The parliamentary election in the Republic of Ireland last Thursday took place in the shadow of an enormously deep economic recession. The new government will have to make incredibly tough and painful decisions. The worst possible scenario is what we saw in the streets of Greece in recent times. Our country has also been affected by economic problems – there…

1989 was a year when the nations of Eastern Europe one by one overthrew communist regimes, dependent on the Soviet Union, and recovered their countries for themselves. The downfall of communism started in Poland, although the best known sign of that process was the fall of the Berlin Wall. I remember the parliamentary election in Poland in 1989; the first…

I suppose we all remember the scandal about MPs’ expenses. Most of them were embarrassed or ashamed. One of the most common excuses and justifications was that they had not broken the law. Seemingly they are right because except for a couple of them (so far) no one else has been prosecuted and sentenced. Sometimes I have the impression that…

Every morning I have a roll spread with butter and jam for my breakfast. There is nothing particularly special about this unless you take into account that most butters on the market have added salt. I found this out while having my first breakfast on Scottish soil. Salt and jam are not a tasty combination. Since then I’ve been carefully…

For last few weeks the media informed us about controversial bank bonuses. Astonishment, bitterness, resentment and anger roused among many ordinary people struggling for living. The top bankers seem to be the only people in the UK unaware of austerity. Apparently the only driving force of that system is a rampant lust for money. One of the arguments raised to…