He always was a fish out of water.
It’s been reported this morning that Defense Minister Radek Sikorski will be leaving his post as Defense Minister in the Polish government. The rumour is that there is conflict with the vice defense minister Antoni Macierewicz.
There is also talk within government ranks that he is ‘acting as a foreign minister within the defense department. If that is true then to wonder: the present foreign secretary, Anna Fotyga is completely useless.
There is also another weird rumour that the government will be ‘looking into the immigration history of Sikorski’. Don’t know what that means, but Sikorski was an exile during the 1980s in the UK and US.
So it appears that the government will be losing the only internationally respected politician it has. But it’s good for Sikorski – he always was a little too good to be in the same company as Law and Justice.
Monday, February 05, 2007
Sikorski to leave government?
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44 comments:
3, 2, 1 0! He's outta there!
http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/1,53600,3897431.html
As to looking into his immigration history, that would fit well with the PiS strategy of total aggression against any source of power it doesn't control.
Just for that reason I think PiS's jihad against Gronkiewicz-Waltz is the story of the year so far, a public declaration of escalation of hostilities between los bros Kaczysnki and any and all rival seats of power (or in this case doing their best to undo/destroy the one undisputed success PO has had since its election defeats in 2005 by any means available).
Finally.
How on Earth a guy with a British passport and a British wife could get this job is beyond me. This should disqualify him from getting any security clearance in the first place.
AFAIK he renounced his british citizenship (subjectship?) at any rate, he no longer has the British passport.
I fail to understand how a non-Polish wife should disqualify him from public service even in MON (unless you're also gunning for Rokita).
The British passport does not bother me. At least he can speak a foreign language.
But, having someone so closely associated to AEI as a minister of defence cannot be good for the country.
Beatroot,
(In the style of the munchkins in 'The Wizard Of Oz')
Hey ho the neo jerk
The neo jerk is gone!!!!!
GOD BLESS POLAND; FOR POLAND WILL BE A CLEANER PLACE WITHOUT NEOCONSERVATIVE SCUM LIKE RADEK SIKORSKI IN ITS GOVERNMENT!
How on Earth a guy with a British passport and a British wife could get this job is beyond me. This should disqualify him from getting any security clearance in the first place.
What are you talking about? He is a Pole...passports are a legality, that's it. Why did he have a British passport in the first? Something to do with the fact that Poland was ..er..communist?
And do you really think that Sikorski has dual loyalties because he has a passport with the queen on it (actually it has the EU thing on it now)?
But anyway, if he still has a Brit passport then it looks like the job of British Prime Minister will be vacant soo...so maybe he could have a go at that?
I konw a dozen of people who belive that Sikorski is a British MI agent. These are people related to Army and know good such an affairs.
In my opinion it is hard to prove for both sides. But one question becomes open - how did reached shuch a succes in UK just being simple Polish emigrant at the beginning.
Maciek
sp2qbn
Listen, we have talked to that guy at work qyuite a lot (in the days when he was not so important). The guy is simply a very intelligent person - for a neo-con :-/
And I really think this spy stuff is the product of conspiracy theorists who have not got anything better to do than see spies everywhere.
Possibly.
I would say that I have no opinion in this case :) Not enough data :)
Latest news: Adam Szczygło was given a job after Sikorski.
My God... What is going on with Poland... My friends related to Army call Szczygło a 'pizduś-plastuś' (I am afraid it is hard to translate it into English, but for those who do not speak Polish... this is defently not good opinion :)
Maciek
sp2qbn
P.S.
I have talked to Sikorski too. But It was after he become so important. I ack that he is above average inteligent person. But for those 'spy-obsesed' people this is another thing for their suspects.
Alexander Szygło not ADAM
Sorry for mistake
Maciek
sp2qbn
'pizduś-plastuś' !!!!!!!!!
I understand the first bit (verrry naughty!) Talking to him, he has a very very posh British accent - almost a parody of an ENGLISH ACCENT. And his manners are VERY ENGLISH....he certainly liked Oxford.
'pizduś-plastuś' someone has just told me has the connotation of a little bit 'gay'ness...which I think relates to what I was saying about POSH...
I have come to the conclusion thst the best translation of 'pizduś-plastuś' is 'cunty bollocks'...
I do not know him personaly but one thing is true - his manners are vary un-Polish, but on the other hand most English I know are (or seem to be) much much more polite then Szczygło.
