News / Time to clean the swamp - dePiSification of Poland [298]

When so much needs to be addressed following 8 years of PIS meddling some actions will be difficult to accept but undoing the wrongs created by PIS are necessary. This will be painful for the PIS but then again they are no longer in power and need to focus more on why they lost the election and figure out what went wrong. Their juvenile actions demonstrating at TVP just show how out of touch they are with the electorate who have now got a government that will look at the bigger picture when it comes to democracy and representation of everyone...not just a few.

I think at the moment there are two groups within PIS....the first who are normal conservatives much like those in other countries and the second who are radical crazy people who think that all that matters is to secure nice comfortable well paid jobs and think that politics is all about them and to live for the moment...I think that normal conservatives are just waiting to see what happens and having worked out why they lost will result in a PIS split between these two groups. Quite simply PIS need to figure out why no other political party wanted to join forces with them.

News / Time to clean the swamp - dePiSification of Poland [298]


Why are the PIS so concerned and worried about a TV station....shouldn't they be talking politics through convential mediums and behaving like adults rather than 'perform' in front of the cameras like some crowd of juvenile protesters......just get over it, move on and accept defeat gracefully...be professional and think of your constituants because these are the people who voted for the PIS party 8 years ago and if they have any sense will think carefully about making the same mistake next time.

News / Ups and downs of the democratic government 2023-2027 in Poland [342]

Finally the elected government is taking control and Prime Minister Tusk will take the lead to remove all traces of PIS involvement be it with the Judges...abortion....cosy PIS positions, the economy, and hopefully will return to a more traditional way to govern where they work for the benefit of the public (the people who pay these politicians) and not for the benefit of greedy politicians whose only goal is to make money at any cost without any consideration of the electorate. Donald Tusk is by far the best choice and where he might not be liked is clearly the right choice to take Poland into the next Century. The electorate have had enough of PIS nonsense...pretending to do good....when they were slowly lining their own pockets. Still cannot forgive PIS for allowing so many ancient trees to be cut down....what a tragedy.

News / Polish Parliamentary Elections 2023 [933]


Absolutely agree, the demographics are pretty poor in Poland and PIS meddling has contributed to this downturn in the population..still can't believe that this law was pushed through at a time when Poland was in the grip of a pandemic....as if it was so important and crucial that the Abortion Act had to be amended...unbelievable...


Sorry but I thought the election sorted out who won, but it seems that Duda is playing for time by appointing PM Morawiecki to see if he can form a government....fat chance of this happening surely....Duda must be deluded to think that anything will come of this.....what a waste of time....shouldn't PIS be emptying their offices and moving out or have I missed something...and how long is this process going to take before Tusk and co. take over....? This has to be the longest transfer of power ever....

News / Polish Parliamentary Elections 2023 [933]

Very happy that at last PIS has been kicked into touch....lets hope the defeat is long lasting....not sure whether everyone will be content with Tusks coalition party but it is the best option at present and at least their policies will serve the interests of all and not those whose support is shallow and based on self insterest with no thought given to the economic future of Poland....looking forward to ammendments being made to the Abortion Act and a complete review of the PIS judiciary....tax reforms (lets not make the catastrophic mistake of introducing 2 tax policies in the same year for which Poland seems to have been the first country to do so)....and more importantly for senior government positions to be filled by qualified people who actually know what they are talking about....the only aspect of the last 8 years is the fact that Poland has lost out on many millions of zl due to the incompetence of PIS and their rather aggressive stance towards Europe and their belief that Poland can go it alone....what a joke...

News / Unfulfilled promises by PiS [558]

It really is surprising how accepting people are of PIS and seemingly unable to accept the bigger picture which is a government who really do care about its population and country. Looking at the antics of PIS over recent years really highlights how amateur they are when it comes to governing. To introduce a draconian medieval abortion law during the beginning of the pandemic when the population were looking for leadership and guidance on how to live with this terrible situation was unforgivable. Introducing two completely different tax laws within the same financial year created chaos for businesses and accountants throughout Poland and has never been replicated elsewhere in a civilised society....it just shows how ill equipped the government are when it comes to managing an economy....all the retoric on keeping Poland strong and challenging Brussels on various issues just shows how out of touch these people are.

