We fought too long for our independence to just give it up. From the 18th century onwards, Poland was torn apart, three partitions, 120 years completely wiped off the map of Europe, two world wars, and then 50 years of communism after we were handed over to Russia. It’s been a long, hard fight.

In Poland, patriotism and religion are deeply linked. The Catholic Church became a symbol of national identity and resistance, when Poland was divided or occupied, the Church kept the language, culture, and sense of unity alive. Faith became a key part of what it means to be Polish.

And I think that’s exactly what’s missing in Britain. People have stepped away from religion, from the Church, and from a sense of higher purpose. You need something greater than yourself to believe in, something to strive for. Without that, people tend to focus only on themselves. That’s why I think it feels as if the English lion is still asleep, because when you lose faith, you lose the shared values, traditions, and sense of community that inspire people to come together for something bigger.

If you look back even 30 years, people here were still going to church, still holding on to a sense of faith and belonging. And when you lose that, it’s not just about religion, it’s about losing the deeper sense of who you are as a nation, and why you’d fight to protect it.

And honestly, I see elements of communism creeping in here. Having grown up in a communist country, I recognise the signs of state control, of restriction of thought, and the manipulation of narratives.

What really astonishes me, though, is the level of propaganda in the UK. In Poland, we knew the government was against us, so we were naturally sceptical of everything they said. We questioned it. We resisted.
But here, people don’t even seem to realise they’re being manipulated. The government has been so good at shaping the narrative that it’s become normalised. It is so subtle that people accept it without a second thought. That’s the most dangerous thing when you don’t even see it happening.

The author of this article has asked us to withhold their name because they are worried about losing their job. The fact we have come to this point is reminiscent of the culture of fear that people were forced to live under during the Socialist regime in Eastern Europe, before the fall of the Berlin Wall.