Špidla aneb Zdroje jsou... – Beniak Luboš (2022)

Since the Russian invasion in 1968, he has had a subconscious awareness that at any moment, something could happen that would turn a person's life upside down. As a result of the brutality of the communist police, he ended up in a psychiatric hospital, and later, even with a university education, he had to earn a living through manual labor due to a poor career profile. After November 1989, he was drawn into politics and threw himself into the revival of the Social Democracy. For years, he stood alongside Miloš Zeman, with whose support he reached the peak of his political career, but then they parted ways, and Miloš Zeman was behind the fall of Špidla's government. During his time as Prime Minister, he had to grapple with the consequences of the worst floods in our country's history, while successfully leading the Czech Republic into the European Union. He served for six years as the European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, and Equal Opportunities. Currently, he leads the Masaryk Democratic Academy and reportedly no longer thinks about returning to executive politics. How does Vladimír Špidla evaluate his victories and defeats today? How does he view the European Union and his collaboration and subsequent conflict with Miloš Zeman? Why did he do some things and not others? How does he perceive the war in Ukraine? The political veteran reflects on his life journey in an interview with experienced journalist Luboš Beniak, who has never voted for him, and...