Poland is a great country but run by amateurs whose only interest is looking after themselves and trying to be brave and forward looking....not... what is needed are people who have experience and knowledge of managing an economy....invest more in the health service, schools, reduce the ridiculously high tax monthly payments for ZUS for people wanting to set up a business (why do they not use a scheme where people pay tax on what they sell....simple... like in France) People are angry with how things are and increasing child benefit from 500+ to 800+, increasing pension payments to 14 months etc are cheap tricks to get votes which just about sums up PIS.....cheap...tacky....and lacking substance....

Life / Bank loan for UK nationals [9]

Just an update on my quest for a loan.

I have been to a number of banks now requesting a loan and each bank have given separate but individual reasons why they cannot give me a loan. 1) I'm not Polish (I was told this by the bank clerk) 2) I am not known by the bank (need to have a bank account with this bank for at least 3 months) 3) Most of my income originates in the UK (my pensions) so that is seen as a problem presumably 4) Cannot accept a letter in Polish describing my main workplace pension as a 'pension' (on my bank statement there is just a description but not the actual word 'pension'. It can be seen from my bank statement that since arriving in Poland 8 years ago this has been a regular monthly payment.)

I am well able to afford the monthly payments and my affordabilty has never been raised as a problem by each of these banks so I am surprised that this is so difficult for banks to process. I have lived in Poland for 8 years now and have never had any problems with my bank account...I pay taxes...have been working for two English language schools since 2016 and continue to do so....have an approved residency card....own my own house (no properties and no financial interests in any other country incuding the UK)

On a separate note, I also recently decided to buy my wife a new laptop and RTV said that I couldn't make use of their interest free payment scheme for the laptop because I don't speak/understand Polish, even though my wife is Polish and could have told all about the implications of signing a contract to buy a laptop. (I sort of understand what happens if I do not keep up repayments on something, having bought a number of houses over the years including two in Poland)

Yes...I do need to improve on my spoken Polish but wonder why getting credit so painfully difficult. Are they hiding behind the mask of Brexit..or do they think I may return to the UK and not honour my loan...? I would think that anyone Polish or otherwise could leave the country and avoid meeting repayments so this would be a weak argument to refuse a loan. I've said enough.

Life / Litter in Poland [24]


I suspect that the reason for this, was down to the numbers of people present and the liklihood of being seen to throw rubbish anywhere but in a bin.... fly tippers choose their moments carefully when dumping rubbish in forests, ie with no-one around... I've seen metres of black tv cables dumped in a forest, plastic bags etc....are there any associations or local government officials responsible for clearing rubbish from forests, because it just seems to lie there for weeks and weeks.

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


I tend to agree.....giving money via 500+ is something that can be easily abused in terms of where the money goes at the end of the day...its like giving money to alcoholics outside shops/supermarkets....I would rather give them food or clothes etc...and the same applies to families who are on low income....high income families should not be receiving 500+ it is something a high income earner can do without.....

News / Previous Poland's government corrupting the media. [125]


This is complete nonsense.....you can always switch the TV off or change channels....if the public are influenced or swayed then they are more stupid than anyone first thought.....just look at the propaganda station TVP....Anyone knows that choice is what Europeans want, its that simple, they get choice in other countries why not Poland....and think of the revenue it brings to Poland....the extra tax is all political and an easy and simplistic way for PIS to raise funds to cover up the mess called 500+ (not Covid)...they really could have been more creative or at least learn from other European countries on how to govern effectively.

News / Previous Poland's government corrupting the media. [125]


....or 2000 PLN once a month for some families....possibly more..... the problem also is that high income families also receive 500+ payments who already have the means to raise a family....if anyone should receive payments then low income families should, albeit the allowance should be reduced to 200+ and the difference redirected to the health service.....perhaps the payments should only be limited to the first two children only. It would appear that this has been a complete drain on resources when focus should have centered on the health service....

