Final Word from Monday, October 19, 2009
A survey of Czech opinion leaders would probably find that 80-90% of them want Václav Klaus to do his duty and sign the Lisbon treaty. Opinion leaders, in many cases, are opinion leaders for the very reason that they respect authority and don't rock the boat. The authority du jour is Brussels, so putting pressure on Klaus to sign the treaty is all the rage too. Inherent in this predisposition against Klaus's lone-wolf strategy is a widely accepted assumption that the Constitutional Court will reach a quick decision on the compatibility of the treaty with the Czech Constitution. Senator Jaroslav Kubera of ODS is convinced that the Court won't give serious consideration to the complaint against the treaty and will dismiss it as being unsubstantiated. He's probably right, and when it happens, it won't bother 80-90% of Czech opinion leaders, because they'll sympathize with the justices. A few lone souls, though, will wonder what is left of justice when not even the Constitutional Court honors the highest law of the land.[Czech Republic European Union]
Glossary of difficult words
to bow to someone - to submit to pressure or to someone's demands;
opinion leader - a person whose opinion particularly influences others in society, such as politicians, businesspeople and journalists;
to rock the boat - to say or do something to disturb an existing situation;
du jour - used to describe something that is enjoying great popularity or publicity, but probably only for a short time;
all the rage - very popular;
predisposition - a tendency to hold a particular attitude or to act in a particular way;
lone soul - lone individual.