Negotiations over new cabinet continue
Following yesterday’s negotiations over the forming of a new government with the Social Democrats, Jan Fisher will meet today with the ODS and the Green Party. Meetings will take place today at Hrzánský Palace with Green Party Chairman Martin Bursik at 10am followed in the afternoon by leader of the ODS Mirek Topolánek.
Following last night’s meeting with Jan Fischer, ČSSD Chairman Jiří Paroubek has already, announced his suggestions for seven members of the new government.
The final make-up of the new administrative cabinet of experts is expected to be finalised over the next week.
Topolánek tones down attack on US rescue package
A speech by Mirek Topolánek in the European Parliament in which he sharply criticised measures by the US to deal with the financial crisis shocked diplomats across the world. His statements made the front page of the UK Financial Times newspaper and were even commented by US President Barack Obama. Topolánek has jumped on the brakes in a letter to the Times trying to justify his position. ‘I believe that I don’t have to point out that the Czech Republic and the United States remain long term allies,’ wrote Topolánek.
Topolánek in a speech on Wednesday said that huge financial injections into the economy are a journey to hell, equating them to the repetition of mistakes made in the 1930’s. According to him some of the measures taken by the USA have raised alarm in the European Union.
The Prime Ministers words didn’t remain unanswered for long. Which is why in today’s edition of the British daily ‘The Times’ he has responded with a letter attempting to temper his assertions. ‘I expected that my words wouldn’t remain unanswered for long. But I didn’t expect that this legitimate note of caution, which seemed to me as natural as warning a friend on an uneven path that they could trip over, would be thrown out on-principle, and taken as a criticism of the American administration,’ wrote the Prime Minister.
The Czech Prime Minister apparently appreciates the differences between the European and American economies and this is why the rescue packages must also differ. He reminded that the strong social system in Europe works as an automatic stabiliser, which protects against acute falls in consumer demand. ‘This means that Europe doesn’t need such an extensive financial stimulus like the USA, which doesn’t have a similar system of social support,’ writes Topolánek in The Times. He further reminded that the European states are committed to a strategy of growth and stability which limits the size of national debt.
Even though Topolánek may have conveyed the opinions of regions of the EU in his speech, his words have mainly caused a diplomatic storm. ‘Even though many member states my in principle agree with him, none of them would ever put it in those terms,’ writes Honor Mahonyová for the EUObserver. The foreign daily also reminded that the relationship between Topolánek and the United States greatly cooled over the re-appraisal of the stance on the planned American radar base on Czech soil.
Mirek Topolánek
Topolánek: I was probably inspired by AC/DC with the ‘Way to Hell’ comment
The plans of American President Barack Obama for reviving the economy are a ‘Way to Hell’. How come these words from Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek stirred up so much more interest in the English Press than at home in the Czech Media?
On Wednesday Topolánek spoke at the European Parliament after an EU summit. In the original version of his speech he had prepared to use the expression ’road to annihilation’. In the heat of the moment he however improvised with words closer to the English expression ‘Way to Hell’.
He was of course speaking Czech and although ‘cesta do pekla’ is fairly strong in Czech it isn’t as scandalous as how the English media understood ‘Way to Hell’, explained translator for newspaper Lidové Noviny Petr Bílek. It also of course has something to do with the Christian influence in American Society compared with the Atheism of the Czech Republic. While hell for many Americans is something really terrible, Czech’s don’t see it as such a big deal.
Furthermore whilst a common vulgarism in English is to send people to hell, the Czech equivalent is an altogether more coarse expression which sends people to a different place altogether.
The Prime Minister himself admitted that he was sorry for the expression, but that he was at an AC/DC concert last week. ‘And their cult song ‘Highway to Hell’ probably made enough of an impression on me that the expression slipped into my speech somewhere’, he said.
Prague Castle: President Klaus accepted Topolánek’s resignation at 3pm today.
Havel believes that the President will choose Topolánek
Former Czech President Václav Havel believes that Václav Klaus will again appoint Mirek Topolánek (ODS) to negotiate the forming of a new government. According to Havel the government, which on Tuesday was on the receiving end a vote of no-confidence from parliament, shouldn’t have to remain in demise very long. He thinks that it should see see out it’s EU Presidency and that early elections should then follow.
Interpreter's confusion causes small scandal
A mistake in translation during a speech by Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek caused a small diplomatic scandal in the European Parliament today. Whilst criticising the American Government he used the English rather than the Czech word for ‘bonds’. This confused the interpreter sufficiently that they mistakenly added ‘bombs and guns to the sentance’. Topolánek therefore ended up implying that if the Americans needed more cash then someone would always buy their bombs and guns.
Topolánek: They're celebrating the fall of the government at the Castle
The fall of the Czech government was celebrated by rivals from both home and abroad according to Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek (ODS). He further specified, in a Czech Radio broadcast, that it had been the Czech President Václav Klaus (ODS Chairman until the end of last year), Prague Mayor Pavel Bém and Russian leaders celebrating. According to Topalánek they were happier with the outcome than the rival social democrat party (ČSSD) who incited the no-confidence vote.
Topolánek: The US economic crisis strategy is a road to hell
Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek in the European Parliament today sharply criticised the measures taken by the USA in dealing with the economic crisis. According to him huge financial injections into the economy are a road to hell and equivalent to repeating mistakes made during the crisis of the 1930’s. He added that some actions taken by the USA have raised alarm in the EU.
‘It’s necessary to dust off some of our history books. The path chosen by the USA has been discredited by history itself,’ said Topolánek.
‘Geithner’s ideas about permanent intervention have raised alarm’, added the Czech Prime Minister. Opinions about intervention by the USA and EU (which to date stands at around 400 million euros), to support the economy differs not only amongst politicians but also amongst economists. The holder of the Nobel prize for economics Paul Krugman criticised the EU not long ago for not doing enough against the crisis, saying that it should make available larger financial resources.
