Polish and Irish people are related?

Interestingly, if you look at the previous years - Poland was hovering about 30th place in the world, except during the PiS years when it went down to around 60th. You can clearly see that during SLD and PO years, the press has been much more "free" to report on things.

The hyperactive, hate-spewing, Polonophobic troll going ape again?

What valuable can YOU say about good Europeans, such as Poles and Irish, stupid alien?

... How's the swine-worship going?
:)

I don't know - you're the one that seems to link "swine" with "mother" on a constant basis.

Perhaps you might need therapy for this? I mean, I know it's tough when you spend your days fighting imaginary enemies of Poland on the internet...

Exactly. You misunderstand me. I'm just saying that if there are negatives things to say about the church (or indeed anything - the church is just the example for now) in Poland they may not necessarily always be published.

But yes, there is an upward trend in press freedom in Poland.

Negative things to say about anything? Are you sure? On what do you base your opinion? Do you read Polish press or watch Polish TV?


LOL

Sorry, I couldn't help it for some reason ;)

What, you mean allow them to come into England and work on building sites for a minimum wage?


and probably more than a little Norman, too.


I know what you mean, but it's worth considering that the Poles were pretty much top dogs in their area for a loooong time before 18th C. Granted, history made up for a lot of that in the next 2 centuries.


Not sure about that. I think it's even earlier than that. Prior to the carve-up of Poland in laate 18th C it was a very multi-ethnic/ multi-religious state. Arguably following the carve-up two of the main powers were Protestant and Orthodox Christians, and, certainly on the Russian side, there is supposed to have been a lot of anti-catholic activity. The ex-pat writers, such as Mickiewicz, who created a "lost Polishness" (in a similar way that Sir Walter Scott created a "lost Highland" culture in Scotland) tended to portray "Polishness" as catholic (something Sienkiewicz continued with some of his works).


Well, Poland tried with uniforms and messed it up totally. It was such a fiasco there should have been a national enquiry into it.

My point was, that the 'modern day' church was strengthened by the commies,and that the church did not have a quickly eroding influence, as it did,in other european countries.

Ah, I see. Indeed! I'd still suggest that the reason it was so strong in the first place (strong enough to withstand the communism) was because of the strengthening and connection with "Polish" identity.

From an Irish point of view, much of the strength and identity, as has been mentioned, comes from the anti-Irish/catholic laws of 18th/19th C. Prior to that, many of the Irish freedom fighters, Wolfetone, McCracken etc were protestant.

True!and it survived modernity undamaged because of the commies.


True.

Milky, did you know a lot of catholic Scots moved to (Polish) Prussia during 17th/18th C?

And the OP mentions Lublin... one of the main centres of Scottish (protestant) Brotherhood.

I don't think you understand what I'm saying Paulina.

That is the great historical difference between Poland and Ireland. Not only is Poland "younger" than Ireland, having been formed politically and baptized centuries after Ireland, but Poland's continental situation allowed it to expand, as did Poland's rather interesting "marriage" with Lithuania which was a quite huge place at the time. This situation led to a certain amount of Oriental splendor in Polish history of which Ireland cannot boast. It is said that Jan Sobieski at the battle of Vienna had to order his polish infantry to wear straw catafalques on their heads so that their German allies could tell them apart from the Turks. In other words Turkish haircuts, winged hussaria atop of horses dyed blue and red, and "Sarmats" in turbans and fur are totally alien to Ireland which is after all Europe's most Occidental island.

Any idea who introduced Christianity to Poland? I know Mieszko I was the first ruler to adopt it but where were the missionaries from, Germany?

I know there are many Schottenkloster (Gaelic monasteries) in Europe which were actually Irish/Scottish missionaries.

Well... Then explain (if you want to)?

My father's family immigrated to the US from Ireland and my mother's family from Poland. Both families came from poor peasant stock, very simple folks with similar philosophies--God first, family second, work hard and (maybe) you'll get ahead. I miss them all so much.

I feel fortunate to possess the best of both cultures, regardless of whether there is a proven geographic or historical connection.

When I first came to Poland, I worked with a lady who was studying American Culture, she told me that Poles married more Irish in America than any other nationality (except Poles of course).

I find that easy to believe.

Joined by a love of potatoes and porter, no doubt.

I thought I had - but, put it this way then:

If a paper in e.g. Finland or The Netherlands wants to print controversial opinions W,X,Y & Z about e.g. the government, then usually it can with very little repurcussions or censorship.

In Ireland, maybe they can say X, Y & Z, in Poland maybe just Y & Z.

The church and governement are just examples - it could be any number of subjects.

I'm not saying the Polish press cannot criticize at all and that their lips are sealed or something but there are obviously things that they cannot say - hence the ranking.

You may read critical pieces - but there is more that should be said, but cannot be.

Maybe this is why you said:

Perhaps you could give us an example?

I am not entirely sure where you got that idea from.

You could be right, I really don't know, I have a feeling you might not be, purely becuase of Poland throwing off the shackles of communism i.e. censorship but I don't know.

I wonder if a Polish comedian could do a programme like Father Ted, and whether a priest would condemn another priest for doing his funeral service (I bet he would, too).

Press freedom rankings - as the above link.

Obviously I don't know the processes at work or how they work but the rankings exist for a reason. The press is more restricted in some shape or form in Poland than it is in Ireland - unless you have reason not to believe the ranking that is.

Well, I don't know what are the reasons for such a place and no other of Poland in this ranking because they are not given. There are reasons given for France and Italy:


... but not for Poland.


No, I wrote this because your "expert tone" seemed to me a bit arrogant and funny, because I was pretty sure you have no idea how Polish press and TV looks like :)


He's mainly guessing based on the ranking.

Hmmmm..... That's an interesting thought.
I have shown Polish people Father ted and they love it, I mean really fell in love with it :)


Fair enough, I don't know, I tend to trust statistics less and less, numbers are just too easily manipulated to suit the person putting them together ir more times than that simply misinterpreted.

Father Ted,The war years;

No chance: anybody who even tried would either wake up to find a mob of pitch-fork waving mohair beret wearing twats outside his door or get hauled before the court for mocking religion like Doda did.

Holy moly!


Wiki

And? So what?


It's not even relevant.


Of course - so what's your guess as to why Poland has less press freedom than the countries that are ranked higher? How can it possibly be anything other than they are less free to print what they want?

You have a strange attitude.

I showed it to my Liceum studes when I taught in a catholic liceum. They adored it. I was all set to show them the "Speed" episode but a friend commented it had some rather sexual language in it, so I backed off.

And I see pûrn in every petrol station, little shop and on TV here in Poland.
I have never seen that in Ireland, certainly not when I was a kid, maybe the very odd pair of boobs on some boring French film that the censors had fallen asleep to, and they are worried about the sexual language of father Ted?

*note
I mean ''odd'' as in ''rare pair of boobs'' not that the boobs themselves were odd :)

So... we don't know the reasons exactly, do we?


What is not relevant? That I found what you wrote funny? xD


They could, for example, publish whatever they want, but some politicians could sue the newspaper for that, or something. Or it could be only about TVP1. I have no idea...

I remember that in some ranking about women equality Poland dropped a few places or more because in some country in Africa or somewhere else a woman was chosen for a president in that particular year.

So, Teffle, why do you think there is less freedom of press/speech in Ireland than in Finland, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria and New Zealand? Have you noticed any restrictions of the freedom of press/speech in your country?


What do you mean?