An important question

[Casually Red]

I'm willing to bet that the average Eastern European migrant in Blighty would tend to speak more 'basic' English that say, the average British migrant would manage of the local language in France, Spain or Germany. The fact that folks can boast their own signs, shops and community shouldn't really be a huge concern - it's hardly as though we don't export our language, shops or tend to stick together abroad.

I've heard the reasons why 'local' people get upset about incomers plenty of times, including to my family. That doesn't mean that I don't think they're being insular racists with unjustified chips on their shoulders most of the time though.

most poles Ive met can speak 2 or 3 languages . About a quarter of the workforce in my factory are polish or lithuanian and i havent met one yet that cant speak english .

 

[ill-informed]

I've always thought that the problem with immigrants coming in to our country in large numbers is because globalisation has led to some very wealthy countries like ours and some impoverished countries like poland. So i don't think we can blame the individuals, we should be focused on the system that leads to these problems. Much better for everyone if Poles can stay in their own country and have a decent standard of living, speak their own language and stay with their freinds and family.

 

[krtek a houby]

Much better for everyone if Poles can stay in their own country and have a decent standard of living, speak their own language and stay with their freinds and family.

Should we all stay in our own countries, do you reckon?

 

[ill-informed]

Should we all stay in our own countries, do you reckon?

Mainly, yes. Most people want to stay in their own countries and are only forced to emigrate so that they can feed their families. A bit of movement of people is a good thing though. I think you misunderstand my tone, i'm against people 'forced' away from their homeland because of extreme poverty, not immigrants per se.

 

[krtek a houby]

Mainly, yes. Most people want to stay in their own countries and are only forced to emigrate so that they can feed their families. A bit of movement of people is a good thing though. I think you misunderstand my tone, i'm against people 'forced' away from their homeland because of extreme poverty, not immigrants per se.

I don't. Ideally I'd like to live in different places & experience different things. I know plenty of people who think that way and quite a few that do.

 

[ill-informed]

Ok that's fine. I also love to travel and have lived in at least a dozen countries since i was 19. But the majority of people like to stay close to where they were born, assuming they can make a living and feed their family.

 

[krtek a houby]

Ok that's fine. I also love to travel and have lived in at least a dozen countries since i was 19. But the majority of people like to stay close to where they were born, assuming they can make a living and feed their family.

That's fantastic but immigration occurs and has done throughout history for various political, social, economic reasons. It's part of the human condition. We must of course decry war and other conflicts/upheavals that cause people to leave their homes but at the same time, we must not be resentful of newcomers. That way lies unrest and the kind of paranoia that fuelled this thread.

 

[ill-informed]

I think the majority of people move because the have to, which is the root of the problem, now that's obviously a huge issue and too big for this thread, but then beyond that it would be great if we could integrate the newcomers into our society and obviously we need to make sure there's enough housing, health, schooling etc because if there's not its not fair on the newcomers and it leads to resentment.

I'm not sure it has to happen because 'of the human condition', its just because we live in an unfair fucked up world.

 

[co-op]

Mainly, yes. Most people want to stay in their own countries and are only forced to emigrate so that they can feed their families. A bit of movement of people is a good thing though. I think you misunderstand my tone, i'm against people 'forced' away from their homeland because of extreme poverty, not immigrants per se.

Of course this is true for a lot of people but for a lot of Poles, Lithuanians etc there's also the buzz of escaping from some pretty reactionary societies; if I was a 20-something Pole I think I'd like a few years in London just for that, and work would be secondary.

Anyway that's certainly the pov of some Poles here because I've got that feedback. Basically sex and drugs and rock and roll, plus social tolerance and all that. Small town Poland can be pretty dull and repressive is what I hear.

 

[ill-informed]

So where's cyan killer? did he just start the thread so that he could watch us all argue about who's the most racist and predudiced?

Anyway, i have to admit i've not much experience of poles, i've only ever met a couple of them and have no idea as to what they left behind. I'm sure a lot of them just want to earn more but could still earn enough back home. I base my experience on people i've known from very poor areas of asia who often leave children behind etc and i know would much rather be home with their family, but due to their extreme poverty they have no choice.

 

[DexterTCN]

He's no internet just now.

 

[Sasaferrato]

Look I may be over exagerating, I see more polish people than scottish where I stay, and its Livingston. Its a reasonable theory to discuss. 5 or so million scotts in our country, and when you think about it. We are a very small and powerful country, our only problem is that what happens between the shores stays there. The only thing they need to do is amass and kill each one of us individually because we live too far apart using the internet for communication. They are not stupid and although I like the polish, I get on with them and only a small few do cause problems I expect this to happen because we're to far up our asses to fear an attack. Despite a "Terrorist Attack" being the only thing on our minds, thats just the goverment bullshitting us mainly from the fact that we helped america start a war, it would be the perfect oppertunity to be invaded. So shouldn't measures be taken incase an attack is iminent?

I have lived in Livingston for twenty years, and you are talking bollocks. Dexter also lives in Livingston BTW.

 

[Sasaferrato]

Scotland's an island.

Wait, what?

No, man.

