The prime minister and his time

The prime minister takes a government plane to fly in search of fun and then has journalists locked at the airport to avoid unpleasant questions. The opposition leader cruises on the roads at twice the legal speed limit. The governing party's No. 2 lives cheaply in a villa owned by a real-estate entrepreneur in the city in which he is mayor.

This is a lot of „Balkan“ news for a single week – even if we're talking about the Czech Republic. And the reaction we get from these men: A problem? No, it's the lying, hateful media that have a problem.

Ironically, this new outbreak of big-cheese arrogance is spreading precisely 10 years after the government fell amid what is known as the Sarajevo attempt. But this is not a matter of fast condemnations or imprecise parallels. The question is more general: Why are basic instincts such as self-preservation again failing to function among Czech politicians?

What to believe when the PM speaks

If you look at the way the Civic Democrats entered gifts from fictitious sponsors in their books in the mid-1990s, you will see a picture of naivety, insolence and amateurism. Today we can see a similar mixture. It is not about millions from possible bribes, but the growing level of arrogance and cynicism is equally serious.

On the way to a strictly private event, the Social Democratic chief changes into a road hog. When…