Prime Minister Robert Golob has apparently set out to tackle the low public opinion about him and his party. This could be further worsened by the drastically increased electricity bills next month. To avoid this, he recommends that people in Slovenia wash their dirty laundry in the evenings or over the weekend.
“For those of you who are worried about washing your laundry at night because you don’t want to disturb the neighbours, it’s about the same price if you do it over the weekend. You’ll save just as much. So, there is no need to wash it at night – let the neighbours sleep, and you can do it over the weekend, during the day, and you will all be happy,” said Prime Minister Robert Golob, answering a question on his Instagram profile.
The Prime Minister’s advice referred to the new tariff system for network charges, which entered into force on the 1st of October this year. The Prime Minister defended the new charging system throughout the public debate, only to later come to the realisation that the system drawn up under his government is, in fact, unfair. As he said, this is why he did not go to the climate conference in Azerbaijan. The government then took mitigating measures, and Golob went on the offensive via social media.
A complex and unviable system
The new system of network charges introduces five new time blocks and two seasons (winter and summer) instead of a lower and higher tariff, which is what we had before. The new system aims to reduce the load on the electricity network at peak times, by encouraging consumers to consume electricity at lower load times of the day. At the same time, experts point out that it will be cheaper to use energy-intensive electrical appliances in sequence rather than in parallel.
For many, the system is completely unviable, as it forces the population to engage in impractical behaviours. Doing the dishes, washing dirty laundry, etc., are all household chores that often cannot be done only in sequence or over the weekend. It is, therefore, not surprising that the Prime Minister’s public opinion offensive has been met with a critical response from the public.
“No, what? What has our country turned into? Who are these people governing us? Well, a man who says something like that in 2024 should not be a politician, let alone a prime minister, let alone a director of a state-owned company! Therefore, immediate resignation and early elections should be the next step! And then you can wash your laundry when you’re not on holiday – that one weekend a month!” commented an online user on the Prime Minister’s advice.
Ž. K.
