Final Word from Tuesday, May 27, 2014
President Miloš Zeman, who walks a tightrope between Brussels and the Kremlin, praised Czech voters for only sending three euroskeptics to the EU Parliament. People who didn't follow the elections closely might think that he meant someone like the Communists, Petr Cibulka or Adam B. Bartoš. But no, Zeman had in mind ODS and Svobodní/Free Citizens, who won a total of three seats. Take a little test and guess which party had the following to say during the election campaign: "The euro isn't a topic for us. Adoption isn't even advantageous for us now. It would put a big strain on the budget - the various guarantees and so forth." It wasn't Jan Zahradil of ODS or Petr Mach of Svobodní; it was Andrej Babiš of ANO, the party that presents itself as being so pro-European. Is there really such a big difference in the short term between Babiš's anti-euro diatribe and ODS "let's keep the crown" campaign? [Czech Republic European Union Russia]
Glossary of difficult words
to walk a tightrope - to do a balancing act that takes one on a very precarious course;
strain - a severe or excessive demand on the strength, resources or abilities of someone or something;
diatribe - a forceful attack against something.