Final Word from Wednesday, November 3, 2021
Andrej Babiš will be a hard act for Petr Fiala to follow, because no Czech PM has ever been so skilled at changing his mind. Babiš can do it within the span of a single sentence. Fiala isn't very good at it and hasn't needed to be. It's easy to be consistent and principled as an opposition leader, but as the PM-apparent he is now being faced with the reality of having to set real government policy. He's already starting to walk back some of his promises, such as that of reinstating free corona testing, meeting the 2% Nato commitment in 2025 and not locking people down. The Economist said last week that, "No one loves Joe Biden," and Fiala should take notice. Americans elected Biden to get rid of his predecessor, the magazine said, but they are not sure what else he can do. Like Donald Trump, Babiš became more popular with his base as his overall popularity declined. Like Biden, Fiala risks becoming irrelevant if he can't create a base that loves him for who he is, and not for what he does. [ Czech Republic Spolu/Together ANO prime minister ]
Glossary of difficult words
to be a hard act to follow - to be so good or successful at something that it is difficult for the next person, team, etc., to be as good;
span - the amount of space that something covers;
-apparent - one whose succession to a position or role appears certain under existing circumstances;
to walk back - to retreat from or distance oneself from (a previously stated opinion or position);
to take notice of - to become aware of or give attention to something or someone;
base - (politics) a group of voters who always support a given party's candidates for elected office.