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.

Off-Topic / Most Hated Country in the World 2022 [234]

I'd like to make a disclaimer to any woman reading this. Novichok and johnny only represent a small, dwindling minority among men.

Off-Topic / Most Hated Country in the World 2022 [234]


I refer to post 88, 89,90 92,97,98,102, 104,105. Which you of course know because you replied to them.

It is just tiresome to provide you with factual arguments sources and then see you repeating the same debunked talking-point over and over again.

@johnny reb


And people wonder why we needed to sharpen those laws.... . Not much different than claiming that "she asked for it because of how was dressed".

A woman has of course the right to change her mind any time during the act. If she makes it clear (in a way that is understandable) to the man that she wants it to stop, yet he continues, then that is rape.

Off-Topic / Most Hated Country in the World 2022 [234]

@Novichok

All of that was explained to you on the last two pages.

Off-Topic / Most Hated Country in the World 2022 [234]


Indeed. With the Polish society liberalizing mentally and introducing similar law we'll no doubt see a similar increase.

Which naturally Novichok will then blame on the migrants as well.

Off-Topic / Most Hated Country in the World 2022 [234]

@Novichok


Not sure about the UK but in German the old definition required the victim had struggled/resisted against the perpetrator which in practice left a a lot of leeway for the culprit. Most rapes happen in a private context with no other witnesses after all.

Now even a non-verbal sign can suffice that a victim did not consent to it. Other acts such as "stealthing" can now also be prosecuted as a sex crime.


Something similar happened in Germany as well as far as I recall.


Our governments are doing what people want, or else they are voted out. Your mistake is to assume that what you think is what most people think and that what you want is what most people want.

Off-Topic / Most Hated Country in the World 2022 [234]


Entire books have been written about this subject (as well as about the rape commited by Western allies not only in Germany but also the liberated countries, which happened but in a much smaller scale).

If I remember correctly there are 3 main reasons why discussions about this only happened recently.

1. It was politically inconvenient, (in the West) and often outright discouraged if not banned (in the East) to talk about the crimes of the now allied countries.

2. Societies were much more conservative back then and often engaged in victim-blaming (Novi gave a perfect example for this above "They did it for food".)

3. As a consequence of 1 +2 and due to shame and a wish to forget the victims only spoke about this mqny decades later, a pattern common in victims of sexual assault.

Off-Topic / Most Hated Country in the World 2022 [234]


Sweden is so high because they have changed the definition of rape to sex without explicite consent of the victims. Which means a lot of sexual crimes that go unreported and unpunished in other countries are part of Sweden's statistic. Germany and other countries have followed this example to some degree.

Rape conviction rates rise 75% in Sweden after change in the law

reuters.com/article/idUSKBN23T2R2/


If you bothered to actually read one of the many history books written on the subject, you'd know that this has long been treated as a taboo (not only in Poland). Only in the last 20 years or so have those crimes received broad attention.

Off-Topic / Most Hated Country in the World 2022 [234]

Never mind, not worth replying to this nonsense.

News / How will Poland be affected by WW3 which has now started [397]


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 [397]


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.

News / How will Poland be affected by WW3 which has now started [397]


Which weapons are you talking about?


Not directly, but this and other articles sure make it look suspicious.

thetimes.co.uk/article/boris-johnsons-russian-crony-evgeny-lebedev-got-peerage-after-spies-dropped-warning-3dp6sw29x

Wealthy Russians certainly integrated themselves well in British (high) society. Yeah they were sanctioned later (the same as in Germany and other countries) but claiming the UK was less susceptible to Russian corruption when London openly attracted oligarchs is absurd.


I provided you with a source that proves the opposite. That number will further increase by the French contribution to the 50bn from the EU to Ukraine (one estimate I've read it was 9bn).

News / How will Poland be affected by WW3 which has now started [397]


I am fairly certain that Germany changed its' mind on allowing countries to export former GDR weapons within hours, if not days after the invasion. It did not prevent any other aid from reaching Ukraine.


Wishful thinking. One son of a Russian oligarch bought himself a peerage, and wealthy oligarchs used the UK as one of their favourite places to launder their ill-gotten wealth. Abromovich is just the most famous examples. Who knows what deeper inquiries may find out later after a government change. No reason to feel any kind of self-satisfaction here.


