Poland's concord of cultures

After a great success of the following thread

Brits had their Mini Morris 15 years before.

The Mini is a small economy car that was made by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered a British icon of the 1960s,[3][4][5] and its space-saving front-wheel drive layout - allowing 80 per cent of the area of the car's floorpan to be used for passengers and luggage - influenced a generation of car makers.[6] The vehicle is in some ways considered the British equivalent of its German contemporary the Volkswagen Beetle, which enjoyed similar popularity in North America. In 1999 the Mini was voted the second most influential car of the 20th century, behind the Ford Model T.[7][8]

Children in Poland and US (probably UK too) liked to watch slide films on home projectors. I remember those shows as one of the happiest moments in my childhood. I will tell you my secret: today, I recreate those moments reading slide films to my kids on weekend evenings.

Polish slide film projector, late 1950s:

That's actually a Mini-Minor, a common mistake in Poland and useful when it comes to parking tickets.

My bad, but, actually, who cares about it? :):):):)

Arguments in Polish Parliament

Hot exchanges in British Parliament





youtube.com/watch?v=vaPCf-m0zR4

The thing about the UK, is that they do it all for show, they know that PMQs is all about the performance. Most Labour MPs get along very well with the Tories privately. In Poland on the other hand, most PIS MPs genuinely hate PO MPs, publicly and privately.

Right. Then, m the parliament comparison should be in another thread, Clash of cultures.


One day such relations will also happen in Poland, we just need to wait:

lol :D

I read that Brits like to moan.

I'm British right, but I'm getting tired of people in this country moaning & complaining all the time. Why is that? I suppose it's better to be like this have the American attitude whereby everything is 'awesome' when in reality it's probable crap.

scribd.com/doc/24569337/8-Things-British-Like-to-Complain-A bout

Poles are also said to love complaining.

The Art of Complaining by Polish people

Wonderful concord of cultures?

We are one tribe seperated by language and milk or not in our Tea.
We both come from the cold wet edges of Europe and plough our own paths through life,anoying the hell out of everyone else around us (you have the germans,we have the french...)as we do it but never really wanting to offend ,well,not all of the time :)

BTW paw, the bloke,second photo down in the British House of Commons, did you pick him deliberatly?
He is about the only politician who lives by what he preaches,he only accepts the avarage wage of his constituents which,considering he represents a fairly poor area means he gives up a big chunk of his pay just to be *real*. Top bloke, the right hate him :)

Don`t forget the Grande La Manche Canal!


Yes, I did, but today I don`t remember why.

I see a little clash of native opinions.

Not really, Im sure even " The Beast" gets on well with some Tories. You tend to find in British Politics that its internal party rivalries that are the deepest. He is far more likely to get on with an *honest* tory Posh Boy than some pretend *man of the people* on the pretend Left......

We all love our cats and dogs and other creatures:

I remember hearing Denis Skinner speak at the Durham Miners' Gala years ago. He launched into a withering and very funny tirade against Tony Blair. A real old English socialist who practises what he preaches.


Now I think about it, it was Neil Kinnock. I must be older than I thought.

Hey, it is unfair. The Clash of Cultures thread reached over 250 posts while here it is so sluggish. Are there really no more concords? Expats, what did you find the same or very similar in Poland?

Has this book been ever mentioned in the PF?

Carp in the Bathtub, Throttled Buglers, and other Tales of an Englishman in Poland

Are you travelling to Poland, and wish to know more about the Poles you'll encounter? Are you fascinated by this country of forty million, rich in natural beauty, cultured, and famous for its people's wanderlust? Have you ever wondered what makes your Polish plumber or waitress or doctor over here tick? What book do you pick for background and insight? A superficial travel guide? A dry history book? No! You need the genre-busting Polska Dotty. Follow the hilarious exploits of a newly-wed English lad and Polish girl as they settle in Poland and encounter corrupt Polish police, counterfeit software sellers, and scammy private doctors.

An example of concord according to the author: Both Poles and Brits are clever and creative.

The police in both Poland and Britain often wear yellow reflective vests when on duty in public even during daylight hours and when the weather is clear and visibility is good.

Polish policeman wearing a yellow reflective vest:



British policeman wearing a yellow reflective vest:

AAAh, yes!! I completely forgot about it!!


