Final Word from Tuesday, February 20, 2024

The ruling coalition, loyal media and loyal opposition did a fine job yesterday of making the tractor protest in Prague look like a pro-Russian event. They got lots of help from alternative political parties that are eager to get a piece of the pie. Yet turning a farm protest into a political protest in the eyes of the public doesn't make the complaints of the farmers go away. A key member of the loyal opposition, Pres. Jan Doležal of the Agrarian Chamber, distanced himself from yesterday's event but wrote in MFD today that the Green Deal destroys agriculture in Central and Eastern Europe. If the cabinet doesn't propose an adequate solution by the end of this month, he said, the Chamber will call on all farmers to support truly massive protests. The chance of coming up with a solution to a Green Deal that "destroys agriculture" looks slim. If Doležal is serious this time, all the ruling coalition, loyal media and loyal opposition achieved yesterday was to put off the big protests until closer to the EU elections. [ Czech Republic demonstration forces ]