An interesting discussion is brewing up between Poland and Ukraine.

We all want Ukraine wants to join Europe in all ways possible. So some years ago they started building a standard gauge railway. It was supposed to reach Lviv by last year.



(1)strefabiznesu.pl/ukraina-buduje… Now, the new idea of Ukrainian minister of agriculture is for Poland to build a Russian gauge railway from Ukrainian border to ports in Gdańsk, as well as in Klaipeda in Lithuania.



(2)pb.pl/ukraina-chce-s…

There have been iots in Warsaw today. The "protesting farmers" were throwing cobblestones at the police. Police had to detain some of them.

That gave PiS the chance to make comparisons with Martial State and accuse @DonaldTusk of destroying democracy.

You need the context 1/x

https://twitter.com/MorawieckiM/status/1765387195324481620

Let's start with the tag in Morawiecki's tweet. It says "Coalition of 13th of December". Why?

The elections that PiS lost took place on 15th of October. Therefore the winning coalition called themselves "coalition of 15th of October".

But thanks to @AndrzejDuda's actions...2/x

I don't buy this bullshit with "Russian people don't protest against Putin because they are afraid to die". Do you know why?

They volunteer to go to special military operations in their thousands. Knowing what survival rates are. 1/x That means they are not afraid of dying. They are willing to die for Putin, or for money - as I guess this is a major incentive to sign for the army as pay in Russia is so shit that if you are from some shithole in the middle of nowhere, it's the only chance to make some... 2/x

You might have noticed that many pro-Ukrainian pundits and self proclaimed "Eastern Europe experts" have recently came attacking the new Polish government for their take over of public media, accusing them of destroying a valuable TV channel TVP World.

This is my take on this 🧵 So let's paint the background here. TVP was formerly a polish public broadcaster, a Polish equivalent to BBC so to speak. After PIS took power in 2015 they conducted an illegal takeover of Polish public media and turned them into an awful party propaganda tool. It needs to be /1

WHAT ARE THE PROTESTS ON POLISH-UKRAINIAN BORDER ABOUT? EXPLAINER THREAT:

1. How road transport in the EU works (simplified)

Transport companies from any country could transport stuff inside their own country, or between any two countries in the EU. They can't transport 1/x goods within other EU country (that is cabotage, but there are some exceptions.

2. How road transport between EU and non-EU countries work (simplified)

Transport companies from non-EU countries can only transport goods between EU and their country - so imports and exports 2/x

In this interview, a Polish military analyst Michał Fiszer calls for Europe to stop pretending Russia invasion on Ukraine has nothing to do with us. It's worth reading if you can, if not, so I will give you some digest in English 🧵

wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,1… 1. "We are where Europe was in September 1939. People back then also weren't aware it's the World War. They thought "Ok, Hitler invaded Poland, but that will be eat, why would he need to go anywhere else?"

With over 99% votes officially counted, the situation is clear. Poland begins turning back towards European values.

Do you know what will be the most memorable moment of that day for me? (1)

🧵 It will be this short clip of Kaczyński turning up to the polling station to vote. He had to mix with the pleb, which he virtually never does, which was humiliating enough for him. He barged in with his bodyguards and expected to be served straight away but not this time... (2)

So what is the deal with the beef between Poland and Ukraine?

1. Polish government failed to organise transit of Ukrainian grain. Either because they are bunch of incompetent fools, or because some of their cronies realised that they can make a huge money selling this grain... ...in Poland instead of exporting it further as it was the original intention.

2. The grain flooded Polish market, bringing prices down and farmers got understandably pissed, which is not good in the election year.

3. To recover from this fiasco, Government banned import...

Imagine, you are living in a delapitated shithole in a falling-apart wooden building that was deemed unsafe for habitation a generation ago and you still believe it's all because the West is envious of what Russia has:



(you can translate subtitles) They say here, one year of Ukrainian invasion costed Russia 3 times more than it needed to solve the housing problem by providing emergency housing to everyone in Russia who needs it.

How is that people can't add 2 and 2 together and realize that every rocket Russia sends to...

Those, who are surprised to see @pontifex siding with Putin remember that this is not a new thing.

It's a little remembered fact but on 1st of September 1939 Poland was invaded not only by Nazi Germany but also by Slovakia. Slovakia occupied small parts of Spisz and Orawa 1/x - respectably East and West of Nowy Targ.

While this was not really a significant historical event, it was part of the activities of the First Slovak Republic, a puppet Nazi state. Why I am writing about it in the Pope's context you might ask? 2/x

I looked into comments under article about Operation Brain that says trucks are being stacked on M20 to prevent tourists from being stacked in the queue. The article is in the Polish portal about road transport that is largely read by drivers and other people from the industry 🧵 "they should introduce 'operation brain' - for themselves".

