Polish Consulate...

Please note if you are contacting us by e mail to polcon@btinternet.com we can ONLY deal with questions in ENGLISH!

posted by: Oborski at 21:45 | link | comments |

National Holocaust Memorial Day in Wyre Forest will be marked by a Memorial Service at the Wyre Forest Holocaust Memorial outside Kidderminster's Parish Church of St Mary & All Saints at mid-day on Sunday 28th January.

Wyre Forest Holocaust Memorial Committee Chairman and Polish Consul for the West Midlands, Cllr Mike Oborski said today "It is absolutely essential that we remember those events of just over 60 years ago. We have to remember because it is only by remembering that we can stop this, or something like it, from happening again".

"It is also equally important that we pass the message onto younger generations so that they too understand the overhelmimg need to prevent any recurrance of that sort of activity anywhere in the modern world."

All members of the public are welcome to attend and are invited to bring a single flower to lay at the Memorial.

posted by: Oborski at 23:53 | link | comments |

Consul of the Republic of Poland for The West Midlands, Cllr Mike Oborski, in a letter to "The Times" yesterday...

Recently I presented English language certificates to Polish bus drivers in Coventry. The courses at the local college had been organised and paid for by the bus company and designed to meet the specific needs of the drivers. The atmosphere was great. The strong rapport between company and drivers and the enthusiam of the drivers were clearly visible.

The lesson is simple. Good employers invest in their staff and get good results. Others do not.

posted by: Oborski at 04:59 | link | comments |

HOMAGE TO POLISH MUSIC

Anyone even vaguely interested in good classical music - either just as relaxing back ground music - or more seriously should rush off now and lay hands on the newly issued:

Andrzej Panufnik "Homage To Polish Music" NAXOS 8.570032
Polish Chamber Orchesta
Conductor : Mariusz Smolij
(World Premiere Recording)

On sale at Amazon.co.uk (exact link at bottom of this posting) for £4.99

This disc contains all of Panufnik's post-war reconstructions of early Polish music originally written between the 14th and 18th centuries. Of these works the composer himself wrote: "My compulsion to restore some of the early Polish music was engendered as I witnessed the superb reconstruction of beautiful 16th and 17th century houses in the old part of Warsaw... My intention was to bring alive the spirit of Poland at that time, and to make use of these precious fragments which otherwise would have remained lifeless on the bookshelves of libraries..." The disc concludes with Hommage a Chopin, in which the composer draws on the folk music of Masovice, the region in central Poland where Chopin was born.

___________________________________________________________

Acadiana Symphony Music Director Mariusz Smolij is releasing his first CD this year with NAXOS, the world's leading classical recording company. Titled "Homage to Polish Music", the new CD was recorded with the Polish Chamber Orchestra in Warsaw. It features
Renaissance, Baroque and Early Classical music of historical and forgotten works from old Polish musical libraries. The disc contains all of Polish composer Andrzej Panufnik's (1914- 1991) post-war reconstruction of early Polish music written between the 14th and 18th centuries. Of these works, the composer himself wrote, "My compulsion to restore some of the early Polish music was engendered as I witnessed the superb reconstruction of beautiful 16th and 17th century houses in the old part of Warsaw...My intention was to bring alive the spirit of Poland at that time, and to make use of these precious fransments which otherwise would have remained lifelss on the bookshelves of libraries..." One of the compositions, "Old Polish Suite", will have its American premiere at the ASO's March concert.

Under extreme pressure to conform to Soviet Socialist Realism after 1949, Panufnik kept authorities at bay with his self-imposed task of restoring musical fragments from Poland's distant past. In 1954, he left Poland resulting in the total censorship of his name and his
music for 23 years. He settled in England, where he received his knighthood in 1991.

Though he has lived in the United States for more than 20 years, Maestro Smolij maintains strong musical ties with his native Poland, where he conducts several times each year. In December of this year, he will record another NAXOS CD with the Poznañ Philharmonic
Orchestra.

Contents:
Old Polish Suite for String Orchestra
Concerto in Modo Antico
Jagiellonian Triptych for String Orchestra
Old Polish Music : Divertimento after Janiewicz
Hommage a Chopoin : Five pieces for Flute and String Orchestra

If you have ever heard any of other Panufnik's work and haven't liked
it please DO NOT BE PUT OFF. His style changed dramatically over the
years. I have never heard anything else by him in this style which is
so easy to get intoi but so rewarding to listen to!

Direct link to this CD om Amazon UK:-
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Panufnik-Homage-Polish-Music-
Andrzej/dp/B000IY067K/sr=1-1/qid=1166046859/ref=pd_bowtega_1/026-
1754342-1960424?ie=UTF8&s=music

posted by: Oborski at 00:59 | link | comments |

From Warsaw Voice...

"The man testified that while on duty he helped deliver two babies and each time drank a toast to the new arrivals."

- -A police officer from Kielce on an obstetrician who was detained in the local hospital after a patient called the police. The doctor had a blood alcohol content of 0.2 percent

"It's the loser who's supposed to congratulate the winner."

- -Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński on why he did not congratulate Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz from the Civic Platform (PO) on her victory in the Warsaw mayoral elections

"Getting rid of such a great politician would be like pulling out a healthy tooth."

- -Jacek Kurski, a deputy from Law and Justice (PiS), on a suggestion that his party could ditch former Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, who lost the race for Warsaw mayor

"Ladies and gentlemen, we shouldn't get carried away. Let us not transform the parliament into a fortress. Maybe we should have heavy machine guns around the house too?"

- -Wiesław Woda, a deputy with the Polish Peasants' Party (PSL), in a debate on a proposal to build a fence around the Sejm to protect it from demonstrators

"Railing against reforms aimed at bringing discipline and morals into schools is like applauding Lucifer."

