Final Word from Wednesday, October 1, 2003
Interior Minister Stanislav Gross is consistently at or near the top of the popularity polls but is increasingly coming under attack. No other Czech politician is able to talk for so long and so convincingly without actually saying anything, and people are beginning to notice. Political analyst Bohumil Doležal said on F1 radio yesterday that Gross exhibits good political skills but doesn't put them to use for anything constructive. Gross is a master political schemer and knows when the noose is beginning to tighten around his neck. His response: He sent 3,400 police officers into the streets yesterday to clamp down on bad driving. This will make him look decisive and in control. Everyone will welcome a crackdown on bad drivers (except the bad drivers), but it's a pity it has more to do with Gross' declining political position than with reducing traffic fatalities. Frekvence driving