Food / British food products in Poland? [334]


I think you will find that there are currently quite a few chubby children in Poland, and it is no coincidence that eating habits have been influenced by food chains such as KFC...MacDonalds...kebab shops....etc..and the need to embrace new food experiences amongst the young.... The UK already has obesity problems but I must say Poland should take care not to fall into the same trap.....

News / Thousands of Polish women attend Czarny Piątek rally in Warsaw [780]

Why was it so important for members of Parliament to query the provision on abortion law and ask the Constitutional Judiciary to decide on the issue of abortion in cases of deformed babies....it seems that this provision was perfectly suited to these circumstances which gave the mother the choice to have an abortion or not..... it now seems that there is now no choice and mothers have to give birth and then decide what to do.....? This is a rather odd decision and clearly a lot of people disagree with it. Any reason why this has happended....or is it now a useful distraction from Covid?

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

It would be the worst thing ever to follow the USA with similiar gun laws in Poland....a complete mess and an escalation of crime would inevitably follow....Poland doesn't need to follow the USA and if they did it would be a complete disaster which in the USA is now irreversible and beyond help.....the big problem are the organisations/businesses who use gun laws in the USA to peddle more and more weapons....even worse is the gun lobby who have far too much influence over politicians and any form of opposition.....just impossible to make any changes to reduce firearms.....why on earth are Americans arming themselves with automatic weapons...the wild West is still alive and well in the USA...

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

Torq.....


Not sure if having no children and no proper family..? is really a quality which is detrimental to someones aspirations to a career in politics.....is having a family really that important....I would have thought that it is more important to put forward ideas, suggestions in a manisfesto which provides solutions to the problems which currently face Poland....(to suggest having a family is necessary in order to be credible in politics is in my view a little simplistic..). Having seen the PIS show on channel 5 this evening I wonder if channel 5 will be giving the same amount of air time to the other political parties...it would seem fair to do so but who knows....

I hope that people do not vote for PIS on the basis that they will continue to give out 500+ money to people having babies....I really hope that voters also consider the bigger picture......rather than short sighted outcomes.....rather worrying if they do and this is likely to continue to restrict future growth and prosperity in Poland.....(wages will continue to be low and unlikely to increase significantly if people continue to support 500+ as the saviour of Poland....it just won't work....) People should really look at their personal situations and decide what they want for their families and future....do they want real jobs with good wages or are they just happy to continue with a basic but constant income....? People need to grow balls......and think about themselves and not what the PIS are doing for them which appears to be a cynical attempt to keep the masses happy......

News / Polexit? Almost half of the Poles believe that Poland would be better off outside of the EU [548]

Ironside....Yes, but Poland would have more freedom on more control over it direction and affairs'.

I'm not sure that now is the moment for Poland to even consider leaving the EU.....there is too much at stake....Poland is still rebuilding and creating its infrastructure and therefore will continue to rely on funding from the EU....Poland has a lot to offer but it really should not run before it walks....

News / Polexit? Almost half of the Poles believe that Poland would be better off outside of the EU [548]

Brexit as we all know has been a long drawn out political episode in British life and I believe that most people in the UK are relieved that it has finally moving forward.....at the beginning remainers put forward their views on staying in Europe and likewise with leavers.....From my point of view I was disappointed that the referendum in 2016 wasn't honoured (as all referendums are)....and there followed three years of political nonsense where leavers went to extraordinary lengths to justify their position, rubbishing leavers, digging up anything to discredit leavers....UK will run out of medical supplies...the economy will take a nose dive...etc...etc....as it turned out nothing changed and like any economy there are experts whose job it is to keep it on track and adjust policy to suit changing conditions......

In short people voted to leave.....they were fed up with the EU and were prepared to vote to give the UK an opportunity to do things for themselves and put trust in the economists (and of course politicians) as they have been doing for many, many years. As for leavers the three years allowed people to understand why they were so against leaving, and it became clear that for many (certainly for the so called 'elite') money was the main factor....because for many they relied on the EU for funding their businesses....or relied on the EU as a means of income....etc etc.... The leader of the Liberal party who since the election is no longer is the leader is married and her husband has a business which receives EU funding (which like many similar stories had to be forced out into the open to see the real truth) and so the Liberal mantra was to cancel Brexit altogether......it just didn't work. The elite (and other high profile people) cynically suggested that leavers were stupid...didn't know what they were doing...and used every excuse (apart from funding) to put forward their case to remain in the EU. Change is dificult for people to adjust to but maybe after a decade there will be another referendum to re-join the EU....which for me is fine....politics is like this and people are used to voting on many different issues......

