Dear Group,

I do not normally raise alerts about German camps in occupied Poland
during WWII wrongly being called Polish here. Generally over at the
Polish Media Issues group we are able to get a positive reply from
the media responsible.

Sadly in the following case the organisation is refusing to accept
its wording is wrong hence I am calling on the Polonia at large to
express their views on this article and hopefully support us in
getting this corrected.

The article is generally very good and the Germans are clearly
mentioned BUT it still wrongly refers to the camps.

If you have time please express your views by writing to
corrections@startribune.com.

Regards

Jan Niechwiadowicz, Moderator Polish Media Issues Yahoo Group

Reply from Editor: The Auschwitz concentration camp was in occupied
Poland. Because there were concentration camps all over Europe
during WWII, the reference was to locate this particular
concentration camp among the many. If the writer had been describing
a particular camp in occupied Austria, she might have described it
as an Austrian camp. Also, the notoriety of Auschwitz as a Nazi
concentration camp -- undoubtedly the best-known concentration camp
by name -- and context of the story erases even the slightest
possibility there would be confusion about who was running the camp.

Originally Article:

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/15948397.html

At the dawn of the Nazi era, a prominent Minneapolis physician sent a
letter to Adolf Hitler, praising his "plan to stamp out mental
inferiority among the German people."

At the time, Dr. Charles Dight was an influential public leader, a
former city alderman who had founded the Minnesota Eugenics Society.
As such, he believed that the "feebleminded" were unfit to have
children. He didn't hide his admiration for the German chancellor.

"I trust you will accept my sincere wish that your efforts along that
line will be a great success," he wrote on Aug. 1, 1933, "and will
advance the eugenics movement in other nations as well as in
Germany."

Dight died before he could see where that movement would lead.

The lure of eugenics -- the idea that science could improve on
humanity by weeding out "undesirable traits" -- is the focus
of "Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race," an exhibit opening
tomorrow at the Science Museum of Minnesota.

The traveling collection of books, artifacts, posters, historic
newsreels and interviews with survivors was produced by the U.S.
Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and runs through May 4
in St. Paul.

It explores how highly educated people on both sides of the Atlantic,
such as Dight, were swept up in the eugenics movement of the early
20th century. In the United States, that led to forced sterilizations
in mental institutions, including thousands of Minnesotans.

In Nazi Germany, mass sterilization was just the beginning.

"This exhibition was designed to answer one of the big 'how was the
Holocaust possible' questions," said Susan Bachrach, curator of the
exhibition at the Holocaust Museum. "One of the answers has to do
with the role of physicians and scientists."

"Deadly Medicine" documents how doctors ended up committing barbaric
acts in the name of science.

Today, people such as Margot de Wilde of Plymouth still bear the
scars. This week, she will share her story at an exhibit preview for
local teachers.

Surviving Nazi experiments

De Wilde, now 86, fled her native Berlin in the early 1930s, just as
the Nazis were coming to power.

Her parents, who were Jewish, thought the family would be safer in
Amsterdam. That changed when Germany occupied Holland in World War
II.

De Wilde, 21, was arrested with her first husband, Lodewyk Meyer, and
his family while trying to escape to Switzerland. By the summer of
1943, she was on a cattle car to Auschwitz.

Arriving at the notorious Polish concentration camp, she heard
someone call for young married women to step forward. She did.

De Wilde ended up in a barracks for women used in medical
experiments. She never saw the doctors, who sent other prisoners to
do their work.

"You were just called by number down to the room," she said. "They
took X-rays and then inserted fluids into the vaginal area, and we
didn't know what it was. We thought either artificial insemination or
sterilization. And this was indeed the sterilization." To this day,
she has no idea what the fluid was.

"It didn't hurt," she remembers. "But I never had children. So it
must have worked." She witnessed even more brutal experiments, where
many women died.

The Germans, she later learned, were searching for ways to sterilize
mass numbers of people. Somehow, she knew she would survive. Her
husband did not.

Breeding better humans

The idea of eugenics in the early 1900s was that science
could "improve the human race," said Stephen Feinstein, director of
the University of Minnesota Center for Holocaust and Genocide
Studies, which is sponsoring the exhibit. The assumption was that
certain people were fitter than others by birth, and if well matched,
would produce the fittest children.

The theory had a certain rational appeal, said Bachrach. "If you
could breed better animals, why couldn't you breed better human
beings?"

But scientists quickly turned to the flip side: What about the "least
fit"?

Dear Group,

I do not normally raise alerts about German camps in occupied Poland
during WWII wrongly being called Polish here.  Generally over at the
Polish Media Issues group we are able to get a positive reply from
the media responsible.

Sadly in the following case the organisation is refusing to accept
its wording is wrong hence I am calling on the Polonia at large to
express their views on this article and hopefully support us in
getting this corrected.

The article is generally very good and the Germans are clearly
mentioned BUT it still wrongly refers to the camps.

If you have time please express your views by writing to
corrections@....

Regards

Jan Niechwiadowicz, Moderator Polish Media Issues Yahoo Group

Reply from Editor: The Auschwitz concentration camp was in occupied
Poland. Because there were concentration camps all over Europe
during WWII, the reference was to locate this particular
concentration camp among the many. If the writer had been describing
a particular camp in occupied Austria, she might have described it
as an Austrian camp. Also, the notoriety of Auschwitz as a Nazi
concentration camp -- undoubtedly the best-known concentration camp
by name -- and context of the story erases even the slightest
possibility there would be confusion about who was running the camp.

Originally Article:

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/15948397.html

At the dawn of the Nazi era, a prominent Minneapolis physician sent a
letter to Adolf Hitler, praising his "plan to stamp out mental
inferiority among the German people."

At the time, Dr. Charles Dight was an influential public leader, a
former city alderman who had founded the Minnesota Eugenics Society.
As such, he believed that the "feebleminded" were unfit to have
children. He didn't hide his admiration for the German chancellor.

"I trust you will accept my sincere wish that your efforts along that
line will be a great success," he wrote on Aug. 1, 1933, "and will
advance the eugenics movement in other nations as well as in
Germany."

Dight died before he could see where that movement would lead.

The lure of eugenics -- the idea that science could improve on
humanity by weeding out "undesirable traits" -- is the focus
of "Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race," an exhibit opening
tomorrow at the Science Museum of Minnesota.

The traveling collection of books, artifacts, posters, historic
newsreels and interviews with survivors was produced by the U.S.
Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and runs through May 4
in St. Paul.

It explores how highly educated people on both sides of the Atlantic,
such as Dight, were swept up in the eugenics movement of the early
20th century. In the United States, that led to forced sterilizations
in mental institutions, including thousands of Minnesotans.

In Nazi Germany, mass sterilization was just the beginning.

"This exhibition was designed to answer one of the big 'how was the
Holocaust possible' questions," said Susan Bachrach, curator of the
exhibition at the Holocaust Museum. "One of the answers has to do
with the role of physicians and scientists."

"Deadly Medicine" documents how doctors ended up committing barbaric
acts in the name of science.

Today, people such as Margot de Wilde of Plymouth still bear the
scars. This week, she will share her story at an exhibit preview for
local teachers.

Surviving Nazi experiments

De Wilde, now 86, fled her native Berlin in the early 1930s, just as
the Nazis were coming to power.

Her parents, who were Jewish, thought the family would be safer in
Amsterdam. That changed when Germany occupied Holland in World War
II.

De Wilde, 21, was arrested with her first husband, Lodewyk Meyer, and
his family while trying to escape to Switzerland. By the summer of
1943, she was on a cattle car to Auschwitz.

Arriving at the notorious Polish concentration camp, she heard
someone call for young married women to step forward. She did.

De Wilde ended up in a barracks for women used in medical
experiments. She never saw the doctors, who sent other prisoners to
do their work.

"You were just called by number down to the room," she said. "They
took X-rays and then inserted fluids into the vaginal area, and we
didn't know what it was. We thought either artificial insemination or
sterilization. And this was indeed the sterilization." To this day,
she has no idea what the fluid was.

"It didn't hurt," she remembers. "But I never had children. So it
must have worked." She witnessed even more brutal experiments, where
many women died.

The Germans, she later learned, were searching for ways to sterilize
mass numbers of people. Somehow, she knew she would survive. Her
husband did not.

Breeding better humans

The idea of eugenics in the early 1900s was that science
could "improve the human race," said Stephen Feinstein, director of
the University of Minnesota Center for Holocaust and Genocide
Studies, which is sponsoring the exhibit. The assumption was that
certain people were fitter than others by birth, and if well matched,
would produce the fittest children.

The theory had a certain rational appeal, said Bachrach. "If you
could breed better animals, why couldn't you breed better human
beings?"

