Albert Einstein supposedly defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different result, and he didn’t even live to see the years of Prime Minister Robert Fico as Slovak prime minister.
Like him or loathe him Mr Fico is far and away the most important political leader in the history of independent Slovakia. Internationally, he may be the only Slovak most Europeans can name off the top their head, and he is wrapping up what has to be seen as a relatively successful turn as president of the European Council. His political skills — including the dark arts required to stay on top for so long — have vastly outpaced a variety of political competitors. But it is increasingly obvious Mr Fico is out of ideas.