News / Polexit? Almost half of the Poles believe that Poland would be better off outside of the EU [548]

I think when it comes to 'milking' the EU come first.....they have the upper hand....Poland is not in a position, politically or financially to pull out of the EU, and I think people need to remember that the money has to be paid back to the EU.....not only that but Poland needs to remember the enormous benefits they have experienced since joining the EU.....to throw that away would be a big mistake, despite the financial positives Poland is enjoying....Poland has received billions of zloty over the years and will need to pay this back....it is tempting to believe that Poland is invincible and can stand on its own two feet but I think it needs to learn how to walk first.....

News / Goodbye Sunday Shopping in Poland - Hello Electoral Reform [246]

Sunday opening is all about making the lives of people in Poland a positive and useful occasion to do shopping when their weekly demands be it work, children, holidays etc continue to deplete their time. Whether Sunday opening is a success in Poland I am not sure but it seems to me that it will benefit most people as it does in other European countries. It could be said that there are too many supermarkets around and perhaps by reducing the number and investing into what remains will make them an attractive shopping experience for shoppers. In turn people are more likely to spend money on wider ranges of products than you could find elsewhere. Yes cost is a key factor but when a shop provides a wide range of goods, there is a likelyhood of paying a higher price....but this is all to do with choice...

Supermarkets seem to be spread too thinly and it is noticable that some are losing their gloss and need some serious investment to make them attractive to people as well as providing a greater choice of products. .......and yes a simple coat of paint for some of these buildings or any building for that matter does actually make a difference to the people living in that area and for those people who choose to visit that area....there are too many tardy and tired looking buildings/supermarkets around which would benefit for a simple lick of paint....this would create a degree of attractiveness to the area and encourage more people to use supermarkets/shops in addition to creating a sense of pride in their surroundings....

There will always be people against this idea but at the end of the day people can choose to go shopping on Sundays or not. It is good for business and of course the people who have little time during the week to go shopping. Yes it is a shame that staff have to work on Sundays but I am sure there are plenty who are happy with the extra money......and if one of the arguments is that staff don't receive additional money then that is another issue which needs to be taken up with whoever is responsible for agreeing realistic wages and conditions of work, in accordance with employment law....it is not a reason for stopping Sunday opening.

In my opinion the actual concept of Sunday shopping is perfectly proper and provides a choice which in turn will improve the lives of people who have busy lives. Choice is one important factor which drives an economy, encouraging sensible spending, gets money moving around and creates a general feel good atmosphere amongst shoppers.

News / Goodbye Sunday Shopping in Poland - Hello Electoral Reform [246]

Dougpol1.....The amount of money people have in the bank dictates whether they are likely to say to the boss "I just have to go out for an hour to buy some bathroom fittings..."

The amount of money people have in their bank acounts does of course dictate what they can buy....however when they do their shopping is another issue....how long in general do people have for their lunch breaks..enough for some people to return home for lunch so why not use this time to do shopping or after work.....maybe the problem is with the amount of time employers give employees for their lunch breaks.....perhaps it is a employment law issue that needs to be looked into..... In any event Sunday opening for many people is very useful...perhaps not for the people working on Sundays but then again they should be paid more for Sunday work...if not then again employment law needs to be looked at.....

One issue I have noticed recently are Tesco stores which appear to be rapidly going downhill will little choice of products, poor staffing, bad customer service..miserable looking aisles....etc...Tesco stores just do not represent the model of how they should look and I get the feeling that Tesco is planning to pull out of Poland.....

Life / How do Polish people treat their animals? [33]

Any news on the bus driver who ran over a dog twice....haven't heard much in the news and just wondered if there have been any developments in this case....

Life / Child abuse in Poland [64]

Just wanted to find out if there have been any more developments on the abuse scandal and whether anyone has been arrested or charged....I expect that the investigation is ongoing and will take time to identify those involved, but just interested if anyone has heard any news.....

