By: C. R.
On Saturday, several thousand members and supporters of the Slovenian Democratic Party traditionally gathered at the Bovec airport, spending the day in pleasant company and enjoying an entertaining programme. The gathering was also addressed by SDS President Janez Janša.
Greetings, Slovenia, greetings to all of you who have come from different parts of our homeland, once again to our gathering that has been taking place for nearly three decades.
Thank you to the local committee, colleagues from the Bovec municipal committee, and to Danijel for the hospitality.
When we first gathered, we met a little further down the Lepena Valley. There were 15 of us when we started this gathering, four families in that first year. But then the number grew every year, and today there are well over 10,000 of us here, which is a record so far.
And this without anyone making a particular effort in terms of organisation. Some committee presidents said that there would have been even more of us, but it was no longer possible to book buses. Next year, buses obviously need to be booked six months in advance. There is still some space left, and in ten years we may need to close the airport because there will be so many of us. We are especially pleased today with those of you who have also filled out membership forms.
Since the SDS is a party that builds on the values of Slovenian independence, there is also a VSO stand where you can join the Association for the Values of Slovenian Independence. This organisation is also extremely important to ensure that the memory of the most decisive decisions in Slovenian history does not follow the path intended by those who abolished the Museum of Slovenian Independence. You can abolish an institution, but Slovenian independence cannot be abolished. Nor can the memory of those times that united Slovenians in such unity that we achieved the impossible be suppressed.
Here I see hundreds of faces we encountered last year at our public tribunes, when we were building our victory in the European elections. Thank you to everyone who participated, thank you to everyone who garnered votes for our good team, thank you to everyone who helped the Slovenian Democratic Party exceed 30% support for the first time in history, and this with a record turnout in the European elections.
If you work, there are results, and these results will be better the more of us there are. So next year, bring along those who might be our sympathisers but have not yet decided to join the Slovenian Democratic Party. It is very important that we are organised. Nothing happens without people, and nothing lasts without good organisation. SDS is living proof of that. Every new member brings ten new voters, and every ten new voters is a step closer to us skiing on snow on Kanin in the future, not just on grass as we did today.
Congratulations to the winning team in grass skiing, and also to the team that won in tug of war. Watching this, I saw that the SDS has both skill and strength, and congratulations to everyone who made an effort. In this grass skiing, there is some symbolism. Earlier, Mayor Mlekuž mentioned Kanin. Unfortunately, I have to speak in the past tense, as it was the only high-altitude ski resort in Slovenia. At a time when the climate is warming mainly due to changes in the sun, which have been happening for billions of years in the life of this planet, not so much because of us as they want to convince you. We are currently in a cycle where there will be less snow in the valleys, and skiing will be increasingly expensive. Here we have a gem with enough snow, but the millions we had allocated in the previous mandate to restore the ski resort have gone somewhere else under Golob’s government. Probably to Metelkova 6, for so-called non-governmental organisations that previously cycled for them, from which Slovenia gained nothing but damage. Only damage, which is still noticeable, and the Kanin ski resort is a comprehensible example of how to misuse money that you all contribute from taxes, contributions, from VAT you pay in stores. These things need to be reversed. In some way, we have lost hope that any significant or even minor positive changes could happen in this mandate. Therefore, it is in the interest of the entire Slovenia, our development, our future, the future of our children, that this sad dancing freedom mandate be as short as possible. And as far as the Slovenian Democratic Party is concerned, we are working to have preliminary elections as soon as possible. And for Slovenia to get a government that will work for the common good. That will not divide people into first- and second-class citizens, that will not divert money from essential projects to where it only causes harm and where citizens and taxpayers who ultimately support this government will not be divided into first- and second-class citizens. We are facing, to use a mild expression, quite dynamic times, both generally and in Europe and also in Slovenia. We have just had a magnificent victory in the European elections. Despite being in opposition, with only a quarter of the votes in the National Assembly, SDS achieved more mandates than the entire government coalition combined. I think there has not been a clearer expression of voters’ will in Slovenia for a long time. Contrary to what some might think, this result is more important for Slovenia than for the balance of power in Europe. In Europe, we elected four members of parliament – four out of 720, which is a drop in the ocean. If anyone expected that our victory in Slovenia would change all of Europe, they were wrong. It is a signal for Europe, as there were similar results elsewhere. In terms of the result for the right centre, our result was the best in Europe. If it were the same or at least similar in most European countries, we would not have confirmed the mandate of the Commission President a few days ago. To be fair, she did not do everything wrong; there were some good measures in the previous mandate, but overall, Europe went in the wrong direction, and someone else should have taken over. That is why we did not support her, but of course, with four votes, it is impossible to turn a big tanker in the right direction. Therefore, this result was more important for Slovenia. For Europe, but also primarily for Slovenia, our next step will be crucial. The next elections will be parliamentary elections. I have already won several bets on when preliminary elections will be held. Some people here have lost those bets. They always said they have such a majority that they would complete the mandate. They do not complete the mandate because they destroy their own governments, knowing that preliminary elections would mean a less bad result for them than waiting until the end. Usually, it is not the opposition that brings down governments. So, we need to prepare. Next year.
