Here is how I measure the speed of integration

Babiš proposes to end war, poverty and religious extremism with a snap of our fingers. Why hasn’t anybody else thought of this?

Andrej Babiš, Czech prime ministerAndrej Babiš, Czech prime minister (Source: Sme)

In Central Europe the absurd charade over immigration and refugees continues. In recent days, it was Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s turn on stage.

In an interview published by The Financial Times on July 19, Babiš criticised the new EU push to develop centres for processing immigrants, a development that attempts to separate genuine asylum seekers from economic migrants in an orderly and humane way. Babiš and the other three Visegrad Group prime ministers, loudly, opted not to attend the meeting where the plan was developed.

SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement
SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement

SkryťTurn off ads

Instead, they criticised the plan from the outside and the continue to do so.

No matter your opinion on whether Europe should take more or fewer migrants, you were not represented because your elected national leaders (not Brussels bureaucrats) failed you. If Central European governments have substantive opinions on these matters, why not go to the meeting an try to influence the outcome?

“We cannot accept all the migrants from the planet,” Mr Babiš told the FT, as if anybody, anywhere suggested that the Czech Republic would or should do that.

“We have to make a deal, like [we did] with Turkey, with north African countries, like Libya and Tunisia, and then we have to help these people in their respective countries, like in Syria, Nigeria or others,” he continued. “This should be the way to solve this problem.”

SkryťTurn off ads

In short, Andrej Babiš’s solution is to eliminate Islamic extremism, end the civil war in Syria and cure poverty in Africa. For his brilliant plan to work, all this must happen immediately, because even if it took just a few months to do so, there would still be migrants trying to come to Europe in the interim.

Babiš proposes to end war, poverty and religious extremism with a snap of our fingers. Why hasn’t anybody else thought of this? Hell, why not just throw in a unicorn and a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for good measure?

The EU needs to be “smart and better”, Babiš said. He rejects the idea of a multi-speed EU in which countries that wish to integrate further, do, and those who do not, don’t. He is also against further integrating his own country, meaning that in order for a single-speed EU to function, all other countries must be as counter-productive as he is. “Tell me: how do you measure the speed?” Babiš asked.

I measure it by how quickly you attempt to solve complicated issues to benefit the people you represent. By that calculation the current crop of V4 leaders, and quite a few other international figures, are moving at a snail’s pace.

It doesn’t need to be that way. Politicians can help solve problems, but they have to want to first.

Top stories

Two bear incidents over weekend, an effort to revive Bratislava calvary, and storks in Trnava.


Píšem or pišám?

"Do ľava," (to the left) I yelled, "Nie, do prava" (no, to the right), I gasped. "Dolšie," I screamed. "Nie, nie, horšie..." My Slovak girlfriend collapsed in laughter. Was it something I said?


Matthew J. Reynolds
Czech biochemist Jan Konvalinka.

Jan Konvalinka was expecting a pandemic before Covid-19 came along.


SkryťClose ad