Maciek
sp2qbn
surely what's important is whether he does the job well or not? |He seemed pretty efficient and to have Poland's interests at heart.
The American translation might be more along the lines of pussyass.
Beatroot,
You had a post about Duck #2 breaking an arm. You might be interested to know that, as a result, the sidewalks in the grounds of the presidential palace will be replaced by ... heated ones.
Only the best for the ducks!
Actually, they should also replace all the door handles with lower ones...
Why is does everyone so admire Sikorski for speaking a foreign language? It's really no big deal. I speak three of them and I'm minister for doodly squat.
So people admire Sikorski cause he speaks the English? They way he speaks English is very pretentious, it sounds to me.
But in a cabinet where interest in the outisde world is not great, he was one of the more urbane, csmopolitan ones ministers. Maybe that is why the language thing has highlighted.
Now they have none...
What good could come of a defense minister associated with the American Enterprise Institute?
Things are getting interesting with Marcinkiewicz badmouthing Macierewicz.
From:
http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/1,53600,3901361.html
supposedly from Marcinkiewicz's blog.
(quick rough translation)
"It's too bad (MAcierewicz) got rid of (sikorski). My experience is simple/unambiguous. Macierewicz has never created or built up anything.
he always divided and destroyed."
My main comment is that Macierewicz has always looked like a vampire trying to blend in with polite company. That thing he does raising his chin and looking down at the camera completely creeps me out.
original:
Szkoda, że wyparł go [Radosława Sikorskiego - red.] minister Antoni Macierewicz. Moje doświadczenie jest proste. Pan minister Macierewicz niczego w życiu nie wybudował, nie stworzył. Zawsze dzielił i burzył - napisał dziś na swoim blogu były premier Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz.
Provincial politics in Poland. Will wonders ever cease.
Argentine tango has nothing in common with American tango. American tango was invented for movies. Argentine tango came from the brothels in Argentina.
Een knows I am now big fan of tango....
Mike says from Marcinkiewicz blog:
"It's too bad (MAcierewicz) got rid of (sikorski). My experience is simple/unambiguous. Macierewicz has never created or built up anything.
he always divided and destroyed."
Very interesting. And do you get the impression that we are in for yet another centre/right political grouping being formed in Poland?
I thought American tango was something Ted Nugent invented, ala "Wango Tango."
My favorite tango music (pretty much the only such music with which I'm familiar aside from Ted's variety) is that of Astor Piazzolla. I knew of him before the movie but his bandeleon (not accordion) stuff is featured as the background soundtrack in Terry Gilliam's (another American and of Monty Python fame) Seven Monkeys which stars Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt and others. So tangoes may be ringing around in people's heads without them realizing it. Also, Seven Monkeys also is one of my favorite flicks (along with just about everything else by Gilliam).
What happened to the other five monkeys, geez?
I'm a geezer. The memory fails more often than not.
Sikorski boasts about carrying a gun when he was a "reporter" in Afghanistan. Like that other stalwart of modern reportage - Geraldo - he was, shall we say, committed.
Of course, some sticks in the mud regard this as deeply unethical. Kapuściński never packed heat, for example. Worse, others claim that a reporter with a gun puts other reporters at risk.
But in the hurly burly of Polish politics professional ethics and consideration for your colleagues are no barrier to running the country.
Into the ground.
Anon:
That is a great little comment. So why not give your self a name? If you look down some of the comment threads, I get LOTS of anonymous comments.
I will never turn off the anonymous thing (most bloggers like to have registered comments only, but I think some people just can’t be arsed to register) but it really does help to distinguish the good ones from the psychopaths if you have a nom de plume, or however it’s spelt.
So pleaeeaeaeaeaese people…GIVE YOURSELF NAMES!
And you are completely right: no serious journalist in a war zone carries a gun. Never heard of that before. Most say that they don’t do it because it turns them into participants in the war, and not reporters.
Can you imagine John Humphreys with a AK 47?
I know it’s easy in the context of normal Polish Politics (if one can use the word normal and Polish politics in the same sentence) to view the action of the ducks as perhaps crazy. However their actions are something new to the political scene, they have a fanatically focused view of their mission and the ruthlessness to carry it out.