- Waldemar Łysiak, a writer and rightist columnist, defending the zero tolerance program proposed by League of Polish Families (LPR) leader Roman Giertych in his role as deputy prime minister and education minister

"Well, this certainly was not a happy family."-

- Mariusz Sokołowski, press spokesman for the Warsaw police, on a man who shot his former wife and two-year-old daughter in the street and then committed suicide
Compiled from press reports

posted by: Oborski at 21:45 | link | comments |

NEWSWEEK POLSKA focuses on All Poland Youth – the demons of public life, or the last bastion of true Polish patriotism, as some claim.

This political prep-school of the government coalition junior member League of Polish Families has been involved in a scandal accusing it of neo-Nazi leaning. A large group of its members have been shown on video raising their hands in a fascist greeting, holding torches and shouting ‘Sieg Heil’. Forming the background had been a huge burning swastika.

Krzysztof Bosak, chairman of All Poland Youth and an MP on a League mandate, denies the allegations and says attributing the organization with promoting Nazi ideology is absurd.

“We’re even the object of ridicule on all kinds of nationalist Internet discussion groups, argues Bosak. We are laughed at as the good boys, unable to stir any serious trouble. We are an organization numbering several thousand members who want to do something useful. They are normal young people, not thugs. The media want to thwart us, treating All Poland Youth like a bunch of half wits, but this only gives us strength. I recall one journalist saying, we are probably the last political group which considers the notion of patriotism in a serious manner,” declares Chairman Bosak.

POLITYKA also looks at young Poles, but in the context of a growing suicidal rate.

Every day of the week sees several of them slashing their wrists, taking an overdose of pills or simply hanging themselves in an attempt to end their trauma. Many are successful in this attempt. Recent research figures show every third Polish child considers suicide at some given phase of their young life.

Since 1991 the number of suicide attempts has been dangerously growing. Specialists sounded the alarm of an approaching wave of child and teenage tragedy. And prophetically, it came. Many people wonder, whether suicidal behavior is a result of mental disorders. Most psychological studies do not find confirmation of such thesis. A suicidal candidate does not really want to die, he or she simply does not want to live and that’s a difference. Such people are characterized by so-called tunnel vision. Their perception of the surrounding world is narrow.

The problem is that their environment often ignores evident signals and unspoken cries for help. The reasons for resorting to such drastic forms of personal protest are innumerable. The point is for society to recognize these signals and display interest in young people’s problems, as the essence of suicide is the death of all hope.

TYGODNIK SOLIDARNOSC, the trade union weekly, devotes attention to crucial questions regarding the future of pension payments by the so-called Open Pension Funds (OFE).

The Labor Ministry has presented the draft of a new law defining payment obligations from capital gathered in the OFE funds. High time, rushes Tygodnik Solidarnosc, as the first pensions from those funds are to be paid out in two years from now and there is still a long battle to be fought for procedures of transferring the huge sums to be divided into individual pensioners accounts.

The draft favors the State Social Insurance Company (ZUS), which ministry experts point to as the best caretaker of the operation. The obligatory procedure has created serious opposition of social and business partners, while the poor economic standing of ZUS does not serve as the best recommendation for the job.

And though the whole argument is still conducted in a philosophical sphere with no solid calculations of potential profit, loss and risk, the State Social Insurance Company has been quick in announcing its superiority in guaranteeing low cost servicing, on time payment security and transparency of operations. But how could these declarations be convincing when confederations of employers view ZUS’s future with considerable doubts.

They warn that in 9 years, when the first groups of the post-war demographic boom reach retirement age, the State Social Insurance Comapany could face a deadly financial catastrophy, because the number of pensioners will abruptly increase by 60%. At the same time, due to successive demographic lows, the figures of gainfully employed will be going down and so shall their monthly contributions to the pension schemes. There will not be enough working people to provide money for pensioners, is the logical and horrific conclusion.

In a sports related story WPROST has an article on The Champions of Champions. What is the peak of impertinence, asks the magazine.

To claim that Polish coaches are among the cream of the crop in European ranks. This lie had been repeatedly stated for years, until reality has verified the growing absence of Polish coaches in foreign clubs and national teams.

The most vivid example is football. Since other countries, with a few exceptions, did not want to sign contracts with the Poles, they put up their ineffective expertise for hire at home. And they used it to the extent of sinking their respective sports disciplines to rock bottom, Polish basketball being a representative case. Only then have foreign specialists been brought to the rescue, amidst loud complaints and emotional outcries of numerous sports experts who accused the impatient of bias and unfounded fascination with everything that’s not Polish.

Luckily, names such as Raul Lozano (Argentinean coach of the men’s national volleyball team, which has just claimed silver at the World Championships in Japan), national football team coach Leo Beenhakker from the Netherlands, Andrei Urlep the Slovenian basketball guru, or Hannu Lepisto, the Finnish ski jump specialist, have effectively stopped all critics with their achievements. And they’re worth every penny they earn, being the authors of a whole civilizational leap in Polish sports, opines WPROST.

PRZEKROJ looks forward to the anniversary of the imposition of martial law in Poland on December 13th,1981 by the erstwhile Communist regime in a seemingly unconnected story on photographer Chris Niedenthal. ‘I’ve never searched for cheap thrills, I’m looking for something else, something normal,’ says the artist.

Martial law in Poland has two symbolic icons – General Jaruzelski announcing the decision in a televised address to the nation and a picture showing Moscow cinema in Warsaw with a billboard of the ‘Time of Apocalypse’ which had been screened then and a tank standing in front of it.

