Federation of Poles letter to Prime Minister

ZJEDNOCZENIE POLSKIE W WIELKIEJ BRYTANII.
FEDERATION OF POLES IN GREAT BRITAIN C.1.0.
240 King Street, London W6
E-mail: office@zpwb.org.uk
Tel: 0208 741 1606
Web: www.zpwb.org.uk WB LCIO
17 Dec 2019

The Rt Hon Boris Johnson, P,
The Prime Minister
10 Downing Street
London SWIA 2AA


Dear Prime Minister
The Federation of Poles in GB wishes you success following your electoral victory last week. This result removes any uncertainty over whether the UK will be leaving the European Union under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement which you negotiated. That uncertainty over the terms of a future Brexit was understandably a matter of great concern to our Polish community and to other EU citizens in this country.
In view of your declared aspiration to unite and heal British society, the Federation of Poles in Great Britain CIO, a charitable organization which has been representing the voice of Polish organisations in this country since 1947, would be grateful if you were to reiterate your expressions of respect and admiration for EU citizens, such as those made during your period as Mayor of London. You expressed similar views in the parliamentary debate on EU citizens that immediately followed the referendum. We are particularly mindful that on July 6h 2016 in a parliamentary motion on committing the Government to giving EU nationals currently living in the UK the right to remain" you made the following intervention in the House of Commons: "I would like to put on record what I think has been said already - that countless times the Vote Leave campaign gave exactly this reassurance to everybody from EU countries living and working here, and it is very, very disappointing that that should be called into question. I think it is absolutely right to issue the strongest possible reassurance to EU nationals in this country, not just for moral or humanitarian reasons, but for very, very sound economic reasons as well. They are welcome, they are necessary, they are a vital part of our society, and I will passionately support this motion tonight."
These remarks appear to be in contrast to your comments on Sky News' Sophy Ridge programme on December 8th this year which have given us some cause for concern. You are recorded as stating that EU citizens were causing a "problem" by not being “democratically accountable" because they "were able to treat the UK basically as though it's part of their own country". Under the terms of the EU treaty, EU citizens who pay taxes in the UK are indeed entitled to treat this country as home, as are their children born here. The 1.2 million UK citizens living, working and drawing pensions in other EU countries also have such rights.
This turn of phrase in the midst of the electoral debate has, we feel, contributed to the negative atmosphere of administrative discrimination and verbal abuse which is experienced day by day by EU citizens, particularly those from Central and Eastern Europe. Such discrimination remains pronounced especially in areas, outside metropolitan centres, where complaints about abuse or discrimination can often be met with suggestions that the complainant should move back to their country of origin.
The tone of these remarks will no doubt have been influenced by the emotional volatility of a difficult election. Now that the stress of the election is over, as the Prime Minister seeking to reconcile the nation and reduce tension, a clear declaration on your part confirming that EU citizens currently here have contributed to the economy and to the social and cultural fabric of the United Kingdom would be most welcome. The latest wave of Poles continues the tradition of a strong work ethic and importance of family as shown by the previous post-war emigres, many of whom fought alongside the British Armed Forces.
While the ground rules for obtaining settled status through the Home Office are now clear there is still concern over the restriction to applications only online when not all EU citizens have the ability to do this. There is a fear that by December 2020 there may still be a cohort of eligible EU applicants who will have failed to apply because of their limited technology and lack of access to appropriate advice centres e.g. in rural communities. It would be very helpful for EU citizens receiving settled status to obtain confirmation of this (or of pre-settled status) in a printed copy. Virtual images summoned up on rapidly changing and not always reliable equipment do not meet all needs. Whether applying for employment or accommodation, for a bank loan, access to medical treatment, for provision of social care, or entry at a UK border, an EU citizen already residing here should be able to demonstrate their entitlement by presenting a simple printed document. This will become even more important several years after Brexit to distinguish between those EU citizens eligible for such services and those who under new immigration legislation may not be eligible.
The Federation trusts that the comments above will be recognised as being constructive. Perhaps a good way to assist your government in the understanding of these issues could be by a meeting between representatives of the Polish community, advice workers and your government. This would allow issues raised by Brexit for our 850,000 strong community to be presented in a more direct manner; good communication is a key to progress.
Yours sincerely,
Włodzimierz Mier-Jędrzejowicz, Ph.D.
Acting Chairman
Federation of Poles in Great Britain

Rok założenia 1947 (established) Charity Registration Number 1161316

Is this the final betrayal of EU citizens?