But scientists quickly turned to the flip side: What about the "least
fit"?

http://www.hasbro.com/games/kid-games/monopoly/

Have your say in the world's first global Monopoly!I'm creating the
world's first global Monopoly so I want to know what your favourite
cities are!

I've pre-selected 68 great cities for you to choose from but you can
nominate any other city you want – these are known as Wildcard
cities.

Vote for your top 10 cities… and keep voting every day!
The 20 pre-selected cities with the highest worldwide votes on
February 29 2008 will make it onto the board. Plus, you will have
from March 1 to March 9 2008 to vote on the most nominated Wildcard
cities. Only the top two will make it on the board!


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?
in_article_id=516148&in_page_id=1770

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?
in_article_id=516148&in_page_id=1770

It is a rivalry that goes back centuries but now France could put an
end to England's hopes of making it onto a global Monopoly board.

The situation is so serious that Culture Minister Tessa Jowell and
London Mayor Ken Livingstone have stepped ensure the capital makes
the cut and represents the nation.

London is currently trailing behind most of the competition and may
fall off the board completely if a scurrilous French campaign is
successful.

Our Continental cousins have reportedly been urging people not to
vote for London in an online poll.

London is ranked eighth with just 2.9 per cent of the vote - behind
cities including Riga in Latvia and Belgrade in Serbia.

Online voting opened earlier this year to choose the 20 greatest
cities in the world to feature on the board and the competition runs
until the end of the month.

The top city will win the coveted dark blue space on the board,
usually occupied by Mayfair.

London initially topped the leader board ahead of Paris but has
plummeted since the campaign began.

Leading French TV and radio presenter Sebastien Cauet imitated a
famous French political speech as he called on people to vote for
Paris and not to vote for London.

London has since fallen to eighth and is occupying the yellow
Leicester Square position.

If it continues to slide at its present rate, it could fall below
Barcelona, which currently lies in 20th place with 2.0 per cent - and
off the board.

Paris meanwhile is sitting pretty in third place with the Turkish
capital Istanbul second and French-speaking Montreal in Canada top.

While patriotic Parisians have been voting for their city in droves,
Londoners seem to be oblivious to their city's plight with an
overwhelming 97 per cent of votes for London cast by people living
outside the UK.

Edinburgh is the most popular city among UK voters with the capital
coming second.

And Britain's growing Polish population appear to be making their
presence felt too.

Little-known Polish city Gydnia, which has a population of just
250,000, is the most popular among UK voters to win one of the two
wildcard spaces on the board.

Shocked internet bloggers are now desperately trying to mount a fight
back for London.

Bloggers at www.londonist.com are warning of a "potential tragedy in
the making".

They write: "We find ourselves flabbergasted, mortified, appalled.

"Show some love, London. Go vote. We all know where our beloved city
belongs on that Monopoly board."

Tessa Jowell and Ken Livingstone have also tried to call on Brits to
support their capital city.

Mrs Jowell said: "London is without a doubt one of the most
fascinating and culturally rich capital cities in the world - a city
that incites loyalty, not just in those who were born here but also
in those who come to make it their home.

"With this in mind I implore all Londoners - and all those who love
London to vote in the Global Monopoly poll."

Mr Livingstone said: "London is one of the greatest and one of the
most influential global cities.

"It is a fascinating mix of history and tradition but is also at the
cutting edge of creativity and innovation.

"Our museums, galleries and theatres are world class and with 300
languages spoken every day on the capital's streets, it is the most
international city on the face of the planet.

"I hope that Londoners and those who appreciate what our great city
has to offer will take part and ensure that London is represented on
the Monopoly board."

The 20 cities with the highest worldwide votes on February 29 will
make it onto the board.

They will be joined by the two most nominated wildcard cities -
currently Gydnia and Tapei in Taiwan.

Helen Martin, global brand director for Monopoly, said: "The final
result of Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition voting may be just
as surprising as the votes conducted in each country.

"It will be exciting to see how the vote will turn out.

"We need people to log on and vote for London - it costs nothing but
the national pride we could generate would be priceless."

CURRENT LEADERBOARD

1 Montreal, Canada (Mayfair)

2 Istanbul, Turkey (Park Lane)

3 Paris, France (Bond Street)

4 Riga, Latvia (Oxford Street)

5 Cape Town, South Africa (Regent Street)

6 Belgrade, Serbia (Piccadilly)

7 Jerusalem, Israel (Coventry Street)

8 London, UK (Leicester Square)

9 New York, USA (Trafalgar Square)

10 Sydney, Australia (Fleet Street)

11 Rome, Italy (Strand)

12 Vancouver, Canada (Vine Street)

13 Athens, Greece (Marlborough Street)

14 Kiev, Ukraine (Bow Street)

15 Hong Kong, China (Northumberland Avenue)

16 Toronto, Canada (Whitehall)

17 Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Pall Mall)

18 Cairo, Egypt (Pentonville Road)

19 Tokyo, Japan (Euston Road)

20 Barcelona, Spain (The Angel) Wildcards 21 Gydnia, Poland
(Whitechapel Road) 22 Taipei, Taiwan (Old Kent Road)

Dear Group,

My first booklet with details of the Polish community here in the UK
is about to go to the photocopies.  This version is now in the file
section of the group.  I had hoped to have taken it last week but the
logo company have yet to give me the final logos.  Have been forced to
use the draft logos in the booklet as I can wait no longer for the
final versions.  Any member with time to read it and comment on
grammar etc would be appreciated.

Regards

Jan Niechwiadowicz, Cardiff

Hello,

This email message is a notification to let you know that
a file has been uploaded to the Files area of the TOPAZklub1
group.

   File        : /Contact information on the Polish Community in the UK.pdf
   Uploaded by : jan_niechwiadowicz <jan_niechwiadowicz@...>
   Description : Useful contact information on the Polish Community here in the
UK

You can access this file at the URL:
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/TOPAZklub1/files/Contact%20information%20on%20t\
he%20Polish%20Community%20in%20the%20UK.pdf

To learn more about file sharing for your group, please visit:
http://help.yahoo.com/help/uk/groups/files

Regards,

jan_niechwiadowicz <jan_niechwiadowicz@...>

"The successful Polish attacks on Enigma before the II World War"

Individual Members of the Federation of Poles in Great Britain

Invite you to a presentation and discussion hosted by:

Mr John Gallehawk

Archivist with a particular interest in the Polish pioneering work on the
Enigma Cipher

Sunday 27 May 2007, 2.30 pm.

Bridge Room, 4th Floor, Polish Centre, King Street, Hammersmith, W6 0RF.

The talk will take place in English. Volunary contributions welcome upon
entry.

_________________________________________________________________
Txt a lot? Get Messenger FREE on your mobile.
https://livemessenger.mobile.uk.msn.com/

Hi Ursula,
We are making our way on Sunday 20 May 2007 at 10.00 from POSK to Bletchley
Park by car for a practice day for the guides.
Please let me know if you wish to come along.
Best wishes
Andrzej


>From: Ursula Kuczwalski <ukuc10@...>
>Reply-To: TOPAZklub1@...
>To: TOPAZklub1@...
>CC: atutkaj@...
>Subject: [TOPAZklub1] FW: Seeking Polish Guides for Polish Day at Bletchley
>Park: 3 June 2007
>Date: Wed, 16 May 2007 10:59:12 +0100 (BST)
>
>
>Dear Andrzej,
>
>In regard to Polish Day at Bletchley which takes place
>in a few weeks time. I was wondering on the progress
>of your suggestion sent earlier this year.
>
>If you have not had a response from the Topaz Group,
>could you kindly provide me with contact details of
>how I could get involved as a volunteer guide.
>Otherwise please could you forward my e-mail to the
>relevant person.
>
>With Many Thanks for your attention on this,
>
>Regards
>
>Ursula Kuczwalski
>
>
>-- Andrzej Tutkaj <atutkaj@...> wrote:
>
>  Hi all
>
>I think topaz should get involved with this:
>
>Best wishes
>Andrzej
>
>
>  >From: "John Gallehawk" <john.g47a@...>
>To: wlodck@...
>CC: atutkaj@...
>Subject: Seeking Polish Guides for Polish Day at
>Bletchley Park:3 June 2007
>Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2007 14:35:07 +0000
>
>________________________________________________________________
>Get Hotmail, News, Sport and Entertainment from MSN
>on your mobile.
>http://www.msn.txt4content.com/
>Greetings Mr Wier-Jedrzejowicz and both cc's.
>Yesterday I met Jan Mokritski at POSK and asked him
>whether we would be able to call upon some
>Polish-speaking Guides for the Polish Day at Bletchley
>Park which is planned to happen on 3rd June. We have
>Guides of course but since we hope to have many Polish
>visitors for this special event we would
>very much like to have some polish-speaking Guides.
>I was given your names
>and email addresses. I only hope I have the correct
>spelling, if I have not please forgive me and I will
>correct.
>I should be pleased to make contact with you and
>discuss how such guides could be trained at Bletchley
>on a day, with a script.
>I hope to hear from you,
>My Best regards,
>John Gallehawk
>
>
>
>
>       ___________________________________________________________
>Yahoo! Mail is the world's favourite email. Don't settle for less, sign up
>for
>your free account today
>http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/mail/winter07.html

_________________________________________________________________
Txt a lot? Get Messenger FREE on your mobile.
https://livemessenger.mobile.uk.msn.com/

Dear Andrzej,

In regard to Polish Day at Bletchley which takes place
in a few weeks time. I was wondering on the progress
of your suggestion sent earlier this year.