The author of that famous photograph is Chris Niedenthal, the most merited visual documentary expert of the era of the Soviet dominated Polish Peoples Republic, an Englishman who had chosen Poland as the object of his passion. And this devotion to the peculiarity of Polish affairs continues. Niedenthal is a master of the ‘nothing to it’ category. There is seemingly little action in his shots, but the atmosphere of the times they portray is captured with powerful accuracy. This Polish daily routine of the Communist ‘Seventies and ‘Eighties had first been preserved in an album titled ‘Requisites. The Polish Peoples Republic’ and presently in a just published collection ‘13/12. Poland of Martial Law’.

posted by: Oborski at 21:34 | link | comments |

My Cousin's oldest son - Marcin Konarski - would like to invite you to Poland!

posted by: Oborski at 06:26 | link | comments |

NEWSWEEK POLSKA runs its cover story on the perspectives of ending Poland’s military mission in Iraq.

Is Poland’s international prestige still worth the lives of our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, asks the magazine. When Polish troops set out in 2004 as part of the anti-terrorist coalition forces, the action had wide social acceptance.

Now, Polish public opinion is repeating with increasing frequency, let’s get out of there while we still can! It has been revealed that the government will announce Poland’s pullout from Iraq in the nearest days. July 2007 is the agreed date. The Polish government has officially till end December for making the decision.

That’s when the UN Security Council is to debate the extension of the multi-national forces’ mandate in Iraq. The Polish MOD has explained its move as resulting from Poland’s increased engagement in other peacekeeping operations and Iraqi declarations of readiness to take over security operations in regions supervised by the Polish military contingent.

WPROST focuses on ‘deadly hunger for coal’. Poland is the most coal dependent country in the world, writes the weekly. It ranks top in the amount of electric energy produced by coal-fueled power plants with a 95% rating. Second is the Republic of South Africa with 92%, then Australia (79%) and China (78%). Countries such as the United States or Germany have reduced this numbers to 50 and 49%, respectively. Poland, doomed to coal extraction, should turn this dependency to the advantage of its people and economy.

But a well prospering coal industry can be achieved only in the wake of a thorough reform of the whole sector. This can and SHOULD be done, especially that coal prices on the world market have risen exorbitantly over the last two years, doubling in 2004 alone.

But chasing profit cannot be a target in itself. The tragedy at the Halemba pit in Ruda Slaska last week, where 23 miners died in a methane gas explosion, had been a painful reminder that without practically enforced safety-on-the-job, envisaged corporate profits and state revenues are not worth much in the face of individual human losses and suffering. One or two nuclear power plants could allow an economically justified closure of some high-risk coalmines.

POLITYKA returns to last weekend’s final round of local elections in Poland. Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, the candidate of the liberal Civic Platform had symbolically crowned the victory of her party in the prestigious race for the presidency of Warsaw.

As the feat had been attained with some dose of support from the electorate of her first round rival from the left of the political spectrum, Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who is also the leader of the ruling Law and Justice conservatives was quick to sound the alarm that the liberals have teamed up with post-Communists against the conservatives.

Have we moved back to old centrally steered war tactics of the past months, wonders Polityka. But what is perceived as absolutely out of line in parliamentary terms has been employed at local level with considerable success. The most vivid example had been in Krakow, where the Law and Justice candidate for city president was given the support of his staunch adversaries from the opposition Civic Platform in his second round encounter with the left supported candidate running for re-election. But even such sacrifice didn’t help in this case.

TYGODNIK SOLIDARNOSC devotes attention to the daily toil of Polish postmen. The trade union weekly looks at the reasons for the current protest of postal service employees. It started with a spontaneous action of postmen in Gdansk, who stopped delivering mail to addressees on November 13th.

Their protest had quickly spread to other cities around Poland. The immediate cause of the strike has been excessive loads of leaflets and brochures with ads. Due to the lack of interest of part time workers, postmen were forced to work overtime with no extra pay for delivering promotional and information materials commissioned under contract by the Polish Post. Twelve hour shifts, frequent lack of even basic transportation means, monthly pay well below national average, all this added to the growing bitterness of the delivery teams. T

he result has been a total stop of operations in most post offices. Union representatives of the protesting employees have met twice with the head of Polish Post, but the efforts of mediators have been fruitless, so far. Postal authorities claim worker demands to be highly excessive, especially with regard to pay increases, while the unionists accuse the company management of ill will and using legal tactics to discredit the protesters. The too heavy bag of the postman, writes Tygodnik Solidarnosc quoting trade union representatives.

PRZEKROJ looks at profiles of the most sought after contemporary Polish painters, sculptors, photographers and graphic artists. ‘The World Buys Poles’ exclaim the magazine quoting names such as Sosnowski, Sasnal, Uklanski, Althamer or Zmijewski.

They capture top places in prestigious international rankings; sweep laurels at reviews and contests. Their works can be found in the best art museums and galleries on every continent. They are Poland’s artistic ‘dream team’. Piotr Uklanski is the latest record-breaking newsmaker. His famous series of 164 photos of actors dressed in uniforms of the Third Reich period titled simply ‘The Nazis’ has been sold last month at London’s Phillips de Pury & Company for 1 million and 50 thousand dollars! When I put the series up for sale for 30 thousand barely a few years ago, it hardly drew any interest, recalls the author. Two weeks ago, UFO, a painting by Wilhelm Sasnal went for 216 thousand dollars at the same auction house, but in New York. Monika Sosnowska made a name for herself with surprising shapes of her architectural installations.

