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Poland now 6th-largest EU economy, ahead of Switzerland and Belgium

euronews.com

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Re: Poland now 6th-largest EU economy, ahead of Switzerland and Belgium

#51

Post by nozzlegear »

toasty228 wrote: post #42
petcat wrote: post #8

I saw an interesting stat recently that the poorest USA state, Mississippi, has a larger economy and GDP than 1/3rd of all EU members. It just seems like the EU is too top-heavy and I wonder if that's where a lot of the discontent comes from. It seems like there a lot of micro-nations in eastern Europe that have outsized influence over the union as a whole.

I don't think you realize how absurdly overpriced everything is in the US, which inflate GDP quite a lot... I paid less to build my entire top of the line house in eastern Europe than some American spend on a garage extension and a concrete driveway

What constitutes a top of the line house in Eastern Europe? It's unlikely to be what Mississippians consider top of the line.

Re: Poland now 6th-largest EU economy, ahead of Switzerland and Belgium

#52

Post by KeplerBoy »

toasty228 wrote: post #37
penchant wrote: post #10

I don't get the hype around nominal GDP at all – looks great, but tells you little to none about the actual living conditions. Living in Poland, I don't feel richer than an average Belgian person (and I've had contact with many of them across the years).

If you're in the bottom 70% of the working class anywhere in western Europe you'll live pretty much the same way: you will never be able to afford a new car, you'll never be able to retire early, you most likely will never own your own place. Nobody feels rich because the entire system is built by parasites exploiting the bottom 2/3rd. The only meaningful difference is how often and how far you can go in vacation and…

You are not European, are you? I know plenty of working class people working ordinary skilled labor jobs who own their homes and drive decent cars. Some people choose to keep renting because we have strong laws guaranteeing renter's rights. Contracts are often unlimited duration with reasonable prices.

Also retiring early is not about the money in your bank account around here. You retire early by using certain government schemes where you might qualify for early retirement by working a physical job, or by reducing your hours to 10 hours are week while getting a full subsidized salary.

Re: Poland now 6th-largest EU economy, ahead of Switzerland and Belgium

#53

Post by tremon »

lapkaaaa wrote: post #2

How much money did they get from EU in last 5 years? Combine that with a lot of ukrainian migrants that actually work and open businesses you get this

Indeed, this is a great example of how the EU manages to grow its internal market.

Re: Poland now 6th-largest EU economy, ahead of Switzerland and Belgium

#54

Post by andrepd »

petcat wrote: post #8

I saw an interesting stat recently that the poorest USA state, Mississippi, has a larger economy and GDP than 1/3rd of all EU members. It just seems like the EU is too top-heavy and I wonder if that's where a lot of the discontent comes from. It seems like there a lot of micro-nations in eastern Europe that have outsized influence over the union as a whole.

The conclusion you should draw from this is therefore "GDP is a shit metric for measuring anything and even worse as a target".

Re: Poland now 6th-largest EU economy, ahead of Switzerland and Belgium

#55

Post by Dig1t »

ManuelKiessling wrote: post #25
rmason wrote: post #13

I spent some time in Poland three years ago and have not stopped talking about it ever since. It stood out from the other Eastern European countries that I visited on that trip. Had a lunch in Warsaw with a German friend who had relocated there. He said it was more Conservative than Germany and there was more freedom of expression. Over forty years of Communist rule and they were never able to pull them away from the…

Wouldn’t „more freedom of expression“ imply less conservative? Or what aspects of conservatism, and what aspects of freedom of expression, are you referring to here?

Many examples of “liberal” governments being extremely illiberal WRT freedom of expression. More people are locked up in the UK for speech than in many more conservative countries.

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/article/police-make-30-arr...

Re: Poland now 6th-largest EU economy, ahead of Switzerland and Belgium

#56

Post by anon291 »

sscaryterry wrote: post #36
wat10000 wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which metrics are those? Things don’t look great for the poorest Americans, but the average American isn’t living a life that’s even remotely third world.

Dying in the third-world from cancer means you die. Dying in the US from cancer means you probably will bankrupt your family first, and ultimately die faster due to the financial burden/stress.

Simply wrong in most states.

Re: Poland now 6th-largest EU economy, ahead of Switzerland and Belgium

#57

Post by pndy »

rmason wrote: post #13

I spent some time in Poland three years ago and have not stopped talking about it ever since. It stood out from the other Eastern European countries that I visited on that trip. Had a lunch in Warsaw with a German friend who had relocated there. He said it was more Conservative than Germany and there was more freedom of expression. Over forty years of Communist rule and they were never able to pull them away from the…

That commitment probably won't change anytime soon but more and more people are dissatisfied of the church here - how it interferes with politics, tries to dictate what is morally right and of course covers up pedophilia cases.

During pandemic (which also happen during the right-wing coalition govt) public TVP2 channel ran breakfast TV segment where one of questions was if audience should kneel at homes during the broadcast of the Mass if they decided to "participate".

https://natemat.pl/303229,czy-klekac-przed-telewizorem-w-cza... (in Polish obv)

Still, this isn't as easy to digest as it may seem - you'd of course have to study our history to understand that connection to faith.

Re: Poland now 6th-largest EU economy, ahead of Switzerland and Belgium

#58

Post by oytis »

KeplerBoy wrote: post #52
toasty228 wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're in the bottom 70% of the working class anywhere in western Europe you'll live pretty much the same way: you will never be able to afford a new car, you'll never be able to retire early, you most likely will never own your own place. Nobody feels rich because the entire system is built by parasites exploiting the bottom 2/3rd. The only meaningful difference is how often and how far you can go in vacation and…

You are not European, are you? I know plenty of working class people working ordinary skilled labor jobs who own their homes and drive decent cars. Some people choose to keep renting because we have strong laws guaranteeing renter's rights. Contracts are often unlimited duration with reasonable prices. Also retiring early is not about the money in your bank account around here. You retire early by using certain gover…

Nobody buys new though, these are for companies and posh people

Re: Poland now 6th-largest EU economy, ahead of Switzerland and Belgium

#59

Post by toasty228 »

wat10000 wrote: post #30
troupo wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The US is a great example of why GDP is a largely meaningless metric. Yes, the States' GDP is ginormous, and yet it's basically a third-world country masquerading as a first-world one on most metrics that actually matter to people.

Which metrics are those? Things don’t look great for the poorest Americans, but the average American isn’t living a life that’s even remotely third world.

Childbirth mortality, lifespan-healthspan, murder rate, paid vacation, worked hours per year, job security, etc.

Re: Poland now 6th-largest EU economy, ahead of Switzerland and Belgium

#60

Post by cherryteastain »

penchant wrote: post #10

I don't get the hype around nominal GDP at all – looks great, but tells you little to none about the actual living conditions. Living in Poland, I don't feel richer than an average Belgian person (and I've had contact with many of them across the years).

This is about country's total GDP. Per capita graph in TFA shows Poland is still behind Belgium [1].

[1] https://images.euronews.com/articles/stories/09/86/71/11/108...

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