ukrainian army is unable to force Moscow to return, then mayhaps the inevitable economic recession in Russia will.

The 90s will look like paradise compared to what awaits Russia.

News / Poland to officially demand $1.32 trillion WW2 reparations from Germany [457]

Well, people used to say that the Berlin Wall was forever, that the Baltic states would always remain part of Russia. Things can and do change.

News / Poland to officially demand $1.32 trillion WW2 reparations from Germany [457]

The matter has been over for many decades by now.

The previous Polish government knew this and just exploited this issue for domestic reasons. Good to see that with the new government reason and rationality returns to Warsaw's diplomacy. At a time when Putin openly seeks to redraw borders in Europe and a possible second Trump presidency that may prove fatal to NATO, this development comes no day too soon.

News / How will Poland be affected by WW3 which has now started [559]


It is not one my countrymen saying that, but one of your top generals as quoted above.


They also won the battle of Capes and thus effectively, the war of American independence. Who were they fighting against, again?

All historical jokes aside, it is simply a matter of fact that the French have only European army that can be taken seriously to some degree. They have experience, training and crucially, the numbers (at least relatively).

News / How will Poland be affected by WW3 which has now started [559]


At least they have tanks to practice with. Can one really say the same about the British army on a larger scale? The best they could do is field a small expeditionary force.

The only army somewhat prepared to fight a serious war right now in Europe is the French army. Hopefully Poland will have one soon too.


Can't say much about that aside from the new F-35 ordered. But we should have the best mid and close-range anti-aircraft and anti-drone units within the next few years with the Skyranger and Iris-T.