"The Poles - a boon for me and Britain"

[Oddball]

The Daily Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml;jsessionid=I00K3J3NLUHCFQFIQMGCFGGAVCBQUIV0?xml=/opinion/2005/11/25/do2502.xml&sSheet=/portal/2005/11/25/ixportal.html)


The Poles - a boon for me and Britain
By Tom Utley
(Filed: 25/11/2005)

'Vorter-pitter! Vorter-pitter!" Marek, our monoglot Slovakian painter and decorator, had just driven a nail into a pipe, and the kitchen was filling up with gas at a terrifying rate.

Now he was studying his Slovak-English phrasebook, trying to tell me something, while I was frantically stubbing out my cigarette, throwing open windows and clambering over the junk in the cupboard under the stairs to find the lever to switch off the gas at the mains.

I am never at my brightest first thing on a Saturday morning - particularly when my house is about to blow up - and I couldn't for the life of me make out what Marek was trying to say. When the crisis was over, he showed me the book, pointing with a finger the size of a Cumberland sausage at the phrase he had been trying to express. At last the light dawned. "Yes, quite right," I said. "What a pity! What a pity!"

Over the past few weeks, my wife and I have been discovering the joys and drawbacks of the huge influx of cheap labour into London from the new members of the EU in eastern Europe. Marek, with the best will in the world, proved something of a drawback during his two weeks with us, decorating that one room.

It wasn't his fault that there happened to be a gas-pipe behind the skirting board, in exactly the place where he chose to drive in his nail. It wasn't his fault, either, that he was a little on the slow side as a painter and decorator. For all I know, he is brilliant at nuclear physics or dentistry, or whatever he studied at university.

I never managed to discover, across the language barrier, his specialist subject. All I can say with certainty is that it was neither English, nor interior decoration.

Anna, on the other hand, is unquestionably one of the greatest blessings to have flowed from the expansion of the EU in May last year. She is the highly intelligent, conscientious and sweet-natured young economics graduate from Poland who comes in for five hours, every Wednesday morning, to do my family's cleaning and ironing. More of her in a moment...

[zealot]

very nice read, thanks oddball ..

[a_very_ex_STAB]

I'd rather get some Polish guys to do up my house than your typical incompetent, teeth sucking, peripatetic, skiving, unqualified, teaswilling, overcharging, lazy arsed British excuse for a builder.

[Miami Vice]

Aye, I read an article about Polish plumbers in Britain who are doing a roaring trade. Fair play to em I say, when my grandad came over from Poland he didn't have as much luck unfortunately

[wholagun]

most Poles that leave to find out have what we Poles call a "Golden Hand" which means they can pretty much do anything and everything.
This is funny to read b/c my dad did the same thing when we came to Canada, he worked in a factory and picked up odds jobs here and there: landscaping, fixing stuff ie plumbing, and general around the house repairs - I would often times join him. Eventually, he turned it into a business and he now owns his own small landscaping copmany and is set to retire next year. Everyone starts off small.

[Mr Gently Benevolent]

There are loads of Poles in the fishing and food industry in the UK at the moment, although I have never employed any workers from the new states I have been told that the Latvians are the workers most sought after for skilled and semi skilled work.

[Herrmannek]

Haha, my friend just left to UK.. He is informatician with master degree :)

[Kitsune]

I absolutely have to agree with a_very_ex_STAB.
I, too, would prefer a competent Polish guy to an incompetent, teeth sucking, peripatetic, skiving, unqualified, teaswilling, overcharging, lazy arsed British chap.
In such a case I would graciously look over the matter of nationality. No one is perfect, after all...

;-)

[Dexx]

I absolutely have to agree with a_very_ex_STAB.
I, too, would prefer a competent Polish guy to an incompetent, teeth sucking, peripatetic, skiving, unqualified, teaswilling, overcharging, lazy arsed British chap.
In such a case I would graciously look over the matter of nationality. No one is perfect, after all...

