More on referendums this Sunday. Contrary to the legislative referendum (see Part One in the series), there is no turnout or quorum requirement in a consultative referendum. It’s a straight-up whichever-side-gets-more-votes type of situation.
In addition, results of a consultative referendum are, as the name suggests, wholly legally non-binding. In theory, they are politically binding, but going on recent experience, a popular vote suggesting a certain policy direction is not worth a pair of fetid dingo’s kidneys, if it doesn’t align with a per-existing government agenda.
Not only does pengovsky write this blog for free, sometimes he published posts back-to-back, like in the good old days. If you would like to see more of this, you can chip in for a coffee or two, because apparently that is what this blogger runs on nowadays. If you can, buy him a brew on this link.
The political (non)bind of a consultative referendum
The above is why the most clear expression of voters’ preferences, that is to change the voting system so it incorporates preferential voting for specific candidates, never really got off the ground. Even though that petition was approved by a whooping two thirds of all votes cast back in 2024.
On the other hand, because hippies of the 1960s have now become old hippies of the 2020s, legalising and deregulating recreational pot is still considered a liberal talking point despite barely eking out a majority in that same set of referendums.
The 2024 consultative referendums episode also provides important context for Sunday vote on the whole. Back then, the Golob coalition came up with a ver Karl-Rove-esque idea of luring their base to the polls with easy-to-call votes in order to drive up the turnout at the EU election held that same day.
Old dogs and new tricks
Basically, back then the EU vote was the headliner and the consultative referendums were supporting acts. Taking a page from Golob’s playbook, this is precisely what Janša and his coalition did this time around.
And they say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
The difference being that Golob’s coalition at least tried to come with with issues that have actually been part of the public debate for years or even decades (legalised pot, assisted dying, preferential vote). Bibi’s Best Buddy on the other hand went straight for the jugular and called referendums on abolishing the RTVSLO fee, curbing welfare benefits “for lazy people”, and disenfranchising third-country nationals in local elections.
These, of course, are not so much legitimate policy issues as they are culture war mainstays, albeit with a distinct Muddy Hollows twist.
Defunding RTV SLO
The idea of abolishing RTV SLO fee is of special importance, of course. Not just because this is a zombie policy issue that simply refuses to die, but because everyone still remembers Janez Janša’s assault on the public broadcaster during the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020. And the one, during the economic crisis in 2013. And the one during his first government in 2005. Basically, the Glorious Leader hates RTV SLO in its public media form with the heat of a thousands suns.
This, of course, is not because he would be some dyed-in-the-wool neoliberal hell-bent on privatising public services. Sure, he did have a neoliberal phase, but that was a means to an end. The end being pure, unadulterated power. And in order to gain and maintain this state of affairs, one needs a fully functional agitprop apparatus that reaches most Slovenian households. And the only institution that can provide the backbode for such a sprawling propaganda machine is RTVSLO. But in order to achieve that, it needs to be defunded first and then made dependant on state budget, to make sure it toes the Party line.
If there is such a thing as Stalinist heaven, Joseph Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili is smiling down upon his faithful student.
Obviously, if the pro-government YES campaign wins this vote, Janša and his administration will move with lightning speed to enact “the will of the people”. And if by some miracle the NO vote prevails, you can be sure the Aspiring Autocrat will point out that the vote is, in fact, non-binding, and that the coalition already has a new law on RTVSLO in the pipeline anyhow.
Defunding RTV SLO regardless
Which is true. Including the bit about a new law, designed to undo the changes enacted in the Golob-era law on RTVSLO which strengthened the public broadcaster’s independence. Janez Janša and his minister of culture Ignacija Fridl Jarc are hellbent on undoing all of that and bringing the outlet firmly under government control, one way or another.
Now, the people at RTVSLO are not taking this lying down. Sure, the institution has its share of problems, systemic and otherwise. And somehow it has not really used the lull of the last couple of years to put its best foot forward, so to speak. To an extent that’s on the Golob government as well, because it passed and defended the law and then failed to provide the financial framework RTVSLO needs (such as approving a timely raise of the fee). But nothing unites people and focuses minds more than an existential threat from the outside.
And, once more, Janez Janša and his regime are the existential threat to the only public broadcaster in Slovenia, which is why Muddy Hollows has seen a nearly-unprecedented activation of civic minded people, activists, NGOs, creators, influencers and artists, all pleading for the voters to turn up at the ballot box and vote NO.
And even though it might not be enough – and might very well not be – the stage will have been set for the real showdown which will follow when the ruling coalition passes the new RTVSLO legislation and attempts to bring the broadcaster under direct government control. Expect fireworks, probably even from the direction of Brussels.
Disenfranchising third-country nationals
Speaking of passing legislation, perhaps the weirdest of the three consultative referendums is the one on disenfranchising third-country nationals in municipal votes. Long story short, almost a quarter a century ago, when Slovenia was harmonising its legislation with the EU, it had to enact the ability of EU nationals to vote in local elections and referendums, as is the EU standard.
