Czechmated into irrelevance

Klaus shot to notoriety in April this year as a YouTube sensation with four million hits when he was caught on camera stealing an elaborate pen from a signing ceremony with his Chilean counterpart Sebastian Pinera.

If anything, his visit to Australia only further undermined the little credibility the man, who has done more harm than good to his country over the last two decades, had left.

But just why has no-one questioned the veracity of his visit as a sitting head of state?

Australians quite simply would not tolerate the reverse.

Can you imagine the uproar if our Governor General undertook a sponsored lecture tour overseas? Or, even worse, the Queen?

It is widely reported in Czech media that the number of Klaus' state visits have declined commensurate to an increase in the number of his propagandistic private visits as he quickly becomes a lame duck President in his twilight years.

His own people have quite simply had enough of his antics.

It therefore would come as no surprise to find that in the wake of the Parliament House incident local Czech news weekly, Týden, found that 24 percent of people just found it another incident exaggerated by their President.

Klaus often seeks to disguise the nature of his trips through engineering political meetings or diplomatic engagements on the side.

But no such meetings took place this time.

Thankfully Julia Gillard refused to meet him, as did the Governor General, and all other politicians from both sides of the aisle it would seem.

Even Liberal Premiers Colin Barnett and Ted Baillieu turned down invitations as his road show visited their states. Tony Abbott and Barnaby Joyce did not bother seeking out a time either, probably because Klaus' views are even beyond them.