If you have not had a response from the Topaz Group,
could you kindly provide me with contact details of
how I could get involved as a volunteer guide.
Otherwise please could you forward my e-mail to the
relevant person.

With Many Thanks for your attention on this,

Regards

Ursula Kuczwalski


-- Andrzej Tutkaj <atutkaj@...> wrote:

  Hi all

I think topaz should get involved with this:

Best wishes
Andrzej


  >From: "John Gallehawk" <john.g47a@...>
To: wlodck@...
CC: atutkaj@...
Subject: Seeking Polish Guides for Polish Day at
Bletchley Park:3 June 2007
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2007 14:35:07 +0000

________________________________________________________________
Get Hotmail, News, Sport and Entertainment from MSN
on your mobile.
http://www.msn.txt4content.com/
Greetings Mr Wier-Jedrzejowicz and both cc's.
Yesterday I met Jan Mokritski at POSK and asked him
whether we would be able to call upon some
Polish-speaking Guides for the Polish Day at Bletchley
Park which is planned to happen on 3rd June. We have
Guides of course but since we hope to have many Polish
visitors for this special event we would
very much like to have some polish-speaking Guides.
I was given your names
and email addresses. I only hope I have the correct
spelling, if I have not please forgive me and I will
correct.
I should be pleased to make contact with you and
discuss how such guides could be trained at Bletchley
on a day, with a script.
I hope to hear from you,
My Best regards,
John Gallehawk




       ___________________________________________________________
Yahoo! Mail is the world's favourite email. Don't settle for less, sign up for
your free account today
http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/mail/winter07.html

Hi all

I think topaz should get involved with this:

Best wishes
Andrzej


>From: "John Gallehawk" <john.g47a@...>
>To: wlodck@...
>CC: atutkaj@...
>Subject: Seeking Polish Guides for Polish Day at Bletchley Park:3 June 2007
>Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2007 14:35:07 +0000
>

_________________________________________________________________
Get Hotmail, News, Sport and Entertainment from MSN on your mobile.
http://www.msn.txt4content.com/

Greetings Mr Wier-Jedrzejowicz and both cc's.
Yesterday I met Jan Mokritski at POSK and asked him whether we would be able
to call upon some Polish-speaking Guides for the Polish Day at Bletchley
Park which is planned to happen on 3rd June. We have Guides of course but
since we hope to have many Polish visitors for this special event we would
very much like to have some polish-speaking Guides. I was given your names
and email addresses. I only hope I have the correct spelling, if I have not
please forgive me and I will correct.
I should be pleased to make contact with you and discuss how such guides
could be trained at Bletchley on a day, with a script.
I hope to hear from you,
My Best regards,
John Gallehawk

Dear Group

First, my apologies for "barging in" to this group. I did explain to
the moderator why I wanted to join, and this is it...

I'm doing some work on behalf of Opinion Leader Research, who have
been commissioned by the UK Government to carry out some research
into how NHS registers (for GPs, dentists, etc.) can be made more
accessible and user-friendly for different sections of UK society.

I know this is last-minute, but we specifically need some respondents
of Polish origin to take part in a focus group tomorrow (20/07/06) in
London. The group will be between 2pm and 4pm and there is a
financial incentive to compensate you for your time. We did have a
full house but the heat seems to have decimated our numbers a
little...

You don't need to have used a register at all, or have any special
expertise - we just want your views. You do, however, need to have
been in the UK for 3+ years and be intending to stay "for the
forseeable future". Oh and you need to be 40+ years old.

If you're interested and would like to learn more, please do drop me
a line this evening - either reply to this address or email
silas.denyer@... and we'll get back to you asap.

Thanks ever so much once again. I can assure you I won't be attacking
this group with repeats of this post!

Best wishes

Silas Denyer
Director, TURNS | Powered by Performers (http://www.turns.net)

Fusion Magazine:
11/07/2006
www.fusionmagazine.co.uk
Letter of the week
Dear Fusion
As someone who was born in the UK of Polish parents, I wanted to question
some of Maria Kraszewska's criticisms of the British (W Skrocie-Ciagle
Pracuje). She criticises us for being arrogant, insincere and unaware of
what's going on in the rest of Europe. She also says that the UK would be a
better place if it was more open to people and there was more equality.
The UK has a long history of multiculturalism and absorbing great numbers of
people from all over the world. In contrast, Poland is mainly inhabited by
ethnic Poles, who in my experience are on the whole racist, anti-semitic,
prejuciced and closed in on themselves. I live in South Tottenham, which
has, over the last three or four years, become a Polish area. Whilst the
Poles are not by any means causing any major trouble, the area has been
totally transformed within a very short space of time. The newcomers
certainly seem to feel a sense of entitlement and equality, playing music
loud in their gardens, dumping large items of discarded furniture on our
pavements, pounding up and down the streets uttering the curse "kurwa" every
second word early in the morning and late at night.
I have a flat in Krakow and when I visit, I'm very careful to behave in a
discreet considerate manner, as befits an outsider in a foreign country. I
think if Maria was honest with herself, she would admit that no Polish
cities or regions would accept large numbers of people from other cultures
without a great deal of suspicion. Finally, while I undersatnd that Eastern
Europeans are coming to the UK in search of work, it would be nice to think
that they might wish, further doen the line, to contribute and take part in
British life in some other levels too.
Monika Bobinska

Editor's reply
Thank you for your letter, which refers to the Q & A in the Polish
supplement in Issue 17, in which Eastern Europeans are asked for their
thoughts on the UK, and life over here. These comments were Maria's personal
opinions and do not represent the opinions of Fusion Magazine or its staff.

Do you want to comment on any article you have read in fusion ?
Have you experienced something you would like to share with others ?
Is there any topic you would like us to cover?
Do you need help or advice?
Please send your feedback to:
letters@...

TOPAZ klub
Dear All,
My name is Victor Gonzalez. I am a lecturer and researcher in the area
of informatics. In the School of Informatics of the University of
Manchester, we are conducting a preliminary study to understand how
current information and communication technologies (ICTs) support the
needs of diaspora communities. We are particularly interested on the
case of people from Poland currently living in the United Kingdom. We
are conducting similar studies within the context of the relationship
USA-Mexico. We are requesting your support to complete a very brief
survey.

You can find the survey at:
http://freeonlinesurveys.com/rendersurvey.asp?sid=af9ygj99vmafuil193426

This survey aims to collect opinions about the feeling of being
connected to Poland among those living abroad. This is an initial
effort to understand the context of the Polish diaspora as well as its
patterns of contact with families and communities in Poland. We will
appreciate if you complete this brief survey. Please leave your email
address if you wish to receive a copy of the results.

Thanks for your support to this investigation. Please free to contact
me if you have any question about this research.

Best regards,

Victor



PS. Please feel free to forward this message to whoever you might
think will be interested.




--------------------------------------------------------

Dr. Victor M. Gonzalez
Lecturer
School of Informatics, University of Manchester
http://personalpages.manchester.ac.uk/staff/vmgonz/

Zaproszenie/Invitation

Topaz invites you to our fairy tale fancy dress party at the Drayton
Court Hotel 2, The Avenue, West Ealing, W13 8PH.   Fancy dress
optional but the more the merrier.  Tickets in advance are only £6!
(£8 on the door) Please email us if you would like to reserve a
ticket or send a cheque made out to TOPAZ to

TOPAZ
c/o POSK
238-246 King Street
London
W6 0RF

Please include your details including a contact telephone number with
any bookings made by post.

ZSAPWB members are most welcome too!

See you there!

TOPAZ zaprasza na impreze maskowa pod tytulem "bajeczna zabawa z
krainy basni i legend".   Impreza odbedzie sie w Sobote 6'ego Maja
2006 w  Drayton Court Hotel 2, The Avenue, West Ealing, W13 8PH.
Kostiumy nie sa obowiazkowe ale niestety sa mile widziane.  Bilety
mozna zarezerwowac i kosztuja tylko £6 w przedsprzedarzy! (£8 przy
drzwiach).  Prosze przeslac nam email azeby zarezerwowac bilety albo
czek na konto "TOPAZ" na ponizej dany adres:

TOPAZ
c/o POSK
238-246 King Street
London
W6 0RF

Prosze dolaczyc swoje szczegoly lub numer telefonu do rezerwacji
pocztowej.

