I've got a bit of a soft spot for the Poles. When I was growing up, in Peterborough, in the 1950s, there were a lot of Polish people around - presumably refugees from the War - which, incidentally, tore Poland apart.

When the Polish communist regime was replaced by rampant capitalism in the early 1990s, the company I was working for at the time acquired a couple of Polish companies. I then found myself with lots of new Polish colleagues. I liked them immediately - very intelligent, very hard working and with good senses of humour; and many of them spoke excellent English (whilst I don't have a hope in Hell's chance of learning Polish!). Business trips to Warsaw were always a pleasure - good accommodation, good food and the feeling of being in a civilised country for grown-ups - as opposed to the puerile mess run by and for spoilt teenagers that Britain has become.

Who knows, perhaps our new Polish citizens might even succeed in civilising us (although they've got a big job on!).