The most talked about has been the Winding Corridor constructed for the 2003 Biennale in Venice. Sosnowska also marked her presence at the prestigious Serpentine Gallery in London. These young Polish artists (all in their thirties) have earned a high status and recognition of both the public and critics. It has come as no surprise, therefore, that the influential ‘Flash Art’ magazine has proclaimed Wilhelm Sasnal as the leading world artist of the young generation with names of his Polish colleagues following close on its ranking list.

posted by: Oborski at 02:38 | link | comments |

The picture ("Christmas Eve Underground") shows Polish Soldiers of Jozef Pilsudski's Legions celebrating the traditional Polish Christmas Eve 'Wigilia' in the trenches of the First World War.

posted by: Oborski at 22:31 | link | comments |

President Lech Kaczynski has declared a period of national mourning till Saturday. All entertainment events have been cancelled and the media have been asked to focus on commemorating the victims of the mining disaster in Ruda Slaska.

posted by: Oborski at 16:25 | link | comments |

posted by: Oborski at 19:35 | link | comments |

The death toll in the mine disaster in Silesia has risen to twenty three. The last of the miners missing after Tuesday’s gas explosion in the Halemba mine in Ruda Slaska were found in the early morning hours. According to a spokesman for the the state coal company, everything suggests that they died at the moment of the explosion. It occurred 1,000 meters below ground

posted by: Oborski at 12:33 | link | comments (1) |

The Polish Flag is flying at half mast today at the Consulate of the Republic of Poland in Kidderminster following the news that six bodies have been recovered and another two located in the Halemba coal mine in the city of Ruda Slaska, southern Poland, after an explosion 1000 meters below ground Tuesday evening.

About 70 rescuers worked through the night to try to clear 500m (1,640ft) of rubble to reach the men trapped some 1,000m (3,300ft) underground.

Hopes of finding the men alive are fading due to the extreme conditions underground, mine officials say.

"The conditions down there are extreme. It is hell. It is impossible to breathe in the area of the explosion, the ventilation has been destroyed," said Zbigniew Madej, a spokesman for the state-owned coal company.

Rescuers are trying to pump air into the shaft - it is not known if the breathing apparatus for the trapped miners will hold out.

Six bodies have been recovered. Another two have been located but could not be reached.

The identities of the dead could not quickly be determined as their ID tags had been blown away in the blast.

Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski flew to the site of the blast and has declared a period of national mourning for the dead miners.

Polish Consul for the West Midlands, Cllr Mike Oborski, described the disaster as "a national tragedy. Poles across the World, including here in Wyre Forest are deeply moved and are praying for the dead, their families and in the hope small as it is, that there will still be survivors".

posted by: Oborski at 18:06 | link | comments |

15 November 2006

"A director of a department was drinking alone at his desk with a candle burning; he drank so much that he fell asleep and some confidential documents caught fire from the candle."
-An anonymous worker on why Interior Minister Ludwik Dorn has ordered staff to be breathalyzed at work

"Let's attack Slovakia-who knows, maybe they have nuclear weapons."
-Roman Giertych, deputy prime minister and education minister, on the Polish military presence in Iraq

"I feel very happy there, except when I switch on the TV. Unfortunately, out of habit I do it every night at news time."
-Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz, former prime minister (1993-1997) and former leader of the left, on his withdrawal from politics and his life in a house in the Puszcza Białowieska Forest

"Contraceptives disturb a woman's body and lead to infertility."
-Marian Piłka, a deputy from the ruling Law and Justice (PiS), on his legislative attempt to limit the sale of contraceptive drugs

"This is surprising news; after all, former kings rarely became courtiers to their own wives."
-Janusz Rolicki, a leftist columnist, on learning that former President Aleksander Kwaśniewski would help his wife prepare a TV program for private channel TVN Style

"He said that filling in the paperwork was lots of trouble but he was ready to punish the perpetrator so that the man would crawl out of the store on all fours."
-The manager of a shopping center near Warsaw on a police officer who offered to beat up a thief detained at the store

posted by: Oborski at 04:01 | link | comments |

By W.Ż.
15 November 2006

The opposition Civic Platform (PO) won most province assemblies in Nov. 12 local elections, according to unofficial results. The ruling Law and Justice (PiS) won most county and municipality councils. In cities, a number of the most popular mayors, mostly running as independent candidates, were re-elected in the first round.

The results consolidated a new force on the Polish political stage: the Left and Democrats coalition, formed before the elections by the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD), Polish Social Democracy (SDPL), the Labor Union (UP) and the Democratic Party (PD). The center-left bloc came third in most large cities, as well as in the elections for provincial assemblies and municipality councils.

In the election for Warsaw mayor, SDPL leader Marek Borowski, supported by the center-left, came third with over 20 percent of the vote. The winners were PiS candidate, former Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz with about 39 percent of the vote, and PO candidate Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz with about 35 percent. They will run in a second round Nov. 26.

In the next two weeks, Marcinkiewicz and rival Gronkiewicz-Waltz will be fighting for the votes of Borowski's supporters. According to political scientists, most are likely to support Gronkiewicz-Waltz. Borowski himself had made his support for Gronkiewicz-Waltz conditional on a political agreement between the center-left and PO. "The main goal of the center-left is to remove PiS, Samoobrona and the League of Polish Families (LPR) from power wherever possible. We believe that the coalition is detrimental to Poland," said Borowski Nov. 13, at the same time denying rumors that, in exchange for his support, he expected the position of Warsaw deputy mayor.

If Gronkiewicz-Waltz wins, PO will reign supreme in the capital: the party already has a majority in the Warsaw City Council, even without forming further political alliances.

While PO has good reason to be satisfied, Samoobrona and the LPR, junior partners in the ruling government coalition, suffered stinging defeats. In many regions, they did not even get one candidate into local authorities. In Warsaw's election for mayor, Samoobrona and LPR candidates received 0.1 percent and 0.3 percent of the vote respectively. The LPR result is shocking. Samoobrona's candidate, little-known European Parliament member Marek Czarnecki, was not generally expected to achieve a significant result, but support for LPR deputy leader Wojciech Wierzejski at a mere 0.3 percent was a total defeat. He was even outdone by Waldemar "Major" Fydrych, the leader of the popular 1980s anti-communist art performances, who garnered twice as much support. Fydrych ran on the list of the Dwarves and Loafers Committee that he had founded.