A change of government in Slovenia is crucial for the good life of Slovenes. It is also important for Europe. The European Parliament votes so that one member provides one vote. The European Council, unlike national politics, is also a legislator, where Slovenia’s vote is one out of 27, and in important decisions, Slovenia’s vote is as strong as Germany’s or France’s. That is a change. A different government in Slovenia in the next parliamentary elections can significantly influence the balance of power in Europe more than just the European Parliament elections. This is a wealth that still exists within the European Union. Every nation with its own state has one vote, and unanimity is required for the most important decisions. So, in national elections, the direction of the European Union is actually more decided than in the European Parliament elections. There, results, percentages, political groups are formed, and then unprincipled coalitions are made, which also require our party to think about our future actions. So, the coming months will also be months of reflection on how to build alliances in the next mandate of European institutions that will influence things to turn more fundamentally in the right direction and improve. Believe me, this is a very demanding process.
Europe, from east to west, from north to south of this continent, is even more diverse than the former Yugoslavia in which we lived. Those of us who belong to the generations with direct experience from those times know how we complained when our efforts were nullified by decisions we could not influence. We have this experience and do not want to repeat it. So, we face a decisive battle for the near future of Slovenia and future generations. In the days ahead, we hope there will not be more large fires and floods, so we can rest a bit and gather new strength. In autumn, we start in full.
Once again, I urge you to further strengthen our ranks. Over 2,000 new members have joined us in the past year. Since the European elections, meaning since mid-June, more than 400 new members have joined us. The last reception and issuance of membership cards could no longer be done at the House of Dr Jože Pučnik in Ljubljana, but we had to go under a large hayrack in Braslovče, where hop growers usually gather.
So, the more of us there are, the sooner Slovenia will mainstream towards normalcy. One of the SDS slogans in the European election campaign was also “For a normal Slovenia”. When we gathered here in the early years, it was clear: biology has its laws, physics has its laws, nature has its laws. We have two sexes. Both are equal and equivalent, but they are not the same. If they were the same, we would not exist. This is a biological fact. Just because someone denies it does not mean that those who launch such things, who write that men can also be pregnant… In Slovenia, you have a network of so-called non-governmental organisations, for which you pay tens of millions annually from your pockets, that officially claim that a man can be pregnant. But those who launched it are not crazy. That would be simple. They know it is nonsense, that one plus one is two, that an object falls because of gravity… They test how much nonsense and illogicality the public is willing to buy. A Greek philosopher said a thousand years ago: “Those who can convince you of absurdities can make you commit atrocities.” All totalitarian ideologies, especially those of the 20th century, were based on this. They promise something that may seem ideal, but we all know it is not possible. Then, they use all means to achieve such a goal.
Slovenians have a tragic experience and wounds that have not healed, based on this. That is why we need to be cautious here. Do not think they are crazy; they are just corrupt. And this ideology then hides and tests people with such absurdities. When you hear it, you think, who would believe that? But then it appears in mainstream media, and people start thinking: “Everyone thinks this way, am I not normal?” But it is the exact opposite. If you see something is black, it really is black; if something is white, it really is white. If someone has four legs, is hairy, has pointed ears, barks, and bites you, there might theoretically be a possibility that it is not a dog, but usually, it is a dog. You need to trust your instincts.
Our planet is four billion years old. We are just an atom in this timeline. Things do not happen the way some human minds might imagine. There are natural laws that are just natural laws, and because they are such, we also exist. We need to trust this kind of science because it is tested, because we can see it ourselves. And do not fall for ideologies that convince you otherwise, making you feel strange or not modern enough or too old to understand. When people grow up, they sometimes start thinking differently. I always say, let’s wait another 15 years, maybe then even Luka Mesec will join the SDS. Not because we will have changed, but because he will see what normal life is. Maybe one day he will work, and that will influence his thinking.
We are facing times that will require a lot of reason and also courage. I greet you with the words of a man who probably has the most credit for the fact that Europe is mostly united and free today, and that we at least have the possibility to decide for ourselves. Even those of us who used to live on the eastern side of the Iron Curtain, without whom this shift probably would not have happened, or at least our generation would not have witnessed it. He visited Slovenia twice, and during one of these visits, John Paul II said: “Courage is worth it!” So, courageously forward, God bless Slovenia!
