I never pass up a chance to poke fun at Vaclav Klaus, the arrogant Czech head of state that has often done more harm than good to this country over the past 20 years. It’s been easier the past few months after his now infamous pen snatch in Chile a few months ago, which then became a viral sensation on YouTube, with 3 million views and counting. (By the way, if you never saw the Jay Leno take on the Klaus incident, it’s a real good laugh.)
If you were thinking that Klaus might stay in the shadows after that controversy—which drove his usually high popularity in the Czech Republic down to 47 percent in April, a new low—then you don’t know Klaus well. He was down under this week in Australia, not on an official visit, but to give one of his typical anti-global-warning rants, this time called the “mass delusion of climate change”. The visit was sponsored by the Institute of Public Affairs think tank.
According to ABC, Australia’s public broadcaster, this is what then happened:
The president, in Canberra to address the National Press Club, was on his way for an interview with ABC1′s 7.30 – which has its Canberra studio within the House – and through the security checkpoint.
Waiting for him there was Michelle Ainsworth, mild-mannered producer for 7.30, ready to usher him up to the ABC studio where reporter Chris Uhlmann was already seated at the desk, lights on, cameras focused.
But going through security with all the plebs was not on Mr Klaus’s agenda. Ainsworth takes up the story.
“As soon as he saw the security device he stopped and said: ‘I’m not going through there’,” Ainsworth told ABC News Online.
“So I told him that everyone goes through. To which he repeated he wasn’t going to go through.
“I told the security guard that he is the Czech president here for an interview, but he doesn’t want to go through the metal detector.
“The guard’s reply was blunt and to the point: ‘I don’t care who he is, everyone goes through’.
“So I told the president there were no exceptions. He replied, ‘I will not go through. I’m leaving. I’m going back to my hotel. If you want to interview me you can do it there’.
“He didn’t even say goodbye. He just left.”
ABC News quipped on its website that Klaus “was not taking any chances of souvenirs being found in his pocket at Parliament House on Tuesday.”
In the view of Czech protocol experts, Klaus, however, was right: Heads of state should not have to go through metal directors, but really, couldn’t the man just grin and bear it, instead of just creating another (minor) scandal?
The Czech public seems somewhat split, in a poll quoted by the Czech Position website:
According to a survey run by the news weekly, Týden, 44 percent of Czechs agreed that their president’s prestige had been undermined. But just under a third (32 percent) thought security rules should apply to all, and 24 percent said the whole incident was just another example of exaggerated behavior by Klaus.
Overall, it wasn’t a great week for Klaus as he also appeared in Norwegian madman Andres Breivik’s manifesto (I’m again quoting her from Czech Position):
Breivik’s “Czech connection” also includes some of the ideological inspiration for his attacked. A fervent opponent of the European Union for diluting European national values, the warped Norwegian was a fan of Czech euroskeptic president Václav Klaus. Citing Klaus as an admirer of US President Ronald Reagan and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Breivik approvingly quotes his attacks on the EU’s “democratic deficit.” Breivik, who describes Europe as the “EUSSR,” in a reference to the former Soviet Union, believed the EU had to be destroyed for the continent to have any chance of salvation.
It should be said that Klaus publicly condemned the massacre.
November 22nd, 2012
10 Comments at "That Troublemaker Klaus At It Again"
Here’s a link to Vaclav Klaus’s “Rant” on so called “Global Warming” in Australia.
Many Australian scientists are having their valued opinion on climate change silenced by the Government authorities due to the contradictions and lack of evidence relating to the fact that the global warming phenomenon is due to the activities of man.
Not surprisingly, Australia is one of the only nations on Earth with a “Climate Change Minister” and the only nation with a massively disproportionate “Carbon Tax” being aggressively pushed upon the Population and through Parliament.
Australia follows the U.K in many of it’s initiatives. The fact that Europe is drowning in man made “Chemtrails”, that do in fact effect global warming , health , crops and water supply, justify the world leaders actions even though they are well aware that the spraying is being perpetrated with their knowledge. Australia doesn’t suffer as greatly from the chemtrail program that Europe does. Perhaps that’s why the Australian scientists dismiss the fact that Global Warming is man-made situation and explains why the Australian government is pushing a European agenda.
http://youtu.be/idKceFvO7AM is the link to Klaus’s “rant” which happens to be quite informative.
Below is a link that many Europeans may find eye opening which has to do with the “Chemtrails” scattered all over the US.
http://youtu.be/mrJvVAWRe_4
The coverage is factually incorrect – Julia Gillard and the Queen are exempt from security checks. Vaclav Klaus once again stood up for his rights as a Head of State: to do otherwise would have been to demean Czech sovereignty. But as you say, you “never pass up a chance to poke fun at Vaclav Klaus”, so why let the truth get in the way of a good story?
He may have condemned the recent act of terrorism, but in a recent interview in Australia (The Drum, ABC TV, 25 July 2011)he was quick to downplay the massacre and opined it was not as important an issue as the spread of Islam of the west. That a man of such ill will and tactlessness could be considered a head of state is troubling.
I agree with author, that Vaclav Klaus is arrogant person but issue about security device he solved as normal person. I do not know what is normal in Australia, but in Europe is common, that invited guests are not checked before entry in house.
It was problem only ABC1 side that was not able ensure entry in studio without security check. Klaus has metal in body (I think that part of leg), for me is not normal that invited person will under more detail security check. For more Klaus as president is representative of Czech Republic. Do you think that if ABC1 will invite Barack Obama, that him guard will agree with security check and potential anal examination? I think that no.
Just think what these checks are for.
Checks are meant for people for whom there is some probability of causing security incident.
What level of probability is there for head of Czech state ?
Vaclav Klaus represents his country.
He’s a highest ranking czech diplomat.
Do you really think its necessary to show chech people that you don’t trust them that much ?
Besides, who plans a meeting (during unofficial visit) in parliament ?
Is hotel or ABC’s office not enough ?
Looks to me like the meeting organizer was incompetent.
As much as I hate Klaus, there is a bit more to the story. He was first left waiting in the front of the Parliament, thinking whether they totally forgot he is comming. Then they took him in and put in line behind dozens of school children. He was just fed up, especially as he knew that after all of this he will have to be explaining to the security, that he has a metal hip, not a C4 in his ass. I think that any reasonable person would just go away.
Klaus is a JOKE in Czech government/pupet/ and disgrace for Czech poeple.
Klaus is a JOKE in Czech government/puppet/ and disgrace for Czech people/citizens/..!!!!There is no limit to his arrogance!!!!
Never then less he has title CSs./Candidate of Sciences.
1. They should have check Vaclav Klaus leaving the Parliament to see what he has than in his pockets.
2. Vaclav Klaus was on the visit not as the representative of the Czech Republic, but as a private person. He was promoting his simple views of the world and not the view of most Czech people. So why he should be treaded as a Czech representative.
Thanks for all the comments. I didn’t know that he had been kept waiting for some time beforehand, which already probably had him in a bad mood. Just for the record: even though I’m not a big fan, I realize that Klaus technically should not have had to go through the security check and this was probably some security guard on a power trip (we’ve all probably had the experiences at some point in our lives of people telling us to mind the rules simply because it makes them feel better, even if it makes no sense). My point was that, given all the bad press he’s received recently, wouldn’t it has been a better idea not to create another controversy?
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