Final Word from Friday, June 11, 2010
Václav Klaus hasn't had the level of influence on coalition-building that many had expected. He's been more a lagging than a leading indicator, reacting more to what the political parties are doing than guiding them. This could theoretically change next week, when Klaus gets a progress report from Petr Nečas. No one knows to what extent Klaus is communicating with VV and the Žluté lázně clique or whether they will make trouble before the ODS congress, giving Klaus a chance to stab a knife in Nečas. Klaus presumably still prefers a grand coalition, not only because it would be good for "byznys," but also because it would decrease the political divisiveness and help keep the masses under control. However, it seems slightly more likely today that Nečas will be confirmed as ODS chair, that the three-party coalition will be created, and that the push for a grand coalition will be postponed until next year.[Czech Republic Věci veřejné ČSSD TOP 09 rainbow hidden disguised]
Glossary of difficult words
lagging indicator - (economics) an economic or other indicator that may confirm the existence of a condition or trend but that is not used for prediction;
leading indicator - (economics) an economic or other indicator that is used to predict the future;
Žluté lázně - a Prague entertainment and dining facility that was the site of a post-election party attended by many people connected to ODS and VV;
clique - a small group of people, with shared interests or other features, who spend time together and do not readily allow others to join them;
"byznys" - the Czech spelling is used to denote a certain method of mixing business and politics;
divisiveness - characterized by disagreement or hostility between people;
grand coalition - ODS and ČSSD (but not excluding the inclusion of TOP 09 and VV).