We Will Form Executive Power!

A great coalition is not possible, and it is unnecessary. I think it is unrealisable.

“The great coalition” topic does not leave newspaper columns, as well as the lips of commentators these past few weeks. Actually, this topic advances constantly for the past two years, sometimes in regular and sometimes in irregular cycles. It clearly does not stop to tickle the fancy of most figures in politics.

Great coalition – meal a la carte

Why? Firstly, the great coalition is the only meal a la carte of political delicacies which we have not tried. We have all others. The single-party ideologised dictature, and single-party democracy with autocratic additives, and multi-party coalition, and single-party minority government, which we witnesses today.

That leaves us with “the great lady”. I would like to point out, right away, that I am not her supporter and that I consider her to be unnecessary and, more importantly, unrealisable in today`s Croatia. I am stressing this because there were certain reactions to my previous commentaries in which some of my views were interpreted in a way that suited the authors of the articles.

Of course, that is unavoidable, and this commentary is no exception. When you once start writing and talking publicly, there is no rescue. But, rescue is not what I want. The only thing I want is Croatia and within it a media area in which it will be possible to write, speak and act publicly in a giant space between apology and naked prism; party activism and categorical opposition. This is exactly what I tried to do in previous commentaries and I intend to keep going. Colour television has been around for decades but some still see things in black and white better.

Ideological category

The great coalition is not a mathematical concept; it is an ideological category. It implies a programme-executive union of two largest opposed political parties, i.e. groupings. The great coalition is not necessary to Croatia.

What we have done, in relation to this, we have done. The war is over, new challenges are coming. Even our short-term, war great coalition was de facto a Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) structure, with few opposition partition walls. Is, however, the great coalition, generally speaking, a necessary thing and which problems can it solve, is the second question.

They are usually come across when election arithmetic overpowers individual party ambitions, and not when the imperative of communion and a need for consensus overmasters. There are few examples in the newer European history (and the older one does not carry the adjective democratic, anyway) which would indicate a rescue effect of great coalitions` rulings. The British Caretaker Government, which was founded by Churchill when he took on his mandate, is a rare example. Every other, more or less, was a reflection of mathematical necessity.

Consensus is unrealistic

Furthermore, most of great project of great politics are a fruit of vision and determination of individual parties and their leadership. That is the nature of democracy and majority system of representatives, under the condition, of course, that they do not antagonise the society over the sustainable line. The American New Deal, the British National Health Service, labour legislature and the social system of modern German and French states are not a fruit of compromises or great coalitions, but, as a rule, result of (continuous) systematic rule of quality ensambles of politicians and leaders, weather liberal (Roosevelt), weather left (Atlee), or right (Adenauer, de Gaulle).

That is why, when I am asked on which questions Croatia needs a consensus, the only thing I can think of is a more narrow circle of basic questions dealing with Croatian sustainability – a state as sine qua non. All other parties, but civil society as well, need to articulate and carry out. Consensus is not a realistic option.

From one institutional circle to another, even the European union moves away from it, and it once was a fortress of consensus, accurately unison (consensus is something different). Consensus blocks the process of decision. One of the vital characteristics of democracy is the ability to take responsibility for carrying out your own ideas, for which the public gave their trust and support with the election. Consensus is no longer needed here.

Unwanted child

When we have, I believe, determined the great coalition is not necessary to us, we can go on to ratify it is not even possible at this moment.

Partially because of personal reasons, partially because all researches show that each of the great “blocks” would manage to form executive power, with the help of standard foreign partners. Furthermore, our society is still antagonised to such extent that it is questionable what the usage value of that coalition might be.

There are great coalitions in Europe today and they are always the unwanted child, a result of calculatory inability to form power in a different way. Victory of pragmatic over threats of the much hated repeated elections. Netherlands, Germany, Austria since yesterday, Finland, some of them seem quite decent.

Finally, would the great coalition represent playing with the will of voters? This is, namely, regularly, pointed out by the leaders of HDZ as an argument against. Actually, - it would not, I believe. The fact someone voted for HDZ (Hebrang, Seks, Jarnjak, Sanader even) should mean that, implicite, they categorically voted against everything else.

This is where we beg to differ! I believe democracy is primarily affirmation of votes, a vote FOR. They obviously do not think the same in HDZ. Only exceptionally and in clear situations, it includes a (categorical) vote against, as well. Against what – congratulating on Orthodox Christmas, the right of Serbs to return, rights of minorities, co-operation with the Hague tribunal…?

All of these are values HDZ supported before. Honestly, if someone confused the voters and stepped back from their own matrix, it is HDZ. Today, when HDZ took over the majority of values and the programme of the Social-Democratic Party (SDP) and the left centre, it is much clearer that the problem, as always, is in – the people. Vote FOR, not against.

Yours Zoran Milanovic,

SDP