All jokes and French-bashing aside, the reality is that France has actually commited more aid to Ukraine than the UK via the EU institutions. Their military support is disappointing given then field the strongest European army, but their overall contribution is not bad at all. It is one thing to send old Soviet weapons to Ukraine while receiving reimbursements from the EU, it is another to keep the Ukrainian state financially afloat.

app.23degrees.io/view/DUeaa54W7KOQhFQD-bar-stacked-horizontal-bilateral-aid-with-eu-share

@Torq


Everything is relative. Keep in mind that the entire state budget of Ukraine in 2021 was around 35bn Dollar, so for them it means quite a lot.

theglobaleconomy.com/Ukraine/government_spending_dollars/

Furthermore there are quite a few European countries who have otherwise commited very little aid to Ukraine relative to their GDP, so for them it means a huge increase in what they contribute. Baby steps I suppose, but that is what progress often only looks like.

News / How will Poland be affected by WW3 which has now started [397]


To whom though? Most of the mayor Non-Western powers that come to mind: Brazil, India maybe South Africa have taken a neutral position at best, if they are not outright aiding Russia.


I think you know the context of why this happened. This was within the first hours of war, when everyone assumed that Ukraine would fall in a matter of days. Berlin believes that it could do more for Ukraine if it helped broker another peace summit. A mistaken belief, but the intention was genuine.

Since then Germany has become the largest European supporter for Ukraine. Personally I am not happy about Scholz cautious approach, but leaving aside that his main priority as chancellor of Germany must be Germany, it also succeeded in getting the German people behind him. Support for military aid to Ukraine remains high, despite the pacifist inclinations of our people, and the high burden particulary the Ukrainian refugees pose for our ailing economy. That has not been the case in all countries who initially greatly supported Ukraine. And who knows who else will abandon Ukraine if the war (which seems likely) drags on for another few years.


Schroeder has not been in power 18+ years. Putin managed to buy a lot of former politicians and journalists and "experts"(something he did in many countries, including the UK) but which active politician has spied for him?


I'd wish too France would do more in bilateral military aid, but he seems to be playing a very important role diplomatically. In large parts thanks to him Ukraine will finally receive the 50bn from the EU.

News / How will Poland be affected by WW3 which has now started [397]

@jon357


Call me a pessimist, but speaking of a global approach when even the West is no longer united in their support seems like wishful thinking. My impression is that many Non-Europeans are viewing this as a European problem that should be solved by the Europeans. Today's decision to approve 50bn in aid for Ukraine is important in that regard, but quite a few countries have either reduced their support or are not contributing appropiately in the first place.


That is PiS Kaczyński niveau, far below your usual level.

@Ironside


Neither is in Germany's power to begin with, and I would argue it is not necessary to be one for the Ukraine war. The European countries should be strong enough to sufficiently support Ukraine and this is the issue Berlin should be working on. First by stepping up regarding German aid, which has happened. And then by working diplomatically and reminding others that they need to do their own part as well. Which is now happening.

News / How will Poland be affected by WW3 which has now started [397]

@Ironside


Stopping new pledges in a war of attrition that may last for several more years is a big issue.

And it becomes embarrassing if your government liked to boast about their contribution.


That is a reaction to the intense scrutiny German aid to Ukraine received. It is easier refute accusations of inaction if you can point to the delivered weapons and the steady flow of equipment Ukraine will receive over the next few years.


Enviromentalists are doing the same in Germany too. You don't know the controversy every time an airport is enlarged or a river made accessible for large ships.

And let us be completely honest here, how PiS has handled the Oder disaster was not helpful at the least. You can be sure that any project that may have an impact on Germany will from on be very, very closely monitored.


Does not look like we have a choice on the matter. I am sure most Germans would rather see the USA take the lead, or alternatively a more European approach. But since neither are looking feasible and the option would be to let Eastern Europe fall to Russia, it looks like it will up to Berlin.

News / How will Poland be affected by WW3 which has now started [397]


I do not. I am just holding them to their word. They publically entertained this idea when it gave them good publicity, and then backed down. As did quite members of that so-called Leopard coalition, who acted similiarly or suddenly needed a lot more convincinf. Imagine the backlash if Scholz had done something like that.

