Is such a recipe possible? Is it possible to have a smart and insightful prescription that, if strictly followed, will make everything "right"? It's probably possible, but we won't get there until we rethink our view of the political process. For some reason, probably because this world is currently binary, people are used to seeing any collision, including especially the political one, as a clash between good and evil. And they argue tirelessly which of the two sides is the good one and which one – evil. Because no one will admit, will not believe that they are on the side of evil. But political confrontations are not a clash between good and evil, and when we understand this, many things will fall into place.
See what happened this week! For the seventh time in a row, they failed to form a regular government, no matter how much we begged them. The behavior of the DPS was astonishing and at the same time instructive. Just before the vote on Borisov's cabinet proposals (too satisfactory, by the way), Dogan issued an order that he would not be supported by the DPS. Peevski, whose game is obviously completely different, did the unthinkable – protested to Dogan. As a result, the DPS parliamentary group disintegrated, and the second political force turned out to be the Change, which was otherwise the third. And now the next mandate to form a cabinet will go to them. Why? In whose interest was this? In any case, not in the interest of the party as a party and not in the interest of its voters. Suspicions grew that Peevski had turned strongly towards America, and Dogan was really a hidden lemon of Russia. But this may have something to do with the personal interests of these two people, but it has nothing to do with Bulgarian political logic. Nor with the national interests.
What will happen now? What does arithmetic show?
One of the following three things will happen:
• GERB will still support PPDB, no matter how much they beat their chests that they won't. Because of which they will lose more voters. How long did it take them to “assemble“? Somewhere around 140,000. Now they will fall further unless they take a clear course towards winning the next election convincingly and ruling on their own or a government unquestionably dominated by them.
• They will be supported by all the others plus the DPS dogans or without them, it doesn't matter. They have enough deputies (125). However, one should not get involved – they don't have enough. This, you will forgive the expression, is complete garbage and looks like an obituary of democracy. Those who yesterday argued in blood about how to govern the country and each made the other harmful for the fatherland, will start to govern together.
• Once again there will be no government. For now, this is the most likely to happen. In this situation, we are going to new early elections in the usual way, but I don't know what the voter turnout will be then. Many people will opt out of the democratic process and no one can be mad at them.
But if a front is formed like in France, we will end up in a political, ideological and even philosophical absurdity. Euro-Atlanticists and skeptics in one coalition! Supporters and opponents of the eurozone hand in hand! Where did the competition go, where did the contest go, where does this road that we're going to take lead? What kind of politics could this even be? As a result, we will find ourselves in the ugly situation of the state managing only the third political force (in the elections), which is too far from the “will of the sovereign”. These swindlers will get the power again, given that their support is falling precipitously from election to election and that absolutely nowhere in Bulgaria have they gained trust, except in the increasingly ugly Sofia (believe me, it's hard for me to talk like that about my hometown !).
That is why, if some unprincipled government is formed, I stop voting. I will probably only participate in a possible "Monarchy or Republic" referendum, and that if the King promises that he will ban parties.
During the week, Petar Kichashki came out with a nice article, first in “Trud”, and then I saw it in “Conservator”. It is called “Political error is personal, not systemic” and suggests that looking for a way out of the crisis, we are not looking in the right place, because the problem is leadership, above all personal. It says so:
„The cure for the political crisis, which is clearly a crisis of leadership, is not to concentrate all power in one hand, nor to change laws. The remedy is to respect the principles of parliamentarism and defend the parliamentary republic at all costs… The way out of the political crisis is in a strong and courageous leadership, around which to form a broad European-type coalition. Not assembly or rotation or other alabalism, but a serious coalition with a clear coalition agreement and with a distribution of responsibilities in accordance with the will of the voters. This is the way out of the situation“.
And he criticizes the three other approaches discussed so far, which are a presidential republic, an official parliamentary majority on the Greek model and proportional elections in two rounds. I advocated for the latter as early as the middle of last month.
„The proposals are some of the more absurd – continues the article… – They have one common defect. They try to transfer the problem from the sick to the healthy head“.
Therefore, the only way out is in the emergence (from somewhere) of strong and adequate leaders. I vote with both hands for this! I have long said that the “mat’rial“ it precedes all other sectoral policies. Therefore, “Education” and “Culture” should be more priority than “Economy” and “Social assistance”. It is painful, but it is the right way, and in the English language, as Lady Thatcher once noted, the word for “right“ and “right“ is the same.
Let good leaders come! It sounds wonderfully like my personal motto: “Better good than bad!”. But where will these leaders come from? Do our politicians not originate from our traditionally hardworking and hospitable people? Is someone dropping them for us from above? And it is enough to tell him: “Abe, alankoolu! Get her to put down more readable politicians!“.
In order to produce quality politicians, the people must also become more quality. It takes at least two generations and more importantly – someone to create and raise these generations. Who will raise them? The current politicians? That if they are able to do it, why should we replace them with some others? With the samurai it was easy – by grabbing, you tell him “kill yourself” and he makes harakiri. However, this is not the case here. And it is naive to believe that if you tell an uneducated, stupid and criminal politician: “stop being like that!“, he will listen to you and stop.
That is why the only way in about 50 years for valuable leaders to appear, for whom Dr. Kichashki dreams, is to start intensive and qualitatively different work with the human factor from now on. And this means, first of all, a radical, fundamental change of education and a revision of the values that are instilled in people through state-subsidized culture and the media. Until then – any of the rejected three ways to ensure legitimate, responsible and adequate governance. First this, then the other – then.
And it is very important to get rid of a fundamental vice of our political thinking. You have noticed that political debate is one of the most emotional public debates. Sometimes he is more passionate than the opposition between the football campaigners. And as happens in such cases, people think that good and evil have fought against each other. And each passionately believes that he has chosen the side of good and the others are evil. Both supporters of GERB think so, and supporters of PPDB. Because (there is no need to lie!) between them today is the opposition, and all the others are… what to call them… All others are Trabants, as trabant is German for “satellite”. And when good and evil form a coalition, normal people are confused.
However, the truth is that in parliamentary, local or presidential elections we do not choose between good and evil. Even if we were guided by ideologies, in front of us on the table are the three classic – conservatism, liberalism and socialism. Or as it is more emotional to motivate our choices, the new age is personified by fascism, communism and democracy, and we are happy to accept that the first two are evil and democracy is good. There is no such thing.
In the conditions of a secular state, where the vertical direction of power is replaced by a horizontal one, the true good, the absolute good remains out of the question. Of course, not out of personal choice, but out of constitutional parliamentary choice. So don't worry: whatever you prefer in an election, you haven't changed the good just because it wasn't on the list of suggestions.
That is why I will not feel remorse when I do not exercise my right to vote in the next election. Besides, I think that Carthage should be destroyed.