INTERVIEW “It is up to the Czech electorate to decide who will be the Czech Prime Minister, not the Brussels papals. Czech law applies in the Czech Republic, not Brussels resolutions. We are and must remain a proud and independent country, and if we come to the conclusion that Andrej Babiš or anyone else is harming us in any way, we must deal with it ourselves and in our own way, and not according to what the dolls and aunts dictate to us from that parody of democracy, which is called the European Parliament, “said MP Jaroslav Foldyna (SPD) vigorously about the conflict of interests of the Czech Prime Minister, who is also resolving it in Brussels. In an interview with ParlamentníListy.cz, he also described Tomáš Petříček as the worst foreign minister this country has ever had, and he also spoke out sharply about the events surrounding Czech Television.
- Photo: Hans Štembera
Description: Jaroslav Foldyna
We have not spoken yet since Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and Minister Tomáš Petříček issued a statement that the case with the Russian agent and ricin in his suitcase was an act due to disputes at the Russian embassy. The Czech Republic expelled two Russian diplomats because of this. What do you think about it?
The discovery that our secret services are willing to run into such nonsense as an “agent with a suitcase full of castor oil” and that information leaks from them like water through a colander is very disturbing in today’s increasingly dangerous times. I think it is time for a thorough reorganization of our security forces. However, I do not expect that from the current government. There is no point in talking about Minister Petříček at all. He’s the worst foreign minister this country has ever had. Bohuslav Chňoupek, the genius of foreign policy, was also against him.
In the last interview, you yourself described the case and actions of Prague politicians as purposeful provocations of Russia, which “aim to divert our attention from the real problems and threats we face. As we swear at Russia, we must forget that Europe is slowly becoming a mix of Africa and the Middle East, that a huge proportion of Czechs live on the brink of poverty, and that the influence of corporations and banks on political decision-making is growing. ” position?
Yes, she did.
“Meanness can be cowardly, as in situations where monuments erected in honor of anti-Nazi fighters are being destroyed and these shameful acts are justified by false slogans in the fight against unwelcome ideology and alleged occupation,” Vladimir Putin wrote in an article on IDNES.cz server The National Interest. He considers the removal of the monument to Marshal Ivan Konev to be an example of historical revisionism, the manifestations of which we observe in the West. He also called it desecration and insulting memory. Do you think this is desecration and insult to memory?
I do not know what Vladimir Putin means by the alleged occupation. As for 1968, it was not an alleged occupation, but a real occupation. Otherwise, I completely agree with his words. It’s really an insult to memory.
Three new councilors were elected to the Czech Television Council. Hana Lipovská, Lubomír Veselý and Pavel Matocha. Their election immediately provoked a heated debate about the threat to public service media, democracy and the YES movement’s efforts to dominate Czech Television. Do you think any of this is imminent?
The only thing that threatens is that Czech Television will start behaving as required by law. Czech Television has been economically devastated since the arrival of CEO Dvořák, and the Czech Television Council has done nothing to prevent this in the liquidation of Czech Television. Both are against the law, and I assume that someone will eventually be held accountable for this before the law. Since Petr Dvořák took office, Czech Television has gradually become the mouthpiece of a single ideology in quotation marks. This is also against the law. But I don’t think that three councilors in a fifteen-member council can make a significant difference.
It will probably be a longer process and it is a question of how much time it takes. From the speed and amount of money disappearing from Czech Television, it can be concluded that there is not much time left. It is also possible, of course, that various activists will be able to prevent changes in Czech Television, in which case it will most likely be privatized. On the one hand, it would be a shame, but on the other hand, citizens would at least not have to pay television fees. There is no point in further financing publicly the operation of a company that has spiraled out of public control and is de facto owned by its director.