Czlonkowie Zrzeszenia Studentow i Absolwentow sa mile widziani!

Do zobaczenia!

Location:
(200 metres from West Ealing Railway Station)
http://www.multimap.com/map/places.cgi?quicksearch=W138PH

http://topaz.org.uk
topazklub @ hotmail . com

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/politics_show/4719086.stm

West Midlands: Poles apart

   Patrick Burns
Political Editor West Midlands



View the Politics Show West Midlands


We all want wholesome food at affordable prices. So perhaps we choose not to
delve too deeply into how it finds its way to us.

But the Politics Show this week has a disturbing insight into conditions
facing thousands of workers here in our region.

Many of them are from the ten Eastern European countries which joined the EU
nearly two years ago.

Over 30,000 have registered to work in the West Midlands alone, two thirds
of them from Poland.

Many of them seek work picking and packing fruit and vegetables.

We hear from Dagmara, a young Polish woman who came to this country from the
northern coastal town of Koszalin.

Unemployment in Koszalin runs at 25% and she found it impossible to find
work.

A new world of opportunity opened in May 2004 when Poland joined the EU.

Britain, Ireland and Sweden were the three established EU member nations
which opened their labour markets to migrant workers from the new accession
nations to the east.

But Dagmara says the conditions waiting for her here were "terrible": 20
people sharing a room, sleeping on floorboards and sharing one toilet.

Even when there was no fruit picking work for them to do, they would still
have deductions from their pay to for their accommodation and transport.

Our reporter Sarah Thackray has been talking an employment lawyer who says
he deals with 20 cases like Dagmara's every week.

He says they are usually paid very low wages, sometimes below the minimum
wage, and given fake payslips by unscrupulous gang masters.

In two months' time, the Gangmasters Licensing Authority will be up and
running.

The government is consulting over four options to determine how far up the
food production chain the licensing system should apply.

The unions, farmers and many labour providers themselves favour what has
become known as "Option Four".

The toughest of the four options, it would mean labour providers right
across the food picking, processing and packaging industry would have to be
licensed.

But it is thought ministers may favour a more lenient option, "Option One",
which would apply only to those providing labour in picking and packing.

Those providing workers in processing and shelf-stacking would be exempt.

Warnings are coming from the unions and the licensing authority that if
option one were to be adopted, it would make it impossible for the authority
to do its job of helping to protect workers from exploitation.

The European Commission are urging other established member states to follow
the Britain, Ireland and Sweden's lead and open up their borders to migrant
workers.

But have they anticipated the dangers of exploitation raised by stories like
Dagmara's?

In a break with the line taken by Michael Howard during last year's general
election campaign, the Conservatives' employment spokesman in the European
Parliament, the West Midlands MEP Philip Bushill-Matthews has welcomed the
influx of eastern European workers.

Mr Bushill-Matthews is live on the programme ... as will be John Partridge
from the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU).

The TGWU took the lead in persuading the government to introduce the
Gangmasters' Licensing Authority in the first place.

Farm alarm

It has been described as the biggest shake-up in European farming subsidies
for 30 years.

120,000 farmers have applied for money under the new Single Payment Scheme,
the SPS.

Instead of subsidising farmers for what they produce, the new system is
based on how much land they have and how they use it.

The SPS replaces 10 earlier subsidy schemes so I theory it should be
simpler.

But introducing the complex computer software to implement it has slowed
everything down.

The old subsidy schemes used to start paying out from the beginning of
October.

But our farmers are still waiting for their "new" money, whereas the
counterparts throughout the rest of the EU, including Scotland, Wales and
Northern Ireland, have now received their first instalments.

It is no consolation to them to know that the money has already been paid
over from the EU to the British Government, the Department of Environment
Fisheries and Food (DEFRA) is still working to get the money out through
what it calls the "Payment Window".

DEFRA claims 96% of farmers will get their money before the window closes in
June 2006.

That is many months later than the farmers themselves have been accustomed
to.

Environment Correspondent David Gregory reports live from a dairy farm in
the Stafford constituency of the Labour MP David Kidney.

David Kidney is Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Agriculture and
Environment Minister, Elliot Morley.

The Politics Show

Join presenter Adrian Goldberg for the Politics Show on BBC One on Sunday19
February 2006 at Noon .

Dear members of TOPAZ.
I have set up an email address
tutkajnews@...
I have compiled a contact list of people who may be interested in receiving
information.
The articles will be mainly on the Polish Workers issue.
If anybody else in the group wishes to continue receiving these articles
then please write to me at:  tutkajnews@...
I will only concentrate on TOPAZ issues when writing to you via the  TOPAZ
email addresses.

I trust that you are all  in agreement.

Best wishes

Andrzej Tutkaj

http://www.spectator.co.uk/article.php?issue=2006-02-11&id=7329

The Spectator
Letters th the Editor.
Issue: 11 February 2006



Plight of the Poles

From Martin Oxley
Sir: Anthony Browne’s article suggests that demand from UK employers is
driving mass migration of new EU nationals to Britain (‘Invasion of the New
Europeans’, 28 January). The British Polish Chamber of Commerce can
certainly confirm this view. Last year the Chamber organised two recruitment
fairs for British companies and recruitment agencies, which attracted over
11,000 Poles interested in working in the UK. This year — because of growing
demand from British employers — we shall be organising at least five
recruitment fairs.

Yet the points made by Andrzej Tutkaj (‘The misery of the Polish newcomers’,
28 January) are also valid. Too many Poles get on a bus or plane (ten Polish
cities now have low-cost air routes to Britain) without much thought as to
what to do on arrival. These are the Poles who are most likely to end up in
the grey economy, their lack of English being exploited by unscrupulous
employers. A small minority end up homeless or become a burden to the social
resources of the post-war Polish émigré community.

Our message to Poles is simple: do not go to the UK looking for work if you
do not speak any English, or without a clear plan or an ample reserve of
cash. Better still, set off for the UK only if you have a signed employment
contract in your hand before leaving home, and know where you’ll be living
and how much you’ll be earning.

Should there be a limit? The free market and the democratic will of the
British people should decide.
Martin Oxley
Chief Executive Officer,
British Polish Chamber of Commerce,
Warsaw, Poland

From Dr Jan Mokrzycki
Sir: First of all let me congratulate you on Anthony Browne’s article. I
would, however, take issue with him on some points raised. It is
unreasonable to blame the immigrants for the lack of skills-training in the
UK. That particular trend has now existed for several years; immigrant Poles
did not create that system. Polish doctors, dentists and nurses are also
filling gaps in our overstretched NHS, and the UK’s gain here is Poland’s
loss. Hopefully, most of those people will eventually go back to Poland
enriched by experiencing a different culture and having acquired new skills
and new friends.

Mary Wakefield’s interview with Mr Tutkaj is another matter still. He is, of
course, entitled to his personal view, but this does not reflect the view of
the Federation of Poles. Yes, there are difficulties we have had to face. We
have had to deal with people who came over expecting instant success, we
even have a couple of hundred homeless Poles sleeping rough on the streets
of London. But Tutkaj has got this problem out of all proportion. Two or
even four hundred homeless out of an immigration of 500,000 is a fraction of
a per cent. The same applies to the odd fight. Poles and all the other
immigrants are humans, after all, and are therefore bound to contain a small
unruly element.
Jan Mokrzycki
President, Federation of Poles in Great Britain,
London W6

Andrzej

Just thought i'd post a message to say thanks for posting the news
articles on here. I find them interesting reading and I hope to see
more of them in the future.

Stan

>From: "Informator Polski ZPWB" <informator@...>
>Reply-To: "Informator Polski ZPWB" <informator@...>
>To: <atutkaj@...>
>Subject: Ciechanowski
>Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 15:27:09 -0000
>
>Centralne Kolo Czlonkow Indywidualnych
>Zaprasza na spotkanie ze znanym pisarzem, hitorykiem Prof. Janem
>Ciechanowskim.
>W srode 11go Stycznia o godz. 19.30.
>Sala Brydzowa POSKlubu. IV pietro.
>Posk 238 King Street LOndon W6 0RF
>Wstep Wolne datki.

http://www.cumberland-news.co.uk/news/viewarticle.aspx?id=313107

Flats fire highlights migrant labour boom
Published on 16/12/2005


Moving in: Chris Kupis left Poland and is now living in Carlisle
1 of 2   Prev | Next By Phil Coleman

CUMBRIA is witnessing a boom in its migrant worker population, with foreign
workers flocking to the county from eastern Europe.

