I am proud and happy to report that I fell for all five April Fool’s jokes in the last Nie bar one. That Jarosław Kaczynski paid a state visit to the US instead of his (identical twin) brother and president of Poland, Lech? Sure, why not? That Minister Wasserman wanted to drain a lake in […]
In the previous post I mentioned the punishment by the National Commission for Being a Good Little Boy of a TV station for allowing a guest (Kazimiera Szczuka) on a show to mock the voice of a physically handicapped woman. In an admirable display of solidarity, Gazeta Wyborcza printed a trancript of the relevant part […]
Some random absurdities, all from just one issue of Gazeta Wyborcza. The Belarussian KGB has branded the Lukaszenko opposition terrorists. The newspaper is up in arms. Only GW Bush (if you’re not with us you’re against us) is allowed brand the opposition “terrorist”. Marek Zuber, adviser to Polish Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, has admitted in […]
…as in “extraordinary outburst”. Today’s Fakt, a Polish tabloid, carries one on the front page from ?ukasz Warzecha. “I am convulsed with anger!” it begins (exclamation marks, in fairness, are commoner in Polish than in English). He is angry that Poland does not kill certain criminals and angry at the “know-alls” who sympathise with the […]
Syriana seems to be sowing confusion right and left. A correspondent to the Irish Times compares the verdicts of Charles Krauthammer and Michael Dwyer (IT’s film critic). For Krauthammer the plot was “near-incomprehensible“. O’Dwyer wrote: “Demanding the attention of its audience, Syriana proves thoroughly satisfying and accessible. . .” The review by the eminent film […]
Syriana was reviewed by both Gazeta Wyborcza and Rzeczpospolita on March 3rd. But did the reviewers see the same version? Poor Jacek Szczerba in GW seems to be under the impression that it is a documentary: he praises the US for allowing this pack of anti-US lies to be produced and distributed, even though it […]
This weekend’s Rzeczpospolita carries an interview with Leszek Balcerowicz, the man who administered economic “shock therapy” to Poland, freeing the market almost overnight in 1990. To some he is a bete noire; for others an economic genius. The interrogation was carried out by Slawomir Popowski and Dariusz Rosiak. Balcerowicz invited the reader to look at […]
The weekend’s Rzeczpospolita, a serious Polish broadsheet, has a front page story headlined “How much will the Cheap State Cost?” It is a reference to the nearly-ruling party’s pre-election promise to cut costs. The paper estimates that the planned nationalisation of banks and insurers will cost 30 billion zloties, new unemployment benefits will cost 10 […]
“Give Hamas a Chance” Gazeta wyborcza (28-29th Jan) magnanimously states on page six in the headline of a piece by Mariusz Zawadzki, datelined Gaza and marked “analysis”. The subhead (actually it appears above the grand headline) reads: Democracy in the Middle East is bearing unexpected fruit. Elections are being won by the ultra radical Mahmud […]
From Friday’s Rzeczpospolita, a national daily paper in Poland: A front page article by Marcin Czeka?ski about the detrimental effects of the government’s disarray. It seems that many key posts have not been filled yet. There is no treasury minister, for example. And then this gem: “Privatisation is limping. PiS [the near-winners of the elections] […]
