The new government is taking its seats, cleaning up the numerous skeletons falling out of cabinets, and obviously this provides juicy news for newspapers. The daily newsreels are more of a comedy-soap rather than a parliamentary report on legislative issues.
Obiously the out-voted former rulers are far from comfortable; whilst their dodgy business is painfully surfacing every day, they are trying to find for excuses, and when confronted verbal abuse is not too uncommon.
Yesterda's topper was the fact, when deputy leader of the slightly neo-fascist nationalistic party SNS Anna Belousovová slapped one parliament member in the face, for referring to her as "Annie" in one of his articles. Her excuse - the colleague lacked basic politeness. A motherly slap apparently was an appropriate act. The parliament's chairman could not stop his bursts of laughter when answering journalists' inquiries in the matter.
On the onset, it might look like another silly act, but it has a sad undertone, which is illustrative for Slovak society: When even in parliament, vulgarities, drunkenness, physical slapping have been common, and are being met with shoulder-shrugging, then the democratic debates are seriously at risk: arguments (if existent) become empty phrases and the parliament, which is a countries legislative arena is turinng into an ordinary pub brawl.
One would expect, that at least the new politicians - who claimed to be unblemished and introducing a new culture - have some distinct decency (and I must say, a handful indeed have some grain of statesmanship in them). In all, the majority however needs still to learn the very basics. For goodness' sake: Some decency please!
MS
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