Eastern Slovakia

This is the view from some land I own in Slovakia. We're planning on putting some holiday cottages up on this site. The early reports we have received from our local architects relating to the basic site issues are very encouraging. Never mind being able to afford it, if this land was in the UK, it wouldn't be available for purchase.
In other good news, Slovakia's tax take as a proportion of GDP has now fallen by over 10 percentage points in the last 10 years (Source) to just 29% of GDP whilst industrial production is rising by 17% per annum and GDP growth is pushing double figures. Sounds like a good place to invest unless you're a Socialist and then of course, you won't believe the link between low taxation and economic success. ;-).

Posting By A Stranger - Soon to be A Friend

GUEST POST BY ROMAN CUNIK - PRAGUE STUDENT

Hello All!!

My friend Praguetory here in Prague is allowing me to

make some posts with a set purpose of getting some

internationalist discussions going on some themes

which I can choose as being my "close to the heart"

topics!!

He has warned me that there are many "aristocrats of

blogging" who are readers here and so I begin my

residence making apologies in advance for my English -

which is not as the Queens and for any naivety I may

still have about politics.

For my part I a Czech student with a big interest for

Europe and a desire to travel. I will willing accept

any invitations to stay at your country house or

London abode - I am great reader of Wodehouse and

would abide all conventions (Joke)

Today I present to you my simple agendas:

The need for a deeper as well as wider European Union,for the benefit of the people.

Peace and Disarmament as a a means to politics not a

distant goal.

Ways equality in wealth can be reached in a just and

fair way for all.

Praguetory has said me that he is OK with these themes

and so I invite all your comments to topic one.

Update May 2010 - this blog was written by Robert Chambers aka Mutley the Dog to wind up the serious politicos who normally visited this blog.

Mission Impossible

Graham Brady has resigned from his role as Shadow European Minister. Statement. I'm sure he "loved" his role, but due to his decision of conscience we now have to find a new Conservative MP to take on the Europe brief. Here's your mission should you choose to accept. Old Etonians and people with a known view on Europe need not apply.

Mission Statement - Form a reform grouping of parties drawn from at least 5 states across the EU in anticipation of the 2009 Euro-elections.

Key Obstacles To Overcome -

1. You will get next to no assistance from your other partners in Czech or Bulgaria as you are the biggest member of the coalition, are not new to the EU and therefore are expected to provide leadership.

2. The current Conservative leadership of the MEP delegation will see Brady's departure as an opportunity to stay within the EPP and will be actively working against your mission. They will do their utmost to provoke disunity and prevent the new grouping develop any clarity of vision.

3. There is little opportunity to bring fresh blood into the 2009 delegation because of the MEP selection rules that have been approved by the party board.

4. You may not form coalitions with other parties that have a similar stance on Europe if they are pro-death penalty or opposed to equality for homosexuals. Neither of these issues has anything to do with Europe or EU reform, but nevertheless these rules must be followed. In other words, forget attempting to team up with Polish or Slovak right-wingers.

Rewards For Success & Penalties For Failure

Should you succeed in your mission, your leader will take credit for building this coalition, but will have made many sworn enemies along the way. Should you fail in your mission, you will take the blame and be dispatched to the back-benches. You will have made many sworn enemies along the way.

Update

Congratulations to Mark Francois. He comes from the Treasury team and had a comprehensive education. I do not know his views on Europe. I saw him interviewed on 18 Doughty Street a few months back and was left with a favourable impression. Mark, let us know when you come to visit Prague.

Slave Labour 2

I've written about Slave Labour before and have just prepared an article for the second book of New Labour Sleaze on worker exploitation by the Labour Party. Whilst I appreciate that the Home Office is stretched due to woeful mismanagement, it is crucial that rogue employers are tackled. Serious allegations have recently come to light about work practices at suppliers of "fair trade" fruit, which are now compounded by suggestions of illegal employment which fellow blogger Guthrum has rightly taken seriously.

