Final Word from Wednesday, June 22, 2016

The old divisions of Czech society are dead, at least for now. It's no longer primarily an issue of old-timers vs. progressives, of the "Prague café" vs. the Castle, or of "traditional political parties" vs. ANO. There is still some of that, but the hasty police reorganization has turned things topsy-turvy. ČSSD is no longer Haškovites vs. Sobotkians, but rather detractors of institutionalized corruption vs. proponents of it; Právo has drunk the Kool-Aid and is suddenly the No. 1 fan of Bohuslav Sobotka and Milan Chovanec; the Radek Pokorný-influenced Czech TV quotes Radim Jančura as saying that Martin Roman is the biggest criminal in the country, whereas Babiš-owned MFD does not; Karel Schwarzenberg was one of Roman's biggest critics but is now indirectly defending him; even the legendary alliance between Babiš and Miloš Zeman is on the rocks. How strange it will be if Zeman throws his weight today behind Chovanec and thereby joins Schwarzenberg in taking a position that is at sharp odds with the way a majority of Czechs perceive the police reform. [Czech Republic society Michal Hašek Television]