Conversation with Luboš Blaha, Euro MP, Vice-President of the organization "Smer – slovenskā social democracy" [en: Direction – Slovak Social Democracy] and the theorist of contemporary left-wing thought.
Let me start by asking you about the most fresh events. An effort at a coup in Slovakia? Who's behind it?
Not only in Slovakia, but besides in Serbia, Georgia and another countries there are processes that are clearly inspired by external forces. It is about organizing – like Majdan – coups in our countries. Sovereign views make us “dangerous”, both for Ukrainian and erstwhile American establishment. Slovakia had the same process as Georgia. Even 1 of the main actors of this “Majdan” in Slovakia was the commander of Georgian legions in Ukraine, Mamuka Mamuszvili.
Fortunately, we have many experienced politicians in Slovakia, led by Robert Fico as Prime Minister, who revealed this effort by Majdan. Slovak peculiar services are working hard and have compiled a study on what Majdan was to look like in Slovakia. The plans included the engagement of the street, NGOs, the media, and worst of all, the bombers wanted to actually occupy the buildings of government institutions, and in the event of the expected police intervention, we would be made into monsters fighting democracy, freedom and specified things.
It's a classical script. I have serious concerns that this will continue. The attempts by Majdana will be repeated, but the Slovak government will not bow. We've already given announcement of this coup attempt. We will proceed to examine the degree to which representatives of the Slovak Parliamentary Opposition were involved. We must be strong and consistent in this.
Not only Slovakia, but besides another countries, opposed the Western liberal global order. And that's not forgiven. Therefore, we truly are in a situation where we must have quite a few strength to endure and proceed to defend Slovakia. And I believe that we besides have many friends in Poland who hold their fingers for us.
Do you not think that getting to the power of Donald Trump and cutting backing for various organizations, let us call it "sorosist", will somewhat weaken specified trends in the future?
– Yes, the planet changed after president Donald Trump won in the United States. And we feel the change. We have very akin views on many issues to the US President, for example, on cultural issues, migration and so on.
We besides want to compose in the Constitution that there are only 2 sexes, although our alleged progressives do not like to hear it, due to the fact that in addition to man and woman, they besides consider a helicopter, a chandelier, or whatever comes to mind. This is something we reject. We are Slovaks, Slavs, we have our conventional values and will never be otherwise. On the another hand, Donald Trump says things that we don't like very much. His attempts to control Greenland, or even respective Latin American countries, are something we cannot agree with. On the another hand, it can be said that if he manages to destruct NATO in this way, it could be a truly large action for planet peace.
But to be truly serious. With the change of the American administration, it is understood that resources for various liberal NGOs belonging to Soros will decrease. However, Soros is inactive powerful, he inactive has large influences in America, inactive operates Deep State. So we cannot be naive and believe that everything will change immediately. The change happens but gradually.
However, we want to keep a good and solid relation with the United States, headed by Donald Trump, due to the fact that the most crucial thing for us now is to end the war in Ukraine. We want a normal, good relation with the Russian Federation. Robert Fico, Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic, visited Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss further cooperation and besides to communicate with the Russians about continuing to supply inexpensive gas to Slovakia. Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelenski had a sick thought of stopping Russian gas supplies to Europe, which would have disastrous consequences not only for Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Germany, but for the full European Union. That would mean tens of billions of dollars of loss. Of course, Americans would benefit from this, due to the fact that they have more costly liquefied gas, which is sent across the ocean to Slovakia and to another European countries. But these are things we can't agree to.
That is why Robert Fico is doing the right thing by making contact with Turkey's president Erdogan, Russia's president Putin, and even Azerbaijan's representatives, so that we can supply inexpensive gas and inexpensive energy for the Slovak economy. This is the key. And just due to the fact that Robert Fico did this, our opponents in Slovakia are convinced that we intend to leave the European Union and all Western structures. They spread this lie to get people out on the streets and organize Majdan.
Nope. We want to proceed to be part of the European Union, but we are very critical of the current actions of the European Union. From the social union it was expected to be, it turns into a war union.