After leaving an au pair assignment in the late 1990s, my girlfriend was briefly an illegal worker in the UK. No doubt the same cafe owners who exploited her are now employing nationals with no rights to work in the UK and are in the process undercutting and driving legitimate businesses to the wall. I hope to hear of action taken after this expose. I'm not filled with hope.

Richard Corbett Watch

Given that we get the legendary incompetence of Labour MPs rubbed in our faces on a regular basis, it feels rather cruel to introduce you to an international example of Labour madness. But sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.

It's not lightly that I say that Labour's deputy leader in Europe, Richard Corbett, writes the most irritating "weblog" of any politician bar none. Today he's celebrating the introduction of a Stalinist price control. Earlier in the year, he started a post by comparing eurosceptics with Goebbels.

So here's Richard Corbett's recipe for an irritating "weblog"

1. Fill a website with foolish ignorance.
2. Add in generous measures of arrogance and intransigence.
3. Take a highly patronising tone. Sprinkle liberally.
4. Apply a no comments function.

Not that it's any of his business, but I note that this man supports Timothy Kirkhope the leader of the Conservative delegation in Europe. This should set all sorts of alarm bells ringing. Also check out his siren attack on Labour's thoughtful Gisela Stuart who served on the Convention on the Future of Europe, which drew up the EU Constitution. On reflection, I can see why he doesn't enable comments on his website. He shouldn't call it a blog though.

We Are All Tories Now?

Met a new group of people last night. When I mentioned that I have a political website, everyone who expressed a preference said that they were also conservatives. One chap, who is a teacher in his late 20s, wants me to send him the membership form so that he can join up with Conservatives Abroad. Excellent.

Flat Taxes Creeping Westwards

It’s a firmly entrenched stereotype that the former Soviet states in Central and Eastern Europe look to the West for innovative trends and ideas. One notable exception is flat tax, almost untested in the West, which has become ever more popular in Central and Eastern Europe.

The purest flat tax policy was introduced in Slovakia with a 19% flat rate applied to income, corporate and consumption taxes. Since its introduction unemployment has halved and with recent reported GDP growth in Slovakia hitting 9.8%, it’s no surprise that Czech heads have been turned. In fact, over the last year when Czech professionals have found out that I’m interested in politics the most common question they’ve asked is when I think they will have flat tax.

In recent weeks, the Czech government has put a watered down flat tax proposal on the table. The new headline rate is 15%, but because this is applied to "super-gross income" (including employer contributions) it is estimated to equivocate to a 23% rate and of course its simplicity is diminished by this gimmick. Czech Business Weekly was disappointed with the timidity of the reform and led with the headline "It ain’t Slovakia", but also speculated that this reform may be a first step.

Former ODS finance minister and political big beast Vlastimil Tlusty is insisting on a full-blooded reform package exactly in line with the ODS election manifesto. I have sympathy with his view, but of course the ODS are leading the most fragile of coalitions. The ODS leadership are gambling by linking the approval of this legislation with the existence of the government so there are some interesting times ahead. Should the legislation be approved, it will take hold in January 2008 and flat taxes will take a further step westwards.

Flat taxes are not on the radar in British mainstream politics and I realise that they are not about to be, but the impact of overseas reform on UK industry is already noticeable if you follow these things. Although those in the Conservative Party who are looking for a shopping list of Tory tax cuts right now are being tactically naïve, we should be able to promise to simplify the British tax system – there’s plenty to go at there.

Kasparov Kaptured

I have always followed Russian politics closely. Visiting Moscow in 1998 and again in 2002 strengthened my interest. They say that Russians like strong leaders, but I have been increasingly unhappy with the authoritarian rule of Vladimir Putin. Reading Putin's Russia published by Anna Politkovskaya in 2004 was the straw that broke the camel's back for me. Anna Politkovskaya was assassinated late last year.

When in 2005, Garry Kasparov retired from chess to concentrate on politics with this salvo

"In chess I have done all I could and even more. Now I intend to use my intellect and strategic thinking in Russian politics. ... I will do all I can to oppose Putin's dictatorship."

