Poland - Now Six Major Ways in which the country has changed since my first encounter in early 1992

Now 6 Major Ways Poland Has Changed

Summary of the blog from The Guardian 

12th December 2023 (Lili Bayer)

Donald Tusk (Arab News)

 A New Government for Poland 

Quite a Change !

From The Guardian blog 12th December 2023 - Lili Bayer in Brussels

Speaking in the Polish parliament this morning, incoming prime minister Donald Tusk said the October election “will go down in history as the day of peaceful rebellion for freedom and democracy”.

In his speech, Tusk spoke out against xenophobia and said “we can protect the Polish and European border and be human at the same time”.

The incoming prime minister also said “we will demand full mobilisation of the west to help Ukraine” but noted that “we must remain assertive when it comes to the interests of, among others, Polish farmers”.

Tusk presented his ministers, which include the well-known former ombudsman Adam Bodnar as minister of justice. Radosław Sikorski is to return as foreign minister.

He also emphasised his goal of making Warsaw a player on the European stage, pledging: “I can guarantee you that we will make Poland return to its rightful place.”

The new leader said “the time has come for Poland to be happy”.

As the Polish parliament prepared for a vote in confidence in the new government, MP Grzegorz Braun, a member of the far-right Konfederacja, used a fire extinguisher inside the parliament building to put out candles lit for Hanukkah.

His actions drew widespread condemnation inside and outside Poland.

Tusk said the far-right politician’s action was a “disgrace”.

Israel’s ambassador to Poland, Yacov Livne, said the incident brought “shame..”

Mark Brzezinski, the US ambassador in Warsaw, said he was “outraged by the nasty antisemitic act”.

MPs from the Konfederacja party condemned Braun’s behaviour.

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Here is a recent interview I had with Patrick Ney in Warsaw 

He is the outstanding English YouTube host of the brilliant

 'The First News'  (TFN) feature series entitled

'Heart of Poland' 

Patrick Ney is fluent in idiomatic Polish and has taken out Polish citizenship 

For international exposure, I am afraid the interview is in English, now considered to be the global lingua franca 

This is also the reason I write my music reviews in English as I feel the Polish musical renaissance (nothing less) and superb European music festivals, competitions and concerts now taking place here deserve far wider international publicity.

I continue my struggle with the Polish language!

This relaxed conversation deals with Five Major Ways in which Poland has changed since my first encounter with the country in early 1992 working on a UK joint venture business project. 

Many invidious and careful choices of material had to be made in the limited time available

(omitting par example the present political turmoil, entrepreneurship, the improved safety of living in the country, the Smolensk tragedy, the increase in immigration, the Ukraine war, improvements in law and order) 

I could write another book on the exponential changes in Poland since 1992 !

Remember, this interview is only one foreign author's rather general view of living in the heart of Europe, a person with no Polish genealogical connections whatsoever 

Do forgive such limitations!  

https://youtu.be/pP1rQbvQDyw

The international online journal in English linked below aims to bring readers entertaining, engaging and informative news, features and reportage from across Poland and beyond

https://www.thefirstnews.com/page/about-us