Another leap year, another Olympic Games. The whole world is watching closely as athletes compete in noble rivalry. All discord is put aside and amateur sportsmen from all over the planet face each other in a friendly contest to prove yet again that we are all one people. It’s a wonderful, worldwide fete of peace […]
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How anti-Muslim hysteria is being spinned up in Poland
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It turns out that you don’t have to do much. It’s enough just to place a suggestion, slight reticence, perhaps even without any wrongdoing in mind, and the shit surfaces immediately. Let’s see how it works on the case study of a news story on the Polish portal onet.pl regarding an event that has happened […]
Meanwhile in Cuckooland
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Click here to see all from the series so far Brexit, Euro Footbal cup, series of attacks in Western Europe and coup in Turkey overshadowed events in Poland. Only a desperate attempt of state TV ruled by PiS to censor President Obama speech in which he expressed concerns about the state of Polish democracy made […]
Is Brexit yet another outgrowth of British throwaway culture?
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The dust after Brexit is slowly settling down. Of course, though, everyone still discusses it. My pro-Brexit friends still use every opportunity to point out the flaws in the European Union. It’s usually just a few things — mostly about migration and limiting sovereignty. Some, when pushed, admit that “actually the European Union is not […]
I feel sorry for today’s Scoutmasters
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Scouting is great. This is the best adventure that young man can have. One can learn how to be resourceful, how to be responsible for oneself and others and how to cooperate. But – perhaps most importantly – this is where friendships for life are born. My generation already has kids in scouting age and as during every summer […]
So what was your cunning plan, Brexiters?
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On our way to work on Friday morning my girlfriend and me listened to interview with some Leave campaign leader in BBC4. She argued that United Kingdom should not rush to leave European Union, as if it does, it will have no say on many important issues. We both laughed out loudly – isn’t she […]
Brexit: Are Poles in the UK really the ones who should worry?
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With Brexit becoming a reality, there is a lot of talk about Poles needing to worry about their future. But are we really the ones who should be afraid of things to come? The first thing that came to my mind on Friday morning was that frame from an old French comic book in which […]
What has happened to ‘better together’ suddenly?
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When it comes to Europe, Poland and Britain in 2016 have one thing in common: Attitudes to Europe. It’s not “we Europeans”. It’s “We, the greatest nation ever, versus THEM”. If you read the right-wing media of both countries, you might get the feeling that the European Union is some kind of enemy. They send […]
Is fuelling hate in Poland PiS’s way to toughen its power?
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The situation that had place in Warsaw is really a sad illustration of the current anti-migrants tensions in Poland. On the huge district heating pipe a mural (or rather “rural” – from Polish rura – pipe) was painted. It depicted kids of all nations and races holding hands. Soon the painting became a target of […]
Brits claim to be music lovers but dance only to the beat of their own drum
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Don’t get me wrong. Britain is one of the most important places in the history of popular music. Everyone will find a British band to their taste – from The Beatles to Macc Lads. If you find Iron Maiden too noisy, Capercaillie is there to calm your nerves. But Britain is not the only place […]