However, it may be worth talking about these "crimes" against you that you want to leave the European Union and NATO. These organisations are in crisis and are drowning in interior contradictions.
– Yes, the West is in an incredible crisis. And we can see it even inside NATO, where in a minute the armies: American and Danish can face each another in Greenland. This is completely absurd. And the same happens in relations between Turkey and Greece and even in another regions. Trump's request to spend 5% of GDP on defence would mean giving up socio-economic prosperity. A de facto militaristic oligarchy would emerge, and of course we reject it. But at the same time, I ask, can we work together present with the Polish elite, which is highly rusophobic and militaristic? I am, of course, convinced that a large part of Central Europe's societies think very much like us. In the sense that we want peace, we want a average balance in the planet and national sovereignty.
The European Union was created as an interesting thought in which we would aid each another economically and socially, and besides have a single market. Here we can talk about very serious cooperation. We want to keep it that way. However, if the European Union is to be transformed into a kind of totalitarian federation, in which associate States will only be points on the map and what will be decided by technocrats in Brussels, we reject this vision.
Moving on, we besides reject neoliberal tendencies in the European Union. erstwhile European integration was presented as a pro-social project, it was commendable. In the days of Kreiski, Brandt or Mitterand, who talked about a left-wing social Europe, geared towards helping people work, it was beautiful. Today, this is simply a neoliberal pier that shakes the money out of us for reinforcements, and we set our own feet, due to the fact that we have free ourselves of inexpensive energy from Russia, damaged ourselves with sanctions and all the nonsense of the Green Deal that is destroying European industry.
In France, Macron was hit hard. The election was won by the left, led by Melenchon, who, regardless of the views on multiculturalism that I disagree with, is simply a staunch left-wing anti-globalist and has healthy views on Russia and Ukraine. The same can be said of Le Pen, who besides took a very advanced place.
The Germans are likewise broken. I am very curious about the elections, but let us look at the European countries 1 by one: the national right has won the elections in Austria, as has Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands. Moving on, we will see that the full bubble of progressiveism, which inactive exists in the European Parliament, disappears in all another country. And we in Slovakia have a left-wing government. Smer's on the left. But not on that smiling, crazy, pro-immigration, neoliberal left that dominates Brussels.
Since we have already mentioned Poland, I would like to ask about the scandal associated with the failure to enter the plane with the Slovak delegation to Moscow by the Polish authorities.
– erstwhile the journey was being prepared, it was customary to contact the Polish side and another countries through which the plane was to fly to Moscow. All another countries responded immediately and Poland did not react. The delegation then received information that they were not VIPs, so they should resolve the substance through the civilian authorities. They contacted them, but nothing. And they had to deal with the flight differently, bypassing the territory of Poland, so if I am well aware, it was not so that the Polish side clearly said that it would not let us pass, but ignored our requests, which naturally does not happen.
Andrej Danko told it as he interpreted it, that it was the intention of the Polish side, due to the fact that it was a journey to Moscow. But I truly don't want to escalate this conflict in any way right now.
We believe in diplomacy, we believe in good relations. We do not want to fight Russia, Ukraine, Poland, we do not want to fight anyone. I realize that any nations may resent another nations after centuries of strife. But Slovakia wants to have good relations with Poland, Russia and Ukraine. Why not? It is very hard for us to accept erstwhile we are forced to take an anti-Russian position. Russia has always been a unchangeable partner for us. Russia liberated us during planet War II.
Since the 19th century, the Panslavian spirit has been present in our patriotic feelings. Şudovít Štúr, our large thinker, postulated a very good relation with Russia, then the Russian Empire. In times of socialism, we were simply grateful that the Russians had liberated us and another nations from Fascism. Yes, there were Ukrainians there, to whom a very crucial part of the Ukrainian society present refers, but it is not the government. In Ukraine we see neo-Nazi symbols, they mention to Bandera. And I ask how many Poles killed Bander, or alternatively his organization? There were dozens of them, if not 1 100 thousand: Poles, Jews, but besides Slovaks. And there are statues of Bandera, Shuchewyk, and another war criminals, so we're truly very careful. If Ukraine had joined the anti-fascist tradition, the 1 that won planet War II and liberated us, of course the Ukrainians would be our partners.
