Final Word from Monday, July 4, 2011
Despite the news reports to the contrary, the addendum to the coalition agreementsigned by ODS, TOP 09 and VV last week does not in fact say anything about linkingthe income-tax law to a vote of confidence in Parliament. Strictly speaking, PMPetr Nečas never said it did, but he certainly implied it at the press conference. Callinga confidence vote is a very serious matter for a government, but Nečas is turningthe issue into a cheap tactic for feigning coalition cohesion. He first spoke of linkingtwo entire packages of reform laws to confidence votes. Then he shifted to the ideaof linking the public-procurement law to one; then he said it might be the pensionreformlaw; and now it is supposed to the income-tax law. Senate Pres. Milan Štěchof ČSSD told Rádio Impuls that he doubts the promise of a confidence vote will evermaterialize. It's like a promise someone makes after drinking 10 beers, he said.
Glossary of difficult words
confidence game/trick (or con game) - a swindle in which the victim is persuaded to trust the swindler in some way;
press conference - see the 4:20 mark of the recording;
to feign - to give a false appearance of; to pretend;
cohesion - unity, togetherness.