Final Word from Monday, February 21, 2022
Andrej Babiš handed his political rivals and critics a strong weapon when he started attacking the Green Deal. After all, he had given it the go-ahead as prime minister. Of course we know how it works in Brussels. The entire EU machinery is designed to prevent even a single grain of sand from getting into the gears, so it's hard to blame Babiš for not posing resistance to the Green Deal early on. The cogwheels would have chewed him up and spit him out. Petr Fiala is now in a similar situation with regard to Ukraine-Russia. Regardless of what he might think personally about the way U.S. Pres. Joe Biden is handling the situation, he has little choice but to support it. He repeated all of the talking points on Czech TV yesterday. Like Babiš in the case of the Green Deal, Fiala has now accepted partial political responsibility for something that he has absolutely no control over. However, there is no sign so far that Fiala is as good as Babiš at ducking responsibility when the bill comes due. [ Czech Republic environmental policy politics Television OVM European Union ]
Glossary of difficult words
go-ahead - permission to proceed;
cogwheel - a toothed wheel that engages with another similar wheel;
talking points - pre-established messages or formulas used in the field of political communication, sales, and commercial or advertising communication;
to duck - to evade or avoid (an unwelcome duty or undertaking);
when the bill comes dues - when the consequences of an action arrive.