The issue was highlighted last week after a fire ripped through Carlisle
flats housing up to 20 Slovakian and South African workers in the early
hours of Saturday.

Employers in the county are now regularly recruiting staff from Poland, the
Czech Republic, Latvia, and Portugal amid growing fears that some are being
exploited.

The growth in the migrant workforce has been accelerated by the enlargement
of the European Union and the opening of borders.

Workers who were previously trapped in the low-wage economies of Eastern
Europe have poured into Cumbria where they can earn ten or fifteen times as
much.

Union officials and staff at Carlisle’s Community Law Centre say there is
growing evidence that some migrant workers are being exploited.

GMB regional organiser Ged Caig said: “I reckon there are between 300 and
400 migrant workers in Carlisle, but there could be more. They’re typically
in their 20s and 30s, taking minimum-wage jobs which locals don’t want.

“It may seem a poor wage to us, but to somebody coming here from Poland or
Ukraine it’s far more than they earn at home. There are good landlords and
employers, but some workers are being exploited.

“These people are extremely vulnerable. Some landlords charge extortionate
amounts for digs. The workers don’t know employment law and some employers
deliberately keep them in the dark.

“I’ve no doubt there are breaches of minimum wage regulations. There are
very few migrants working just 40 hours a week, and some are working 80
hours a week.

“There are also shared house scenarios, with workers sharing rooms – some
working night shifts and the others day shifts.

“I know of a two-bedroom house in Carlisle where eight people were living. A
lot of migrants send money home to their family and live as frugally as
possible.”

Mike Bauer, of the law centre, said an increasing number of foreign workers
were asking for help.

Problems have included a failure to pay the minimum wage – sometimes legally
by using loopholes – and employers who deny their staff the minimum 20-days’
holidayt.

Jackie Atwood, a reputable recruitment agent based in Keswick, who recruits
via the internet, hears from hundreds of would-be migrants every week. Most
are from Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and the Czech Republic.

She said: “I expected an influx, but I never expected the number of people
we’re seeing now.

“In the Ukraine a good wage would be £80 a month but the average is probably
half that.

“I found highly trained people – like vets and lawyers – who came over to
work in hotel kitchens earning the minimum wage, plus meals and
accommodation.

In October last year, Carlisle City Council officials discovered 22 Polish
workers living in a house in Currock.

Government figures revealed that more than 2,000 migrant workers came to
Cumbria in 2003-2004, helping solve the worker shortage at factories such as
Cavaghan & Gray in Carlisle and Cumbrian Seafoods in Maryport.

Carlisle MP Eric Martlew yesterday welcomed the contribution of the workers,
but warned employers to not turn their back on local workers. “That could
breed resentment,” said the MP.

Polish Pirelli worker Christopher Kudis, 33, living in a shared house in
Chiswick Street, Carlisle, said: “It’s a better life here. In Poland, I
could earn no more than £150. Here I earn £1,200 a month.”

His neighbour Steve Mulvey, 52, said: “They’re smashing people – very
polite, and never bothering anyone.”

Alistair Johnston, owner of the house burned down in Chatsworth Square,
Carlisle, said his property was being managed by recruitment firm LP and
Associates. He found alternative accommodation for the 13 workers left
homeless.

http://www.cumberland-news.co.uk/news/viewarticle.aspx?id=313107

Flats fire highlights migrant labour boom
Published on 16/12/2005


Moving in: Chris Kupis left Poland and is now living in Carlisle
1 of 2   Prev | Next By Phil Coleman

CUMBRIA is witnessing a boom in its migrant worker population, with foreign
workers flocking to the county from eastern Europe.

The issue was highlighted last week after a fire ripped through Carlisle
flats housing up to 20 Slovakian and South African workers in the early
hours of Saturday.

Employers in the county are now regularly recruiting staff from Poland, the
Czech Republic, Latvia, and Portugal amid growing fears that some are being
exploited.

The growth in the migrant workforce has been accelerated by the enlargement
of the European Union and the opening of borders.

Workers who were previously trapped in the low-wage economies of Eastern
Europe have poured into Cumbria where they can earn ten or fifteen times as
much.

Union officials and staff at Carlisle’s Community Law Centre say there is
growing evidence that some migrant workers are being exploited.

GMB regional organiser Ged Caig said: “I reckon there are between 300 and
400 migrant workers in Carlisle, but there could be more. They’re typically
in their 20s and 30s, taking minimum-wage jobs which locals don’t want.

“It may seem a poor wage to us, but to somebody coming here from Poland or
Ukraine it’s far more than they earn at home. There are good landlords and
employers, but some workers are being exploited.

“These people are extremely vulnerable. Some landlords charge extortionate
amounts for digs. The workers don’t know employment law and some employers
deliberately keep them in the dark.

“I’ve no doubt there are breaches of minimum wage regulations. There are
very few migrants working just 40 hours a week, and some are working 80
hours a week.

“There are also shared house scenarios, with workers sharing rooms – some
working night shifts and the others day shifts.

“I know of a two-bedroom house in Carlisle where eight people were living. A
lot of migrants send money home to their family and live as frugally as
possible.”

Mike Bauer, of the law centre, said an increasing number of foreign workers
were asking for help.

Problems have included a failure to pay the minimum wage – sometimes legally
by using loopholes – and employers who deny their staff the minimum 20-days’
holidayt.

Jackie Atwood, a reputable recruitment agent based in Keswick, who recruits
via the internet, hears from hundreds of would-be migrants every week. Most
are from Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and the Czech Republic.

She said: “I expected an influx, but I never expected the number of people
we’re seeing now.

“In the Ukraine a good wage would be £80 a month but the average is probably
half that.

“I found highly trained people – like vets and lawyers – who came over to
work in hotel kitchens earning the minimum wage, plus meals and
accommodation.

In October last year, Carlisle City Council officials discovered 22 Polish
workers living in a house in Currock.

Government figures revealed that more than 2,000 migrant workers came to
Cumbria in 2003-2004, helping solve the worker shortage at factories such as
Cavaghan & Gray in Carlisle and Cumbrian Seafoods in Maryport.

Carlisle MP Eric Martlew yesterday welcomed the contribution of the workers,
but warned employers to not turn their back on local workers. “That could
breed resentment,” said the MP.

Polish Pirelli worker Christopher Kudis, 33, living in a shared house in
Chiswick Street, Carlisle, said: “It’s a better life here. In Poland, I
could earn no more than £150. Here I earn £1,200 a month.”

His neighbour Steve Mulvey, 52, said: “They’re smashing people – very
polite, and never bothering anyone.”

Alistair Johnston, owner of the house burned down in Chatsworth Square,
Carlisle, said his property was being managed by recruitment firm LP and
Associates. He found alternative accommodation for the 13 workers left
homeless.

http://www.cumberland-news.co.uk/opinion/viewarticle.aspx?id=313111

Why we should welcome migrants
Published on 16/12/2005

THE fact that there are increasing numbers of foreign workers in Carlisle is
already evident on the streets, where it is now not uncommon to hear Czech,
Slovakian and Polish being spoken.

There is reason to expect that this influx will be good for Cumbria’s
economy. But equally there is the danger that it will be at a cost to some
of those migrants who come here only to find themselves exploited by
employers and landlords.

A report by the Institute of Public Policy Research last month argued that
far from the UK being over-run by a tide of workers from eastern Europe as
some feared, we may find that there will be too few low skilled migrants to
meet the needs of the economy.

Since Poland, the Czech Republic and six other countries joined the EU last
year more than 290,000 eastern Europeans have applied to work in Britain,
most in low skilled manual trades such as in factories, kitchens,
warehouses, as cleaners and farm workers. Most are single men aged 18 to 34.

Rather than competing with locals for low skilled, low wage jobs there is
evidence nationally that migrant workers have taken jobs others would not –
in agriculture for example there has been increased job growth as a result.

Cumbria has low unemployment but its migrant workers are finding plenty of
low wage work, so filling a demand.

As the county moves towards increasing the skill level of the workforce,
lower paid jobs such as cleaning will still need to be done.

This may be good news for Cumbria but we have a duty to make sure that
migrant workers – who, after all, are only coming here because of poverty
wages in their home countries – are not exploited.

It is alarming that already – just 19 months after European Union expansion
– local union officials and Carlisle Law Society are reporting growing
evidence that some migrant workers are being paid below the minimum wage and
over-charged for accommodation.

As Ged Caig, GMB regional organiser, says: “These people are extremely
vulnerable.” While reaping the benefits from migrant workers, Cumbria must
also make sure that they receive the protection afforded to every other
employee in our community.

Jan Mokrzycki, the President of the Federation of Poles in GB  is to be
interviewed live on Sky News tonight at around 21.00 hours GMT about the EU
budget arguments.
Today's Radio programme "You and Yours" about the UK gangmaster legislation
and Polish workers  can be listened to again  via the BBC Radio 4 Web site.

