Pro-corruption coalition

Mirek Topolánek got it half-right when he claimed yesterday that there's a "pro-corruption" coalition behind Jan Švejnar's candidacy. The reality of Czech society is that if you want to break into certain circles, whether business, social or political, you must take sides. Being objective or independent isn't fashionable. If you sit on the fence, you'll often sit alone at home on the couch. In this sense, the clique that is "out of power" is indeed assembling behind Švejnar. And it is "pro-corruption" in the sense that it is using the means at its disposal to make its power play. Yet to suggest that ČSOB is the ringleader and that the IPB-related arbitration is the driving force behind Švejnar's candidacy is probably wrong. ČSOB actually stands to lose from Švejnar's candidacy, because it re-politicizes an issue that had lost much of its explosiveness. But Topolánek has achieved his goal of raising a serious doubt.