Some catching up to do

How long will it take Poland to catch up economically with western Europe?

How can a civil society be quickly created, without losing Poland's positive national characteristics?

I've been living in Warsaw for eight years, and can see many areas of life which have got better for the Polish citizen, especially retail, telecoms and banking; others remain almost unchanged - road infrastructure, health care. Rail services have got worse.

To quote The Economist (5 August 2005), the difference between government pulling its finger out and doing what needs to be done equates to Poland catching up with western Europe in our lifetimes - or our children's lifetimes.