In his latest uncompromising weekly commentary, Czech analyst Petr Holec dissects President Petr Pavel's empty speech at the UN and the rhetoric about "public awareness" as echoes of totalitarian control, exposes Andrej Babiš, who criticizes the millions that Petr Fiala spent on PR spreading fear of war, and reveals the PR scams of the green lobby, media bias, and an urgent call for Europe to end the war in Ukraine.
The weekly live broadcast by Petr Holec, No. 291 on Xaver Live, brings another dose of unbiased political insights, which comes at just the right time for everyone who follows European democracy, the conflict in Ukraine, or how elites improve their image while ordinary people pay for it. On Wednesday evening, with his typical energy and sharp wit, Petr Holec focuses on Czech President Petr Pavel, a reference to former Prime Minister Petr Fiala, a counter-argument from the current Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, and the network of PR, lobbying, and media maneuvers that are all too familiar even far beyond the borders of Prague. For a global audience and ordinary people interested in politics, this is a masterclass in exposing power games disguised as patriotism and "protection."
Petr Holec begins with Pavel's speech at the UN – delivered in almost an empty hall because delegates preferred to go shopping. "I understand them and they did well," jokes Petr Holec, before moving on to much more revealing moments. Petr Pavel, he argues, remains the most typical "yes-man" – flexible, adaptable, and constantly improving his image. The president's recent statements clearly confirm this criticism. In response to a Prague conference organized by the association Svatopluk, at which Putin's associate Fyodor Lukyanov spoke alongside representatives of SPD (and even former President Miloš Zeman), Petr Pavel stated: "Whoever puts Russia before the Czech Republic is not a patriot." He warned that such actions "weaken public awareness about the seriousness of disputes."
Petr Holec delves into this. "Public awareness. For God's sake, what is that even?" Petr Pavel is labeled a "normalization cadre, a totalitarian." Petr Holec reminds viewers that this former high-ranking communist military official once praised the Soviet occupation. "The communists took care of our awareness for 40 years. Here we are looking into the face of one of them... Thank you for these words, because they are words that no one else emphasizes like this." The commentator's main thesis is clear and energetic: In a free society, the public protects its own awareness. "For God's sake, we are not a herd anymore." Democracy dies when leaders appoint themselves as guardians against uncomfortable conferences or dialogue. Zeman's opposite – "Dialogue is always better than silence" – is recognized as a healthier instinct. Pavel's "policy of de-escalation," notes Petr Holec sarcastically, has already included vetoes of government laws, complaints about exceeding powers before the Constitutional Court after ignoring the NATO summit, and refusing to appoint a minister proposed by the Prime Minister. De-escalation? Or quietly consolidating power?
The real reckoning comes with Andrej Babiš. The current prime minister is presenting the bill for Fiala's government – and those numbers are painful. Petr Holec points out the 140 million Czech crowns that were spent on "debates about the war." Why? So that Petr Fiala and his allies could appear every year and scare the public with warnings of war, Babiš, motorists, SPD, extremists, and "systemically unfriendly" forces. "We threw manure in their gears," says Petr Holec about the electoral shift that forced Andrej Babiš to take to the same stage with a different message: peace. Babiš emphasized that Europe must urgently strive to end the war in Ukraine, because it is happening in Europe. Russia and Ukraine are European countries. Ukraine borders Slovakia and Poland. "Europe behaves as if this were happening on another continent. But only Europe will pay for it."
Petr Holec points out that calls for a negotiated end to the conflict – even an imperfect one, as was the case in the past with Cyprus or Korea – are immediately labeled as "Kremlin narratives." According to him, this reveals a deeper orthodoxy that punishes realism. Ordinary people are feeling the consequences: a renewed pressure on energy, interventions in fuel prices, and a feeling that wartime rhetoric serves more domestic public relations than strategy. An analysis by the Wall Street Journal, cited in a related commentary, emphasizes that Russian military innovations and self-financing give it advantages that NATO struggles to match in terms of pace and efficiency. The Czech Republic's own military preparedness raises skeptical questions from viewers: With what army exactly would the hawks go into battle?
In environmental and bureaucratic circles, there is a continued "whitewashing" of poverty and power. Petr Holec details how the ministry of former Minister of the Environment Petr Hladík conducted communication campaigns. Documents allegedly prove that the lobbyist Martin Sedlák – associated with investors in renewable energy sources and wind power – effectively ran PR after replacing the original agency. The replacement agency was linked to circles involved in trading emission allowances and the organization Modern Energy Union. When Motorists and Filip Turek later reduced "acceleration zones" for renewable energy sources by approximately 90% and questioned the orthodox understanding of the Green Deal (including the fact that Turek served as a government envoy), a sharp reaction followed – including a denunciation to Brussels. "Now you understand all that hateful campaign against Filip Turek and Motorists," says Petr Holec. Public money protected private green interests. A geologist on Czech Television refuted alarmism using data: we are living in one of the colder periods in the last half billion years; sea levels were once three meters higher; humans are a geological force, but claims of an imminent apocalypse are nonsense. The climate "influencer" Daniel Cortus, whose brand is based on attacks on Filip Turek, allegedly failed to provide almost any substantive response. Real expertise versus moralizing on social media.
Petr Holec focuses on the "deep state." Referring to an article in the British magazine
Petr Holec maintains his energy throughout. He mocks empty warmongering rhetoric (imagine some politicians in the front lines), points out the frustration of parties that are stuck at 12–13% and dream of 20% (like ODS), and welcomes the return of assertive opposition media criticism after years of milder reporting. The main thesis is consistent and understandable:
Babiš's account for the Fiala era, Pavl's protective rhetoric, PR maneuvers from the Hladík era, and confrontation with climate reality form a single energetic warning.
Geoffrey Hunt
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