Final Word from Thursday, May 5, 2016
Andrej Babiš got so caught up in pushing for reverse-charge VAT that he thought it meant that he had to reverse himself on everything else too. Oddly enough, reverse-charge VAT is one of the few policies that he hasn't reversed himself on. The list of his real about-faces is so long that it can't fit into these few lines. Here are some of the highlights. Babiš refused to increase the defense budget, and then he capitulated. He refused to raise pensions, and then he agreed to raise pensions. He refused to increase healthcare salaries by 10%, and then he acquiesced. He refused to give any state aid to OKD, and then ... well, this one is still open. There is a clear pattern. Babiš quietly changes his mind on policies proposed by ČSSD that he initially vehemently opposes. This gives the opposition a real opportunity. ČSSD has the anti-ANO slogan, "The state isn't a company." TOP 09 or ODS could have, "Vote for ČSSD, get ČSSD. Vote for ANO, get ČSSD." [Czech Republic value-added tax wages]
Glossary of difficult words
to be/get caught up in something - to be or become completely involved in something, often with the result of losing track of other things;
to acquiesce - to accept something reluctantly but without protest.