Running a government was never Robert Golob’s first choice. He lacked, as he told the media before the elections, the “inner motivation” to do so. Today, he no longer says this, but he definitely shows it through his actions. He seems to spend more time on holiday than at his desk at the government headquarters at Gregorčičeva Street. His critics would remark that (in a way) this might even be for the best.
Apparently, even his colleagues, who left well-paid jobs in the state electricity industry at his request, did not want to be politicians. “When all my colleagues and I get down to what we are the best in the world at – and it’s not politics, it’s what we do – that’s when we can do the most for the country,” Prime Minister Robert Golob said on one occasion. So, by his own admission, he is not interested in politics and is not the best at it.
However, in the end, he went to the elections anyway. His term at the helm of the Gen-I energy company came to an end, and he was not given a new one by the former government of Janez Janša. But Golob did not go into farming, as he had promised, but into politics. And thus, the Freedom Movement party (Gibanje Svoboda) was born – which is probably the most repressive political movement we have ever seen in the times of Slovenian independence. The hunt for “Janšaists” (supporters of Janez Janša) in public institutions, most notably in the police and the national media outlet, Radio-Television Slovenia (RTVS), began. Namely, Golob feared that the police would start investigating his business dealings from the time when he ran the Gen-I energy company, and he needs the national media outlet RTVS to spread government propaganda. Getting rid of his political opponents was a project – as grotesque as it may sound – that he succeeded in.
Meanwhile, subsequent projects undertaken by his government have failed. The situation in healthcare is the worst. The pre-election promises of his coalition partners in the Social Democrats party (Socialni demokrati – SD) are now a laughingstock. The promise of only having to wait “30 days to see a specialist” has become an internet joke. Some even believe that Golob’s government would sooner offer them euthanasia than professional medical help. Some people would count the recognition of Palestine among his successes, but Golob did not have to do anything to achieve this. Recognition is a declaration or a decision, nothing more and nothing less than that. He has made many declarations in his career, and this was just one of them, but it was also a failure in its own way. The opposition and the experts accuse him of having completely ignored the Constitution and the Rules of Procedure that frame the functioning of the National Assembly in doing so. And staying on the topic of foreign policy, Golob could have influenced the preservation of Ukraine’s sovereignty, which (unlike the recognition of Palestine) would have required him to make at least a little effort and travel to Switzerland for a peace summit. Instead, he went to the USA, where he waited for a photo with Luka Dončić.
When Slovenia was hit by terrible floods last August, he promised the flood victims houses, compensation, restoration of the infrastructure that was damaged, and probably more. But in reality, the victims have still not been compensated, and they have not gotten the houses yet either. One house “for a fresh start” was built by private investors – businessmen and such. The Prime Minister did not contribute to the construction of the house, but he did appear at the opening ceremony. The public had difficulty digesting his presence. He then went to the Olympic Games in Paris, and from Paris, he went to the seaside with his partner. Before that, he was in Germany for the Football World Cup.
And now, while he is on holiday, Slovenia is flooding again. An avalanche in the Koroška region buried a local. But the crisis is clearly not severe enough for Golob to actually go to the worst affected areas. Instead, State Secretary Jure Leben has been dispatched to Črna na Koroškem. The Prime Minister has apparently not found the “inner motivation” to show up.
The list of failures is simply to long for us to be able to write about each one in detail. But we have been recording them since the 22nd of April 2022, when Golob’s party won the election to the National Assembly, and we also write about them in a series of columns entitled “Achievements of the Pigeon house” (a play on words on Golob’s last name, which means “pigeon” in Slovenian), where they have been “immortalised” by the retired politician Dr Vinko Gorenak.
It is time to step down
After two years in office, it is time for the Robert Golob government to step down. This government has no development potential. The Left party (Levica) belongs neither in the government nor in the parliament. The Social Democrats and the Freedom Movement are torn between cooperation and the struggle for primacy on the left. The Litijska Street Courthouse affair was launched by the media loyal to Golob, and the SD party will strike back at the first opportunity. Systemic reforms, as many commentators note, will not happen in this mandate. Golob should therefore just dissolve the government, following the example of Marjan Šarec. Most of his former voters would not resent him, least of all the opposition.
As Janez Janša said at this year’s meeting of the local committees of the Slovenian Democratic Party (Slovenska demokratska stranka – SDS) in Bovec: “A change of power in Slovenia is crucial for the good life of Slovenians.” He believes that we will soon be back to pre-election time. He believes it will happen as soon as next year.
Ž. K.
