Final Word from Monday, April 14, 2008
One day after cigar-chomping Zdeněk Bakala announced a potential E1.4bn initial public offering for his New World Resources coal company, Jiří Paroubek unveiled a ČSSD campaign poster than pictures a Bakala look-alike. The poster makes fun of ODS by saying that the ruling party has fulfilled its promise of lowering taxes for the rich. According to ČSSD, normal people are "condemned to reform" under ODS. The resemblance to Bakala is surely a coincidence. Bakala made his initial fortune under ČSSD anyway, and the "rich" people Paroubek is talking about are earning something like Kč 60,000-80,000 per month, not per hour. Truly rich people like Bakala can rest assured that this election campaign won't be about them. Instead, it will be about adding a few crowns here, or subtracting a few crowns there, without addressing the issue of what real economic reform would look like.[Czech Republic ODSouzeni k reformě OKD regional]
Glossary of difficult words
to OD - to overdose;
ODs on reform - "overdoses on reform" - the best translation we could find for "ODSouzeni k reformě" - "condemned to reform";
cigar-chomping - cigar-smoking;
Zdeněk Bakala - our thanks to Reflex for the picture;
look-alike - a person or thing that closely resembles another;
to rest assured - to be certain something will happen.