"Schicksalswahl“? Ne, obyčejné volby!
Pravdu mají politologové, kteří upozorňují, že v České republice politické strany fungují spíše jako soukromé firmy, které usilují o zisky a výnosy. Politická bratrstva, která jdou napříč politickým spektrem, se řídí heslem vlastního prospěchu, spíše než zájmy veřejnosti. Jenže tento problém volby neodstraní; bude třeba postupných změn v politické kultuře, spjatých nejspíše až s novou politickou generací, která nemá kořeny v cynismu a odcizení normalizační éry.

Here's a pretty balanced view on the pre-election discourse from a well-known political scientist. His conclusion: all alarmist calls from the left and the right warning against each other in apocalyptic terms are simply scare-mongering and don't have much factual basis. However, Czech political parties are "like private businesses" focusing on their own benefit and profit and a culture of public interest is missing - the biggest hole left by the 'totalitarian' legacy - and without a change in the 'political culture' even issues such as corruption will be difficult to resolve. Hard to say how good an analogy this is but listening to Al Franken's or Rush Limbaugh's shows seems to suggest that at least in the US, the situation isn't all that different. Neither is it in Italy or the UK. A real anthropological comparison is needed rather than simple attempts at symbolic translation.