Another Miller's Tale
The only growth industry is the plundering of public finances, but competition is getting tougher as more profit-seekers pile in. If Vladimír Mlynář is joining PPF as chief lobbyist, it must be because one of the pioneers in the field is losing ground to the upstarts. Like Zdeněk Bakala, who brought party financing into the open, Petr Kellner is shining light on "government affairs." All eyes will be on whether Mlynář uses his close ties to Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek to return PPF to the contest for the eco-tender, which is a plunderer's paradise. However, Mlynář might be of more service to PPF in helping to close the gap between Czech Coal (where Mlynář's best buddy is chairman of the sup. board) and ČEZ regarding the coal mines in Northern Bohemia. It would be in line with Kellner's MO to buy the mines low and to sell them high to ČEZ. And to let taxpayers, as ČEZ's owners, pay the difference.
Glossary of difficult words
Miller's Tale - the second of Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, about the elaborate scheme used by a young student to get what he wants; "Miller" is "mlynář" in Czech;to plunder - to seize wrongfully or by force;
to pile in - (of a group of people) to get into a vehicle or enter an activity in a disorganized manner;
upstart - a newcomer or late starter in an activity who achieves sudden wealth or power;
chairman of Czech Coal's supervisory board - Jan Dobrovský;
MO - modus operandi, way of operating.