Final Word from Tuesday, February 6, 2018
When we put together a list on Twitter soon after the Oct. parliamentary elections of those who had caused ČSSD's 7.27% result, Milan Chovanec was in a lowly sixth place. More important in causing the disaster, as we saw it, were manipulator Radek Pokorný, ex-CEO Martin Roman of ČEZ, Zdeněk Bakala, Bohuslav Sobotka and co-manipulator Miloš Růžička. They had turned the party into a commercial entity - we call it ČSSD a.s. - and were ignoring ČSSD's voters. Chovanec always was, and always will be, a small-time operator in comparison. While the others were grappling with OKD and ČEZ, he was getting a low-priced apartment from a supplier to his ministry. Yet he is now ČSSD's self-proclaimed crisis manager. He's the public face for bridging the huge gap between ČSSD a.s. and Agrofert a.s. If it can't be overcome, heads will roll on one side or the other, but chances are that Chovanec will use his street smarts to wheel and deal his way out of the worst of it. [Czech Republic flat Pilsen interior ministry]
Glossary of difficult words
lowly - low in status or importance; humble;
to grapple with - to struggle to deal with or overcome (a difficulty or challenge);
street smarts - the experience and knowledge necessary to deal with the potential difficulties or dangers of life in an urban environment;
to wheel and deal - to engage in commercial or political scheming, especially unscrupulously.