Robert Golob | SLEEPING WITH PENGOVSKY

Top Court Clears Way For New RTVSLO Law. Kind Of.

The Constitutional Court on Friday lifted the stay of execution of the new RTVSLO legislation. Thus it put out the flaming bag of dogshit it created with the February decision. As a result, despite the court not yet ruling on the substance of the complaint, new RTVSLO management and oversight bodies can take over. They can then finally stop the political clown-car that has been running the public broadcaster into the ground for the last eighteen months.

The Boy with the flute, the RTVSLO symbol, superimposed on a Constitutional Court plaque, combined with a green traffic light. — *Constitutional Court green-lit new RTVSLO legislation (picture by Capt. Obvious)*

That said, the Court also ended up with quite an egg on it face. Mostly for reasons pengovsky pointed out back in February. The court desperately tried to avoid a political fallout. Yet it achieved exactly the opposite and cooked up a clusterfuck of epic proportions in the process. Among other things, it allowed dismantling of RTVSLO to continue unabated, thus failing its own “lesser or two evils” test. It also rendered itself inoperative on this issue. Which is why the top judicial body had to resort to some pretty messy lawyering to sort out this shit out. Kind of.

Janša’s Gift To Robert Golob

The one thing Robert Golob and his coalition really needed right now was a pep talk. You know, like Al Pacino in Any Given Sunday. Or Captain America in Avengers: Endgame. Or Sean Connery in The Hunt For The Red October. Instead, they got Janez Janša and his SDS holding a whole-day government accountability debate. Which, as it turns out, was almost as good.

PM Robert Golob responding to Janez Janša's criticism of his government. — *Golob addressing Janša directly (source: M. Sušnik/Nat’l Assembly)*

The technical term for this is interpellation. It is set out in Artic l e 250 of parliamentary rules and procedures, for all you nerds out there. But in a move that was as pointless as it was petty, the Party invoked it against the entire government. With this, they ensured the whole thing would have no repercussions at all. And they only did it to cut the NSi off at the pass, anyhow.

Will Robert Golob Party Like It’s 2011?

By the time you read this, it will have been almost a year since Robert Golob wiped the floor with Janez Janša at the ballot box. But if the first couple of months were a case study in differences between the Big Bird and the Glorious Leader, a new and most unflattering comparison crept up lately. Comparing prime minister Golob to none other than Borut fucking Pahor.

Robert Golob chased by the shadow of Borut Pahor — *The ghost of Borut Pahor past*

It is a complete coincidence that pengovsky’s last post was on the political legacy of the King of Instagram. Or, rather, the lack thereof. But maybe this is not a coincidence. Maybe it is just the universe trying to point out the goddamn obvious. Namely, that if he is not careful, Robert Golob will piss away all the political advantage he has and end up chasing his own tail while the world around him starts burning yet again. Party like it’s 2011, anyone?

Boštjan Poklukar Sworn In As Interior Minister. Again.

Two months after Tatjana Bobnar gave him the finger, PM Robert Golob has a new interior minister. After all was said and done, Boštjan Poklukar took the reins of the civilian end of the security apparatus once more.

Boštjan Poklukar was sworn in as interior minister. Again. — *Boštjan Poklukar gets to be the interior minister again. (source: Teja Perko/Nat’l Assembly)*

Poklukar returning to the post he held during the Šarec administration begs for a good Police Academy-related pun. Alas, pengovsky couldn’t come up with anything that wouldn’t raise an eyebrow. So let’s just say that the man’s second stab at the job clears up a couple of points both readers will remember from previous posts on this clusterfuck.

Janša’s Seniors Ask For A Happy End

Reader, I shit you not. A happy end. To be honest, the entire meat of this post can be stiffed into the title. Like a skin boat going to tuna town. Still, this is supposedly a blog about Muddy Hollows politics. So, let’s pitch a tent and see just why SDS seniors got down to the parliament yesterday and engaged in some early afternoon delights.

SDS pensioners standing by a protest sign demanding a 200 EUR raise in pensions and a happy end. — *SDS silver-haired samurais demanding a happy end, as it were. (source: RTVSLO)*

On the face of it, Janša’s silver-haired samurais demanded a 20% raise of pensions and a slew of other bonuses. Which, yeah, good luck with that. But the real message here weren’t the demands as such. The message was that Janša can still whip up a crowd. Even though his general political fortunes are more like a brewer’s droop. The other message was that apparently his senior section really wants to come.

The Second Government Of Robert Golob

Eight-and-a-half months passed since Robert Golob got the keys to his new office. And last week, he finally got the government he needs. But whether it is one he deserves, remains to be seen. But with twenty ministers, the Big Bird’s second executive is the most numerous since the days of Lojze Peterle.

PM Robert Golob with his upgraded cabinet. — *Team Golob 2.0 (source)*

This inflation of top-level postings is a byproduct of coalition haggling. Specifically, it was Robert Golob making sure Tanja Fajon and Luka Mesec brought home some serious bacon. This was meant to offset the dismal showing by both leaders’ parties in April election. But Team Golob 2.0 is also a consequence of shifting political priorities.

Nataša Pirc Musar Takes Over As The Big Cheese

Nataša Pirc Musar took over as the fifth president of Slovenia on Friday. Traditionally, the takeover is done on 23 December, the anniversary of the independence plebiscite. It is also the last full working day before December Debauchery gets turned up to 11 in Muddy Hollows, so the new prez can give the new office a spin.

Nataša Pirc Musar inspects the guard of honour after arriving at her new office for the first time. — *President Pirc Musar inspecting the guard of honour (source)*

Given that the president is the commander in chief, the entire ceremony was remarkably low-key. If it weren’t for a full guard of honour and a red carpet, you could well miss the whole thing. Especially since it was tucked away behind the miniscule Council of Europe Park, between the presidential building and the employee entrance of Cankarjev dom. In a way, this is typical for Muddy Hollows. The more important the occasion, the less pomp there is.