Sure,
electronic voting has had its fair share of troubles, but there's no denying that it's the wave of the future -- and we're always intrigued by plans like the one being floated in Poland right now that would allow citizens to vote online from their homes, since that seems like a great way to increase participation. Of course, some people are just never going to get it, and it looks like former Polish prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski is the latest Luddite curmudgeon to risk your ire, saying that he's not exactly thrilled with the idea of a "young person sitting in front of a computer, watching video clips and pornography while sipping a bottle of beer and voting when he feels like it." Kaczynski went on to say that as a whole, Internet users are "the easiest group to manipulate, to suggest who to vote for" -- which probably means that in addition to not using a cell phone or having a bank account (true!), he's never actually been on the Internet either. Tell you what, Minister: you come in here and successfully manipulate a Mac vs. PC flamewar, maybe we'll talk. Deal?
posted March 12th 2008 1:43PM
Damn... And still in my country there are some normal people... Hard to believe, isn't it?
"Kacynski went on to say that as a whole, Internet users are "the easiest group to manipulate, to suggest who to vote for"
The geezer has a point, the internet is chockfull idiots raving about "9/11 was an inside job" and "ron paul revolution", i don't like the idea of the average internet user deciding the fate of my country either.
Ha... Stupid Dumb ass!!!
He doesn't have cell phone he keeps all his savings on his mom's account.(or his twin brother).
I'm so happy i don't live in Poland anymore...
Country of hypocrite, fanatic, pseudo catholics.
No wonder every friend i have emigrate from POLAND.
you misspelled his name the second time.
lucky us Poles, that he is just a former Prime minister ^_^
now I understand why the previous government did not have a decent website.
And thats why hes a former prime minister. Hes extremely paranoid and sees conspiracies everywhere. Its a shame that you even mention him here, because he deserves to be forgotten - the sooner, the better.
Hi all.
I`m from Poland, and everything Nilay Patel wrote in this post is true. Here in Poland we have very strange situation, former(god bless new one) prime minister Jarosław Kaczyński and his brother, president Lech Kaczyński are one of the most powerfull and also the funniest politicians in our country. Two Years ago Lech Kaczyński have won the elections, and his brother Jarosław became prime minister.
From that time, the brothers and whole the ruling party made changes in Poland which caused the big migration to the Great Britain. No one of the young people wanted to live there and be a part of the "brothers country". Those who left Poland were very happy, those who stayed where trying to just to it, but it was hard and we could`t.
Now we have new prime minister, his name is Donald Tusk, he is the reverse(have bank account, telephone, use internet, have children and wife, like new technologies) of Jarosław Kaczyński, Tusk is smileing, pro europian and wants to increase relations with USA. What is the most important, people are coming back from Great Britan and everybody is happy that at least the "brothers country" is broken.
Now there is only one thing to Polish happiness - if we change Lech Kaczyński to someone else, meaby finally the whole world will stop laughing every time someone says "Poland".
I don`t know Your politicians in USA but i think you also have some "ugly duckling" in the government, so be tolerant and keep one's fingers crossed to the fastest president change in Poland.
That is all i wanted to say You. If someone would like to discuss something please comment my post or mail me: pixi21@wp.pl
By the way, sorry for any mistakes in writeing.
Warm greetings.
Polish Guy
Your logic is flawless.
I'm glad your happy with the current premier, the one who tells us
(Poles) that he will withdraw the troops from Iraq during the
campaign, and then tells President Bush that they can stay there for
as long as he needs them. I'm also glad that Donald Tusk sucks up to
the soviet president as much as possible. If you think that thats not
a reason to make fun of polak's for being stupid and naive then go
back to watching that bullshit TV propaganda (TVN24) telling people
that everything that the president Kaczynski cabinet does is wrong
for Poland. If you recall Kaczynski's cabinet is the only one in 50
years were the medical staff working for public hospitals got a
significant rise in their income, along with teachers and police
officers, its also the only cabinet were there was an increase in
economy and where actual highways that were promised by endless
communist politicians before began emerging. All that was achieved
in 2 a year period! So yes your reasoning is flawless for the
current party in rule couldn't get something as easy as choosing a
place to build a national stadium done in a good time frame, with
only 3 years to go. (GOOD JOB Platforma Obywatelska) I can tell you
people are in good hands of the self proclaimed "god" Donald Tusk and
I HOPE ALL THAT WOULD BE LEFT OF POLAND WOULD BE IT CITIZENS
scattered all over the globe. You can wipe your a$$ with that flag
of yours, you so called patriot thats afraid to show his true face
and will admit to anything for as long as it doesn't offend someone else
but its sure as hell offending to Poland.
