Petr Fiala: "The year of hope is coming."
An austere setting, an empty table, a view of a garden lined with a Christmas tree and the flags of the Czech Republic and the European Union, this is the conservative scene for Prime Minister Petr Fialy's St. Decent clothes, clasped hands with occasional modest gestures, a calm speech from which slightly accentuated hisses emerge, running time 8 minutes. And a slightly "waxy" impression from the opening shot. On a scale of one to ten, the overall quick rating of the visual aspect of the speech, which makes do with two alternating shots - a half-volume of a room and a half-detail of a person, is a solid nine. Almost forgotten are the linguistic mistakes and thematic ramblings of the former prime minister; Petr Fiala's speech is coherent, free of errors and exaggerations, and has a good, logical structure. To its detriment, there is a certain academicism, distance and untrustworthiness of some statements. Fiala repeatedly thanks the citizens, more or less for their trust, patience and ability to endure a certain degree of discomfort, but the thanks sound rather empty and flat. Similarly, the claim that better times are ahead, that price rises will come to an end and that public finances will recover next year has no basis in a realistic view of the economic situation. The Prime Minister promises that changes will begin to take effect, thanks to record investment in infrastructure, defence and energy and the completion of pension reform. He forgets to add that the investors in these changes are and will be citizens, employees, tradespeople, small businesses and corporations. The tax increases, the further expected rise in energy prices, the modification of VAT rates, and the simple increase in the price of some common products, for example, motorway stamps by more than 50%, all mean that the incomes of most citizens will not even stagnate. This is all the more so as salaries cannot be expected to increase, except for some favoured groups. The Czech National Bank's record in dealing with inflation also does not inspire much confidence. In this light, it is possible to assess Fial's speech as wishful thinking and an attempt not to cause panic, otherwise it would mean that the Prime Minister is either not telling the truth or does not know the real state of affairs. The fact that despite all this, Petr Fiala really believes in the ability of the government and the citizens of this country to overcome the recession, tame inflation and bring the economy of the country under the healthy control of market mechanisms can be inferred from the fist clenched several times as a symbol of determination. The relatively content-free words about the coming year of hope are, after all, somewhat trumped by this.
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