You claimed that Scholz made empty promises, while I pointed out that he kept all pledges and was careful not to raise expectations he thought to be unrealistic.


What new commitments did Poland make in the last few months and are those financed by them or the EU?


While this may or may not be the case, it is certainly at odds to what Polish leaders said at the beginning.


Well, one reason: Solidarity with Ukraine. Poland was insistent that other countries cut their energy ties with Russia, no matter the damage to their economy (and then kept receiving fossil fuel longer than others). But once the Polish economy was hurting, things changed. Kinda like with the weapon deliveries: No mew deliveries once it meant that it would have bear the costs on their own.

Which personally I find perfectly understandable. But it is irritating that someone can defend this position and make empty accusations against Germany and its' supposed lack of help and solidarity.


This whole conspiracy nonsense. Poland has benefitted massively from cooperating economically with Germany. No doubt there are areas where both countries compete or have differing interests, but that is natural in capitalism.

It is in our interest that Poland gets wealthy and preferably soon starts paying into the EU funds instead of receiving them.

The government that stifled Poland's growth was PiS because due to them it would have missed out on potentially 100bn money from the EU.

News / How will Poland be affected by WW3 which has now started [397]


There are a lot of things to complain about Scholz, but he can hardly be said to have made empty promises or raised false hopes regarding Ukraine. At the beginning many critics said that he was too pessimistic when he said that Ukraine must not lose and Russia must not win, instead of speaking of an outright victory. Scholz may have had a better grasp at the limits of Ukrainian capabilities and the the willingness to help from other countries. Scholz started slow, but has steadily ramped up help, with Germany now becoming the largest European supporter of Ukraine and pledging the most support for 2024.

Contrast that with all the great promises of various leaders at the beginning and later. I remember e.g. how Finish leaders initially said that they would be open to deliver Leopard tanks to Ukraine. Then they said that they could only do so after joining NATO. They did, still no Leopards.

And then there is Poland. All the pledges of brotherhood with Ukraine, only to stop sending new weapons mid-war and even obstructing other deliveries by Polish farmers.

Only France has shown a larger discrepancy between words and deeds.

News / How will Poland be affected by WW3 which has now started [397]


Indeed. Most European countries if given the choice have picked German tanks and anti-aircraft systems since the war in Ukraine broke out. Particulary the Iris-T system is shaping up to become a real export hit.


We shall see. Hopefully Poland won't just resort to verbal grand-standing if war breaks out. Will be interesting to see if the new Polish government recommits to aiding Ukraine.

News / How will Poland be affected by WW3 which has now started [397]


That is unrelated to the promise of stationing troops there. Germany is now selling military equipment to many European countries.


Realistically, Ilif Poland can not be motivated to defend its' neighbour, other countries won't send additional troops either.

News / How will Poland be affected by WW3 which has now started [397]

@Novichok


I mentioned 800k soldiers because that is plausible estimate of the number of Russian soldiers involved in the invasion of Ukraine.

@Ironside


All that is required from Lithuania is to prepare appropiate barracks and other facilities which can be used to house the soldiers. That is hardly "cashing in", those facilities still belong to the Lithuanian state and may one day be used again for a different purpose.

If Russia invades the Baltic states, all NATO countries will be required to defend them. It is not possible to station enough troops there to succesfully defend against a Russian invasion since the countries are simply too small.

And I strongly suspect that Poland may want to make a large effort to defend them, if only because it is better to fight Russia in a different country than your own.

News / How will Poland be affected by WW3 which has now started [397]


Poland, the Baltics and Finnland are now frontline states in a confrontation with Russia, and NATO doctrine has always assigned those states the task to field a large part of the conventional forces with other countries sending a few additional divisions. I seem to recall that Western European countries have agreed to field 8 combat ready divisions by 2030. If Russia invades Poland with say 800k soldiers, then the latter will have to equalize the difference in numbers.


Roles have just changed. Germany can now play the part of France and the UK during the Cold War while our Eastern Neighbours will serve as first line of defence. Who knows, if Kaliningrad and Belarus become independent one day, then Poland might switch roles as well.


That and other stuff like modern air-defence-systems. But that is relevant how?

