Final Word from Thursday, February 11, 2010
The line between cynicism and objective observance of reality can be quite thin. The argument that the CR is turning into an electrostate driven by the interests of energy producers and their hangers-on is the observed reality for many disinterested people, but many of these same people would consider it cynicism to suggest that leading members of the Green Party are secretly part of the "conspiracy." Even many non-environmentalists are willing to give the Greens the benefit of the doubt, because the party has stood the best chance of shaking up ČEZ-centered politics. The brilliance of the energy lobby has been to present seemingly insurmountable issues - Temelín, mining limits - as inevitabilities. By refusing to draw a line in the sand on these issues, and by remaining in a cabinet that has made passage of a game-changing energy policy statement inevitable, the Greens risk making "realists" of the biggest cynics. The nagging question will be, "Are the Green leaders 'merely' incompetent, or have they been bought off too?"[Czech Republic electricity]
Glossary of difficult words
hanger-on - a person who associates with another person or group in a sycophantic manner or for the purpose of gaining personal advantage;
disinterested - not influenced by considerations of personal advantage;
to give someone the benefit of the doubt - to treat someone's behavior as justified as long as the contrary has not been proven;
insurmountable - too great to be overcome;
inevitability - that which is certain to happen and is unavoidable;
to draw a line in the sand - to create or declare an artificial boundary and imply that crossing it will cause trouble;
game-changing - critical and having the potential to alter the final outcome;
nagging - troublesome, persistent;
to buy someone off - to secure the loyalty and support of someone by bribery.