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 […]
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What has happened to ‘better together’ suddenly?
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?
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
Don’t get me wrong. Britain is one of the most important places in the history of the 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 […]
Poles at the polls: Voting on two passports
Scotland is preparing for new elections to the Holyrood parliament. You might think that just a while ago, we voted for Westminster MPs and that was just after the dust had settled on the independence referendum. That seems a tight election calendar. But if you are a Pole living in the UK, this is only […]
Why I stopped writing about Polish politics for a while
One of my readers e-mailed me with question why I am not writing about Polish politics for Britske listy any more. He said that there is so much going on in Poland and that the coverage in Czech media is pretty chaotic. The fact is that I gave up covering this events not only on […]
Invisible Poles: How the Polish community in Scotland is changing
After the first huge wave of arrivals from Poland in 2004, Eastern Europeans never really stopped coming to the UK. The Polish language nowadays can be heard everywhere from the Isles of Scilly to the Outer Hebrides. It makes Nigel Farage very uncomfortable during his daily commute. I have to say I do understand […]
Mull, Iona and Staffa – Sea, Mountains, Eagles and loads of history.
Scotland has a lot to offer – sea and mountains, rocky cliffs and sandy beaches, golden fields and muddy moors. If we have only few days to spare, it’s worth to go to the place that has a bit of everything, and if there will be some historical monuments – even better. All of those […]
Poland – a divided country
The construction of the alternative universe of PiS, that I described few years back in my first article for Britske Listy (English version here), was an overwhelming success. This system of interlocking conspiracy theories and alternative version of history appeals to many Poles, who believe in it. And “believe” is the right word here, as similarities […]
Cumbrae – the most easily accessible of Scottish islands
Visiting Scottish islands is an one of it’s kind experience. They offer an unique atmosphere – without leaving the country you can feel far away from everything. On one side you are still close to the civilisation, but on the other nature is just at arm’s lenght… But getting to Scottish islands is not always […]