News / How will Poland be affected by WW3 which has now started [397]

I doubt any of the Western European countries will resort to mass conscription. As it is their armies struggle already to equip the soldiers they have and fighting a full-scale war won't be very popular to begin with. They'll end up sending a few divisions (which is the current NATO planning) and a disproportionate amount of high-tech weapons and defense systems, but Poland and the Baltics need to be prepared to shoulder at least 50% of the required man power.

Off-Topic / The Pope has officially approved the blessing of same-sex couples [60]

About damn time.

News / Ups and downs of the democratic government 2023-2027 in Poland [160]


Sadly, most of the world only respects sovereignity of countries can defend them. That is what Ukraine was forced to learn. Hence they are willing to sacrifice part of their sovereignity by joining the EU because it will help them defend the rest.


I dont worry, just pointing out what is most likely going to happen. If the UK does not rejoin the EU, they'll likely lose controle over the Falklands this century. You won't have the power projection to defend it on your own 30+ years and there are plenty of countries just waiting for payback time.


It made you poorer, and much less influential down the line. What a great success story. Even your crown jewel the London stock exchange is slowly bleeding away. Not just to other European cities, but other parts of the world away.


Again with this Brexit nonsense. Nobody hates you for leaving, at worst we pity you. But you are not going to keep the privileges of staying in the EU after leaving.


Again, it would be helpful to read up on European history and not the warped Brexiteer bersion. The people who founded the EU did it with the fresh experience of having survived the Nazi Empire and in the hopes that doing so would allow its' member states to not be swallowed up by the Soviet Empire.

News / Ups and downs of the democratic government 2023-2027 in Poland [160]

@jon357


It doesnt though. The invasiom of Ukraine has shown how inefficient the current status is. We need greater coherence in our foreign policy so that a wannabe dictator who gets bribed by Mmoscow and Beijing does not paralyze it. And while we might be on the path towards an European army, those steps need to be accelerated. Otherwise we won't be able to defend ourselves. It is eventually all a matter of size. Modern combat systems become more and more expensive. We can see this process already. Smaller countries can barely afford their own air force. Even the great European powers find it difficult to maintain a single aircraft carrier. Many small, if wealthy entities end up dominated by larger, hostile powers. We saw this happen many times in history.

In 20 years, none of the European countries will still qualify as great powers, their place taken by other, much larger countries. That is inevitable. India, Brazil and other countries don't care much for our concerns while we are still relatively wealthy and powerful. One can only guess how they'll behave once the tables fully turn. The response of the parts of the world that will shape the future to the Ukrainian war and Gaza really should put any illusions to rest.

Another indication is the Falkland question. Historically legally (and morally) they are part of the UK. But the anticolonialist view (when directed against Europe) is getting stronger stronger, as are those countries supporting it. In 20 years the Uk on its' own will be a medium size power, trying to defend the Falklands against Argentina that may count on the support of South America, China and other powers, each power being wealthier and more powerful than the UK. I am always surprised that developments like this are ignored by Brexiteers. Than again, their "vision" of "Global Britain" would not work otherwise.


Yeah sure. It has been a success in the sense that the UK manged to leave the EU, but otherwise... .

News / Ups and downs of the democratic government 2023-2027 in Poland [160]


The vision behind is. Being able to live and work everywhere on the continent, helping and defending each other. Pooling our ressources together and staying at the forefront of human advancement. It is our best and likely only chance to retain Europe's prosperity, influence and peace.


And may return, once the Brexiteer generation is gone. Who knows, maybe London will become part of the European family again at the same time as Ukraine.

News / Ups and downs of the democratic government 2023-2027 in Poland [160]


Hardly. The idea itself is so wonderful that it will persist. And all dreaming aside, it is entirely possible that the EU will be a big winner of Russia's invasion of Ukraine since it reminded people what is at stake, and what the EU can offer. If the USA ends up abandoning Ukraine either now or in 1 year, for which I'd say there is a 50/50 chance, then the EU would become Ukraine's last hope.

News / Grzegorz Braun extinguishes Hanukkah candles in Polish Parliament [358]

Has the man already been expelled from this party?

News / Polish Parliamentary Elections 2023 [933]


We do, hence the border controls at the border with Austria.


That is what they claim, but the reality seems to be quite different. They sold visas to Africans and the increase of illegal border crossing suggests that they were quite happy to wave people through. Never mind how people smuggler could apparantly act with impunity.