Final Word from Monday, January 25, 2010
Prague city hall might soon see the end of essentially one-party ODS rule. The political machine is starting to lose steam, according to the polls. The main cause of the voter backlash is the wasteful Opencard project, which has eaten up between Kč 720m and Kč 888m, depending on whom you believe. To add insult to injury, this wastefulness is now forcing a cutback in the operating hours of the subway. Mayor Pavel Bém "doesn't know" who owns Haguess, which is behind the Opencard, but he has promised to find out. Unless he also reveals who has access to its bank accounts, voters will see his answer as another subterfuge. Bém isn't reacting well under all the pressure, giving strength to the speculation aired by Reflex that he has a cocaine problem. To carry out their long-term plan, Václav Klaus and Miloš Zeman need a weakened ODS, but not one that self-destructs because of Bém.[Czech Republic metro public transportation SPO president]
Glossary of difficult words
snow - a slang term for cocaine;
to lose steam - to lose impetus or enthusiasm;
backlash - a strong and adverse reaction by a large number of people, esp. to a social or political development;
to add insult to injury - to act in a way that makes a bad or displeasing situation worse;
subterfuge - deceit used to achieve one's goals.