Month: March 2007

Relax

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Need I say more?




Item 1) Person or persons unknown break into offices of Movement for Justice and Development led by president Drnovšek and steal a laptop computer.

Item 2) Person or persons unknown break into an appartement of an aide to president Drnovšek (a member of his staff) and steal his laptop computer.

Item 3) Person or persons unknown break into a heavily protected house of Ivan Zidar, CEO of the largest construction company in Slovenia, SCT. The man has mucho connections – both on the left and on the right. According to Delo website, his house has a CCTV system with 15 cameras and a security officer. The perpetrator(s) stole his computer and his automobile

Item 4) A month ago the government of Janez Janša formed a top secret committee which prowled through the archives of Slovene secret service SOVA (think MI5 and MI6 combined). The reason for the move remains unclear as the news of this broke only yesterday. Der Führer so far refuses to comment on it.

Item 5) In the glorious history of this country at least the following officials suffered a break-in (the functions cited are those they held at the time of the crime): Former president Milan Kučan, Minister of Finance Tone Rop, Minister without portofilo Marjan Podobnik, Minister of Interior Rado Bohinc

Item 6) During his brief stint at Morel press agency in 2002, Pengovsky witnessed a bizzare incident: An independent news organisation from Serbia was doing a story on human trafficking in Slovenia. The agency Pengovsky worked for secured interviews with high-level government officials as well as several non-government organisations. Just a couple of hours before the interview every single government-interview was canceled. 24 hours later someone breaks into the premises of the agency and steals one (1) laptop, although there are a number of computers available for the taking.

A supposed perpetrator was apprehended and the break-in would be written off as just another drug-related incident, if the numerous floodlights illuminating several entrances into the building hadn’t all gone out at the same moment rendering the CCTV system useless, which is slightly above the capabilities of a lone junkie looking for a quick fix.


Feeling paranoid? Relax – go watch Big Brother and play God. If the government does it, why shouldn’t you?

A Begining of a Beautiful Friendship

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A Slovene version of this


Social Democrats (SD) are about to become the second strongest party in the parliament. As of yesterday it is confirmed that MPs Tone Rop, Darja Lavtižar Bebler, Milan Cvikl and Marko Pavliha (formerly of LDS) will switch allegiances and join the Social Democracts (ther caucus, to be exact).

The move has grave implications as LDS loses a couple of its prominent members – especially Tone Rop (former PM, former president of LDS and until today head of its parliamentary caucus) and Marko Pavliha (sitting vice-president of the parliament). Combined with the fact that Social Democrats have – according to recent polls – taken the top spot in voting preferences for the first time in the entire history of independent Slovenia, the possible coalition between Janša’s SDS and Pahor’s SD in autumn 2008 seems more and more likely.

A bad thing? I’m not sure… It might be fun, though… Pahor has “foreign minister” practically stamped on his forehead. I just hope he doesn’t run for president this autumn. One would hate to see such political talent (this is not a compliment, I’m merely stating a fact) wasted trying to fill the shoes of an unpredictable Janez D.

Ljubljana Disintegrating?

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Quarters of Ljubljana. Could this map become radically different?


During yesterday’s session of Ljubljana City Council rumours started flying about several quarters of Ljubljana seceding from the city and forming their own municipalities. Among them are Moste, Polje, Črnuče and Dravlje


The main reason for this line of thought is of course lack of funds provided for the seventeen quarters of Ljubljana in this year’s budget (which has yet to be adopted, presumably next week).

While nothing is (as yet) official, it is not totally impossible. There are a couple of criteria a particular area has to meet in order to form its own municipality:

-at least 5000 inhabitants
-an elementary school
-a community health centre (“zdravstveni dom”)
-a post office
-a library
-appropriate infrastructure (tap water, electricity, seweage)
-financial services of a savings bank or bank

Articles 13. and 13a. of the Law on Self-Government


Hopefully this will not happen, because in the long term both Ljubljana and the would-be breakaway quarters would be worse off (except Sostro quarter, which in my opinion is so radically rural that it has no place in an urban municipality).

But this is yet another example of why Slovenia has 210 municipalities. Because the current Law on financing municipalities favours small and unsustainable municipalities which are dependant on government money, thus being more prone to government influence.


Danica Simšič saw her ruling coalition disintegrate. Could it be that Zoran Janković will see his city disintegrate?

Sheer Incompetence

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Proposed division into regions (source)


The government of Janez Janša – its Office for Local Self-Government and Regional Policy, to be more precise, has finally unveiled a plan to establish regions in Slovenia – the long awaited second level of local self-government. Yaay!

Fourteen regions: Osrednjeslovenska (Central Slovenia), Gorenjska, Goriška, Primorska, Notranjska, Posavska, Zasavska, Savinjska, Savinjsko-šaleška, Koroška, Podravska, Spodnje-podravska and Pomurska. Not a bad proposal.

There’s only one slight problem: Ljubljana – despite the fact that it is the capital – is apparently not meant to be a special administrative unit. Unlike Vienna, Brussels, London, Zagreb, Washington D.C., or any other self-respecting capital in the developed world. Thus the government seems to have returned to its original (pre-election) position on the issue – last month both PM Janez Janša and Minister for Civil Service Gregor Virant claimed that Ljubljana will become a region unto itslef.

Either someone in the government doesn’t know how to piss downwind or Ljubljanians are again being punished for not being “in the party line”. This time around, though, I’d go with the first option.