Excuse me, but your choice of pictures might arouse a suspicion in some posters that you tend to be a bit prejudiced......

Dont worry, we Brits will not be offended.
After all,where he lives the Police need Shotguns and Glocks for riot control while our *brutal Police* use a plastic stick and some rather coarse language :)

Is, Biegański is more British than Polish, don`t offend him.


You mean:In the name of Queen Elizabeth II, I am placing you under arrest???? :):):)

I don't see why. I merely juxtaposed two images of reality showing common uniform items worn by police engaging with members of the communities they serve.

Notice too the similar black visored cap styles worn by both police officers.


The Polish police use shotguns:





So do the British police:



So, you were saying?

Anyway, if you doubt the authenticity of the last photo then you can read more about here from a British rag:

Probably, writing about obvious things is boring.

But, let`s try.

Both British and Poles have fascinating history.



Well, Americans and Australians, too, but less fascinating than the two above.

Indeed. Not only are they both port and coastal nations with longstanding seafaring traditions but each have established networks of canals used for both inland commerce and tourism.

Polish Canals
British Canals

Courtesy: worldcanals

Who built most of those canals in Poland?

Poland always feels far less of a coastal nation and those few canals that exist aren't used nearly as much.

If you're looking for an interesting concord, England as the major part of an island has always been a great seafaring nation but lacks hardwood to build ships. For centuries it was imported from Poland, so much so that the word spruce is derived from z Prus.

Hey, that is really good!

However, Polish seafaring traditions are contained within the distance of 100 miles on average. British ones are a little bit further.
Let me guess. 300?


I would never come upon this idea. Thanks.


Aborigines???

From a quick search it seems the Prussians were busy in their day doing the digging. This would make sense during the times of partition.

But alas, the Prussians are no more.

Still, old Blighty always talks about "Roman Britain", "Viking Britian", etc. and sees constructions and developments from those disparate eras as a series of strands woven in the tapestry of their nation today.

Regardless of who built them they weren't filled in with earth. They are still there and in use; some more so than others.

Many countries have canals and many fell into disuse when rail and road took over. But some canals have been reopened mainly for tourism but I understand there is interest in reusing canals for commerce to help reduce carbon emissions.

That's why Poles have such a dark skin... ;)


Poland should do the same, but before they acknowledge something like "Prussian Poland", "German Poland", "Russian Poland" (just following your wording from above here), hell will probably freeze over.

I would say Poland's seafaring traditions have spanned the globe over the ages.

Polish ships and crews were an integral part of the Allied effort during WWII:


Source: polishgreatness.blogspot.com/2012/05/battle-of-atlantic-part-1-terror-on.html

Not only has Poland been a shipbuilding nation but Poland is still an active competitor in the global shipping sector. One such Polish company is POLSTEAM.

polsteam.com/offer

Unfortunately the global travels of Poland's fishing fleet only comes to light in a bad news story:

community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19960616&slug=2334875 - Polish Trawler Found Illegally Fishing Off Alaska Is Seized

And although millions of Poles were never sailors they wouldn't have made it to the Americas and elsewhere during the 20th century and prior if they had a fear of the sea and setting foot on a ship.

I live a couple of miles from a Roman Canal oddly enough :)
AFAIK there were Poles with Nelsons Fleet at Trafalgar. Not many as most Poles fought on Napoleons side but still, they were there :)

Odd concord though, wikki London sewers and Warsaw sewers ;)
Ok, both cities systems were designed by British engineers, one basicaly copied the other and both cities now run tours of their historic sewer networks :)


*We* dont really think of them as invaders though as they more or less assimilated with the existing cultures. I can see why many Poles shy away from speaking of a Russian or Saxon period etc. Though I have to say friends in Krakow still speak of the Austro Hungarian period fondly.

Of course, but isn't that also a sign that Poland still isn't able to deal with its past in a normal manner? Nobody can deny the great influence (positive and negative) that its neighbors had on Poland and her culture, so why try to pretend that there never was a Russian, Prussian or German era in Polish history?

Poland was still occupied when I was 15 years old,my country was last occupied in 1066........ Ive got no judgements on why some Poles may or may not be happy to speak of the *glories* of old Russia or Prussia TBH .

It took us until 1986 to get rid of the British meddling in our internal affairs... :)


I don't judge either, but sometimes it helps to ask questions.