The State Election Commission announced provisional results on the morning of Nov. 13. According to the unofficial results, based on data from election commissions, in the elections to provincial assemblies the winner was PO, ahead of PiS and the Left and Democrats coalition. In the elections for county councils, the winner was PiS, followed by PO and-a big surprise for commentators and further proof of Samoobrona's failure-the Polish Peasants' Party (PSL), until recently considered to be doomed to political oblivion in the near future.

The State Election Commission has also given unofficial results for the mayoral elections in some cities. In the first round, mayors were elected in Gdańsk, Gdynia, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Katowice, Kielce, Olsztyn, Opole, Rzeszów, Toruń and Wrocław. In all of them, the winners were incumbent city mayors, running as independent candidates.

Unofficially, the best results in mayoral elections were achieved by Gdynia's Wojciech Szczurek and Wrocław's Rafał Dutkiewicz: both of whom won about 85 percent of the vote in their respective cities. The two were also supported by the two parties dominating the Polish political stage: PiS and PO.

State Election Commission Chair Ferdynand Rymarz stressed that, contrary to expectations, voter turnout may be a record. According to preliminary data, it was 44.18 percent. The turnout was the highest in the capital, where about 53 percent of eligible voters made it to the ballot box.

Political scientists are now discussing to what extent the local elections will change the situation in Poland. They note that, paradoxically, the result of the elections may augur greater stability for the ruling government coalition. PiS no longer has to fear attempted rebellions by the party's smaller coalition partners, as the prospect of early parliamentary elections might mean they lose power. This mainly applies to LPR, but also to Samoobrona, especially considering the unexpectedly good results of PSL-a traditional rival of Andrzej Lepper's party in the struggle for the rural electorate's support.

Experts also believe that early parliamentary elections would not significantly change the situation: it is likely that neither PiS nor PO would garner a majority that would enable them to govern alone.

posted by: Oborski at 03:59 | link | comments |

Speech to mark Polish Independence Day delived by Cllr Mike Oborski at the Polish Ex-Servicemen's Club, Kidderminster on 12th November 206.

posted by: Oborski at 18:16 | link | comments |

On Sunday, a day after Independence Day, Poland’s national holiday, Poles vote in local government elections. Local councils at all levels will be elected, as well as city presidents and heads of rural communes and counties.

How important is the ballot for the country’s political and social scene?

Calls for a high turn-out in local government elections have been coming during this campaign from politicians, NGOs and the church. Many bishops have addressed pastoral letters in which they appeal to the people to take responsibility for their ‘small homelands’.

Are these calls going to be headed?

Yes, of course I will take part in the election and I think all Polish people should do so. I’m not from Warsaw but I will go home to take part.’

‘It’s a very important event because I can decide about the future of our country so it’s very important to go and cast a vote’

‘We have the right to vote and we should do it because it is our duty’.

In the previous local government elections four years ago, the turn-out was 44 percent. According to the latest polls, around 50 percent of the Polish people want to cast their votes on Sunday but analysts fear that the real turn-out will be much smaller. Many people think their voice doesn’t have any impact on how local affairs are run.

‘Some people think this elections, as all elections, don’t change anything in policies, in the government.’

‘Yes, it’s a very important event but I don’t think my vote will change anything here in Poland’.

For an outside observer of the Polish scene, the campaign, particularly in the big cities, is very similar to the parliamentary election campaign, with the stress on nationwide rather than local issues. Party logos figure prominently on billboards promoting candidates for councillors. Political analyst Jacek Kucharczyk of the Institute of Public Affairs does not find this surprising.

‘I think this is related first of all to the level of political conflict, which is very high. The elections seem to most Poles a kind of preliminary elections or a rehearsal before the parliamentary elections, rather than genuine local government elections’.

According to sociologist Ireneusz Krzeminski, today’s deep political divisions are not a good augury for local governments.

‘In addition to political parties, the election race is entered by numerous local coalitions and associations of local residents. They, too, tend to adopt a certain political label, either for or against the ruling coalition. Clearly, existing political divisions have been transferred onto a local level.’

Local government elections are held just over a year after the parliamentary and presidential elections, which were won by the conservative Law and Justice. Since then, it has lost much of its popularity and opinion polls give its candidates several percentage points less than the opposition Civic Platform. The results of the Sunday vote will therefore be an important test for these and other parties in the Polish Parliament. Jacek Kucharczyk again.

‘These elections will show to everybody what is the level of support for each party, for both coalition members and the opposition. It will not only determine whether the oppositioin is as strong as it seems to be in the opinion polls but those results will also show how strong are the individual members of the ruling coalition, For example, would the League of Polish Families survive parliamentary elections, because according to opinion polls the party wouldn’t make it to the next parliament, but the politicians of the League of Polish Families are hoping that the elections will show that the real support is higher than the one indicated by opinion surveys so it’ll be very important also for the behaviour of those junior members of the coalition, whether they will be pushing for more influence within the coalition knowing that they risk an early election or whether they will be much more obedient members of the coalition knowing that prime minister Kaczynski can always threaten an early election and make good on this threat.’

Given the degree of political conflict in Poland, the outcome of local government elections will be very important for the overall political atmosphere in coming weeks and months.

posted by: Oborski at 21:45 | link | comments |

November 11th is not only Rememberence Day, to commemorate and remmber the dead of two World Wars and many other campaigns, across the U.K..

For the large Polish Communities apread across the U.K., including in Kidderminster and across Wyre Forest, it is also Polish Independence Day when Poles celebrate the declaration of the rebirth of the Polish State on November 11th 1918.

