Final Word from Monday, May 20, 2013
What does the T in TOP 09 stand for? For Tradition, of course. But how, exactly, does TOP 09 define Tradition? When it was pushing church restitution as though its life and livelihood depended upon it, it stressed the traditional role of the church in civic society. When it was trying to win votes from conservative voters in the 2010 elections, it called for a return to family values. But when Miloš Zeman balked at appointing Martin C. Putna as a professor because he marched in Prague Pride and referred to himself and others like him very untraditionally as "Catholic fags," TOP cast tradition and church values aside. Instead, it fully embraced the progressiveness of Karel the Punk Rocker in the presidential elections and said it is prepared to mobilize all civic forces if Zeman begins showing contempt for civic freedoms. Nothing wrong with that. It's the way the wind is blowing. But if TOP no longer wants to be a traditional, conservative party, perhaps it should change its name to POP 09. Or if it wants to be truly progressive, perhaps TOP 69.[Czech Republic Schwarzenberg university]
Glossary of difficult words
livelihood - source of income; means of securing the necessities of life;
Prague Pride - a march for tolerance toward homosexuals;
fag - (offensive) a male homosexual;
progressive - (in this context) favoring or implementing social reform or new, liberal ideas;
Karel the Punk Rocker - one of Karel Schwarzenberg's public personas in the presidential election.