Czechoslovakia being a far-away country and people of whom we know nothing.

[AlfredJPruffock]

...except that their Government has now fallen.

By their own sword - I may add.

Mr Milbrand - where are you now ?

Ought you not be rushing over there giving Prague Moral support - as you did with Georgia - perhaps the evil Putin is mustering his Tanks ?

What about the NATO missiles that were going to be based out there ?

Well Mr Milbrand ???

[FSM with Cheddar]

Czechoslovakia Czech Republic

[Pogle]

Er It dosn't exist any more I believe it split into Czech Republic and Slovackia

[Menelaus]

Since January 1st 1993, no less.

Anyway, Mirek Topolanek wasn't popular even when elected and even within his own party the ODS (the same party of the President, Vaclav Klaus) - never mind the country at large. Hardly surprising that they fell.

The most regrettable thing is that there isn't a credible opposition - the CSSD have been a spent force since their PM (Stanislav Gross) was forced out.

Cesi, do to ho ...

[AlfredJPruffock]

Aye



The quotation is from 1939 from Neville Chamberlain - I was being a tad 'ironic'

Some people used this quotation to urge milltary action against Russia last year - what a farce when you look at it now.


So said Neville Chamberlain of the aggression shown towards the weak state of Czechoslovakia by the militarily powerful Nazi Germany.

Hitler was keen to flex his muscles and demonstrate Germany's greatness to the world. His excuse to do so was provided by the presence of ethnic Germans living in the Sudetenland, a province in the north west of Czechoslovakia that wanted to (and eventually did) break away from the rest of Czechoslovakia. Europe prevaricated over the German aggression, and, in appeasing Hitler's demands, demonstrated to him that it did not have the willpower to stand up to his bullying tactics.


Now the really naff bit ...


The comparison with South Ossetia in Georgia is ominous.

As the League of Nations did nothing over the Sudetenland, so the UN has done nothing over Russian aggression 'justified' by the demands of ethnic Russians in South Ossetia. As Hitler was galvanised by his aggression, so will Russian puppet President Medvedev (and his master Putin) take heart at the lack of an international response to the Georgian crisis.

The price of appeasement is so often much higher than the price to be paid by early and decisive action when a bully tries to shove smaller children around in the playground.

Really ?

[Menelaus]

We have to remember that the Czech Republic is a country that went for six months without a president when Vaclav Havel stepped down to protest the split of the Czech Republic and Slovakia ... and nobody really gave too much of a toss!