Sobotka utters the E-word
When Miloš Zeman came under attack a year ago for hitching a ride back from China with J&T and PPF, he turned attention away from his sellout to the oligarchs by uttering the C-word (which is the K-word in Czech). "K*nda sem, k*nda tam," he said when chastising Pussy Riot for its foul language. One day before Bohuslav Sobotka flew off on Sat. to do deals with China that mainly benefit these same two oligarchal families, Sobotka took a leaf from Zeman's book and started throwing around the E-word (extremism) in Zdeněk Bakala's "Humanitární noviny." ČSSD-friendly journalists and analysts took this to be a major statement against Zeman. Others noticed that not a word in the HN interview was devoted to the trip to China or to the outrageous decision of the Arbitration Court controlled by Sobotka's friend Radek Pokorný (who also happens to represent the Chinese). Sobotka is a rather boring leader when dealing with routine matters, but when the interests of his friend Radek Pokorný or his benefactor Petr Kellner are at stake, he really comes alive.
Glossary of difficult words
to hitch a ride - to obtain a ride by hitchhiking;sellout - a betrayal of one's principles for reasons of expedience;
k*nda sem, k*nda tam - c*nt here, c*nt there;
to chastise - to rebuke or reprimand severely;
to take a leaf from (or out of) someone's book - to imitate or emulate someone in a particular way;
Humanitární noviny - our jocular name for Hospodářské noviny, reflecting its do-gooder editorial stance;
benefactor - a person who gives money or other help to a person or cause.