ODS and ČSSD spreading fear

People's interest in politics is falling, according to a recent survey by the polling agency CVVM. (While, in 2007, 50% of Czech were interested in politics, a year later it was only 46%.) The number of Czechs interested in EU politics, moreover, has fallen to a record low. Some 64% say they don't care about political happenings in the EU. The statistics are even more discouraging when it comes to people's willingness to go to the polls. According to the CVVM survey, only 40% of Czechs plan to vote in the upcoming European parliamentary elections.

If you take a look at the election billboards posted across the country, the statistics are not so surprising. The country is chock-full of negative campaigns that are founded on people's fears. The ČSSD says that ODS candidates are the worst, most corrupt politicians, incapable of ruling the country. The ODS says something similar about the ČSSD. Most negative billboards aren't even clearly labelled and often make use of the colours of the party they are warning against. An outsider could easily think at first that parties are saying negative things about themselves.

Abroad, negative campaigns are part of politics. In the United States, much of the competition between parties is built on negative campaigns. But, unlike in the Czech Republic, all the negative messages are clearly labelled so that people know which party is the author. It's similar in the UK. Every voter knows who…