Dr Jan Mokrzycki was interviewed today by ta BBC Radio 4 Team.
Apparently, the interview will be aired tomorrow Thursday 15.12.2005 at just
after  12.00 noon GMT as part of the You and Yours programme on Polish
workers.
You can listen tp the programme Live on air on:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/coventry_warwickshire/4521220.stm

Murder suspect arrested in Poland
A man wanted in connection with the death of a Polish man in Warwickshire
has been arrested in Poland.
Ryszard Sawczyk, 32, is believed to have been murdered at an address in
Evans Road, Rugby, in October.

Mariusz Szpyt, 22, who had been wanted in connection with the death, was
arrested in Gubin during the last few days and is now in custody in Poland.

Mr Sawczyk's body was found inside a Volkswagen Golf on a minor road in the
Quantock Hills near Taunton,Somerset.

Arrangements are now being made to return Mr Szpyt to England.

'Legal discussions'

He and his wife Andzelika, who have a five-year-old son Pawel, had come from
the town of Szczecin in Poland where Ryszard worked for a wine and spirits
company.

He was working in England as an agricultural labourer when he went missing
earlier this year.

Detectives investigating his murder had been liaising with Interpol and
police in Poland as part of efforts to trace Mr Szpyt.

Det Chief Supt Ken Lawrence, leading the inquiry, said: "We are now involved
in legal discussions with the Crown Prosecution Service and Interpol to
arrange the return of Mr Szpyt to the United Kingdom in connection with the
death of Ryszard Sawczyk.

"It is unclear at this early stage how long the legal process will take but
obviously we are keen to speak to him as soon as possible."

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/9d14b8ea-6b3b-11da-8aee-0000779e2340.html

Poland to examine claims of secret CIA jails
By Jan Cienski in Warsaw
Published: December 12 2005 18:32 | Last updated: December 12 2005 18:32

The Polish government is launching an inquiry into whether the country
hosted Central Intelligence Agency prisons on its territory, Kazimierz
Marcinkiewicz, the prime minister, announced on Monday.

The charge by US-based Human Rights Watch that the US intelligence agency
kept prisoners accused of terrorism in Poland has been consistently rejected
by Aleksander Kwasniewski, the Polish president.


However, local media have uncovered evidence that US aircraft were stopping
at Szymany, an obscure airport in northern Poland.


On Saturday, the Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper quoted airport workers saying a
US Gulfstream executive jet used the airport in December 2002, and three
times more in 2003, when a Boeing 737 also landed at the airport.


The workers said that the aircraft did not refuel and were met on the tarmac
by buses with darkened windows, apparently from a nearby military base at
Stare Kielkuty, which is used for intelligence training.


According to the Polish edition of Newsweek, a senior official in the office
of Mr Marcinkiewicz refused to deny press reports about a secret prison.


Mr Kwasniewski has said many times that there are not and never have been
CIA prisons or prisoners held on Polish territory, although he has left open
the possibility that US aircraft could have made brief stops at Polish
airports.


“I trust the words of Aleksander Kwasniewski, who has expressed himself very
clearly on this issue,” Mr Marcinkiewicz said on Monday, adding that the
Polish investigation will be completed by next week. Poland will not rely on
any outside agencies in the probe, he added. The revelations come at a
sensitive time for Poland, which is engaged in high-stakes negotiations over
the future European Union budget.


Government officials have also warned that such stories could lead
terrorists to take an interest in Poland.


■The UK government yesterday said it had no evidence that the US
administration had been transporting terrorism suspects through British
airports, Frederick Studemann reports from London.


Jack Straw, British foreign secretary, said that after careful examination
of government records he was “as certain as can be” that there were no US
requests for flights carrying suspects to land in the UK.


Menzies Campbell, foreign affairs spokesman of the opposition Liberal
Democrats, said Mr Straw’s assurances were unsatisfactory.


“Because there are no records and because there are no requests, this
doesn’t mean to say extraordinary rendition may not have been taking place,”
he said.

http://www.4ni.co.uk/industrynews.asp?id=46820

12 December 2005
Polish national remanded on driving charges



A Polish man has been remanded in custody in relation to a series of driving
charges.
Adam Piwowarczyk, 25, of no fixed address, was charged with causing death by
dangerous driving, causing grievous bodily harm and driving while under the
influence of drink or drugs.
The charges relate to a crash near Ballynure on the Larne Road on December
2.
One man, 33-year old Matthew Johnston, was killed and three other people
were injured in the collision. One remains critically ill, one seriously
ill, and a third has since been released from hospital.
Mr Piwowarczyk was remanded in custody to appear again on January 9.
(SP/KMcA)

http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/12/12/business/strike.php

For Irish, Latvians fill role of bogeymen
By Brian Lavery International Herald Tribune

MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2005


DUBLIN When nearly 100,000 people took to the streets of Ireland to protest
the hiring of cheap East European labor for Irish Ferries, they gave voice
to old familiar fears about job security that many thought had been
forgotten.

The last time similar crowds demonstrated here over industrial issues was
1979, when young people left the country in droves to find work and
Ireland's unemployment rate hovered around 20 percent.

Today, the Irish economy is no longer expanding at the double-digit rates of
the 1990s, when it was dubbed the "Celtic Tiger," but it is still the
fastest-growing in Western Europe and enjoys nearly full employment.

But the emotional outpouring of support for more than 500 unionized workers
of Irish Ferries who will be replaced by new workers, mainly from Latvia and
working at less than half Ireland's minimum wage, is raising questions about
whether the tolerance for globalization that helped bolster the Irish
economy is waning.

"We have been a major beneficiary of outsourcing for the last couple of
decades," said Jim Power, chief economist at Friends First, an Irish
subsidiary of the Dutch financial services firm Eureko, "and now people are
starting to see that it's a double-edged sword."

Sean Barrett, a professor of economics at Trinity College Dublin, said, "The
Latvian sailor will become like the Polish plumber in Paris." He was
referring to the jack-of-all-trades bogeyman invoked by French politicians
to try and keep the labor market closed to foreign workers.

That prospect is starting to worry immigrant support groups, who say that
the ferry dispute comes at a critical time for newly arrived foreigners
here. Bobby Gilmore, chairman of the Migrant Rights Center, a Dublin-based
nonprofit organization, said the dispute threatens to damage communities
that are trying to settle into a life in Ireland and seeking a new identity
for themselves.

"They're beginning to see and understand that they're as vital to the Irish
economy as anyone else," Gilmore said.

When the European Union expanded last year to include 10 new countries,
mostly from the former Soviet bloc, Ireland, along with Britain, proudly
kept its doors wide open to new immigrants while other countries, like
France, sought to stem an influx of new, competitive labor. Of the 96,000
people who entered the Irish work force last year, 40,000 were migrants,
mostly from Central and Eastern Europe, according to the government
statistics office.

Young Poles and other East Europeans, most of whom are well-educated, man
construction sites, wait tables and work cash registers across the country.

Up to now, that influx has not caused any local resentment, because the
newcomers have not taken Irish jobs. The tens of thousands of people who
marched to the gates of the Irish Parliament on Friday, however, were
demonstrating against the perception that that era may be coming to a close.

Plans by the shipping and passenger ferryboat company to register its ships
in Cyprus so that it can replace its seafaring staff with Latvians who will
work for 3.60, or $4.30, an hour triggered a nasty dispute that started
three months ago. Passengers have been repeatedly stranded at sea as
sympathetic dock workers in Ireland and Wales refused to handle Irish
Ferries' ships. In a gesture of protest, four crewmen locked themselves
inside one ship's cabin three weeks ago, and have been there since. The
company sent undercover security officers onboard posing as passengers but
denied reports that it had considered using tear gas against staff who
refused to leave the boats.

The movement was reminiscent of a labor standoff in France in October that
triggered strong protests among unionized ferry workers and garnered the
support of the French public, which was already concerned about high
unemployment and outsourcing. The government's effort to privatize SNCM
Ferries, which would have resulted in laying off about a fourth of its 2,400
employees, ultimately ended with a compromise that left the French state
with a 25 percent stake in the company.

As the ferry dispute unfolded in Ireland, it began to generate widespread
public sympathy for Irish workers. Thousands of people lined the protest
route last week to applaud the demonstrators - a showing of support that
union activists said they had never seen before. The prime minister, Bertie
Ahern, who is known as a skilled negotiator in labor disputes, condemned
Irish Ferries' decision as "deplorable."

But unions are concerned that public support may be for the wrong reasons.
"The sad thing is that some of it may be racist," said Paul Smyth, the docks
and marine branch secretary for Ireland's largest union, SIPTU, which is
currently in negotiations with Irish Ferries. "That's a huge issue of
concern."

