January, 2009 | SLEEPING WITH PENGOVSKY

Once More We Play Our Dangerous Game. A Game Of Chess…

I think it was James Earl Jones in “Clear And Present Danger“, that Reaganesque comedy featuring Indiana Jones, who said “Watch your back, Jack”. Why? Because even though members of a particular administration are suppose to on the same team, they constantly plotting against each other, striving for more influence while limiting others in achieving that same goal. Call it the dark side of checks-and-balances.

Sean Connery and Harrison Ford (source)

In case of the new Slovenian government, it is Gregor Golobič‘s Zares which appears to have taken the early lead. Given the party’s modest result (with respect to Social Democrats, the senior partner in The Quartet, that is), Golobič has positioned his party in all the right places. With Matej Lahovnik as the minister of economy the party has direct (political) influence over handling the economic crisic. With Golobič himself as minister of higher education, science and technology, it holds control over the area where major increases in spending were promised. With Irma Pavlinič Krebs as minister of public administration, there’s direct influence on the entire bureaucracy and – finally – with Majda Širca as minister of culture, there’s direct influence on future media development, where a shift from provincial 19th century “Kinder, Küche, Kirche” mindset to a more liberal and urban one is already apparent.

The above does not mean that things are OK just because they are the way they are. It only shows great political skill of Gregor Golobič, who has played his hand more or less brilliantly. However, his political power is far from unlimited (a stark contrast from, say, ten years ago) and he was soon playing defence, when PM Borut Pahor – not to be outdone by his coalition partner – started building a parallel power-structure. And I don’t mean stuffing (sorry, staffing) his office with Dimitrij Rupel. No, PM Pahor was about to create a sort-of-advisory Council on Energy which would report directly to him. The trouble was that energy is part of the economic portfolio, which is why minister Lahovnik of Zares saw this as Pahor pissing in his pool. The backlash was imminent, there was even talk of Zares quitting the coalition and Pahor backed down.

However, Zares will not be able to able to withstand the pressure indefinitely. Rumours are aplenty and – depending on who you listen to – there is talk of Social democrats’ MPs switching over to Zares as well as at least one Zares minister not being happy with her position (pengovsky goes:whoops, me and my big mouth :oops:). So while they wait for Borut Pahor to come crashing down on them again, possibly with great vengeance and furious anger, Golobič and the rest of Zares team are redistributing power between them. At the moment this is taking form of various directorates being transferred from ministry of economy to other Zares-held ministries. These transfers are not a bad idea unto themselves, but their political benefits cannot be ignored either.

So, (to continue with Tom Clancy theme) in the words of Sean Connery: “Once more they play their dangerous game. A game of chess.…” And at the moment only Zares and SD are playing. LDS made the only move it could, exchanging their good behaviour during coalition negotiations for a man at the helm of state owned NLB bank, while DeSUS‘s Karl Erjavec spent his moves on getting the defence portfoilo – and lost.

There Are 25,671 Erased

The new Minister of Interior Katarina Kresal and her State Secretary Goran Klemenčič yesterday published final numbers and action plan in case of Izbrisani (The Erased). For more background information I strongly recommend these two posts by Michael The Great, but the bottom line is that while the commonly accepted number was some 18,000 people whose legal status went from “citizen or legal alien” to “does not exist” (and remained there for 17 years), it now turns out that there are 25,671 individuals who were erased from records in February ~~2991~~ 1992, did not exist as fas as state was concerned, were not entitled to any benefits and could not execute their rights and duties as either citizens or legal aliens.

Izbrisani – a satirical comedy by Boom Theatre

State Secretary Klemenčič said yesterday that the ministry will immediately start recognising legal status retroactively to those individuals who have managed to re-aquire legal residence in the meantime.The rest will, however, have their status legalised by a special law.