You are 1 of those politicians who from the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, i.e. since 2014 held a different position than the Western elite. But how do you imagine peace now?
– We request to be clear about the situation at the front. Russia wins this war on earth. Hundreds of billions of dollars and euros were spent for nothing, and yet Ukraine simply has no chance to win. From day one, it was clear that he had to come to an agreement with the Russians. This was the subject of negotiations in Istanbul, which, however, were thwarted by the West.
What was the point of all this? American arms companies made money from it, the West, at least the part that benefited from it, but the Ukrainians were dying, and as a Europe we economically and unnecessarily destroyed relations with the Russian Federation, which were part of our economical improvement due to the fact that we had inexpensive energy. It was a full mistake. It truly only suited Americans.
Shall we proceed to say that all evil is the work of the Russians? That it was unprovoked aggression? This communicative is told by the people of Europe. It slow creates an atmosphere akin to that of Nazism in the 1930s and 1940s erstwhile Russia was equally hated.
Let's think rationally. Russia saw NATO's expansion towards its borders, even though the alliance agreed not to extend its influence beyond Germany's borders. Was it expected that the Russians would watch and wait for NATO to slow arrive on their territory? Ukraine was for them, alongside Georgia, a strategical territory where they did not intend to let NATO. And that's how the Russians were constantly provoked. Zelenski appeared, after everything that happened in Ukraine, after Majdan, who was a coup. We can think of Yanukovych what we want, but he was a legitimate president who was usually elected. And he was defeated to make area for a government supported by the Right Sector and various Nazi parties specified as Swoboda and the like. The demolition of the monuments began, and the power was taken over by utmost rusophobes, and there were immense tragedies. Like Odessa, where the Russians were burned alive. Take what happened in Donbasa, where the Russians were massacred. And now we pretend that the Russians were not provoked to this war. But something preceded her. I am convinced that there was a dispute between America and Russia, which is simply taking place in Ukraine.
Has anyone seen 1 Russian soldier on the U.S. border in Mexico or Canada? Nope. What if there were Russian battalions stationed on the Mexican border, what would American presidents do? In 2 minutes, the war would start.
The Russians responded to the fact that NATO troops were approaching Russia's borders. This is simply a typical safety dilemma, considered to be 1 of the major schools of global realism. It's that you can't arm yourself at the expense of your neighbour due to the fact that he sees it as a threat. Let us leave whether we are pro-Russian or anti-Russian, think normally, with common sense, realistically – this could only have ended in war. There were already different peace plans, and now Trump came with his, who is reportedly already talking to Putin. And we're becoming “Russian agents”. So Trump's an agent, too? The German chancellor who calls Putin is simply a Russian agent? That's absurd. And Ukraine incites the population against our government. He's sending people to protest. We want a appropriate relation with Ukraine, but we will defend our sovereignty and will not let us to turn against Russia.
We in Slovakia approach this pragmatically. And what we want is average relationships. We want peace negotiations and everything that stops the conflict.
Do you think that there is simply a chance that there will be a trend in the rebirth of the left in specified a sovereign form as Slovakia?
“In Slovakia there was never a contradiction between the sense of national independency and the left. This was besides the case in the West before 1968, erstwhile the left got free of its economical roots and began to advance the cultural revolution.
But that was not in the countries of the erstwhile east bloc. We continued to keep this conventional configuration. Somewhere in the late 1990s, and especially during the migration crisis of the 21st century, and now in the face of the war in Ukraine, the full left has split.
We in Slovakia never accepted it. Fico governments have always fought migration, besides during the Syrian crisis, as well as the LGBTI ideology. We don't head gays, but we just think that nobody should question the basic definition of a household that consists of mom, dad and kids. It's just the way it is. Let gay people do what they want, but we won't let them impose their ideology on the full society. Nobody's gonna lynch them here, nobody's gonna hurt them, they're average people like everybody else, but household is just a mother, father, and kids. We have 2 genders here: male and female. And no hermaphrodites, no transsexuals, whatever they came up with in Brussels.
