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Czech Senate Boss' Stalinist Proposal Faces A Surprising Backlash

Last night, earlier I went to bed, I saw an article nearly a statement past times the social democratic chairman of the Czech Senate – the upper bedroom of the Parliament – Mr Milan Štěch (I know he has been a travel past times pol for many years but I don't retrieve a unmarried thing he has done or said inwards his life too thus far), a one-time communist, who said:
I think that at that spot exists a large plenty laid of people, the pseudo-entrepreneurs, who are working equally self-employed people or entrepreneurs (i.e. equally OSVČ, delight acquire used to this acronym) too they are non effectively exploited from the viewpoint of the national economy. We should gradually double or triple the minimum payments (healthcare insurance too contributions to the pension funds) that these people brand to the authorities too thus that tens of thousands of them volition prefer to live hired past times someone too buy the farm employees.
Well, yes, I was somewhat scared – non that the doubling or tripling would live totally devastating. It would live unpleasant, anyway. During the tenure of the electrical current government, I got too thus used to this variety of left-wing intimidation directed against OSVČ too the increasing bureaucratic too other harassment of the people who Pb businesses or who travel independently to brand their living that I assumed that at that spot volition live quiet too this proposal may live gradually supported past times lots of people too possibly adopted afterward the elections.



The number of extra bureaucratic burdens, forms, too bans that the electrical current authorities introduced inwards recent years was substantial. The "verification reports" for the payers of the value-added tax. The Croatian-style "fiscalization" – mandatory real-time reporting of all cash transactions done past times businesses through Internet-connected devices that every human being of affairs has to purchase too maintain. Most recently, exactly days ago, the smokers' super-liberal Czech Republic turned into some other hell of prohibition when the almost consummate permission to fume inwards pubs was changed to a nearly consummate ban. And at that spot were other events similar that.




You know, a work is that the Czech nation has been a nation of the working course of educational activity too peasants for several centuries. This fact has boiled downward to lots of events that increased the selection. After the disastrous (from the Czech viewpoint) 1620 Battle of the White Mountain, Catholics – too German-speaking folks – became the upper course of educational activity again, treating ethnic Czechs (and Protestants) equally second-class citizens. Recatholicization began along amongst Germanization. Well, Protestants such equally post-Hussites were genuinely screwed too many of them were lucky to emigrate. Ethnic Czechs could live on but... In particular, all higher classes tended to verbalise High German because it was exactly the... lower classes that were speaking Czech, equally everyone of a precipitous "knew".

To some extent, this procedure stopped past times the National Revival 2 centuries agone when a powerful plenty gang of Czech intellectuals made their steps to live certain that the Czech linguistic communication is capable of doing everything that High German could do, too political steps too thus that this gear upward is imprinted into the conduct of the society. And improvements similar that allowed Czechs to buy the farm a pioneering nation of Central Europe inwards mid 19th century when it came to industrialization, amidst other things.




But the century of the Germanization of the Bohemian elites had to receive got consequences. Many of the upper course of educational activity people who got Germanized were turned into self-described High German families too they were expelled inwards 1945. But fifty-fifty earlier that, at that spot were lots of events that cemented the generally working-class-and-peasant picture of the Czech nation. The ethnic Germans tended to live inwards the mountains too ofttimes had to rely on themselves, their crafts etc. It was to a greater extent than commons for the Czechs to live employed past times someone else, e.g. farmers.

And when factories such equally Emil Škoda's huge mill inwards Pilsen were built exactly about the 1860s, they needed lots of workers. Ethnic Czech people whose life inwards the countryside looked poor moved to cities similar Pilsen. So Pilsen too a few other cities became "safely Czech-dominated" but the cost was that the working course of educational activity was guaranteed to buy the farm a large too growing fraction of the Czech nation.

Most importantly, the entrepreneurs were systematically eliminated afterward the 1948 communist coup inwards Czechoslovakia. Farmers were forced to collectivize their assets – Kolkhozes were born. Factories, castles, too all similar large assets were exactly confiscated past times the government. Some of the owners were forced to buy the farm workers, sometimes miners inwards unhealthy uranium mines. Some others managed to emigrate – 300,000 Czechoslovaks emigrated afterward 1948 too 1969.

These were unpleasant blows to something that was a measure Western nation amongst its appropriate elites earlier 1620. But they weren't quite irreversible. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 nation tin prepare novel intellectuals, novel elites, too and thus on. And this procedure started peculiarly afterward the 1989 Velvet Revolution, of course. Lots of people started their ain little or larger businesses, many of them failed, some of them succeeded, but these events were plainly necessary to attain the much ameliorate prosperity nosotros encounter today.

These days, Czech Republic has 10.55 1 one 1000 thousand people too the population growth charge per unit of measurement is a greenish nada – too would live a carmine nada if nosotros weren't getting easy-to-assimilate immigrants mainly from Ukraine. Almost 1 1 one 1000 thousand of the people are OSVČ i.e. self-employed. It's a minority that is unlikely to "win the elections" past times itself – peculiarly because it's highly politically various or fragmented – but it's a minority that tin live heard.

Thankfully, I was reminded of the self-confidence too assertiveness that the Czech OSVČs – too their supporters – receive got regained. Mr Štěch, the leader of the Senate, was flooded past times feedback that pointed out that he thinks exactly similar Gottwald who sent all independent people too entrepreneurs to factories afterward 1948. Mr Štěch clearly thinks equally a hardcore Bolshevik (he joined the communist political party inwards the tardily 1970s too thus it shouldn't live shocking) who has almost no thought how the life too business concern exterior politics industrial plant too he has heard nearly this fact from really many people. Lots of people receive got explained that the OSVČs are paying less coin to the social, healthcare, too other systems, but they also receive got much less from these systems, receive got extra risks, many fewer guarantees from the government, too and thus on.

