My home is my castle

In Poland there is a cultural/traditional saying that when there is a guest in the house, god is in the house. The has the effect of a highly level of hospitality for any visitor. I on many occasion have been a grateful recipient of this hospitality. It is true that such a tradition does not, to the best of my knowledge, exist within English speaking culture. However, there is a phrase: My home is my castle, which is often confused as a possible antonym to this concept.

Why do I say antonym, well a colleague a work remarked on the Polish custom and in the same sentence noted "where as you (British) have My home is my castle." I was not sure if I should get offended or just sigh at the ignorance of the remark (coming form an experienced English teacher/examiner). Where is the flaw in her argument? Well, she inferred that the two sayings are talking about the same issue: hospitality and are therefore comparative, whereas in fact they are discussing completely different issues.

The phrase My home is my castle goes to the heart of the concept of English liberal political thought. Whereas in society you may be subject to various constraints and have to do various duties, in your own home you are the sole ruler. This concept has its practical application in the concept of 'possession is 9/10th of the law. i.e. it is up to the Police to prove a crime rather than assuming guilt.  It is also the premise behind the need for search warrents etc...

Living in Poland I naturly have an ID card; mine is a EU Residents Card: Dokument Potwierdzający Prawo Stałego Pobytu. However, it is always a struggle to explain to students why In the UK there is no need for one. Recently while discussing this issue a student remarked: "but what if you are stopped  by the Police?" This question displays the crux of the problem. He automatically assumed that Police have the right to know who you are and question you. Of course in recent years Police in the UK have been given increase 'stop and search' powers, but even these are limited and must be documented. No policeman in the UK has the right to simply stop you as he wishes (unlike it appears in Poland).

Poland is unfortunately still very much under the dark shadow of communism in Polish peoples acceptance of the controlling nature of the state. I am often met with a quizzical look when I point out the outdated nature of citizen registration: In Poland all people must be registered to a specific abode. Most people take it so much for granted that they can not even see my point at first, yet it is a left-over of a police state wherein citizens were not entitled to freely move around the country. This has its practical problems. For example, my friend works and lives in Lodz, but is registered at her parents home 200 km away. One day she discovered that someone had stolen her number plates on her car. What wouled be a simple problem to solve was made worse by the fact that everything had to go through her official residence 200km away.

Robbing Peter to pay Paul

The EU has recently put pressure of Poland to ammend its deficit situation and most resonable people would agree that the pension and health insurance system in Poland is a mess. Take the health payments for example. I have a full time job where my employer pays full health and pension contributions. As part of this I am entitled to use any public hospital or doctor in the country. However, I recently opened a private company in order to take a few private students in the evenings. To do this I have to pay 237 złoty to ZUS (the health insurance office) for health insurance. Need I point out the bizzare nature of this? I can have one job and pay once, but if I choose to take more work, I must pay again. My private students do not bring much money and so most months most of my money goes to ZUS.

On the opposite side of the coin are farmers where one farmer pays 300 złoty every three months for everything: health insurance and pension. So I pay for a second unusable bed in hospital nearly the same amount as a farmer pays in three months for all his social care. If this meant that I had superior treatment by the health service, then all very well. Alas, I don't!

The obvious affect is that small businessmen like me are dissuaded from starring a business. Why should I operate legally if most of my money will disappear? This is a serious reason to stay in the grey economy. While PM Tusk argues with PIS about Smolensk (which of course is a serious issue) the economy is going down the toilet.

Polish Beliefs - Język Polskiego - General

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Poland’s Minsk Policy

As Minsk edges further away from the European fold, can Poland entice it back?
Since Belarus’s disputed Presidential elections in December 2010 Poland has dramatically increased its focus on its eastern neighbour. In recent days Poland, along with Lithuania, has dropped the charge for entry visas for Belarussian citizens as well as made it easier for students to study in Poland. These efforts are coupled with cultural support such as BELSAT, a Belorussian language TV station which broadcasts in Belarus.

(Full text avilable on the Baltic Review)