As well as taking part in the Civic Rememberance Day parade, wreath laying and service at St Mary and All Saints the local Polish Community will also hold their own Polish Independence Day celebrations at the Polish Ex-Servicemen's Club in Kidderminster's St.George's Terrace at 5.00pm.

The highlight of the evening will be a major speech by Consul of the Republic of Poland for the West Midlands, Cllr Mike Oborski, on "The Contribution Of The Polish War Time Generation".

The speech is being delivered in memory of the much beloved and long serving Chairman of the S.P.K. (Polish Ex-Combatant's Association) and of the Polish Ex-Servicemen's Club in Kidderminster. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the sudden and untimely death of Mr. Zych.

Cllr Oborski said "this is always an extremely moving and emotional event that means a great deal to all Poles. I am sure that this year will be no different."

posted by: Oborski at 02:52 | link | comments |

posted by: Oborski at 03:24 | link | comments |

Poles working in the United Kingdom will no longer have to pay their taxes twice – first in Britain and then in Poland. This is the outcome of a new deal between the countries.

Report by Gabriel Stille

20.07.06

A fact that might come as a big relief to Poles working in the UK is a new deal which solves one of the questions that many Poles currently residing in Britain have worked for. When leaving for work abroad, Poles are often told about the good wages – but not so often about taxes, fees and of course the high costs of living in a country like Britain, especially if you are staying for a longer time to establish yourself in the country.

Bożena Wilson, journalist at a Polish show at the BBC, has talked to many Poles about their thoughts about the new taxation.

That's the one thing they were fighting for. Because as you know, as people came to England, with the intention of staying here only a couple of years or a couple of months and go back to Poland, save some money here and use this money in Poland, but the reality was different. They had to pay, on top of the taxes here in England, National Health System fees and various taxes to the Polish government. So they were frustrated, they were angry, and they said to me, that they were not going to go back to Poland! For that reason. Why Polish government should take taxes from them when they already paid taxes?

Moreover, Bożena Wilson thinks this new rules will give Poles in Britain the feeling of a greater flexibility – to be able to go back and take a job in Poland if that opportunity arises, and then be able to save some money which would otherwise go to taxes.

Stanisław Gomułka, chief economist at the PZU group in Warsaw, and former professor at London School of Economics, thinks that this reform will make Poles working in Britain more inclined to give the truth about their incomes to both governments. The inflow of capital from Poles working abroad is substantial.

We estimate, that something between one and two million Poles work abroad, and that during the last two years, additionally perhaps 300.000 emigrated to Western Europe and the United States, especially to Great Britain and Ireland. And one million workers abroad represents something like 5 billion euro transfers to Poland, which is something like 2 % of total Gross Domestic Product. So this is actually supportive of individual consumption, of domestic demand, and in fact right now is helping to accelerate economic growth in Poland.

There are still different opinions about whether the big labour migration will ultimately be a good thing for Poland or not – according to Gomułka it depends mostly upon further developments in Poland and if the Poles abroad are inclined to come back

This people, if they take up jobs abroad, that would benefit them and it would benefit Poland as well as the country where they work. However, if big numbers emigrate, and we have labour shortage developing in Poland, then of course the situation would be different. But right now, the unemployment rate among graduates is huge, 30-40 %. So, as long as we have that kind of situation, if this people actually increase their skills (also including linguistic skills) and earn some money, it would benefit them and their families, and return to Poland after some time, they could actually bring in some know-how etc, so that would be beneficial.

The new tax deal could bring the situation closer where the consequences, for all parties, of the new labour migration with the European Union is clearer to see.

posted by: Oborski at 01:59 | link | comments (1) |

Doznałeś dyskryminacji?
Zostałeś wyzyskiwany finansowo?
Odczuwasz brak minimalnego pomieszczenia,
w którym się mieszka?
Poczuwasz się oszukany?
Zostałeś niesprawiedliwie wynagrodzony?

posted by: Oborski at 15:16 | link | comments (1) |

The Kidderminster based Consulate of the Republic of Poland has expressed concern at "the growing number of allegations concerning the exploitation of Polish workers in the Kidderminster area".

Polish Consul for the West Midlands Cllr Mike Oborski said today "the allegations relate to housing, pay and terms of employment".

posted by: Oborski at 12:06 | link | comments |

posted by: Oborski at 11:15 | link | comments |

posted by: Oborski at 17:09 | link | comments |

From Warsaw Voice

Stefan Meller, Minister of Foreign Affairs, talks to Andrzej Jonas and Witold Żygulski.

■ What is the priority of Poland’s foreign policy today?
I personally believe that what matters most now is to reflect on the current state of Euro-Atlantic relations. The question that I pose to myself is where Poland finds itself today. Or in other words: what is the future of the country—as a member of both the European Union and NATO—broadly perceived through the Polish-American Alliance?

■ Do you have the sense that defining Polish-American relations is a significant element of the Polish raison d’etat?
I may not be preoccupied by the definition of the relationship itself, but the mutual links between our EU membership and the alliance with the United States, if only in intellectual terms. Since I assumed office, I have regularly discussed these issues with my colleagues—ministers in the capitals of the EU countries. Various countries give various answers as to the essence of Euro-Atlantic relations. Poland faces no serious dilemma concerning this question, but the issue is interesting from the point of view of a historian and political scientist.

Another question of particular interest to me is everything that has taken place in the EU concerning the Constitutional Treaty. I have to know what Polish political forces, both parliamentary and non-parliamentary, think about Europe in general and about the Treaty in particular—in other words, about possibilities for regulating Europe. How do these forces perceive the future of Europe? In this context—what will happen to the Treaty. I must admit that positions on this matter, even here, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MSZ), are very divergent, as attested by the meetings I regularly hold with the staff.

