Women’s March in 10 iconic images
I’m a big fan of protests. Or to be more precise, I’m a big fan of the right to (peacefully) protest. I remember being about […]
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The best books in 2016
Confession: I read a lot. Always did, since I was 5. Perhaps too much. Which is why, to avoid bankruptcy, I don’t buy new books. […]
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28 years
As my father reminded me this morning, it was exactly 28 years ago today, that the Chrenkoff family touched down in Brisbane, on a Qantas […]
Continue reading »MIND THE SUWALKI GAP – There used to be a more innocent time online – not that long ago, actually – when the “gap” that […]
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Happy Independence Day, Poland!
As countries around the world celebrate variously Remembrance Day, Armistice Day or Veterans Day, Poland celebrates its Independence Day on 11 November. The genesis of […]
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Keep Hallow in Halloween
Some people hate Halloween because it’s American, but in truth it is the Christians who have a more legitimate gripe about this holiday than anti-American […]
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Rich the eat
If your parents or grandparents were members of the Silent Generation, defined by the Great Depression experience, or the Greatest Generation, similarly shaped by the […]
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He’s in a celluloid heaven now: Andrzej Wajda RIP
A giant of Polish and international cinema just passed away at the ripe age of 90. Andrzej Wajda, perhaps the best known Polish film director […]
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Dreams from my grandfather on the bridge too far
I walk along the edge of the field towards the hedge of trees. Hidden behind the hedge is a caravan park, and behind the caravan […]
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Russia criminalises history – again
People often ask me why I pick on Russia. OK, no one actually asks me that, and in any case in the ranking of all […]
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1 September 1939
The peace was shattered with no warning, in the darkness before the dawn. In a space of minutes, just after 4:40 AM, bombs destroyed three […]
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Happy Ribbentrop-Molotov, mother******s!
Yesterday we remembered the 77th anniversary of the most cynical political event of the 20th century, the pact between Hitler and Stalin, which partitioned the […]
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I was a young communist
Time for a terrible confession: I was a young communist. The only things I can put up in my defence are: I was 6 years […]
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How the Poles saved the Western civilisation
Ninety-six years ago, the Poles saved Europe, and I bet most of you don’t even know about it. On 14-15 August 1920, newly-formed Soviet Red […]
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The Warsaw Uprising, lest we forget
Every year, on August the 1st, the whole of Warsaw comes to a standstill at the W-Hour, 5pm, the start of the Warsaw Uprising in […]
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Is the Pope Catholic? Not in Poland
Pope Francis is about to touch down on a brief pilgrimage to Poland, to participate in the World Youth Day, a major gathering and festival […]
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Make Russia Great Again
I simply love waking up to headlines like “Russia Could Invade Poland ‘Overnight’”: The Atlantic think tank warns: “Even if Moscow currently has no immediate […]
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Happy birthday America, and please pick up your act
Today, the United States of America is celebrating the 240th anniversary of the original Brexit. Despite some initial reasonable showing from the Remain campaign, the […]
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Dear England, Love, Polish Vermin
Dear England Forgive me for taking some of your valuable time as you agonise over your destiny and your future. Existential crises are tough; I […]
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Shock new EU memo, or why the EU still doesn’t get it
The European Union says they get it. Then they show they don’t. This is pretty much the only conclusion I can draw from reading a […]
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