Czech political cynicism prevents political revolution

PRAGUE, Feb 16 (CTK) - Polish indignation at favouritism and corruption would hardly be echoed in the Czech Republic or in Hungary where political cynicism reigns, Jiri Pehe, political scientist and director of New York University in Prague, has written in daily Hospodarske noviny (HN).

Pehe writes that the victory of the conservative-populist party Law and Justice in Poland last year and its readiness to rely on two extreme rightist parties, Self-Defence and the League of Polish Families, has inspired considerations about whether the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, all of which will hold general elections this year, will follow the Polish example.

Pehe writes that some Central European political scientists as well as politicians have claimed that the crushing defeat of the democratic left in Poland has heralded a certain trend.

They compare the Polish left and the Czech and Hungarian social democracies all of which have come under the right's criticism for corruption and post-communist favouritism and mentality.

Both social democracies have brought their countries to the European Union, but a big part of Czechs and Hungarians just as of Poles share the political right's doubts about the EU, Pehe writes.

He says however that there are several differences between Poland and the other countries of the Visegrad Four countries. One of them is that Poland has entirely different ambitions in the European context than the small central European countries.

That is also why the Poles were more responsive to slogans about Polish national interests and Polish uniqueness, possibly Polish messianism, than voters in the neighbouring countries.

Another difference is Poland's deep Catholicism and the strong farmers lobby that is "incomparable in the other central European countries, particularly in the industrially advanced and urbanised Czech Republic," Pehe writes.

He says that one of other Czech specificities is that the Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD), whose roots date back to 1878, is the only party of its kind in the post-communist world that has not come into existence by transformation of a former communist party.

"This means that the CSSD has an entirely different kind of legitimacy than the post-communist parties of the democratic left that emerged after the fall of communism elsewhere," Pehe writes.

He says that many members of the CSSD, the senior ruling party at present, are former communists, which is also true of the largest Czech right-wing party, the Civic Democrats (ODS).

He says that the current right-wing government can be replaced by the left also because the Slovak experiment to transform the communist party into the Democratic Left Party has failed and the main representative of the Slovak left, Smer (Direction) of Robert Fico, is a new entity.

"In spite of its post-communist populism it aspires more and more to becoming a purely social democrat entity that has come into existence outside the communist party," Pehe writes.

He writes that the relatively good position of the democratic left in Hungary is due to that the transformation of the communist party into a social democrat-type party took place already in the last few years of the communist rule.

This allowed the left to be much more open to liberals both within the party and within government coalitions after the fall of the previous regime, Pehe writes.

Another difference between Poland on the one hand and the Czech Republic and Hungary on the other hand is "the great instability of the political spectrum in Poland and the relatively great stability of the party system in the Czech Republic and Hungary," Pehe writes.

No new party similar to those that cropped up in Poland has emerged in the Czech Republic or Hungary, where no real "moral" alternative has appeared either.

Therefore it is difficult for the ODS and the Hungarian Fidesz party to criticise socialist governments for corruption and to offer a radical purification where "their" former governments are co-responsible for the current situation, Pehe writes.

"In Slovakia, on the other hand, Smer that has not been 'soiled by governing' represents an alternative to the ruling parties in this respect," Pehe writes.

The Czech, Hungarian and Slovak right will not gain political capital comparable with the Polish right's if it places too great emphasis on "traditional" values, nationalism and anti-European stands, Pehe writes.

"The situation of small countries differs from that of Poland that wants not only to profit from European solidarity, but also participate in the determination of European policy so as to reflect its power interests. Besides, the three other Visegrad countries have a more modern social structure than Poland," Pehe writes.

He writes that a radical change in the Czech Republic and Hungary is also prevented by the specific political culture that is rooted in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, of which both parties were a part and that disintegrated in 1918.

This culture is characterised by citizens' dissatisfaction with politics, but at the same time a great toleration towards closed-door politics, favouritism and corruption, Pehe writes.

He says that the moral indignation that resulted in a kind of political revolution in Poland can hardly be expected in the Czech Republic and Hungary where "a sort of political cynicism reigns. It is paradoxically much closer to the present European standard than Poland's idealism."

What the Socialist is Actually Saying

“That is also why the Poles were more responsive to slogans about Polish national interests and Polish uniqueness, possibly Polish messianism, than voters in the neighbouring countries.”

OK here the author compares the Poles to Nazi’s, how very nice of him.

“Another difference is Poland's deep Catholicism and the strong farmers lobby that is "incomparable in the other central European countries, particularly in the industrially advanced and urbanised Czech Republic," Pehe writes.”

Here this elitist piece of crap is calling all of Poland “fly over country”, like those creepy red states in the US where those Church going farmers even voted for Bush, imagine farmers getting to vote!

"This means that the CSSD has an entirely different kind of legitimacy than the post-communist parties of the democratic left that emerged after the fall of communism elsewhere".

As the peasant class you will no doubt be too dense to notice that the CSSD is comprised of the same type of socialists as elsewhere. It’s a pretend kind of legitimacy, but then we didn't say it was a legitimate kind of legitimacy.

“The Czech, Hungarian and Slovak right will not gain political capital comparable with the Polish right's if it places too great emphasis on "traditional" values, nationalism and anti-European stands, Pehe writes.”

You little countries better fall in line and not get all red state on us, if you don’t we might have france surrender to you.

I read from various travelogues that the Czech Republic is positionally the most atheist (not necessarily Marxist) country in Europe and its people are unashamedly proud of it. Seems to be the most "old Europe" like country among "new Europe" but still the Czech Rep remains light years away from being like France for instance.

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