"Are they out of their minds?"

"Let those tourists bring the goods back themselves on the way back, this is not the way to treat people who deliver goods to them"

"It wasn't that bad, I waited 25 min to enter port...

I just checked a Polish job board for work abroad.

I found job offers for a nurses, paramedics and midwives in England, starting €2200/month.

And for nurses in Ireland starting from €2700/m. And you can get much more in 🇩🇪🇨🇭 or 🇸🇪.

Why would any EU citizen chose England?

https://twitter.com/LarryMadowo/status/1679561428770889772

(all prices at this job board are given in either euro or polish złoty)

Funny story.

I had a car accident in 2008. Some driver rear ended me when I stopped at the red light.

I got no help whatsoever, because it happened 2 weeks *before* my 24 months of continuous residence in the UK was completed.

A wee thread:

https://twitter.com/mikegalsworthy/status/1671972179532029952

A guy drove into my car at New Gorbals in Glasgow. We were just heading home as my then partner was preparing to fly to Poland. Car was drivable still, but had no lights, no rear window and the bent metal was scratching my wheel.

1/

I've noticed a new worrying trend of how Russian propaganda is leaking into Poland and how Poles slowly turn against Ukrainians. I heard it in person too, but let me use one example which, I think, will make a good case study (a 🧵): 1. This is a Facebook profile of a Polish transport industry portal. The article talks about a fleet of new Iveco light trucks for the Ukrainian government presented at the picture of the bodybuilder in Kiyv. The author points out to the destroyed building in the background.

I am watching this movie about a bit come back of trams to French cities and have to say one of the good things about communist Poland is that due to being poor and unable to afford buses... ...while at the time had a very limited need for extra traffic lines due to scarcity of private cars, at least in the big cities (but also in some small ones) trams remained and sometimes the networks were even expanded. So while other cities start from scratch, we're well ahead!

Update on that matter: 40ton.net/protest-kierow…
The company owner reported drivers to prosecutors for stealing his lorries. The German Trade Union of drivers that support the strikers told him, that he'll get his trucks back as soon, as drivers got paid the money he owes them.1/3

https://twitter.com/TOrynski/status/1645026352859340801

Trade unions across Europe (and also in South Korea: fb.watch/jUddGcGddB/) express their solidarity with the striking drivers. There is a growing pressure for big companies like Ikea, DHL, Mercedes etc. to stop using this guys companies (he has three) for their needs.
2/3

Meanwhile president @AndrzejDuda signed reform of the electoral law. Which he should not do in the election year. But he did. Why?

Because the law makes it compulsory for local councils to provide transport to the polling stations for elderly voters. What's the probkem here? 1/x PiS is likely to lose next elections. Their voters base is mostly elderly people from small towns and villages. So by ordering local councils to provide transport for them it hopes to boost participation in the group that is crucial for them. 2/x

Is there Polish intepreters shortage in the UK now? Or it's just Global struggling to get someone to work for them?

I got this e-mail recently. I used to be a police interpreter working through them, but haven't had anything to do with them since 2010. Why?

1/ Because as it happens when you are a police interpreter, you are getting called to court from time to time when the case you were interpreting for gets there. And on one of such occasions, I witnessed the most unprofessional behavior of another of their interpreters. 2/

Meanwhile in the world of modern trucking: I got a mirrorless @MercedesBenz tonight. It won't let me start the engine because "mirror camera is not aligned". As you can see I can see everything fine. However what I CANT do is align right camera differently because of this error. Call me a luddite all you want, but if I had a truck that starts with the turn of the key and mirrors, I would not be in this situation now.

I was told to switch it off and try again in 10 minutes.

And they call it progress :D

A wee thread on cycling.

🚲🧵🚲🧵🚲🧵

I follow several accounts discussing urban cycling. I have keen interest in it, and while I myself haven't cycle das much as I wanted in recent years (Glasgow weather has beaten me), my bicycle is one of means of my everyday transport. (1) Unfortunately I am observing this thing - not only in cycling community - that makes the dialogue impossible. Notably: as long as you aren't 100% in agreement with someone, you are deemed not worthy of discussion in the best case (a prominent British cyclist banned me today (2)

I see people still discuss my Tesla thread and I recalled i promised someone who I believe tablet controls are stupid in vehicles. I happen to drive one of those mercedes trucks again so I recorded a few short clips for you to show what the issue is. Part 1:

https://twitter.com/TOrynski/status/1600968617402990592

Part 2