A lorry driver died in the 20-mile queue at the Ukrainian-Polish border crossing at Dorohusk. Warsaw sat up and noticed: Poland has an eastern border. To be sure, Poland’s joining the Schengen pact has meant its virtual closure to Ukrainians, but the emphasis in the national press had been more on the feel-good opening of the western border. “Poles can now wander from Riga to Lisbon without showing their passports” – that was the theme of the delirious reports from December, when the momentous, historical etc event took place. As the supply of cheap and easily exploitable labour from the Ukraine dries up and Warsaw journalists have to start cleaning their houses and raising their children themselves we can expect more notice to be paid to “Poland B” as the east is sometimes called. For now, though, it is still largely ignored, notwithstanding the occasional death in a three day queue. The queues at the border are caused by a go-slow by the Polish customs officers, who complain of understaffing and low pay. The Ministry’s response to what I would presume is a blow to the economy is to wash its hands: “Ministerstwo Finansów twierdzi, że obsadę przejść mają zapewnić dyrektorzy izb celnych” (The Ministry has stated that ensuring the personnel for the border crossings is the responsibility of the directors of the customs divisions). Somebody else’s problem.