Kasparov's mission was a liberal and libertarian one with individual freedoms at the core of the message. I was right behind him. So I was a little disappointed to hear of him coining it from corporate chess displays in the US shortly after the launch of his new career and wondered quietly to myself whether he had the guts to follow through. It appears he has. See here and here. As Garry says, this is one game he cannot afford to lose and I believe that he is right to pull support from across the political spectrum - replacing tyranny with real democracy is more important than arguments between the left and right.

Do You Like Solitude?

Just spent a week in Slovakia. We usually go there for Easter. We got the blessing of the local priest for our marriage and we sorted out the wedding reception, too. Being in Slovakia is a good chance to recharge and get new ideas. One came to mind which I hope to develop after the May elections.

This video is from just outside Ms PT's home village where we stay. Due to the contours of the land, this spot is completely private and can't be seen from the road. A stream runs along the meadow and I love the forested hillside that surrounds the plot. I like solitude and beauty. One day I will build a cottage here. The smells, sights and sounds of nature will be inspirational. It will be a great retreat to have. If people are interested in more posts about Eastern Slovakia, I would be happy to oblige. Let me know if you prefer me to talk politics.

Reagan Monument Planned For Prague

Is provoking some controversy. The Great Communicator deserves it for his role in overthrowing Communism in the Czech Republic without any bloodshed.

Researching Nymphomania Prague Style

Being stranded last night after the arrest of the transgendered John Bull
impersonators, and being ejected from a Bar named "Alcohol" (plain folks
these Czechs) I returned to my garret room in Zlatnicka Ulika, to pen this
pondering for Mr PTs’ Blog. As he is a world famous political commentator I
am somewhat in awe, so if I stumble over my words a little or giggle
nervously please forgive me.

Nymphomania is sadly a little studied phenomenon outside of the adult film
industry. As my friend Mr F has rightly stated – Prague has become a hub
for the production of celluloid erotica, and so I could not be in a better
place to research the topic. Yesterday morning I popped into the Tourist
Information office on Kunda Platz ( Kermit Place – it is named like much in
Prague Old Town after characters from the Muppets) . A woman with a face
like a sack of porcupines greeted my stuttering Czech with horror "Ty debile
Zasranej - …. Er Nymphomaniac Movies?" I began.

I did not realise it was possible to really make a revolving door spin round like that as a body shoots through it. I thought that was only in cartoons!! Later I met the GF who Mr PT claims is his long term partner. I am suspicious of that as not only is she rather cute, she is also a game girl! She said for flat fee and an hourly rate plus expenses she was willing to help my research efforts in person!!

What do you think I should do?

Absinthe - Just Say No

The alcoholic drink of absinthe is strongly associated with the Prague artistic community - poets, painters and bloggers. As part of his quest to become an internet millionaire Mutleythedog is visiting and will be sampling the absinthe. I wanted to share a few cautionary tales with my readers about absinthe.

Jeremy Van Winkle

I like to tell people the tale of the young Californian, Jeremy Van Winkle (the name has not been changed). He came to Prague to find himself - one morning he found himself straight-jacketed and tied to a bed in a Prague mental asylum. The story began when he bought a bottle of absinthe and started drinking at home, alone. The check sheet records that he was found crawling the streets of Red Zizkov (it's like a set off the film Seven) by the local gendarmerie. Unable to get a word out of him, they carted him away to the local cell which he proceeded to attack. Next step in the well-worn route was an injection and a transfer to the local asylum. Everybody's had that momentary feeling of "where am I?" in the morning, few have experienced this whilst tied to a bed in a white straight-jacket surrounded by lunatics and hooks hanging from the ceiling.

The Aussie Tourists

Another absinthe encounter happened in the aptly named Marquis de Sade bar (pictured) on a Prague side street. I met a hedonistic Australian couple out for a good time. They insisted on trying absinthe. They wanted to do the whole "lighting of the drink" shebang, I couldn't stop them. Anyway, it all went wrong. The bloke lit his drink and knocked it back with elan, only swaying slightly. His missus didn't have the same gusto and gently tipped the drink back and burnt the roof of her mouth badly. I have never seen someone's mood change so quickly. Any Aussie politician would be proud of the tirade she launched at her boyfriend. When it got onto anatomy, it was time for me to leave.