Copy of letter published in The Guardian 21/08/2019

Dear Sir,
Your correspondent Rowena Mason says in her front page article (Guardian 19th August) that Priti Patel "wants free movement to end on the dot of 31 October."
What form will this take? How will overworked border staff distinguish between resident EU citizens eligible for settled status but not yet registered and other EU citizens? Let us remember that EU citizens have until December 31st 2020 to register and so far less than a third have done so. According to the Federation of Poles, in their letter to Boris Johnson, barely 17% of resident Poles, the largest single EU national group in this country, has registered. This is simultaneously an administrative disaster for border staff and passengers, and potentially a gross betrayal of promises to Polish and other EU residents from Boris Johnson that their pre-Brexit status will be respected.
Yours faithfully
Wiktor Moszczynski
Trustee
Federation of Poles in Great Britain

Suemas Milne versus Dominic Cummings

There is only one person who could be the backroom architect of a temporary caretaker government to challenge the current no deal Brexit juggernaut. That one person is Suemas Milne, the ex Communist strategic guru. He alone could convince Jeremy Corbyn to allow the formation of a temporary cross-party coalition to replace the current no deal with either a vote of no confidence followed by an extension of the Brexit date and a call for a general election, or else a vote in support of a negotiated exit based on a customs union solution. The latter was the nearest option to command a majority in the House when moved by Kenneth Clarke in March and could still get the most support.
Arch Remainers like the Tory rebels, Lib Dems and the SNP could be kept on side in that coalition by being offered cabinet appointments and a free vote on a second referendum.
Milne should be just as ruthless and single minded as his opposite number in the Tory government, Dominic Cummings. If Milne declines this role for ideological reasons then there will be no soft Brexit coalition at all, no successful vote of no confidence and we will have the horror of a no deal Brexit on October 31st

Boris could give EU citizens proper guarantee

I am pleased that in his first appearance at the dispatch box ("I am going to make Britain the greatest place on Earth" DT26/7/19) new PM Boris Johnson is still sticking to his earlier promise to the Polish community and to other EU citizens to guarantee their rights after Brexit and, to be fair, he has been consistent about this since the referendum campaign.
However he must be aware that promises are one thing and reality another. The take up of the new settled status is still proceeding slowly as only a fifth of the 3.2 million EU citizens have registered so far. For many less IT-savvy EU citizens with poor knowledge of English the registration process is daunting and many Polish citizens in particular are still unaware of the vital need to register to stay. As nobody wants these people to be left stranded by Brexit the Government needs to include the currently agreed procedures for settled status in a new Immigration Bill to be prepared in the eventuality that his Brexit bid is successful and to prevent a new minister or civil servant changing that policy.. Furthermore Mr Johnson should ensure that the registration of EU citizens, many of them living and working here for more than thirty years, should merely be declaratory and not,, as at present, a new application and also a final hard copy certificate of their registration should be issued rather than the current online confirmation that many employers and landlords find difficult to download.

Swap tankers with Iran

In answer to Robert Spencer's piece on "Iran offers to swap seized oil tankers" (The Times 25/7/19) this is an opportunity for Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab to show real initiative and save face for all parties involved.
The UK should offer Iran the chance to sell the crude oil bound for Syria to a third party that is not subject to sanctions and even help by buying the oil for the UK if it is suitable for our refineries..
This way the UK can release the tanker Grace 2.
The iranians can then reciprocate and release the Stena Impero.
The US can be reassured that the crude oil in Gibraltar is no longer contraband and would have no legal ground to complain.
I suspect that President Trump (as opposed to his bellicose aide john Bolton) is also looking for a non-military solution to the problem of Iran and this tanker exchange could be the basis for further welcome talks between Iran and USA through British and EU mediators.