But back in 2002, Slovenia went half a step further and also gave the same right to third-country nationals with permanent residence in Slovenia. This franchise has been on the books ever since and has caused exactly zero problems.
And yet, virtually out of the blue, the ruling gang came up with a change to local elections law, blindsiding everyone and passing it under an expedited procedure, claiming that it the change is minor. Which would be weapons-grade bullshit under any circumstances, but especially so coming from a bunch on nationalistic and jingoistic fuckwits which are thick on the ground in SDS, NSi and Resnica.
The latter is especially ironic since Mr. Muscles himself is of Serbian extraction. But expecting populists to be coherent and make sense is like expecting Anže Logar to find his spine. You know it is technically doable and yet you have zero expectations in that department.
But, pengovsky, I hear you say, if the law is already on the books, why is there a non-binding referendum being held? Reader, that is an excellent question. And the answer is – or rather, are – culture wars.
Stephen Miller meets Slovenian nativism
There are two distinct aspects to this issue. First it is the sheer chauvinism and political cynicism of the move. As pengovsky notes, in nearly 25 years since third-country nationals were enfranchised in local elections in Slovenia, there was a grand total of zero issue with this. Either on principle or in practice. According to government data, there are about 100.000 third-country nationals who would have been eligible to vote in November local elections.
Historically, however, only about 10% of these choose to do so. Meaning that there is virtually no chance any of these votes would tip the result in any way, shape or form. Which in turn means that SDS, NSi and Resnica uncorked this one purely for the love of the game.
Then there’s the fact that the referendum is basically taking a page out Donald Trump’s and Stephen Miller’s playbook. This is about scaremongering and villifying the Other, claiming migrants come here to vote illegally and turn the country into a Sharia theocracy/Orthodox enclave/Hindu retreat or whatever the fuck the non-Catholic bugaboo of the day is.
This pairs well with the general anti-migrant rhetoric that has been adopted wholesale by conservatives and nativists (as well as some right-wing liberals) all over the world. But it also pairs well with the Slovenia-specific strain of ethnic supremacy, where large parts of the majority population don’t need to be asked twice when given the chance to do some light (or not so light) nationalism and punching down.
Schrodinger’s Migrants and Welfare Queens
And since most of these people are SDS and NSi supporters (with some Resnica characters in there, too), the logic is painfully simple: if they vote YES on this question, they are likely to vote YES on the other three. Especially on the legislative referendum, which is the point of this whole fucking charade.
In the mind of the populist- and/or far-right, migrants are, of course, also parasites of the welfare state. You know, the classic case of Schrodinger’s Migrant, who comes here to both bleed the welfare and take our jobs (and women and elected offices, see above). Which is why pengovsky actually wonders why it took these heartless manipulative bastards as long as it did to come up with such a vile-referendum idea.
Of course, this isn’t billed as an anti-migrant vote, but as an “anti-lazy-people” vote. Even though Janša personally saw it fit to single out Kosovo migrants to Muddy Hollows as “not providing added value”.
Other than being a straight up racist remark, this is also very untrue, as half of this country would grind to a halt if somehow migrants from former Yugoslavia would be sent packing. Like literally, there would be next to no-one wiping old people’s noses and feeding them, or feed us burek and ice cream. Or give Janez Janša honorary Ph.D.’s, for that matter.
Is Janša secretly Albanian? (No he isn’t, but it’s funny as fuck)
Glorious Leader singling out Kosovars is also funny as fuck because of this silly little conspiracy theory, that JJ is, in fact, an ethnic Albanian. I mean, look at him, would you? 🙂
At any rate, not only is this one more vile thing on the ballot on Sunday, it is also a page right out of Ronald Reagan’s playbook. St. Ronnie build an entire policy plank on the false notion of welfare queens, and Janša simply repurposed it for domestic consumption.
There was a reason pengovsky opened yesterday’s post by saying that the fourth Janša government ran out of ideas about two weeks after it took office. And it things will not get better any time soon.
Local elections are a month away and some time around there we are also up for another legislative referendum a month from now,. That one will be on the Logar-Vrtovec omnibus bill. And seeing as the government has a lot riding on that one, Janša came up with another consultative referendum. That one on whether the government should sack about a fifth of the public sector employees.
Basic human decency
But we’ll get there in due course. For now, we should note that yes, both current and previous government have used consultative referendums to increase turnout on votes that actually mattered. Which sucks either way.
But on one hand, socially awkward liberals were asking should we legalize pot, and on the other rabid conservatives are asking whether we let people suffer and forbid them for partaking in the decision-making process.
Remind me again, of the two options, which one claims to be closer to the teachings of Jesus? Dunno, I’m sure the carpenter’s son said something about loving thy neighbour and feeding the poor.
I mean, in terms of basic human decency, the three consultative referendums are a no-brainer. You are either for letting people suffer and keeping them in informational darkness, or you’re against it.
And that basic yardstick gives away the game on the legislative referendum, too.
pengovsky will see you on the other side.