And none too soon, might I add. Of the 25,671 people, 1302 have already died and with them died any claims to compensation by the state. Because there will have to be compensations. Imagine seventeen years of being denied public health care, work and pensions and still have to live somehow. These people will want their money back. And it is only right that they get it. Not to mention the fact they are entitled to some sort of compensation for violation of their basic human rights.

However – while I’m all for giving them back monies they spent on social services they would have been entitled to had they not been erased, I would like to see the compensation for violation of human rights being decided in a court of law, perhaps in a class-suit, or on a case-by-case basis. Namely – if the Erased have a case against the government, then it is not for the government to decide how they should be compensated.

And if the court decides that they’re entitled to astronomical compensation, then it is only right they take the state to the cleaner’s.

EDIT: In reply to Dr. Filomena’s comment, here’s the link to the Dispatches programme by CBC, where journalist Lisa Hale reports on Izbrisani.

Left To Themselves, Things Tend To Go From Bad To Worse

If the former PM Janez Janša was known for running a tight ship and for occasionally pissing in other people’s pools, his successor, the current prime minister of the Sunny Side of the Alps apparently has a knack for stirring up shit in his own backyard. His HRM marks took a dive when he co-opted Dimitrij Rupel as his special general envoy (or something like that) which caused anger and disbelief among those who were more than happy to see Rupel meet his political demise (yours truly included).

Pahor and Janša (source)

However, Murhpy’s First Corollary seems to have come into effect: Left to themselves, things tend to go from bad to worse. Citing dire economic situation, both have (apparently independently) called for a bi-partisan political partnership which would unite most (if not all) political parties on a number of common goals. Which sounds peachy. But it is not.

Firstly, there is little need to create such a partnership two months into the first term of the new government. Granted, there are political advantages to this, mostly by spreading the blame around in case Murphy’s first law applies when this government tackles the crisis for real. But the Quartet wasn’t elected to spread the blame around but because they promised they’ll do the job better than the other guys.

Secondly, the most-beautiful of EU leaders is reinventing the wheel. When former PM Janez Janša tried to implement his neo-liberalistic “reform” package, he also tried to get other parties to bring non-coalition parties on-board as well. Back then Borut Pahor was only too eager to sign the deal. Truth be told, it was only LDS which refused to sign on to Janša’s document which in the end amounted to very little. There is every reason to believe that today the result would not be all that different. However, for Pahor’s government time is of the essence as economic conditions worsen daily. Rather than losing breath over bridging the political divide, the PM should go for broke and keep the responsibility solely with his government. If his team is really as good as advertised, then it is only right that his government takes all the glory of a swift economic recovery.

Thirdly, why give the opposition a helping hand in restoring their public image? It was the government of Janez Janša which drove up the inflation, the budget deficit and which refused to acknowledge the looming crisis. This was part of the reason they lost the elections. There is no moral, political or economic reason for PM Pahor to clean up their act for them. If the new government will tackle the crisis successfully, then the opposition will have no choice but to tag along. if however, Pahor messes things up, it is only right to have a vigilant opposition.

And finally. Upon assuming office, PM Pahor promised to bring the parliament back into the focus of decision-making. The proposed bi-partisan agreement would take the parliament and its rules of procedure out of the equation, just as it did during Janša’s regime. And that cannot be good.

Obama’s Oath Part Deux

It seems that this week on pengovsky.com belongs to the Big O. exclusively. The man himself took care of that as he took the oath of office again. Just to be on the safe side.

(source: BBC News)

But this does pose an intriguing question, which applies both to the US and to Slovenia: Since the text of the oath is written in the constitution (Article 2 of the US Constitution and articles 104 and 113 of the Slovenian Constitution), what happens if the text of the oath taken does not correspond exactly with the text written in the constitution?

Any thoughts?

Good Luck (And Brush Up On Your History)

Throughout the Big O’s speech I had the nagging feeling that something was missing. Don’t get me wrong. ‘Twas a good speech. Indeed it was a great speech. But it wasn’t one for the books and it didn’t provide a decent one-liner. In that respect it wasn’t an inspirational speech.