Inter-Community Racism

Unpublished letter to "i"

Dear Sir,
Your excellent columnist Patrick Cockburn is right to draw attention to the link between the Brexit campaign and the reappearance of overt racism in the community.("Brexit has unleashed the forces of racism" i 15-16/6/19). What has become a worrying phenomenon for me (and perhaps not so visible to the average white British commentator), is the growing racism in the last few years in everyday conversation between different religious and ethnic minorities that espouse Brexit thinking it makes them more British and criticize each other in their home language while remaining polite to each other when speaking English. Many of my friends from different ethnic communities complain about this and I can vouch for this happening with some East European minorities. Of course on the whole ethnic community leaders and ethnic online media continue to carry the torch for mutual tolerance and cultural cohesion but all the same it remains a worrying trend that is difficult to monitor.
Yours faithfully
Wiktor Moszczynski

No Deal Brexit 13/06/19

This is from the beginning of this week's @CommonsEUexit Select Committee. The message is clear, a no deal Brexit would devastate UK manufacturing. @hilarybennmp @NashSGC @TimRycroft_FDF @nvonwestenholz @NFUtweets pic.twitter.com/a7NpfpOBH2

— Martin Cooper (@mpc_1968) June 13, 2019

D-Day and Poland

Polish cruiser ORP Dragon shelling German positions on D-Day

Letter to the Editor of Daily Telegraph

Dear Sirs,

In reading your splendid text on D-Day {DT 06/06/19} which described the immense risks and the foreseen loss of life in the military strategic planning for Operation Overlord it is often easy to overlook the political planning behind that decision. It was made just as the Red Army was pushing the German army out of Russia and into Eastern Europe and there was concern that after the collapse of Germany a triumphant Soviet Union could dictate the peace in Europe.

The problem is that while D-Day saved Western Europe it was too late to save Eastern Europe. By refusing earlier to challenge the Third Reich through the Balkans and by delaying the Normandy landings until June 1944 the Western Allies gave the Soviet "liberators" the opportunity of destroying the independence of countries like Poland, the UK's longest most faithful ally against Germany. Despite the crucial input of Polish Armed Forces in the Battle of Britain, the Battle of the Atlantic and in the campaigns in Norway, North Africa and Italy and not omitting the 11 Polish airforce squadrons, the Polish cruiser ORP Dragon, 4 Polish destroyers and numerous Polish civilian troop ships who participated in D-Day itself, as well as the subsequent role of the Polish Armoured Brigade in Normandy and Polish paratroopers at Arnhem, Poland was abandoned to its Soviet fate and eventually her servicemen were not even allowed to participate in the London Victory Parade in 1946.

Yours faithfully
Wiktor Moszczynski
Chair
Friends of Polish Veterans Association (SPPW)
Published in DT 07/06/2019

Brexit and populist European Parliament is on Putin's agenda

·
Letter published in The Guardian today. (28/05/2019)
Dear Sirs,
One important factor only hinted at in Jon Henley's analysis on "the end of cosy consensus" for the centrist groupings in the European Parliament ("The Guardian" 27th May 19) is Russia's continued success in driving forward its agenda of weakening of the European Union and other Western institutions by its support of Eurosceptic parties such as Le Pen's National Rally, Alternative fur Deutschland, the Danish People's Party, the Italian Liga and the Brexit Party all of whom improved their vote in the European Parliament. Indeed the resulting Brexitization of the Conservative Party has made the UK's no deal departure from the European Union in October that much more likely. It will also suit President Trump with his hostility to the EU, but then surely he is himself already part of President Putin's agenda?
Yours faithfully,
Wiktor Moszczynski

This is the real message of the Brexit Party

How to challenge Farage and his flag waving admirers.

Brexit No Deal supporters are:
1/ helping to break up the United Kingdom
2/ enabling a return to sectarian violence in Ireland
3/ stooges of Putin's plans to disrupt the EU and the Western alliance
4/ undermining the only effective body to challenge the U.S. internet barons whose social media threatens our children
5/ leaving us vulnerable to Trump's aggressive trade demands
6/ decimating NHS staff levels
7/ depriving our farms of workers
8/ undermining effective legislation against climate change and rising sea levels
9/ threatening British workers' rights
10/ ensuring massive rise in food prices.
We want a safer united Britain. Ask for a confirmatory referendum for any deal with EU.