The Case Of Honza

Honza is recently retired and has a liking for the absinthe. He misses his old job as a truck driver and has set up his living room with a seat and a steering wheel so that he can recall his driving days. The absinthe helps him recall the scenery. In the picture, Honza is driving the five hour journey from Plzen to Ostrava and is about to take a comfort break.

Does anyone have any other absinthe stories?

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

The Good

Conservatives Abroad kindly asked me to write a guest article for them. It's the first in a series from different locations outside the UK. It's a marginally better post than the pap I put up on this site. Take a look.

The Bad

My boss is unexpectedly visiting tomorrow. I think he wants to see what I've been doing for the last six months or so. It had all been going so well. Does anyone have any good excuses or am I going to have to cause a diversion at Prague airport again?

The Ugly

Faced with the above issues, I need to book a train out of Prague. Whilst I'm away, my old friend the famed political blogger Mutley the dog is going to keep the blog warm. Fortunately, he knows a lot about Prague as demonstrated by his last post.

Other Prague Pictures

A permanent Jan Saudek museum is in residence on a street called Celetna which is just off Old Town Square in medieval Prague. The following picture is probably the most famous. It's called "Fate Descends towards the River Leading Two Innocent Children" from 1970.


After visiting the museum we decided to visit a Franz Kafka museum. There are two or three Kafka museums, so we asked in a very small one where the others were. This involved crossing the Vltava river. Here's a nice picture of Prague Castle from that bridge.


At the other end of the bridge we took a picture of Charles Bridge - you can see the throngs of tourists.



In other news, we are preparing the guest room for a visit by Mutley the dog, Jen and Mr Frobisher.

Problems In Slovakia

Foray Into Swear-blogging

How do these fucking idiot-brained mafiosi-style crypto-Communist egotists manage to rise to lead countries again and again?

Update

Swear-blogging clearly isn't my thing, but thanks for the comments ;-). Last night I was passed a couple of stories from Slovakia which irked me. The headlines are mine.

Slovak PM Loses Marbles On Basket-Case Tour

PM Robert Fico surprised Slovak doctors with his offer to treat Libyan children with the HIV virus in Slovakia. Fico presented the offer during a meeting with Libyan PM Bagdadi Mahmudi, who accepted it. Slovak doctors note, however, that in Slovakia there is a lack of experience with treating HIV positive children. During his two-day trip to Libya, Fico also labeled the Bulgarian nurses who are sentenced to death in Libya as culprits. However, the democratic world rejects the whole case, considering it politicized. Even the Bulgarian ambassador to Slovakia Og-nian Garkov was surprised by Fico’s statement.

Keep Schtum About Corruption

Transparency International Slovensko (TIS) nominated lawyer Maria Mesencova for the Transparency International Integrity Awards. According to TIS, Mesencova showed civil courage when she was contacted by a colleague lawyer who offered her a bribe. She reported the case to the police and cooperated with them as an agent. However, the Slovak bar later fired her from the association.

Summary

As the tax take in Slovakia is only 27% of GDP I retain hopes for the nation, but whatever the opposite of "green shoots of recovery", that's what's emerging in Slovakia. Socialist PM Robert Fico who has seen his European partners shun him for coalescing with the racist SNS party, appears to be doing a Livingstone in using his elected office as a vehicle to visit the world's tyrants and dictators. In recent months he has celebrated Cuban independence, shunned Belarussian opposition politicians, visited Libya (see above) and China. He has plans to visit Chavez in Venezuela for economic reasons (Venezuela is a country with which Slovakia has $1.5m of trade per annum). This is a man who did not celebrate the Berlin Wall fall. How the hell is he running Slovakia?

The Wisdom Of Mart Laar

So what did one of the most successful post-Communist leaders have to say today? Here are some polished baubles.