Word cloud of Big O’s speech (source)

On a purely emotional level I was somewhat disappointed by this. It would be kind of cool to see a 21st century equivalent of “I have a dream…” or “Ask not what your country can do for you…“.

On a politically rational level, however, there is little that the speech left to be desired. He clearly laid out his priorities, pointed out the weaknesses but reassured the people that things are doable. The fact, that he took a big but well measured swipe at Dubya only strengthened the power of his words. However, he apparently felt the need to support his words by drawing from history, not in the least by quoting George Washington and following (quite literally) in the footsteps of Abraham Lincoln.

I must admit, however, that I was slightly unsettled by Obama putting communism and fascism in the same basket when he said that “(…) earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.”. Without trying to put too fine a point on it, it should be noted that while Fascism and its equally despicable offspring, Nazism, were defeated by brute force, Communism crumbled because it was outspent, outdeveloped by capitalist (or liberal) democracy. Hence, fascism was defeated by missiles and tanks whereas communism was defeated by sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. I’m sorry if I sound too anal about it. I realize that the above might make little to no difference on the other side of The Pond, but I feel these things should not be left unsaid. History is important over here as well.

In any case, The Big O set himself the task to remake America. Good luck!

Hail To The Main MoFo

Today is the Big O’s day. He will be sworn in as the 44th president of the United States at noon local time, ushering in a new era of US politics.

A new era? Depends on how you look at it. We already covered some aspects of this, but the last 70+ days of the Big O preparing to become the top dog have given some clues as to what the US and by extension the world can expect from the MoFo-In-Chief at least in the very beginning of his term.

Firstly. Forget revolution. That has already happened. The mere fact that the US didn’t split along the lines of Orry Main and George Hazard is surprising enough. Even more surprising (to an outside observer, at least) is the fact that the country seems to be totally cool with it. Despite all the hubbub about the colour of the man’s skin, it is no longer an issue and it seems as if it never was. But that was the revolutionary moment of Obama presidency. Short of actually driving around in a purple limo as well as releasing the files on JFK, Roswell and 9/11 CIA involvement, there is little that Obama can do to eclipse the moment when he became the first African-American to win the US presidential elections.

Secondly. Forget revolution. Revolutions are popular in times of deep and/or protracted economic crises. Just as Russians or Germans. But Barack Obama was not elected to replace the current order of things, but to mend and restore it. You can be sure that while tackling the economic crisis, Obama and his administration will not reinvent hot water but will rather try to find the right combination of known measures. If there ever was a hint of socialism in Obama’s policies, it was long overshadowed by the crashing sound neo-liberalistic stupidities made when they crashed with the harsh reality and when staunch believers in the free market were nationalising banks and insurance companies faster than you could say Federal reserve.

Thirdly. Forget revolution. Even if he ever entertained any such thoughts, the new president will not make a U turn with regard to Middle East, Iran or any other troubled hot-spot. Especially not with she-Clinton as the secretary of the state. She’s there to ensure that America gains friends without losing a lot more ground. Dubya and Rummy excelled in that particular department, but you can be sure that Israelis and Palestinians will not be rushing into each other’s arms just because the man was elected president. Nor will Iran go “here, have our plutonium. No, really, have it. We just didn’t like the other guy”.

But that doesn’t mean that The MoFo in Chief does not have his work cut out for him. It starts today and it won’t stop at least for the next 1461 days.

Entropa (Hitting Too Close To Home)

As you probably know by now, the Czech presidency of the EU is blushing and fuming with anger ever since it transpired that artistic instalation Entropa was not a collaborative effort by 27 artistist from 27 member states and that it does not exactly extol the virtues of being one big happy European family.