It may be fair to say Radek Sikorski could have authored his own problem, when he took over at the Defence Ministry he knew that the ducks placed a high priority on cleaning up the WSI. The ducks may have determined this wasn’t getting the swift attention they desired and they parachuted into his ministry Antoni Macierewicz whom they believe would act swiftly and ruthlessly in purging this area of the military. The consequence of this was a perception that this western educated minister was too soft to execute their policies. What made matters worst Sikorski had lost the backing of the ducks when it came to dealing with his subordinates, they wouldn’t back him against Macierewicz and earlier when he had a conflict with an Air Force general. Under the circumstances he couldn’t stay defence Minister which is a shame notwithstanding the above he was good at it.
With respect to the notion of “no serious journalist in a war zone carries a gun”, if the Soviets had caught him, death would have been a certainty.
And if any journalist gets caught in Iraq, kidnapping is a certainty. They still don;t caryy guns. If they want security they hire a security firm. Journalists do not carry guns. Period.
"I have come to the conclusion thst the best translation of 'pizduś-plastuś' is 'cunty bollocks'..."
"The American translation might be more along the lines of pussyass."
Getting to this late in the game, but I think "pussy fart" does nicely for 'pizduś-plastus'.
You're very welcome.
In the search for truth, justice, and the Polish way, I've been informed that Plastus was actually a children's book character A plump bald little guy made out of modeling clay who lived in a pencil box.
Where does the "fart" translation come from?
A good translation of an insulting name won't necessary be that literal especially in more complex constructions, I still think pussy fart (in reference to a man) is a good equivalent in American (probably not British) as it seems to have some of the same kind of 'pogarda' toward the person so named...
A close analogy to plastus might be gumby but that would have to come first in American and be followed by one syllabe (for euphonic reasons) maybe Gumby-cunt (though cunt is a far worse insult in America than in British usage).
I still don't get where fart comes from...
And I don't get Gumby-cunt... A cunt like a Gumby???
Maybe Cunty Gumby? Sounds sorta like Kunegunda.
It has a certain ring to it.
A gumby-like pussified male?
And from a British perspective I am sticking with ‘cunty-bollocks’…
It is amazing that when it becomes an adjective instead of a noun, cunt loses some of its …naughtiness. It almost makes it sound cute.
"I still don't get where fart comes from... "
Okay, pizdus-plastus has two parts,
pizdus -
plastus,
'cunt' is all wrong for American English in this expression (IMO) and pussy would fit better.
this leaves plastus, which will mean nothing to english speakers,
a pole I asked about pizdus-plastus indicated that the whole expression indicated a kind of mannered fussiness (among other things) and 'fart' can be used about people with those qualities (in American at any rate). That's where 'fart' came from.
slightly more literal: gumby was a plastic animated figure that americans at least might be familiar with.
This leaves rhythum, the strong-weak-strong-weak accent system of pizdus-plastus doesn't carry over well for an adult insult in american, strong-weak-strong sounds better to my hears. Gumby-cunt is too strong, maybe Gumby-twat has a better ring to it.
In American I don't think I've ever heard 'cunty' and it doesn't sound any less awful, but maybe 'cuntsy' would as in Cuntsy-pants? Or maybe with a nonsense rhyme, like cuntsy-wuntsy.
Nope. Cunt bollocks and cunty bollocks utterly different, ot my ears.
I'll take your word for 'cunty bollocks' as bollocks might as well be Swedish for me.
It's never been in common use in America except by disgruntled brits who confuse the locals (the title of the famous album by the sex pistols made no sense to most americans).
I'm gonna stick with Gumby-twat as slightly closer to the original and pussy-fart as a freer but better translation into American.
mf wrote: a pole I asked about pizdus-plastus indicated that the whole expression indicated a kind of mannered fussiness (among other things) and 'fart' can be used about people with those qualities (in American at any rate). That's where 'fart' came from.
>> Sorry, but I still don't get "fart." I get "old fart" and "artsy-fartsy". But someone with a mannered fussiness being a fart, I just don't get although I may be missing something. How about "twit"? But pussy twit doesn't have the right ring to it. It even sounds redundant. A male twit is equivalent to a (male) pussy as in "He's a big pussy." Unless, of course, you're talkin' 'bout "Big Pussy" in the Sopranos, who you wouldn't have wanted to mess with. Maybe you can say "He's a fartsy cunt." The fartsy in this case may be descriptive of a Plastus-kinda guy. But I just don't think fart strikes the chord as a noun.
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