Crisis government

Mirek Topolánek is blue in the face from talking about the crisis in ODS, but don't expect anything profound from him about the CRISIS on world markets. The finance minister he so reveres, Miroslav Kalousek, was dispatched to Czech Radio yesterday to say there's no need to take action now, because we can't know how the CR will be affected by the world situation. Do they not realize to what extent they're playing into Václav Klaus's hands? Klaus will need a plausible excuse after the Oct. elections to form a quick technocratic government, and the urgency of the world situation will be an easy sell. He can borrow a line from Gordon Brown and say that this is "no time for a novice" to be running things. Asked if his boss has a plan for when the cabinet collapses, Klaus aid Ladislav Jakl told F1 that Klaus definitely isn't someone who concocts magical solutions in advance. Don't believe him for a millisecond. [Czech Republic United Kingdom financial KDU-ČSL ODS radio]