■ Poland has been an EU member for a year and a half; consequently, a new responsibility has emerged: for the EU.
Certainly, and that responsibility marks a completely new quality for Poland. Therefore I am bound to conduct educational work, bring home the new role and situation both to politicians and to the public. As the head of the merged Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MSZ) and the Office of the Committee for European Integration (UKIE), I would like to organize series of meetings to discuss EU-related subjects with representatives of the parliament. These debates may later be expanded and become public.

Awareness is needed that every discussion about the EU today is essentially a discussion about how to live, how the life of Poles is to change in connection with EU membership; how Poland and Europe are to change in the coming decades.

It seems to me that we speak too little and too quietly about the advantages of EU membership. We do not stress the benefits the EU has already brought to Poland over the past 20 months, how much it has already facilitated and improved the functioning of the state and how much more it may do in the future. Poland’s accession to the EU—to be fully digested in the decades to come—marked a fundamental breakthrough for the role and position of Poland in Europe and the world. I would like the MSZ and UKIE today to be able to establish a dialogue in a clear language on this subject with Polish society. I do not mean schooling, but I would like Poles to become aware of what happened on May 1, 2004. As a state we have experienced a transition to a completely new configuration, that—if everything goes well—will place Poland in a large group of builders of a brave new world, just to refer to Aldous Huxley.

I share the view that the world today—from any perspective—is divided into forces modernizing it and those opposing modernization. Regardless of understanding the term “modernization”—whether in a technical or, for example, moral aspect—the EU favors all modernization trends, and Poland needs modernization in a great number of fields, not only in those connected with production in general. So, I see in the EU an enormous chance for Poland for development in every aspect of the life of the state and society.

■ Your personal experience as ambassador encompasses two directions where Poland has in recent years reported a deterioration in relations: France and Russia. How do you assess prospects for changing this?
Both cases are absolutely incomparable. With France, in fact a stunning regression has recently taken place. The relations chilled following the EU summit in Nice, when after the notorious mistake of a French secretary [reportedly made in typing the minutes of the deliberations—ed.] Poland was to obtain fewer votes on the EU Council than proportionally due on account of the population.

At the same time, however, France has moved to the first place in terms of leading investors on the Polish market. Here, at least one conclusion emerges: while evaluating political relations, one should not demonize them, but rather take a closer look at economic relations. The French economic class seems to be ahead of politicians; as my ambassadorial mission in Paris was nearing its end, I was mainly involved in meetings with French businesspeople and economic organizations intending to start activity in Poland. Looking back, I think that the crisis at that time in political relations stemmed from the inability of French politicians to resign themselves to the inevitability of EU enlargement. In communist Poland, we were isolated from the West, but the West was also isolated from us. Since 1989, we have rapidly made up for the ignorance resulting from the decades in isolation; the West, in my opinion, has not made up for that yet. The political class of France at first was carried away by euphoria over the explosion of Solidarity in the years 1980-81, then was petrified by terror after the introduction of martial law on December 13, 1981, and it has nurtured those extreme emotions, either positive or negative, to this day. Meanwhile, Poland has evolved to become a participant in the political game, while naturally remaining a target of various influences and pressures. Economically, it has continued to be a “poor cousin” and, despite excellent economic results, has remained such up till now.

In the French political class, I did not see the will to embrace the new situation. The talks I conducted were only very rarely genuinely in-depth and problem-oriented. The French showed a complete lack of knowledge of many areas of life in Poland and a propensity to resort exclusively to stereotypes. These stereotypes were best exemplified by the data quoted in France and concerning Polish agriculture, the number of individuals making a living from farming, etc.—they were produced out of thin air. Considering this, it would not be difficult to understand the frustration growing in the view of the impending enlargement of the EU, in particular that France is also a large agricultural country, a fact made evident at every EU debate.

The climax of that regrettable crisis in relations was marked by the notorious “Polish plumber”—another false stereotype, this time concerning threats to the French labor market in the wake of Poland’s accession to the EU and liberalization of regulations on the free movement of services and labor. The “plumber” became a figure of speech functioning in the public opinion, but—it is worth stressing—it was not taken seriously, I believe, by the French political class.

Recently a warming-up has been reported and I do not think it is a passing Polish-French love affair. We certainly have different opinions on many issues, but over the months of Polish presence in the EU the French people have become convinced that the potential threats supposedly linked with Polish accession have not materialized; that Poland is doing well in the EU. In short, the perception of Poland in France has normalized. Expressions of admiration and lofty declarations are not the point: what matters is acceptance for a large European country, a partner in the enlarged EU. Poland can no longer be passed over, so it is necessary to look for a different language. To sum up: the most important event in Poland’s relations with Europe in recent months has been the laying aside of stereotypes in the perception of Poland. Of course, they still function, persist, sometimes are even well received, but the key, after all, is seeing Poland as it really is.

■ Before we proceed to Russia, let us stop in Germany. In what way will the reorganization of their government influence Polish-German relations, and can Berlin’s stance also influence the policy pursued by Paris?
Beyond doubt, the transition in the fields of dialogue between Germany and Poland is bound to provide food for thought to the French politician pondering their environment—their place in Europe, treaties of alliance, balance, and more. Changes in Germany were closely observed in Paris, both countries often being referred to as the driving force of the EU. In a country as large as Germany, every change gives rise to minor or major “tectonic movements” throughout the continent. Today a change is under way in the German-American dialogue, elements of change also appear in the Berlin-Moscow relations. In this connection—the French policy not always being identical with that of Germany on either question—according to the natural order of things, Poland is a partner not to be passed over in relations with Russia and difficult to pass over in relations with the United States.

