The transformation is complete

In an extensive analysis, Lenka Zlámalová examines expenditure patterns of Czech households and concludes that: "less than twenty years after the end of totalitarianism, the transformation is now complete. There is no longer any difference between our taxation, pension, social security and health systems and those of Germany, France or the UK. We have adopted the Western way of life. Our family accounts hardly differ at all from those of the 'adult' countries. The times when we spent the bulk of our money on food and when accommodation costs were far lower than in Berlin, Vienna and London are over. ... We watch the same films, read the same books and buy the same brands. ... The only post-Communist remnant is that we are less open to risk, and rely more on the protective hand of the state."

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