Life / How do Polish people treat their animals? [33]

Merged:

Creulty to animals

It would seem that a dog was walking along a road in Poland (as they do) when a bus driver either deliberately or not hit the dog with his bus.....the sickening part of this story is that the bus driver apparently turned around or reversed so that he could run over the dog again......(the dog was of course crying in pain from the first incident).

This is a completely shocking situation and the behavior of the bus driver and the heartless, nasty and cruel behaviour he exhibited is disgusting.....

He must be a complete simpleton/moron to think that this was acceptable behaviour....unbelievable...!! Apparently it seems he is able to drive a bus but sadly unable to negotiate the road properly....in any event his employers have now sacked him and he is likely to be charged with a criminal offense.... I just wonder how he treats his children...if he has any...

Life / Child abuse in Poland [64]

I think that is a valid point but this posting is really about child abuse by priests in Poland.....Maybe the issues with LGBT are another topic altogether and could form a different posting....

Life / Child abuse in Poland [64]

As a starting point do you think that Bishops and senior clergy who were aware of this scandal should be interviewed and charged with aiding and abetting or joint enterprise or maybe perverting the course of justice....or some related offence. It seems that despite the promised investigation not much is being reported on by the media which would at least provide the public with ongoing information.....what are the views of the church going public who have children....or have the Bishops responded with their side of the story....what do the prosecution service/police say about abuse in general and what knowledge on the child abuse scandal could they share with the public, even on a very limited level just to show that something is being done or has been done in the past or at least to provide some sort of reassurance that this is not something swept under the carpet and that it is being taken seriously....

Have any Bishops/senior clergy been interviewed by police and if so how many and do police expect to interview more...are criminal charges likely to arise. Are the prosecution service taking advice from established child abuse units in other countries....?

Life / Child abuse in Poland [64]

It would seem that the government has doubled the sentence for child abuse to 30 years.....however that's the easy bit....the difficult bit is to prosecute and convict the abuser.....so hopefully there are strong and robust measures in place for prosecutors and police to intercept and prosecute abusers....

Life / Child abuse in Poland [64]

Quite interesting listening to the Sejm today, as the politicians are debating pedophilia and the government speakers seem to be comparing child abuse with consenting homosexual adults....amazing...they really do not get it despite other speakers pointing out that PIS are clearly mistaken as to what abuse is....it would seem that they need to look up the definition in the dictionary....Strangely PIS seem to be supporting the idea of moving priests around if they are suspected of committing abuse and are in denial as to the extent of abuse....I agree with one speaker who said that priests should not be treated any differently than any other abusers.....it really is that simple..... The best way to deal with the abuse problem is not let the government get involved and instead appoint an independent all party committee to target abuse committed by priests......

Life / Child abuse in Poland [64]

It's very difficult to know exactly what is happening behind closed doors and unless there is transparency on how the church is organised in terms of its behind the scenes arrangements....including why children are unaccompanied when seeing priests, particularly in private or at different times or places etc. A lot of child abuse often thrives on disadvantaged children and maybe this needs to be investigated. It is absolutely unforgivable that abusers are moved around to avoid prosecution, identification or whatever.....this simple gives other abusers a passport to continue carrying out abuse....there is no deterrent and this will not change their interest in child abuse....it just simply moves the problem on to another region where they could reoffend.

Need to get tough....as Mr Duda has said...'zero tolerance' Finally what about the victims in these cases....they are completely affected and will have to deal with being abused for the rest of their lives....yes we need to deal with the abusers in the church with thorough investigations no stone unturned and complete transparency.... but also to provide support for the victims....ie. in giving evidence....psychiatric help....social care etc.....Maybe victims receive this sort of support already but it would be interesting and helpful if someone fully outlined the procedures in place for detection and support instead of seemingly vague statements made on TV news from people who are simply giving opinions. Much better to have concrete information on what is being done so that the public are reassured and have some sort of idea what is being done. Why isn't there a senior prosecutor appearing on the news who could set out what is being done, the extent of abuse and initiatives in place.