I can see you are the PiS guy, pseudo katolician maniac watching only tvp1 and listening only radio Maryja. I`m glad that J&L Kaczyńscy will get off the stage with their few of fanatics like you.
this is to lux-zorda.
i am really glad that Tusk won because Kaczynski represented people like you - agressive, illogical, blind, poor educated (with crappy knowledge of foreign languages) and -that's exactly your type- unpatriotic. ! I feel sorry for people like you, who are ashamed of being Polish and say it publicly on foreign internet site. !
And please. don't comment those different victories of Kaczynski because if they were true we wouldn't have so many strikes during his rule.
And Polish Army will leave Iraq until the end of 2008 - that's because Kaczynski promissed it to American leaders. So that is as soon as possible.
And finally miracles - that's one of the first governments that keep their high (more than 50%) approval from the public after 3 months of ruling - in Poland it is a lot.
Hmm ... I wonder how many adolescent man-children will demonstrate their immaturity/ignorance by making Polish jokes.
As a citizen of the internet (citinet, if you will), I'm quite offended.
Guro is substantially different from "porn". The nerve!
A: "Mom, I need a computer so I can get a job."
B: "Get a job, your are 32."
Why you think the 'net was born? Porn, porn, porn!
Wait, I'm sorry what? I was watching porn......
Well, he might be right, you know. Yesterday on this very blog I read an article about salmon sperm. Huh huh, I said "sperm"... Isn't that some kinda phonography... I mean... pornography?
So, let me get this straight, all you fruitcakes are making the fact that he's polish an issue. Umm... well, yeh, it's tradition.
But I want to remind you, Al Gore invented the Internet, so it seems more like a political battle between the Polish PM and the former U.S. VP.
I don't see this being a Polish thing, I see this being an issue that we're just lucky that politicans can manage to tie their shoe laces. Logic and rationality simply is not something we can depend on coming from them
The avenue Q photo is a nice touch, very clever...
Prime Minister without a bank account?
We have one of them in Ireland - he's called Bertie Ahern!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertie_Ahern#.27No_bank_account.27
Uh... could someone manipulate me to the porn? I seem to have gotten lost and ended up here.
Thanks!
These comments made me laugh so hard, it's now oficially proved that nerds and dorks are a superior form of inteligence.
He is a right idiot, to be honest... and that is definitely not the first time... :/
You know your reading an article about porn when not 1 comment is low ranked.
Everybody can get mad all they want. She is 1 billion % correct.
We ARE all watching porn, and would probably have to have some porn up on the dual screens WHILE we are voting.
Hell, I got some good lesbo porn going right now on the 2nd monitor right now.....
Seems he gets his views on technology from his namesake the Unabomber.
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Kaczyński's party, PIS has had the modern, professionally designed webpage for years already (www.pis.org.pl), with news, political projects, current agenda etc. Their videos are disseminated through YouTube. All this suggests, that new technology is not foreign to Mr. Kaczyński. He himself holds PhD in law and may have used harsh language to make the point that the act of voting deserves certain respect and maturity, towards which the Internet is not always the most conductive medium. I couldn't agree more. Myself an Internet settler for 11 years, geek for 20+ years, I cherish the short moments of freedom from "PHS", "keitai denwa" or "téléphone portable" (I used to own all those beasts).
Does that make me a Luddite too, dear Nilay Patel?