 

[miss minnie]

My dad was Polish and spent all of WWII in the engine room of British Merchant Navy ships, North Atlantic and North Africa. He got medals.

Its ok to import them when you need them eh.

 

[Sasaferrato]

So where's cyan killer? did he just start the thread so that he could watch us all argue about who's the most racist and predudiced?

Anyway, i have to admit i've not much experience of poles, i've only ever met a couple of them and have no idea as to what they left behind. I'm sure a lot of them just want to earn more but could still earn enough back home. I base my experience on people i've known from very poor areas of asia who often leave children behind etc and i know would much rather be home with their family, but due to their extreme poverty they have no choice.

There are some Polish children in my grandson's class. They are teaching the other children Polish. The wee fellow can name all the body parts in Polish. I'm speaking nothing but German to him in the mornings now, he is picking it up fast. ( So fast in fact that I'm going to have to some studying to be able to keep it going )

 

[Sasaferrato]

My dad was Polish and spent all of WWII in the engine room of British Merchant Navy ships, North Atlantic and North Africa. He got medals.

Its ok to import them when you need them eh.

I've always had a real fondness for Polish people. We've had a strong Polish community in Scotland for a long time now. The Scots and the Poles are quite alike in many ways.

 

[miss minnie]

I've always had a real fondness for Polish people. We've had a strong Polish community in Scotland for a long time now. The Scots and the Poles are quite alike in many ways.

My mum is from Edinburgh. I'm Australian. You can imagine how the Polish/Scottish/Aussie combination works!

 

[miss minnie]

Polish contribution to World War II

My dad returned to Poland after the war but the Allies had sold his country up the river. I recently got hold of his immigration papers from the Australian National Archive. It gives the reason for his leaving Poland as 'Fled owing to wartime activities', i.e. fighting with the Allies. After 6 years dedicated service he found himself in a camp in Germany as a displaced person. Nice one Britain.

No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron

As part of an advertising campaign designed to highlight their concerns about the numbers of foreign workers (including Polish migrants) in the United Kingdom, the British National Party used the distinctly British icon of a Spitfire to illustrate their idea of a Battle for Britain. Ironically, the Spitfire shown in their advertising was RF-D from 303 (Polish) Squadron.[19] It was the Spitfire with Donald Duck artwork of Polish ace Jan Zumbach, who during the Battle of Britain scored eight confirmed kills against Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters.

edit: actually the wording on his papers is 'Unable to join union owing to wartime activites. Fled.'. He couldn't get a job, what else happened I don't know.

 

[Vintage Paw]

Aw, Cyan Killer got banned. That's a shame. He was a keeper.

People complain about the evil influx of Poles around here too. They fail to complain about the rows of Polish headstones in the local graveyards from those who helped fight in the war back in the day.

 

[Cyan Killer]

Firstly, I will say thank you for unbanning me and that giving things a few weeks to cool off I have no intention to make people beleive im a Nazi racist.

You may all be thinking that im some nut that has something against polish people, when I don't! What I am trying to sust out is that when the goverment has screwed us over so badly and that people will eventually take a stand to the decisions these fools have made for us and that US the people will take matters in our own hands, it will leave our nation in ruins. The bankers and politicians have done nothing but screw the people over thinking that they can just because they're in a big building at the bottom of a country, feel safe and that their actions will be looked upon with blinding eyes. When we're deluded to beleive that the only thing that has sentimental value in our life is 'money' when at the end of the day its a restriction, who said it was their country? We did, certainly not a corporation? oh wait...
I look out the window and see things that I could walk up to with an Axe or a tool and start building without having to be threatened that its our "Goverment" that owns it, So tell me this... Where did the £241 Billion pounds go that we could use to be building more houses for all people in general so that things don't end up like the 60' or 70's where everyone is depressed and has been put in the position that life is not worth fighting for so that people with power can gain even more money from them in some legal or even illegal way (Drugs probably). Or even put in the position where our country has too many people to feed and to house (This is where I would get the poles involved)

I personally beleive that all this crap about money is caused by one or two people in power. At the end of the day, The people have worked hard to give ourselfs a life worth living, just for some asshole politician to take it all away because he got too greedy.

Why do I have to continue to tell people how bad a state our country is in right now when the evidence of corruption in our goverment is more noticable than a nuke dropping below our heads. You should know this, you should be doing something about it. At the end of the day! Its just a uniform that makes you think that your part of a giant corporation that at the beggining our people (scottish) allowed to happen to take away the rights from the king/queen.... So tell me. Is that worth it? To be screwed about by the bankers and politicians? I personally think not.

Like everyone, we all have our own personal opinion on the aspects of life and what I see and experience won't change anyones mind who reads this. Thats fact. What I will say though is...

enough about the state of our country! Lets talk about the planet we live on..

Why do we still celebrate guy falks night when pollution in our world is bad enough....... Has any nut job honestly thought about this? Why do we still do it when all the facts and figures are against us, this is how stupid people are. Because yet again, we're made to beleive that its a good thing...

I hope that noone takes this as racist or an act out of the BNP, its just my personal opinion.