Andrej Babis is starting to resemble the ringmaster of a circus. All that is missing is the top hat and the long whip.



Andrej Babis is rapidly turning ANO 2011 into a circus act.

First, there was the tiger cub and his trainer. Then we had the ethical code of behaviour, informing us that ANO’s 47 members of parliament would have their parliamentary pocket money docked if they misbehaved. I say pocket money because many of them are successful entrepreneurs, and those that are not are employed by Agrofert. The entrepreneurs have made a big sacrifice already by going into politics and leaving their spouses to run the business. And the employees had little choice one must assume.

Then came the comic off the cuff remark that Babis did not want to become the Speaker of the lower house of parliament because, and I quote, "I'm no good at speaking".

Then there was the announcement that ANO 2011 had formed a council of economic advisors or REP for short. Babis gave the strong impression that REP was actually his council of advisers, not the movement's, but never mind. Today, we are told that one of those advisors, Ales Michl of Raiffeisenbank, is actually Babis's choice for finance minister (he is certainly Ales Michl's choice judging by the banker's Facebook page.)

This is an elevation of acrobatic proportions. It was only last week that Michl, who apparently got an SMS from Babis asking if he could advise him a month or two ago, was appointed to REP! The advisor is raised to the most powerful cabinet office in the land and his ringmaster becomes a parliamentary backbencher. This is smoke and mirrors. All that is missing is the top hat and the long whip.

And when we all thought Babis had at last got stuck into the statesmanlike task of negotiating the formation of a coalition government, he tells us that he is preparing to float his media group. This last announcement is the funniest of the lot. “Complete nonsense” is how Erik Best put it in his column yesterday, asking the question why anyone would “overpay for media properties in a falling market, go to the expense and hassle of getting them into presentable shape, list them on a stock exchange at a loss, and in the process give up the one valuable thing they offer - editorial control?”

Babis is turning into the political equivalent of an operatic intermezzo, an interlude providing light relief from the heavy going opera of government formation going on around him. It is starting to look as if the man is incapable of keeping his hobbies separate from the serious business of politics - or rather of keeping the serious business of business separate from his new hobby of politics.

He should make up his mind which it is to be or else the ringmaster will soon become the clown that dropped his juggling balls.