On radio call-in shows, and in hushed conversations on the fringes of the
protest marches, there were signs that people support the Irish Ferries
workers because they are Irish.

Barrett said: "We've let the racist genie out of the bottle. It can create a
lot of trouble, and we haven't seen it before."

Gilmore said he feared that migrants in other industries, and in Ireland's
growing black economy, would suffer worsening conditions if Irish Ferries
successfully employs cheap labor from Latvia, and if other employers become
tempted to follow the company's lead.

The dispute may also have implications for Ireland's 20-year-old "social
partnership" model of industrial relations, which uses broad pacts among
unions, employers' bodies and the government to guarantee modest annual wage
increases in return for promises to refrain from the strikes that often
cripple other European countries. The current pact expires next year, but
SIPTU says it will not negotiate a new deal if the Irish Ferries situation
is not resolved.

"Social partnership seems to have come up short," Power, of Friends First,
said. "This dispute does not send out very positive signals about the
industrial relations climate in this country."

That climate remained positive while Ireland enjoyed the benefits of
globalization. In the last decade, its economy has lost tens of thousands of
manufacturing jobs to cheaper locations overseas - destroying the storied
Irish textile industry in the process - but the arrival of international
services and technology companies far outweighed any losses.

Now the docked ferries are highlighting the negative side of being a part of
the interlinked world economy. The difference between Irish and Latvian
wages is "the most visible manifestation" of globalization on the Irish
economy, Power said.

DUBLIN When nearly 100,000 people took to the streets of Ireland to protest
the hiring of cheap East European labor for Irish Ferries, they gave voice
to old familiar fears about job security that many thought had been
forgotten.

The last time similar crowds demonstrated here over industrial issues was
1979, when young people left the country in droves to find work and
Ireland's unemployment rate hovered around 20 percent.

Today, the Irish economy is no longer expanding at the double-digit rates of
the 1990s, when it was dubbed the "Celtic Tiger," but it is still the
fastest-growing in Western Europe and enjoys nearly full employment.

But the emotional outpouring of support for more than 500 unionized workers
of Irish Ferries who will be replaced by new workers, mainly from Latvia and
working at less than half Ireland's minimum wage, is raising questions about
whether the tolerance for globalization that helped bolster the Irish
economy is waning.

"We have been a major beneficiary of outsourcing for the last couple of
decades," said Jim Power, chief economist at Friends First, an Irish
subsidiary of the Dutch financial services firm Eureko, "and now people are
starting to see that it's a double-edged sword."

Sean Barrett, a professor of economics at Trinity College Dublin, said, "The
Latvian sailor will become like the Polish plumber in Paris." He was
referring to the jack-of-all-trades bogeyman invoked by French politicians
to try and keep the labor market closed to foreign workers.

That prospect is starting to worry immigrant support groups, who say that
the ferry dispute comes at a critical time for newly arrived foreigners
here. Bobby Gilmore, chairman of the Migrant Rights Center, a Dublin-based
nonprofit organization, said the dispute threatens to damage communities
that are trying to settle into a life in Ireland and seeking a new identity
for themselves.

"They're beginning to see and understand that they're as vital to the Irish
economy as anyone else," Gilmore said.

When the European Union expanded last year to include 10 new countries,
mostly from the former Soviet bloc, Ireland, along with Britain, proudly
kept its doors wide open to new immigrants while other countries, like
France, sought to stem an influx of new, competitive labor. Of the 96,000
people who entered the Irish work force last year, 40,000 were migrants,
mostly from Central and Eastern Europe, according to the government
statistics office.

Young Poles and other East Europeans, most of whom are well-educated, man
construction sites, wait tables and work cash registers across the country.

Up to now, that influx has not caused any local resentment, because the
newcomers have not taken Irish jobs. The tens of thousands of people who
marched to the gates of the Irish Parliament on Friday, however, were
demonstrating against the perception that that era may be coming to a close.

Plans by the shipping and passenger ferryboat company to register its ships
in Cyprus so that it can replace its seafaring staff with Latvians who will
work for 3.60, or $4.30, an hour triggered a nasty dispute that started
three months ago. Passengers have been repeatedly stranded at sea as
sympathetic dock workers in Ireland and Wales refused to handle Irish
Ferries' ships. In a gesture of protest, four crewmen locked themselves
inside one ship's cabin three weeks ago, and have been there since. The
company sent undercover security officers onboard posing as passengers but
denied reports that it had considered using tear gas against staff who
refused to leave the boats.

The movement was reminiscent of a labor standoff in France in October that
triggered strong protests among unionized ferry workers and garnered the
support of the French public, which was already concerned about high
unemployment and outsourcing. The government's effort to privatize SNCM
Ferries, which would have resulted in laying off about a fourth of its 2,400
employees, ultimately ended with a compromise that left the French state
with a 25 percent stake in the company.

As the ferry dispute unfolded in Ireland, it began to generate widespread
public sympathy for Irish workers. Thousands of people lined the protest
route last week to applaud the demonstrators - a showing of support that
union activists said they had never seen before. The prime minister, Bertie
Ahern, who is known as a skilled negotiator in labor disputes, condemned
Irish Ferries' decision as "deplorable."

But unions are concerned that public support may be for the wrong reasons.
"The sad thing is that some of it may be racist," said Paul Smyth, the docks
and marine branch secretary for Ireland's largest union, SIPTU, which is
currently in negotiations with Irish Ferries. "That's a huge issue of
concern."

On radio call-in shows, and in hushed conversations on the fringes of the
protest marches, there were signs that people support the Irish Ferries
workers because they are Irish.

Barrett said: "We've let the racist genie out of the bottle. It can create a
lot of trouble, and we haven't seen it before."

Gilmore said he feared that migrants in other industries, and in Ireland's
growing black economy, would suffer worsening conditions if Irish Ferries
successfully employs cheap labor from Latvia, and if other employers become
tempted to follow the company's lead.

The dispute may also have implications for Ireland's 20-year-old "social
partnership" model of industrial relations, which uses broad pacts among
unions, employers' bodies and the government to guarantee modest annual wage
increases in return for promises to refrain from the strikes that often
cripple other European countries. The current pact expires next year, but
SIPTU says it will not negotiate a new deal if the Irish Ferries situation
is not resolved.

"Social partnership seems to have come up short," Power, of Friends First,
said. "This dispute does not send out very positive signals about the
industrial relations climate in this country."

That climate remained positive while Ireland enjoyed the benefits of
globalization. In the last decade, its economy has lost tens of thousands of
manufacturing jobs to cheaper locations overseas - destroying the storied
Irish textile industry in the process - but the arrival of international
services and technology companies far outweighed any losses.

Now the docked ferries are highlighting the negative side of being a part of
the interlinked world economy. The difference between Irish and Latvian
wages is "the most visible manifestation" of globalization on the Irish
economy, Power said.

DUBLIN When nearly 100,000 people took to the streets of Ireland to protest
the hiring of cheap East European labor for Irish Ferries, they gave voice
to old familiar fears about job security that many thought had been
forgotten.

The last time similar crowds demonstrated here over industrial issues was
1979, when young people left the country in droves to find work and
Ireland's unemployment rate hovered around 20 percent.

Today, the Irish economy is no longer expanding at the double-digit rates of
the 1990s, when it was dubbed the "Celtic Tiger," but it is still the
fastest-growing in Western Europe and enjoys nearly full employment.

But the emotional outpouring of support for more than 500 unionized workers
of Irish Ferries who will be replaced by new workers, mainly from Latvia and
working at less than half Ireland's minimum wage, is raising questions about
whether the tolerance for globalization that helped bolster the Irish
economy is waning.

"We have been a major beneficiary of outsourcing for the last couple of
decades," said Jim Power, chief economist at Friends First, an Irish
subsidiary of the Dutch financial services firm Eureko, "and now people are
starting to see that it's a double-edged sword."

Sean Barrett, a professor of economics at Trinity College Dublin, said, "The
Latvian sailor will become like the Polish plumber in Paris." He was
referring to the jack-of-all-trades bogeyman invoked by French politicians
to try and keep the labor market closed to foreign workers.

That prospect is starting to worry immigrant support groups, who say that
the ferry dispute comes at a critical time for newly arrived foreigners
here. Bobby Gilmore, chairman of the Migrant Rights Center, a Dublin-based
nonprofit organization, said the dispute threatens to damage communities
that are trying to settle into a life in Ireland and seeking a new identity
for themselves.

"They're beginning to see and understand that they're as vital to the Irish
economy as anyone else," Gilmore said.

When the European Union expanded last year to include 10 new countries,
mostly from the former Soviet bloc, Ireland, along with Britain, proudly
kept its doors wide open to new immigrants while other countries, like
France, sought to stem an influx of new, competitive labor. Of the 96,000
people who entered the Irish work force last year, 40,000 were migrants,
mostly from Central and Eastern Europe, according to the government
statistics office.