Quotes Of The Day

1. "Empower people - give as much government power to people as possible" - his first words of his speech. You can see why he won the Milton Friedman prize for promoting freedom.

2. "Maybe you'll have to start to do some work" - What he told the bosses of the biggest domestic companies when he made the country into a free trade area.

3. "Change the machinery" - His euphemism for kicking all the Communists out and replacing with fresh blood when he came to power (there's a few Midlands councils that could learn the same lessons)

4. "The government ends up with too much money" - What he identified as the only drawback of introducing flat taxes (as he says that politicians always come up with rubbish ideas for spending money)

5. "Europe has lost its head" - Mart's opinion of the leadership of the EU. I can't share his opinion of CAP on a family blog.

Estonia Factoids

1. Independence from Russia was gained in August 1991. Over 90% of trade was with Russia.

2. In 1992 inflation was 1000%, GDP was falling by 30% a year and unemployment was approaching 30%. Budgeted government expenditure was double government revenue.

3. Today, access to the internet is considered to be a human right in Estonia. Within two years the whole of the country will have broadband or wifi.

4. They have successfully implemented ID cards. Mart suggested that the systems they developed cost 600 times less than that quoted by Microsoft.

5. All government spending is disclosed in detail to the public. Several government workers have lost their jobs as a result of journalistic probes into this information.

My only criticism (about which I asked a question) is that he has an incredible fantasy that a common EU foreign policy can be developed. Nonetheless, it was energising to see a politician whose nationalism and anti-Communism was so clearly hard-wired into his political DNA.

The Godfather Of Flat Tax In Prague Today

Mart Laar Synopsis

Former Estonian Prime Minister Mart Laar is coming to give a talk in Prague today. Mart Laar first became the Estonian Prime Minister in 1992. He was the Prime Minister of Estonia from 1992 to 1994 and from 1999 to 2002. Mart's background is academic and he was a history teacher and he has written several historical books. In 2006 he won the Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty which is awarded biannually to "an individual who has made a significant contribution to advancing human freedom."

Flat Tax

In 1994 Estonia under Laar was the first country to implement a flat tax, - over time this has decreased from 26% and is planned to reach 20% by 2009. Unemployment is at 4% and along with the other Baltic Tigers, Estonia has boomed in the 21st century. Estonia is the richest of the tigers and economic growth averaged 10% in 2005 and 2006. My understanding is that he is pro-EU, but his support is pragmatic (geo-political) and not ideological.

Local Links

I'm meeting up with a local ODS political activist later today for a beer. As you probably know the ODS are the Conservative Party's coalition partner working towards forming a Euro-reform grouping in 2009. I think it's important to make relationships at all levels in the party.

Other than to update existing posts or respond to comments, I'm going to try to make a conscious effort not to blog this weekend. Besides, I think some of my recent postings are quite good and worth a browse. Laters PT.

Prague Policing Strategies

A clairvoyant called the police yesterday and told them she sensed there would be a terrorist attack at Prague airport. Police sent an armoured vehicle and officers armed with automatic weapons to the airport. Right, I'm off out to stretch my legs.

Former Czech PM Outed As A Communist Collaborator

Mlada Fronta Dnes, a Czech daily, appears to have documented quite well that Josef Tosovsky colloborated with the state police in the final years of Communism in the late 80s. Tosovsky was the Czech Prime Minister in 1997-8 as part of a caretaker government and was also governor of the Czech National Bank during some very difficult times. Rather than admitting to the extent of his involvement, Tosovsky has issued a denial. Fleet Sheet (see below) bills this an implausible denial and suggests that it makes matters worse and raises further questions.

Another Czech newspaper Hospodarske noviny goes one further in its editorial suggesting that Tosovsky was blackmailable for all his years of power. It's worth pointing out that the banking industry lost 100s of billions of crowns during his time in charge. The banking system practically collapsed and became almost fully foreign-owned, but that's a story for another time.

Hat tip to Fleet Sheet, a daily English-language news bulletin devoted to the business and political activities in the Czech Republic.