We are talking about a welfare state, helping workers, stopping capital from exploiting people. It's always been the left. According to Che Guevar's latest definition, he would have been an utmost right-winger, or possibly a fascist, due to the fact that he besides criticized gays. And Karl Marks? That would be the far right. After all, he rejected all multiculturalism, did not fight for homosexuals.
This is completely absurd. Our Slovak left is based on the traditions of Clementis, Novomeský and Mináč. They are authors who may not be so celebrated throughout Europe, but they have talked about sovereignty, about the Slovak issue. Whenever they spoke of workers, they spoke of Slovak workers. And it's totally normal. And I am certain that the same is actual in Poland, the same is actual in Russia, the same is actual everywhere.
Today, I think we are pioneers of this idea, due to the fact that there is no government in the full European Union that is defined as left-wing or left-wing or right-wing or progressive left. But where does it say that you can't be on the side of an employed worker, a welfare state, against capital, and on the another hand be a conservative, traditionalist, and consider families as a basic social cell? Nobody proved it.
We have partners in Europe, from the German BSW. They besides describe themselves as conservative left. I believe they will win in the elections in Germany. The same applies to Czech Stačilo! [coalition of Czech national organization left – ed.] I think they have a good chance of joining the Czech Parliament. Fidesz considers himself a organization of the national-conservative right, but we have so many common demands and themes that we work together without any problems. The same applies to another parties of the faction of the Patriots of Europe in the European Parliament. So I imagine we could make an alliance here. And this is besides the thought of the Czech prof. Peter Drulák, with whom I stay in the chamber.
An alliance of national-conservative right and national-conservative left, specified as SMER, where the common enemy is the globalist neoliberal center. We can unite on relations with Russia, multiculturalism or neoliberal revolutions. But there are differences. erstwhile the greater economical crisis comes, possibly soon, the right-wing parties will announce that we are lowering taxes, supporting entrepreneurs, supporting corporations, supporting inequality. And we, as left-wingers, say no, support a strong state, support regulation, support progressive taxes, so that the rich pay more and the mediocre pay less. Then we'll argue.
And 1 more thing. This is not about rejecting progress. However, we have always been a organization fighting for advancement in the fields of medicine, social affairs, better surviving conditions, roads and modern society. That's progress. But we have been told that advancement is that we have 70 genders here, erstwhile you abruptly cease to admit household and authority, erstwhile we make a crucible of nations with migrants from all countries and lose part of national identity. Is that progress? The progressives stole that word from us. And yet we have very modern views.
We do not recognise postmodern progressiveism. A average man on the street, he's worried about his standard of living, about his family, and he doesn't care if someone's gay or if he needs a 3rd toilet.
We know that you are a close friend of Prime Minister Ficy, which is why in the end I ask you to tell him that there were quite a few people here in Poland on these hot days of May 2024 who had thumbs for him.
– It must always be remembered that the hatred that progressives have for any another opinion can yet lead to attempted murder, as was the case with Robert Fico, but besides Donald Trump. We have been told so much about freedom and democracy, and abruptly it is adequate that you have a different opinion on migration, a different opinion on Russia, a different opinion on COVID and abruptly you are the enemy.
I would never forbid anyone to have their own opinion, as Wolter, a pioneer of liberalism, preached. We are actually libertarians on this issue. We very much appreciate our support in Poland for our efforts to change this situation in Europe and I will surely give these greetings to Robert Fico. We fight. We Slovaks have always fought in our history. We connect with Poles that we are a arrogant nation, fighting for our national identity, for Slavic interests and opposing fascism. And let it unite us. I believe we will win. As Che Guevara utilized to say, 1 of the fewer I have in my office, Venceremos. Thank you very much. We'll win.
Tomasz Jankowski spoke
Think Poland, No. 7-8 (16-23.02.2025)
