By: Dr Matevž Tomšič
That Jože Možina’s Sunday interviews are among the most watched and most frequently commented programmes on public television has been known for some time. These are intellectual debates with interesting guests who analyse the state of society in a lucid and often provocative manner, frequently breaking the stereotypes generated by the dominant media. Not infrequently, they also provoke outrage among those who see themselves as guardians of “untouchable” truths.
The following usually happens when the guest belongs to the political and ideological right. Recently, however, a true storm was sparked by a man who, based on his political history, undoubtedly belongs to the left of centre. We are, of course, talking about former president of the country, the government, and the parliament, Borut Pahor. And, paradoxically at first glance, it was his statements that upset people on the left – the political wing he himself is supposed to belong to (he identifies as a social democrat, someone thus leaning left). However, we know that a significant portion of Slovenian leftists see him as a renegade, if not even a traitor. Some of them hate him no less than Janez Janša (who, for them, is the embodiment of all that is bad).
In this interview, Pahor critically reflected on the state of Slovenian politics, focusing on his own political camp. He stated that left-wing politics is being led by behind-the-scenes power centres. In other words, that leftist parties are not autonomous in their actions. Naturally, politicians from that side could not have been pleased by such words. But officially, it was his assessment of the situation in Gaza that enraged the left – namely, his statement that what is happening there does not constitute genocide (in contrast to what his successor, Nataša Pirc Musar, claimed in a recent speech to the European Parliament). He supported his claim with a reasonable explanation: that while Israel is using excessive force, it was Hamas that provoked the armed conflict.
Nonetheless, this triggered a veritable pogrom against Pahor. He was fiercely attacked by the leftist commentariat and by leading politicians from the ruling coalition, people who, in terms of knowledge and capability, do not even come close to him. Who have no clue about international relations. Who probably do not even know the difference between Gaza and the West Bank. One such example is Urška Klakočar Zupančič, the Speaker of Parliament, who declared that “he represents spineless politics.” But what kind of “spine” is required to “howl with the wolves”? On the contrary, it takes courage to oppose biased interpretations of events in the Middle East and the anti-Israel hysteria promoted by the ruling coalition and their media allies.
Borut Pahor is a thorn in the side of the left because he does not follow their radical, nostalgia-tinged (with communist sentiment) agenda. He is the only visible (albeit currently former) politician on that side who is not under the influence of post-communist power centres and who has strived to act independently of them. He is also inconvenient because he still enjoys broad public support, and his words carry considerable weight. That is why they fear he might re-engage politically – which could seriously reshuffle the political cards. And certainly not in their favour!
Of course, Pahor’s political achievements should not be idealised – especially his time leading the government. The author of these lines was also frequently critical of him back then. As he himself admits, he faced many obstacles – within his own political bloc. But his good intentions were never in question. Above all, he was an example of moderation and inclusiveness, avoiding all kinds of extremism. As one of the rare politicians, he earned the respect and affection of people from the opposite political camp. He represented the kind of European social democracy that once was (and has, sadly, now vanished). Slovenian politics could certainly use more people like him.