Jiri Havel's sharp tongue

Martin Jahn, an independent, tried to act as a consensus-builder during his short time in the cabinet, but his successor as vice premier for economics, Jiří Havel, is a surprisingly aggressive ČSSD partisan politician. He sharply criticized MP Vlastimil Tlustý of ODS in HN yesterday for being willing to do whatever it takes to return to power. In mocking Tlustý's adaptability, Havel resorted to sarcasm, which is dangerous even for experienced politicians. Havel also mocked Tlustý's warning about the rise of the Communists. But perhaps Havel didn't go far enough in his sarcasm. If, as he says, ODS's thirst for power is so great, surely it must also be willing to form a minority government with the support of those very Communists. ODS could camouflage it, like ČSSD, by looking for support "across the political spectrum." But perhaps Havel didn't want to give ODS any ideas. [Czech Republic Hospodářské noviny Communist Party KSČM]