Looks like Europe doesn't want to be us any more than we want to be Europe.
E.U. President Calls U.S. Stimulus the ‘Way to Hell’
By STEPHEN CASTLE and DAN BILEFSKY
BRUSSELS — Transatlantic tension over the handling of the global economic crisis intensified Wednesday when the prime minister of the Czech Republic, which holds the European Union presidency, described the President Obama’s stimulus measures as the “way to hell.”
Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek argued that the Obama administration’s fiscal package and financial bailout “will undermine the stability of the global financial market.”
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Regarding Mirek Topolanek
Mirek Topolanek, premier of the Czech Republic, suffered a no-confidence vote. The next PM will be chosen by the (neo-conservative) president, Vaclav Klaus, but that person has to be acceptable to a majority of the Czech parliament.
The ruling Civil Democratic Party (Vlaus/Topolanek) glommed onto George W. Bush in a big way during the early '00's, and often tried to leverage its ties to the Bush White House in order to extort some favorable consideration from the French or German governments. It was really a case of trying to use hardline "free market" rhetoric to justify--in public--obstructionism, whilst behind the scenes the object was to exact more subsidies from the EU center. My guess is that this approach has long since run out of steam.
The "president" of the EU is not comparable to the President of the US, because the former is merely a randomly-selected legislative officer. He/she presides over the European Parliament, but holds very litttle power. The term of office is 6 months and the post rotates mechanically through the 27 member states. I think it's very rare for a lame duck PM to inherit the presidency.
ADDED: Here's a BBC story on Topolanek's government "falling."
But Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek's downfall had nothing to do with the recession. Rather it was the determination of a small group of defectors, two from Mr Topolanek's Civic Democrat party, two from the coalition Greens, to help the left-wing opposition bring him down. They did so for ideological or personal reasons, or in some cases both. One Civic Democrat renegade said he had voted against the government because his party had supported the Lisbon Treaty.
So what happens next?
In the short term: nothing. Under the Czech constitution, Mirek Topolanek and his ministers must submit their resignations to the President, Vaclav Klaus. But until a new government is found, Mr Topolanek stays on as acting prime minister. There is no time limit on how long - the constitution does not say.
Anyway, Topolanek is basically just another lame duck Republican who holds his seat by virtue of a constitutional glitch.
Yeah, but that's boring...
Yeah, but that's boring...