Staying safe at home

The coalition failed to push through the Chamber of Deputies the plan to increase the number of troops in Afghanistan and the opposition even blocked further extension of the foreign mission. „It's an international disgrace. We aren't fulfilling our NATO commitments,“ said PM Mirek Topolánek. It is truly a problem: Czech reconstruction teams will lose military protection, special anti-terrorist forces assigned to search for Taliban members in Afghanistan will lose an acclaimed Czech elite unit, the Czech Republic's will lose a bit of its prestige and strengthens an old myth about a nation that prefers not to fight.

Social Democratic leader Jiří Paroubek and his foreign affairs advisor Luboš Zaorálek, whose speeches are increasingly enraged, will be able to tick off another plus on their way to power. The Social Democrats have totally given up on political visions and basic responsibility towards their fellow men and back only what is in tune with the opinion of the majority. The cost doesn't matter as long as it paves the way to power. Is the nation against cash medical fees? We will base our campaign on that regardless of taxpayers' spending. People don't support foreign military missions? Let's cancel them. Is the economic crisis coming? Let's continue wasting money on social allowances.

It's a cowardly approach underlined by the rejection to extend the…