Slovenia, the birthplace of tourism

In fact, the entire instalation was made by David Černý and two associates and rather than singing the song of European happiness, it cinycally takes it apart, selects and exaggerates a particular – mostly well chosen – national stereotype. On top of that, all the sculptures are put in a plastic frame often found in scale kit models, suggesting that Europe is a product rather than an idea. And to top it all there’s the name: Entropa, combination of Europe and entropy.

It could be brushed off as yet another prank by the enfant terrible of the Czech art world. But apparently it hit too close to home for some people. The following is taken from the relevant Wikipedia entry:

* Austria, a known opponent of atomic energy, is a green field dominted by nuclear power plant cooling towers
* Belgium is presented as a half-full box of half-eaten Praline chocolates
* Bulgaria is depicted by a series of connected “Turkish” squat toilets
* Cyprus is jigsawed (cut) in half
* The Czech Republic’s own piece is an LED display, which will flash controversial quotations by Czech President Václav Klaus after the sculpture’s activation
* Denmark is a face depicted in Lego bricks, reminiscent of the cartoon controversy
* Estonia is presented with a hammer and sickle-styled power tools, the country has considered a ban on Communist symbols
* Finland is depicted as a wooden floor and an [apparently drunk] male with a rifle, imagining various animals
* France is draped in a “GR�?VE!” (“STRIKE!”) banner
* Germany is a series of interlocking autobahns, described as “somewhat resembling a swastika”, though that is not universally accepted. Upon activation, the cars are supposed to start moving.
* Greece is depicted as a forest that is entirely burned
* Hungary features an Atomium made of its common agricultural products melons and Hungarian sausages, based on a floor of peppers
* Ireland is depicted as a brown bog with bagpipes protruding from Northern Ireland; upon activation, the bagpipes are expected to play music every five minutes
* Italy is depicted as a football pitch with the players holding balls in the “strategic position”
* Latvia is shown as covered with mountains, in contrast to its actual flat landscape
* Lithuanian soldiers are depicted urinating on Russia
* Luxembourg is displayed as a gold nugget with “For Sale” tag
* Malta is a tiny island with its prehistoric dwarf elephant as its only decoration
* The Netherlands has disappeared under the sea with only a several minarets still visible; upon activation, this piece is supposed to emit the singing of muezzins
* Poland has a piece with priests erecting the rainbow flag of the Gay rights movement, in the style of the U.S. soldiers raising the Stars and Stripes at Iwo Jima.
* Portugal is shown as a wooden cutting board with three pieces of meat in the shape of its former colonies of Brazil, Angola, and Mozambique
* Romania is a Dracula-style theme park
* Slovakia is depicted as a Hungarian sausage (or a human body tighten by Hungarian tricolour)
* Slovenia is shown as a rock engraved with the words first tourists came here 1213
* Spain is covered entirely in concrete, with a concrete mixer situated near the Basque country
* Sweden does not have an outline, but is represented as large Ikea-style self-assembly furniture, containing Gripen fighter planes
* The United Kingdom, known for its Euroscepticism and relative isolation from the Continent, is “included” as missing piece (an empty space) at the top-left of the work

Personally, I think this is a lovely provocation, not unlike what Slovenian designers did with The Youth Relay twenty years ago. It says more about the object of the mockery (in this case member states) as it does of the object of the art. In case of Slovenia it takes apart this country’s totally unfounded conviction that it is the centre of the world and that all great things somehow started here. Even tourism, for crying out loud! So in the instalation the rock that is Slovenia states that “the first tourists came here in 1213”. Gotta love it! (Full text of descriptions can be found here)

But in this particular case the fool in the room turned out to be the Czech presidency which (not unlike Slovenian presidency a year ago) was trying to come across as more European than Europe itself. Thus, the point of Entropa has been proven by the very people who aimed to discredit it. The fact that Černý made up 26 other artists, their biographies and even accompanying texts, only further shows that the European idea is artificial at least in part. That in itself if not necesarily bad as it does help to be reminded of that every once in a while. Just so we don’t get carried away.