■ Another element of the new structure of Europe is the Weimar Triangle. Do you believe that changes in the European policy will enhance the importance of that informal group?
I hope so. I would not like to lionize the Weimar Triangle, but we should be grateful to France and Germany that at the moment of the group’s inception at the beginning of the 1990s they offered Poland—at that time not even a candidate to the EU—a helping hand adopting the country to the group. Today, Poland in the EU has started to occupy the position of an active member of the European family. It wants to be able to have an influence on what takes place in Europe, also through work within the Triangle. During debates, Poland submits its own subjects and proposals for action aimed at overcoming one problem or another, for the sake of assistance or prevention. For example, I would like to discuss during the next meeting of foreign ministers of the Weimar Triangle countries the question of Ukraine, the political reforms under way there and the future place of Ukraine in Europe. In my opinion, there are also no obstacles for such an informal body as the Triangle to demonstrate its opinion in the debate concerning the energy security of Europe. I believe that the voice of the three important states on important issues for Europe need to be heard.

■ Moving eastwards: what were your experiences in Moscow?
They were very diversified. Let me say: during my stay in Moscow if I met someone who said that he or she knew Russia very well, I cut the conversation short. Such an opinion is just impertinent and untrue. Russia is huge; it experiences formidable problems, and will be experiencing them for some time. In thinking about Russia, we need to consider that today it is going through a period of a constant transformation, moreover, a transformation that consists of elements that do not match. The state also has problems with its identity, even geographically, let alone geopolitically; needless to say that this is the first and foremost effect of the disintegration of the Soviet Union.

This is compounded by Russia’s problem with its historical identity, with collective memory—a problem of much interest to Poles, as it concerns us, among others. During the Soviet era, the attempts made by the democratic opposition at bringing back that historical memory, at putting straight the official, propaganda-fostered version of history, were ruthlessly quashed. But even today, in different conditions, the voice of representatives of democratic movements calling for filling the “blank spots” in the history of Russia and the Soviet Union is not given enough play by the Russian people and state. Such issues as World War II, for example, consequently present enormously difficult topics for the Polish-Russian dialogue. The Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact, the Soviet invasion of Poland on Sept. 17, 1939 and the occupation of the areas of today’s western Ukraine and Belarus, repressions against the Polish population on those territories in the years 1939-45, the mass murder in the Katyn Forest in the spring of 1940—touching upon all these questions proves that we speak completely different languages and agreement is still impossible. I believe that things are not going to change until all the aforementioned events find themselves—in a historically objective form—in school and university textbooks in Russia.

This is more than a question of a historical debate. In my opinion, anything that continues to live a political life, anything that influences the quality of mutual relations, is not history yet. Neither is history what remains an unresolved issue from the point of view of international law. All the partitions of Poland in the 18th century conducted, among others, by Russia are undoubtedly history. Subsequent 19th-century uprisings in the Polish territories against the Russian “overlord”—are history as well. However, Sept. 17, 1939 is not entirely history, nor is the Warsaw Uprising of August 1944—when at Stalin’s order the Soviet army stopped the offensive towards the west bank of the Vistula River and did not come to the insurgents’ aid, allowing their extermination, despite the fact that Soviet propaganda earlier encouraged the Polish resistance movement to an armed bid for independence. Katyn is beyond doubt not history—until we have full disclosure and documentation, until we receive exhaustive explanations from the Russians, until the whole matter is more than just verbally condemned and reaches a legal conclusion. The execution in cold blood of thousands of Polish officers by the NKVD will not otherwise become a closed chapter in mutual relations.

■ Against the backdrop of what you said, what conditions have to be met in order for Polish-Russian relations to improve?
In my opinion, rather than reinventing our relations with Russia, the most significant matter today is how well we will manage to find a language for the needs of a debate about those relations with our partners in the EU. All actually depends on the very long process of building a democratic Russia. To achieve this goal, its international relations, including those with Poland, should be fully normalized. A good Warsaw-Moscow dialogue depends on the development of a good dialogue of the EU with Moscow. I think—and let me say that without any sense of superiority—that the duty of the European democracies in this dialogue is to unambiguously demonstrate that they are concerned about building a genuine democratic civil society in Russia. The future of the continent, in my opinion, largely depends on this. The EU therefore needs an insight concerning the democratic potential within Russian society and the Russian political scene, and also any threats to the process of democratization. An unstable and ideologically empty Russia poses a great danger to Europe.

■ Do you believe that Europe today is able to conduct this kind of constructive, pro-democratic dialogue with Moscow?
After the Cold War, when the Soviet Union started to disintegrate, the democratic world experienced a major concern whether the injured and weakened Soviet and subsequently Russian empire would start to behave in an unpredictable manner. Fortunately, nothing of that kind occurred on a global scale. Then followed a period of a collective favorable attitude on the part of the West towards Russia, an attitude to some extent resulting from the feeling of relief that nothing dramatic had taken place. Today we deal with a beginning of a different stage: the world observes the changes under way in Russia with calmness, discretion and reliability—but in a monitored manner. So, we will be dealing both with expressions of praise intended to draw Russia into all possible world institutions in order to oblige the country by those relations to cooperate, and with expressions of criticism —if only those recently heard on the occasion of the gas crisis, but also those concerning issues of limiting the activity of NGOs in Russia and the question of Chechnya. These opinions no longer come only from local political communities, but also from top-level state administrations.

■ Does the change in the tone observed during Angela Merkel’s recent visit to Moscow augur this kind of change in tone on the part of Europe towards Russia?
It would be still too early to judge. The tone used by the chancellor was ambiguous, to say the least. On one hand, when German interests were in question, the tone was friendly and ally-like; but on the other hand, the head of the German government for the first time in years has raised issues she considered reprehensible as well. That difference can be seen not only in the case of Germany: this kind of dual tone has also appeared in the position of many Western countries.

■

"Cześć!"

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Apr 13 2006
Birmingham Post
By John Marsden