Casting aspersions on Poles
Sir: It was with deep disappointment that I read Rachel Johnson’s article. The illustration accompanying it depicts a gaunt, shabbily dressed young woman in a T-shirt with ‘Polska’ emblazoned on it chatting on a mobile phone while neglecting a child in her care. To drive the message home the article refers to ‘Agnieszka from Gdansk, who doesn’t really give a monkey’s’. While the article’s focus is on certain societal problems, the particularly Polish references are strongly negative.
The story does mention the ‘plight’ of Eastern European au pairs — Iveta who sobs in her bedroom after ironing her master’s underwear. In doing so, it mocks rather than sympathises with girls in similar situations. I would invite you to investigate matters more thoroughly before printing such material. I suspect that Ms Johnson has not conducted in-depth research on the work ethic of au pairs, Polish or otherwise.
Gabriel Olearnik
Secretary-general, Polish City Club, London SW10
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