Ťok baits Pokorný

Transport Min. Dan Ťok of ANO and lawyer Radek Pokorný are carrying out a war of words in Lidové noviny. Ťok started the most recent battle last Thur. by questioning the impartiality of the Arbitration Court, which ruled against Czech Railways in the Škoda Transportation case and has been unable to reach a decision about who was responsible for the buckling of the D47 highway. Pokorný represents both Škoda and Eurovia (which built the D47 segment) and is also vice chair of the Arbitration Court. Ťok ridiculed this dual relationship, which prompted Pokorný to respond in LN yesterday that Ťok is the one with the conflict of interest, because he headed Skanska - another D47 contractor - before he became minister and is now defending the state against the construction companies. An attentive reader might ask: Isn't this exactly what a minister is supposed to do? This war tells us two things. First, that ANO has identified Pokorný as one of its main campaign targets and is baiting him. And second, that Pokorný has taken the bait and is starting to flop around like a fish caught on a hook.