There is something wrong in the relations of democratic politicians with the Bulgarian people. There are usually five stages that lead to the inglorious end of these politicians. Why is this their fate? Comment from Yevgeny Dainov:
As if in the end, Francis Fukuyama will have the last laugh, who wrote back in 1989 that history is over. I guess it's really over. Because it repeats itself not as tragedy or farce, but simply repeats itself. And repeats. And repeats. It has become a "bad infinity", which Hegel warned about in the early 19th century.
One constantly repeated situation - which began precisely in 1989 - is the trajectory of the perceptions of the Bulgarian people of those political representatives who position themselves as their guides to Europe.
It usually goes through several stages that lead to an inglorious end for the politicians in question in Bulgaria.
Stage one: delight in life
In the beginning, pro-European politicians suddenly discover that life is wonderful, the direction is clear, and the people are with them. Not only the enemy and the wretches he has lied to are with them. And indeed: at the beginning, the SDS-coalition had over 2 million votes, and a decade later, the SDS-party won a full term in power. Then DSB entered the parliament and, led by Ivan Kostov, was a serious factor in politics. At the time of its appearance "We continue the change" won the election and formed a government.
Stage Two: Entering Eternity
After realizing the amount of support achieved in Stage One, Democratic politicians conclude that they are on the stage - and in the hearts of the people - forever. And they decide that whatever they do, people will inevitably vote for them, because they can't vote for the bad guys. "There is no power that can make the Bulgarian people vote for those who took away their land," the leaders of the SDS said in chorus at the end of 1994. And then the BSP achieved a majority in the parliament.
Convinced of their inevitability, at this stage democratic politicians begin to engage in childish things: to quarrel with each other, to make inappropriate jokes, to attack the opponent not for policies but for personal defects, to replace the enormous effort required to solving the big questions, with spectacular gestures with which small questions are solved, to make fun of each other and visibly enjoy themselves.
Stage Three: The Young People
Spreading and trivializing behavior, blurring focus, and apparent complacency lead to loss of support. At this stage, the democratic leaders, genuinely bewildered ("How come? We are the good ones, isn't it?") conclude that the people do not understand them properly, as they have not evolved enough to do so. understanding level. The behavior inherited from Stage Two does not change, but attempts are made to explain things to the juvenile population in a way that they can understand.
The attempts at "common folk" speaking lead only to bewilderment on the part of the people. He decides that these people are not serious and starts looking around for others. Then people appear (Boyko Borisov) who can really speak "common folk".
Stage Four: The Failed People
When they begin to fight in the political arena, democratic politicians come to the conclusion that they simply did not happen to the people. The people, it turned out, had not at all grown to understand or follow them. It's Russophile, it's oriental, they say.
And democratic politicians are beginning to try to regain popularity by aligning themselves with topics they think are popular: they are bending over backwards in foreign policy (so as not to anger their Russophile people); weaken the pressure to reform the country in a European direction (after all, the people are not quite European, but Oriental); avoid the topic of discrimination because people hate everyone who is different.
Stage Five: Extinction
In place of the real people, which they have never bothered to get to know through constant generalization, democratic politicians put a straw effigy and call it "the people". The real Bulgarian people, who with all their faults are a decent and moderate people, are offended that they make an idol of them. And it sends the corresponding generation of democratic politicians into Stage Five: extinction. And after some time, a new cohort of democratic politicians appears who follow the same path in their relations with their people.
Someday history will start again. Whether this will happen soon in our country - we will judge that by the results of the democratic politicians in the upcoming elections. If they managed to get out of the "bad infinity", they will have more votes than last time. If not - no. To prepare for Stage Five.
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This comment expresses the personal opinion of the author and may not coincide with the positions of the Bulgarian editorial board and of DV as a whole.