Final Word from Tuesday, December 8, 2009
In Aug., a petition began circulating on the web (Několik vět 2009, Czech only) that criticized the two-party system, the corruption, the complicit media and the laziness of voters to do anything about it. It read like a call to arms for small parties, until it stated that "none of us lives under the illusion that small political parties would be better and more honest than the large ones." One of the chief criticisms of the Green Party is that, once in the cabinet, it turned a blind eye to the shenanigans of the major parties. With the Greens now teetering on the edge of electability, they must decide which voters they value more: Those who oppose political corruption, or those who want their preferred party to bask in it. It's conceivable that the Greens would considerably increase their voter appeal if they vowed now not to enter the next government, even if their 5% or more of the vote would turn them into the kingmakers. [Czech Republic ČSSD ODS]
Glossary of difficult words
Několik vět 2009 - (A Few Sentences 2009) modeled somewhat on the original "Několik vět" from 1989, which called on the Communist regime to grant freedoms;
complicit - involved with others in an illegal activity or wrongdoing;
call to arms - a call to prepare for confrontation;
to turn a blind eye to - to pretend not to notice;
shenanigans - secret or dishonest activity or maneuvering;
to teeter on the edge/brink - to be close to a difficult or dangerous situation;
electability - 5% of the vote is needed to win election to Parliament, and the Greens now have a poll rating of about 4%;
to bask - to revel in and make the most of something;
to vow - to promise;
kingmaker - someone who brings leaders to power through the exercise of political influence; a party in a position to determine who is able to form a government.