Czech Pirate Party

Bartos doesn't speak like a politician either. While most are wary of saying the wrong thing, he talks ten to the dozen, linking from one topic to another endlessly, venturing into all sorts of areas. At the end of the interview, he asks that the swear words he let slip during these enthused passages be left out.

Call it the "subsidy paradox": EU cash meant to encourage development ends up misused by populist governments whose very existence undermines the bloc's cherished values. Worse, it gives them stamina and strength.

Their choice of meeting place was significant: the campus of the Central European University founded by US-Hungarian financier George Soros. The university is at odds with the government and is in the process of being ousted from Hungary.