Comments by "peabase" (@peabase) on "Beware the 'bridges you burn' Tusk warns Poland" video.

  1. So you're building a bridge between Poland and the UK. I thought Brexit was for a large part brought on by Polish immigrants snatching away jobs from Brits, who reacted by voting for Brexit, for sealing the borders. An Anglo-Polish bridge would bring in more Polish jobseekers.
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  2. +aptisme Last time I visited Poland I saw a lot buildings and bridges bearing signs that they were EU-funded. Are you saying they're for the benefit of Germans only? Mind you, despite the cost and the political hiccups I strongly believe Poland's infrastructure is well worth investing in. It's up to the Poles to decide if Poland is merely a thoroughfare or a hive of economic activity, too. At the end of the day, you can only help people help themselves.
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  3. +Gray Ghost In case you equate EU with globalism, know that the EU has been of immense economic benefit to Poland. We've been paying through the nose to help Poland shed its Communist backwardness. Gratitude seems to be in short supply these days. Instead, the present government in Poland is happily ignoring the principles that underpin the EU.
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  4. +Mariusz Stark A nationalist I'm not but a patriot I am. If indeed nationalist pride is priceless, I suggest Poland makes an exit toot sweet.
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  5. +Mariusz Stark You think it's OK to milk the EU and then dance on its grave? If so, you should be lecturing about opportunism, not pride. The EU's democratic deficit is operational rather than technical in nature. A co-worker of mine, who's running for the local council, admitted only today that she didn't know earlier that Tusk was Polish. I suppose we could start electing soccer stars, who are known beyond their borders.
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  6. +Mariusz Stark Now I'm starting to wonder whether you're playing dumb or the real thing. It's an irrefutable fact that Poland is a net beneficiary in the EU and one of the largest recipients of the cohesion fund. I did mention that Poland is a thoroughfare, but that apparently didn't register with you. Donald Tusk was elected by the European Council and the council members themselves are elected by their countries' electorates. It's a fair arrangement for something that's considered the collective presidency of the EU. I say fair -- not ideal -- since direct elections would obviously be better -- at least in theory. I was hoping you'd get it the first time, but I'll try again. By bringing up soccer stars I meant that they are pretty much the only Europeans who're known across the continent to the public at large. If Donald Tusk's name were to appear on a ballot paper, it would be just that, a name. Now do you see the problem?
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  7. +Mariusz Stark You're still trying to muddy the waters. Firstly, fact is, Poland gets more money out of the EU than it puts in -- a lot more. Secondly, your article refers to the European Parliament. It is directly elected. Since you and your populist ilk are always quick to flag problems but slow to contribute solutions, I'll ask you directly: how do you propose the presidents of the Commission and the Council are elected? Please, no lofty theories, but practical, workable solutions.
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  8. +Mariusz Stark You tick all the boxes of being a right-wing populist. The boasts about national pride (which turned out to be opportunism), the worn-out catchwords ("globalists", "elitists", "traitors", "unelected tyrants", "banks", "corporates") and all the other old clichés are telltale signs. I haven't even started defending the EU's democratic credentials. So far, I've only challenged you on factual errors. You failed to make your case about unelected officials -- they're duly elected, if not directly, then by elected officials. If not by you, then by their own constituents. Just so you know, I don't care for your opinions, but I have a problem with the uninformed spreading misinformation. Again, you post a link to an opinion piece that seems to have only a passing relevance to the topic at hand. Try to paraphrase or don't bother all.
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  9. +Mariusz Stark That's good then. But like I observed earlier, you and your populist ilk provide no answers.
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