Piše: Mitja Iršič
The resolution of the European Parliament, which calls on the Slovenian government to honour the memory of the tens of thousands of people murdered by the Yugoslav communist regime after World War II, could mark a pivotal turning point in Slovenian political history, when the Kučan faction’s shameless restoration of communism would finally lose its grip on power. Slovenes, after all, always seem to need some external stimulus to recognise that something is not normal.
Do you remember the time when Alenka Bratušek was Prime Minister? She was unpopular, but no one considered her incompetent. She was a completely typical Slovenian-style politician, rearranging sentences here and there, ultimately saying nothing concrete behind the fog of socialist moralising. Then came the infamous debacle in the European Parliament, where she utterly failed during her confirmation hearing as a candidate for European Commissioner. MEPs were left stunned, listening to the typical Slovenian political word salad, where it became painfully clear that she had no clue about the transport portfolio she was supposed to take over in the EU.
Politico wrote the following: “MEPs from all political groups expressed surprise at how poorly the hearing went. Within 45 minutes, Bratušek was already repeating lines from her opening statement while answering questions, which led British Conservative MEP Julie Girling to accuse her of offering ‘rather vague and repetitive statements.’ Bratušek was unable to respond even to basic questions about EU energy policy with anything more than generalities. Perhaps most worrying to MEPs was that she seemed unable to articulate what her new job would even entail. The oddest moment of the hearing came when she was asked about a viral video of her singing the communist anthem ‘Avanti Popolo’.”
In the end, she was nearly in tears as she confronted the limits of her own abilities before the eyes of the global public. Slovenians were outraged. “How could we have sent such an incompetent candidate?!” echoed from every corner of society. No one even thought to reflect that this “incompetent candidate” had previously served as the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia. And yet – with performances much like that European hearing – no one had considered her incompetent at the time. But after international ridicule, everything changed.
Perhaps the European Parliament resolution is another such moment, a temporary sobering at least. It is not just a major slap in the face for our government, which now openly flirts with communism, not just as an ideology but even with the Slovenian enforcers of communism. It is also a slap for an entire political camp, which, since that thunderous 2012 speech by Janez Stanovnik in Dražgoše, has made it routine to wear a mask of normality abroad, pretending to be mainstream social democrats or liberals, while at home they bow with official honours before executioners who murdered innocent men, women, and children. Without this resolution, this double game could have gone on for decades, comfortably shielded by Slovenian media, closely aligned with the international leftist journalistic establishment.
Now that game is over. Europe has finally woken up: There is nothing “normal” about the Slovenian left. This is evident in its attitude toward successful entrepreneurs, its stance on Gaza, Israel, Iran, and the Russian Federation, but most clearly in its treatment of postwar history. The EU will now force the Slovenian left to remove the mask of normality. And then everyone will finally see the totalitarian character of its collectivist ideology.
The time is coming when Asta Vrečko will be just as ashamed to pose in front of the serial killer Josip Broz Tito, as modern German politicians would be to pose in front of statues of Adolf Eichmann, Adolf Hitler, or Joseph Goebbels.
