By: Gašper Blažič
As you have probably already heard, we will be deciding on the parliamentary inquiry act in a referendum. The left and their NGO extensions managed to collect the required 40,000 signatures, not a small feat.
When I recently browsed the Facebook profiles of some acquaintances who are not politically engaged, I noticed many photos marked with the logo of the now‑legendary referendum on water protection. Let us recall: with that referendum, Nika Kovač gained public recognition during the third Janša government. Although the topic seemed rather “third‑rate”, left‑wing activists managed to mobilise enough people that reaching the referendum quorum was never in doubt. And when I ask these people today whether they regret participating, they say not at all, and that they would do the same again. The arguments of Nika Kovač and her helpers clearly convinced them.
Will the referendum on the “political police” become a déjà vu of the water referendum? Anyone who followed the signature‑collecting process could see how strongly the entertainment scene became involved. If the propaganda had relied solely on aging former youth‑league activists who still like to boast about how they “protected Janša’s behind” in 1988 as part of the Committee for the Protection of Human Rights – not to mention various “snitches and informants” – the referendum initiative would likely have failed. Instead, theatre actors, TV and pop stars, online influencers, and others stepped onto the stage. And all of them tried to convince the public that democracy was suddenly in danger, that the ruling “Janšists” would inspect bank accounts and even look under people’s blankets. If one person says this once, you might ignore it. But when more and more influencers join the wolf‑howling, many people begin to think the matter is serious and feel guilty if they do not sign for the referendum.
I cannot help but wonder how much money the group behind the referendum initiative spent on hiring entertainers. It is well known that the entertainment scene does not have a strong political colour, money is what matters most. That is why it willingly prostitutes itself, even for political purposes. The only question is the price. It is not hard to guess that entertainers are a convenient tool when ordinary people need to be frightened into believing we are returning to the days of the secret police. It is extremely twisted that the very political option which governed in the previous term, and actually carried out exactly what it now accuses the new parliamentary inquiry act of enabling, loudly speaks of “political police”. They even stage theatrics in parliament, hoping the public will not notice Luka Mesec’s transparent manoeuvre when he, for example, suggested to Tina Brecelj that she “break” the voting device.
The essential question is what the main motive of this referendum farce is. The answer is clear: if the public learned all the dirty details of how Golob’s government was financially supported through Gen‑I and what criminal acts were carried out behind taxpayers’ backs, it would completely bury the entire transitional left. This is a matter of political survival. It is obvious that the parliamentary inquiry under the new act will not even come close to the abuses committed by Tamara Vonta and her commission in the previous term. But there are several scandals waiting to be investigated, from Fotopub to Black Cube. And the left is deeply afraid of all of them. For this reason, the political‑demagogic prostitution of entertainers is entirely understandable. If they never cared about public affairs before, not even when things were truly critical – why would they suddenly unite en masse and sound the alarm over a law that would harm Golob’s clique, not citizens?
I will personally participate in the referendum – and vote for the law. For the law that the left vehemently opposes. Participation will be necessary. We must not repeat the mistake of the water referendum. Instead, we must present arguments and expose the demagoguery of those who protect Robert Golob and his superior, Zoran Janković. Clearly and loudly. We must not allow shrieking entertainment‑industry demagoguery to prevail over arguments.
