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.

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pengovsky

Agent provocateur and an occasional scribe.

14 thoughts on “Sheer Incompetence”

  1. No comment on the proposed regions, but the word “Ljubljanians” looks really funny. 🙂 Would hate to listen to English speakers try to pronounce that one.

  2. I’d say Ljubljanians is OK? Inevitably, it is going to be pronounced “lub-la-nians”, but Germans can’t say “Ljubljana” either.

  3. You mean “Loob-la-nians” :))) Anyways I don’t really care, as long as we’re not “Laibacher” or “Lubianezi” again 😉

  4. Isn’t Osrednjeslovenska essentially greater Ljubljana?

    Still, you’re right. It’s odd that Ljubljana doesn’t get its own region.

  5. Osrednjeslovenska region is the central one in the map. Spaning from the Austrian border in the North all the way down to Kočevje in the South, whereas I’m not sure what would consitute greater Ljubljana, since all of the municipalities neighbouring Ljubljana are desperately trying to show that they are independent of the nation’s capital.

  6. Nope, no suggestions, but I’ve heard several colorful descriptors from my cousins in primorska. 🙂 “Loob-la-nians” isn’t bad (because there really is no other option, is there?), but it kind of sounds like a religious sect in Oklahoma or Texas.

  7. on the name of Ljubljana residents, I’d suggest “Ljubljanchans” (lu-BLANCH-ans) — it’s close to the Slovene word, as the usual English -an suffix, and is only three syllables. Plus, there’s something cool about have a word for the resident that is a little different (like Liverpudlian for people from Liverpool).
    Other alternatives would be Ljubljaners (cf. Londoners) or Ljubljanites (cf. Muscovites).

  8. I like Ljubljanchans – it looks complicated, but it’s easy to pronounce. And when pronouced it sounds not only Slovene, but as if spoken with Ljubljana dialect. Very cool, Rolig. Thanks a million! 😀

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