Final Word from Friday, July 10, 2009
The government of Jan Fischer is beginning to win accolades, but it wasn't always smooth sailing. Shortly before it received confirmation on June 7, Fischer sent an inflammable letter to the town of Litvínov and indicated that the coal-mining limits in the area might be extended. Deputy Mayor Vladimír Buřt of Horní Jiřetín, whose village would be engulfed in the process, understood this as a lobbying effort by Czech Coal, which owns the mines. This came soon after someone in ODS spoke to LN of a Judeo-Bolshevik-Freedom Union group around Fischer, which would presumably include adviser Vladimír Mlynář and his best buddy, Jan Dobrovský of Czech Coal. It all added up to a sophisticated conspiracy to help Czech Coal. In retrospect, though, it looks more like a power play by ČEZ to discredit Fischer's little group and to make sure the mining limits aren't extended until ČEZ can buy Czech Coal. Fischer's letter, you see, was actually written by Industry Minister Vladimír Tošovský, who is a dyed-in-the-wool ČEZ man.[Czech Republic MUS Mostecká uhelná spol.]
Glossary of difficult words
accolade - praise, commendation, admiration;
smooth sailing - a situation in which one progresses without difficulty;
inflammable - likely to provoke strong feelings; easily set on fire;
to engulf - to eat or swallow something; (of a natural force) to sweep over something so as to surround or cover it completely;
Freedom Union - a nearly-defunct political party;
power play - tactics intended to increase a person's power or influence;
dyed-in-the-wool - confirmed, established, long-standing, loyal;
Tošovský - interview starts at 13:20.