Young Poles and other East Europeans, most of whom are well-educated, man
construction sites, wait tables and work cash registers across the country.

Up to now, that influx has not caused any local resentment, because the
newcomers have not taken Irish jobs. The tens of thousands of people who
marched to the gates of the Irish Parliament on Friday, however, were
demonstrating against the perception that that era may be coming to a close.

Plans by the shipping and passenger ferryboat company to register its ships
in Cyprus so that it can replace its seafaring staff with Latvians who will
work for 3.60, or $4.30, an hour triggered a nasty dispute that started
three months ago. Passengers have been repeatedly stranded at sea as
sympathetic dock workers in Ireland and Wales refused to handle Irish
Ferries' ships. In a gesture of protest, four crewmen locked themselves
inside one ship's cabin three weeks ago, and have been there since. The
company sent undercover security officers onboard posing as passengers but
denied reports that it had considered using tear gas against staff who
refused to leave the boats.

The movement was reminiscent of a labor standoff in France in October that
triggered strong protests among unionized ferry workers and garnered the
support of the French public, which was already concerned about high
unemployment and outsourcing. The government's effort to privatize SNCM
Ferries, which would have resulted in laying off about a fourth of its 2,400
employees, ultimately ended with a compromise that left the French state
with a 25 percent stake in the company.

As the ferry dispute unfolded in Ireland, it began to generate widespread
public sympathy for Irish workers. Thousands of people lined the protest
route last week to applaud the demonstrators - a showing of support that
union activists said they had never seen before. The prime minister, Bertie
Ahern, who is known as a skilled negotiator in labor disputes, condemned
Irish Ferries' decision as "deplorable."

But unions are concerned that public support may be for the wrong reasons.
"The sad thing is that some of it may be racist," said Paul Smyth, the docks
and marine branch secretary for Ireland's largest union, SIPTU, which is
currently in negotiations with Irish Ferries. "That's a huge issue of
concern."

On radio call-in shows, and in hushed conversations on the fringes of the
protest marches, there were signs that people support the Irish Ferries
workers because they are Irish.

Barrett said: "We've let the racist genie out of the bottle. It can create a
lot of trouble, and we haven't seen it before."

Gilmore said he feared that migrants in other industries, and in Ireland's
growing black economy, would suffer worsening conditions if Irish Ferries
successfully employs cheap labor from Latvia, and if other employers become
tempted to follow the company's lead.

The dispute may also have implications for Ireland's 20-year-old "social
partnership" model of industrial relations, which uses broad pacts among
unions, employers' bodies and the government to guarantee modest annual wage
increases in return for promises to refrain from the strikes that often
cripple other European countries. The current pact expires next year, but
SIPTU says it will not negotiate a new deal if the Irish Ferries situation
is not resolved.

"Social partnership seems to have come up short," Power, of Friends First,
said. "This dispute does not send out very positive signals about the
industrial relations climate in this country."

That climate remained positive while Ireland enjoyed the benefits of
globalization. In the last decade, its economy has lost tens of thousands of
manufacturing jobs to cheaper locations overseas - destroying the storied
Irish textile industry in the process - but the arrival of international
services and technology companies far outweighed any losses.

Now the docked ferries are highlighting the negative side of being a part of
the interlinked world economy. The difference between Irish and Latvian
wages is "the most visible manifestation" of globalization on the Irish
economy, Power said.

DUBLIN When nearly 100,000 people took to the streets of Ireland to protest
the hiring of cheap East European labor for Irish Ferries, they gave voice
to old familiar fears about job security that many thought had been
forgotten.

The last time similar crowds demonstrated here over industrial issues was
1979, when young people left the country in droves to find work and
Ireland's unemployment rate hovered around 20 percent.

Today, the Irish economy is no longer expanding at the double-digit rates of
the 1990s, when it was dubbed the "Celtic Tiger," but it is still the
fastest-growing in Western Europe and enjoys nearly full employment.

But the emotional outpouring of support for more than 500 unionized workers
of Irish Ferries who will be replaced by new workers, mainly from Latvia and
working at less than half Ireland's minimum wage, is raising questions about
whether the tolerance for globalization that helped bolster the Irish
economy is waning.

"We have been a major beneficiary of outsourcing for the last couple of
decades," said Jim Power, chief economist at Friends First, an Irish
subsidiary of the Dutch financial services firm Eureko, "and now people are
starting to see that it's a double-edged sword."

Sean Barrett, a professor of economics at Trinity College Dublin, said, "The
Latvian sailor will become like the Polish plumber in Paris." He was
referring to the jack-of-all-trades bogeyman invoked by French politicians
to try and keep the labor market closed to foreign workers.

That prospect is starting to worry immigrant support groups, who say that
the ferry dispute comes at a critical time for newly arrived foreigners
here. Bobby Gilmore, chairman of the Migrant Rights Center, a Dublin-based
nonprofit organization, said the dispute threatens to damage communities
that are trying to settle into a life in Ireland and seeking a new identity
for themselves.

"They're beginning to see and understand that they're as vital to the Irish
economy as anyone else," Gilmore said.

When the European Union expanded last year to include 10 new countries,
mostly from the former Soviet bloc, Ireland, along with Britain, proudly
kept its doors wide open to new immigrants while other countries, like
France, sought to stem an influx of new, competitive labor. Of the 96,000
people who entered the Irish work force last year, 40,000 were migrants,
mostly from Central and Eastern Europe, according to the government
statistics office.

Young Poles and other East Europeans, most of whom are well-educated, man
construction sites, wait tables and work cash registers across the country.

Up to now, that influx has not caused any local resentment, because the
newcomers have not taken Irish jobs. The tens of thousands of people who
marched to the gates of the Irish Parliament on Friday, however, were
demonstrating against the perception that that era may be coming to a close.

Plans by the shipping and passenger ferryboat company to register its ships
in Cyprus so that it can replace its seafaring staff with Latvians who will
work for 3.60, or $4.30, an hour triggered a nasty dispute that started
three months ago. Passengers have been repeatedly stranded at sea as
sympathetic dock workers in Ireland and Wales refused to handle Irish
Ferries' ships. In a gesture of protest, four crewmen locked themselves
inside one ship's cabin three weeks ago, and have been there since. The
company sent undercover security officers onboard posing as passengers but
denied reports that it had considered using tear gas against staff who
refused to leave the boats.

The movement was reminiscent of a labor standoff in France in October that
triggered strong protests among unionized ferry workers and garnered the
support of the French public, which was already concerned about high
unemployment and outsourcing. The government's effort to privatize SNCM
Ferries, which would have resulted in laying off about a fourth of its 2,400
employees, ultimately ended with a compromise that left the French state
with a 25 percent stake in the company.

As the ferry dispute unfolded in Ireland, it began to generate widespread
public sympathy for Irish workers. Thousands of people lined the protest
route last week to applaud the demonstrators - a showing of support that
union activists said they had never seen before. The prime minister, Bertie
Ahern, who is known as a skilled negotiator in labor disputes, condemned
Irish Ferries' decision as "deplorable."

But unions are concerned that public support may be for the wrong reasons.
"The sad thing is that some of it may be racist," said Paul Smyth, the docks
and marine branch secretary for Ireland's largest union, SIPTU, which is
currently in negotiations with Irish Ferries. "That's a huge issue of
concern."

On radio call-in shows, and in hushed conversations on the fringes of the
protest marches, there were signs that people support the Irish Ferries
workers because they are Irish.

Barrett said: "We've let the racist genie out of the bottle. It can create a
lot of trouble, and we haven't seen it before."

Gilmore said he feared that migrants in other industries, and in Ireland's
growing black economy, would suffer worsening conditions if Irish Ferries
successfully employs cheap labor from Latvia, and if other employers become
tempted to follow the company's lead.

The dispute may also have implications for Ireland's 20-year-old "social
partnership" model of industrial relations, which uses broad pacts among
unions, employers' bodies and the government to guarantee modest annual wage
increases in return for promises to refrain from the strikes that often
cripple other European countries. The current pact expires next year, but
SIPTU says it will not negotiate a new deal if the Irish Ferries situation
is not resolved.

"Social partnership seems to have come up short," Power, of Friends First,
said. "This dispute does not send out very positive signals about the
industrial relations climate in this country."

That climate remained positive while Ireland enjoyed the benefits of
globalization. In the last decade, its economy has lost tens of thousands of
manufacturing jobs to cheaper locations overseas - destroying the storied
Irish textile industry in the process - but the arrival of international
services and technology companies far outweighed any losses.

Now the docked ferries are highlighting the negative side of being a part of
the interlinked world economy. The difference between Irish and Latvian
wages is "the most visible manifestation" of globalization on the Irish
economy, Power said.