;-)

I am quite interested in some facts concerning Germany. I study in Muenster and my parents live in Hildesheim/Hannover. If I visit my parents, I have to use the East/West crossing motorways. On my way back to Hildesheim I am always seeing a ****load of Polish cars. One hour = 25++ cars at least. It seems like half of Poland is working in Germany. No other nation can be compared to this. The Dutch are second with much fewer cars. ;)

[Musashi]

I'd rather get some Polish guys to do up my house than your typical incompetent, teeth sucking, peripatetic, skiving, unqualified, teaswilling, overcharging, lazy arsed British excuse for a builder.
There is no any chance that a Pole will blow up himself in the tube or a bus as it can happen with some other (Asian) workers.

BTW
My friend moved to Trowbridge (south of Bristol) and works as a prole in a cosmetic factory there. He is well-educated and had a quite good work in Poland as a clerk. But you know it's boring when you earn 250 pounds a month in Poland. Now he earns 5.05 pounds an hour (actually 7, but 2 are deducted by a firm, which arranged his job).

Cheers,
Krzysiek

[Herrmannek]

Isn't that illegal in UK? He should go to ze Police and denounce those job finding guys at spot...

[Musashi]

Isn't that illegal in UK? He should go to ze Police and denounce those job finding guys at spot...
Unfortunately it is legal. He had been informed about it before he got the work. It is not all. He has to rent a pathetic flat appointed by the firm, that assigned his job. He has to pay 400 pounds a month for that hole. When his colleague found other flat (better and cheaper) for about 250 pounds a month, he was fired in the next day.

[Musashi]

I absolutely have to agree with a_very_ex_STAB.
I, too, would prefer a competent Polish guy to an incompetent, teeth sucking, peripatetic, skiving, unqualified, teaswilling, overcharging, lazy arsed British chap.
In such a case I would graciously look over the matter of nationality. No one is perfect, after all...

;-)

That's good. If you (or your neighbours) need a good and cheap (you Germans like such a mix) wooden staircase (Holztreppe) or metal fence (Zaun aus Metal) you can drop a line. I export such a stuff to Germany.

MfG,
Musashi

[Kitsune]

Yeah, hmmm. I don't know if we Germans are good neighbours. But sure as hell we ain't cheap.

;-)

[Herrmannek]

you are cheap :)

[Kitsune]

But good... p-)

[Count Lippe]

That's good. If you (or your neighbours) need a good and cheap (you Germans like such a mix) wooden staircase (Holztreppe) or metal fence (Zaun aus Metal) you can drop a line. I export such a stuff to Germany.

MfG,
Musashi

You want some grade A enamelled copper wire? My company exports that stuff to Poland. But you've got to take at least 500kg.p-)

[Musashi]

You want some grade A enamelled copper wire? My company exports that stuff to Poland. But you've got to take at least 500kg.p-)
Sorry mate, but I don't need an enamelled copper wire. Perhaps in the far future :)
BTW,
Where are you from?

[a_very_ex_STAB]

I absolutely have to agree with a_very_ex_STAB.
I, too, would prefer a competent Polish guy to an incompetent, teeth sucking, peripatetic, skiving, unqualified, teaswilling, overcharging, lazy arsed British chap.
In such a case I would graciously look over the matter of nationality. No one is perfect, after all...

;-)

H'mm letting your prejudices show there Kitsune.
Whassup was Grandma raped by a British Tommy or something?

[perdurabo]

hmm title about Poles and article about Slovak plus few words about Polish girl hmm :)
I meet in my home town lots of Germans and Czechs shoping in our malls and stores Germans moustly food Czechs moustly textiles and lots of Poles buying cheap electronics in Germany and Alcochol in Czech Rep. so this EU thing is working just great!!

[Count Lippe]

Sorry mate, but I don't need an enamelled copper wire. Perhaps in the far future :)
BTW,
Where are you from?

Well, just in case you change your opinion, you know where you can find me. ;)
Lippe, Germany.

[Musashi]

OK, I've found it on map. It's close to Hannover.