The negative reply was too thus loud that non exactly some conservative opposition parties but also some other social democrats receive got criticized Mr Štěch. Well, the novel de facto chairman of the social commonwealth who superseded Mr Sobotka, the Interior Minister Mr Milan Chovanec of Pilsen, has at to the lowest degree called Štěch's proposal "unrealistic" too he said that the political party should focus on some positive things – [populist] comments that this grouping too some other should acquire more money. ;-) Not non bad but non bad.

It's sure enough truthful that 1 could build a greater number of cars if some currently self-employed people became operators on assembly lines etc. But equally many receive got pointed out, it's completely sick for a pol (who is a travel past times parasite disconnected from real-world problems of the non-politician people, to acquire into worse) to consider the citizens to live exactly tools of production. Citizens are primarily costless people who may create upward one's hear nearly their life – in all probability inwards ways that they believe to live optimizing their subjective well-being – too they should receive got plenty liberty to practice so. If they receive got to pay amounts comparable to the minimum salary exactly to live "allowed" to live self-employed too avoid the employee status, it way that they receive got been stripped of their freedom.

So the self-employed people are essential to live "really allowed" because they practice lots of services; some villages' really survival may completely depend on the poor plenty OSVČ that Štěch could liquidate; they're the flexible folks who tin create novel methods of production too novel services when novel ideas are invented past times themselves or someone else (and some of the "mostly financially secured" OSVČs may practice their really mortal scientific interrogation which may live to a greater extent than of import than a few to a greater extent than produced cars); their predecessors receive got genuinely been responsible for the structure of all factories too all the existent progress; likewise large concentration of people into "masses of workers inwards a large factory" makes the organization severely vulnerable inwards the instance that a society or ii goes bust; too I also think that it's really of import to acquire into slowly for Czechs to buy the farm independent inwards this feel inwards monastic say to bring down the excessive per centum of the working course of educational activity inside Czechia. Somewhat similar China, Czech Republic is nevertheless rather unopen to a "nation of workers on the assembly line". The salaries aren't bad too the workers receive got buy the farm operators too they must genuinely know some know-how how to operate modern machines that create things.



But I think it should live a affair of mutual feel that 1 exactly shouldn't desire his nation to live stuck at this level. Other nations are plainly ameliorate off because they are composed of the "higher classes" land they outsource the lowly working-class occupations. The higher barriers the entrepreneurs too self-employed people volition face, indeed, the greater the per centum of the lowly workers nosotros volition have, too the to a greater extent than nosotros volition live exactly tools used past times some unusual bosses.

I am happy that the reaction to Štěch's proposal was too thus loud too negative. It sounded to a greater extent than negative than reactions to really similar anti-OSVČ proclamations past times Mr Mládek, some other social democrat, too some task wedlock bosses a few years ago. But don't acquire me wrong: I don't genuinely think that the opinions nearly these "class struggle" issues are alright inwards my nation. I think that many of the politicians are either reasonable because they receive got had some exposure to their ain business; or they were exactly terrified past times the loud negative reaction.

But I think that if you lot asked the people who vote for the social democracy, the communists, or the populist billionaire's ANO movement, most of them would tell you lot that they concur amongst Štěch's proposal to convert the OSVČs to workers. The hate too jealousy driving the course of educational activity acquire by is alive, kicking, too incredibly widespread. So land everyone is proverb that Štěch has terribly damaged the social democracy, I genuinely think that he made certain that the social commonwealth volition steal some 5% or 10% of the voters from the billionaire's ANO because the hate against OSVČ, supported past times their almost consummate misunderstanding how business concern works, is the #1 argue that drives the proud Czech working course of educational activity or "proud employees" to the garbage parties such equally the communists, social democrats, too ANO.

The ideal outcome would live if Mr Štěch managed to weaken Babiš's ANO dramatically – but he would live expelled from the social democracy, anyway, too the rigid post-election social commonwealth would deport equally a political party supporting OSVČ, afterward all, too could bring together some "democracy-saving" (ANO-free too communists-free) left-right coalition that would live effectively pro-capitalist.



A fun Štěch meme. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 estimator game. The destination is to accumulate 20% of votes inwards the elections afterward the chairman of the political party divorced, resigned, too the political party is immediately led past times a strange human being amongst a rifle.



P.S.: There receive got been lots of voices that disagreed amongst Štěch too he was forced to sort of revise his statements. He deeply appreciates OSVČs, nosotros learn, is trying to aid them to avoid a poor retirement, too and thus on. I wasn't genuinely surprised past times Štěch's master copy contention because I think it's widespread inwards the left-wing purpose of the nation which is big. I was much to a greater extent than shocked past times the contrary opinions of some folks. Nice surprises. In particular, the chairman of the Communist Party of Bohemia too Moravia Mr Vojtěch Filip said that OSVČs were non bad because they were almost no burden for the state! Cool. This is genuinely a libertarian viewpoint – sure enough non a communist one. ODS too others should reconsider the coalition ban amongst the communists. I may live overlooking something but it seems to me that I could happily okay Filip equally the government minister of social affairs, for example. ;-)

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