Janez Janša | SLEEPING WITH PENGOVSKY

Coalition Loses Arts Referendum

That sound you hear right now is the sound of a can of whoop-ass being opened on the Golob government. In today’s referendum, the SDS-backed NO vote won with as much as 93 percent of the vote, which is about as clear a result as you can get. The coalition gambled by calling for a vote boycott and lost. Bigly.

Referendum ballot in today's vote on artists' pension bonuses — *Referendum ballot*

Maybe now Levica and GS will finally learn that calling for electoral boycotts is not really their thing. True, this referendum was an uphill battle for them from the start. But by choosing not to play and hoping for the best is not a strategy, either.

Art Pensions Referendum: Has The Coalition Even Said Thank You To US Embassy Once?

In four days this sorry little excuse for a country will vote on a referendum that is fucking bizarre. Namely, the question at hand is whether outstanding artists should get a state-funded bonus to their pensions after retirement. Things got even bizarre-er when the US embassy in Ljubljana waded in on the issue.

US Embassy in Slovenia tweeted a quote by J.D. Vance and waded into a referendum campaign on art pensions. — *Screenshot of the offending US Embassy Tweet (source)*

The provision on pensions has been on the books for nearly five decades. Since 19-goddamn-74, to be precise. Golob government, specifically Levica coordinatrix Asta Vrečko, sought to update it and fix some loopholes. But the SDS never met a referendum opportunity it didn’t like and so they went all in.

Janez Janša Has A Good Friday

Earlier today, Janez Janša was acquitted of abuse of office in a decades-old real estate deal. The prosecution was asking for a two-year prison sentence. Instead the Glorious Leader and two other people walked out of the courtroom free men.

Image of Janez Janša, depicting his not guilty verdict. — *Janez Janša is not guilty of abuse of office in the Trenta case*

Seeing as this was all taking place on the catholic feast of Good Friday, over the last few days social media in Muddy Hollows was brimming with hyperbole of Janša getting nailed to the cross. The fervently faithful were even comparing him to Jesus, suffering for our sins and such. But in the end, it was just a good Friday for the one true SDS prophet. Becasuse, to put it in the words of Mary Magdalene, he’s just a man.

SDS Throws A Pension Tantrum

In a surefire sign that election countdown is well underway in Muddy Hollows, the SDS of Janez Janša launched an all-out offensive against the Golob government. It all has to with pensions and the ferocity makes the Battle of the Bulge look like a walk in the park.

An upside-down SDS placard, a leftover from the protest last week. All because PM Golob said words about pensions on national telly. — *Leftovers from the SDS pensions rally*

In short succession, The Party called for a referendum on pension bonuses for exceptional artists, staged a mass rally, filed to dismiss a National Assembly VP, demanded a public apology and moved for interpellation of the government, simply because the PM said words on national telly.

The Little Referendum That Couldn’t

Talk about a massive political screw-up. After working up a rare case of bipartisan policy support, and on energy at that (!), major political parties on Monday abruptly walked away from a referendum on the second nuclear powerplant in Krško (JEK2).

A picture of Krško nuclear powerplant with a referendum question blended in. — *There will be no referendum on JEK2 in the near future*

pengovsky should note this does not mean JEK2 is cancelled. On the larger scale of things, this clusterfuck probably will not even count as a noticeable delay. Politically however, this is – to borrow a phrase – a bitchslap heard around Muddy Hollows.

Anže Logar Bails On SDS And Janša

Anže Logar, former SDS wonderboy and long-time heir-presumptive to the Glorious Leader, quit The Party earlier today. He sent out a short email quoting John D. Rockefeller with “Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great“, wished Janez Janša all the best and told him he’s getting the fuck out of Dodge. Thus, after nearly two years of stubbornly sitting on the fence, Logar finally made his move. Sort of.

Anže Logar quit the SDS via email — *Anže Logar’s break-up note*

Realistically, there was no way Logar was going to remain a party member. Not after he formed his debate club and certainly not after he refused to sign a loyalty pledge. But, staying true to his political style, Logar quit SDS with all the flair of a wet tablecloth. There was no press conference, no gaggle of reporters, no grand exit. Just a low-key email, with a mis-attributed quote. If there exists a better metaphore for Logar’s politics, pengovsky can’t think of one.

Fuck Around And TEŠ 6

In a development that surprised a grand total of zero people, due to the TEŠ 6 project, the Šoštanj coal power plant is going bust. Bankrupt. Done for. Broke. Insolvent, even. The government announced yesterday that it will draft an emergency bailout legislation to safeguard the plant’s thermal energy production, vital for some 35,000 residents in the region.

Fuck around and find out meme featuring TEŠ 6 as its centrepiece. — TEŠ 6 entering the find out phase

Such is the inglorious end of one of the largest and most expensive infrastructure projects since the completion of the motorway network. That is not to say that TEŠ (and, specifically, the infamous Unit 6) will be shutting down tomorrow. But the site and the connected “coal” mine will now be on life support, indefinitely. Lest they drag down half of the Slovenian energy sector with them.