At stake in the European Parliamentary elections was avoiding a major European war that could escalate to unimaginable consequences, as well as ending the genocide in Gaza.
Consortium News editor-in-chief Joe Lauria talks to Uroš Lipušcek, Slovenian TV correspondent and “peace candidate”in the European Parliamentary elections on Sunday, June 9.
At stake was the most essential issue of all: avoiding a major European war that could escalate to unimaginable consequences, as well as ending the genocide in Gaza. These issues have been fueling 3rd Party and Independent candidates throughout the West, posing a threat to the Establishment.
There remain, however, formidable obstacles to challenging major party consensus especially on the issue of peace and war. Despite the growth of social and independent media, which has sparked efforts by governments to suppress anti-war voices often in league with the private, so-called anti-disinformation industry, the mainstream media still has tremendous clout in shaping an electorate’s knowledge and even its voting behavior.
Such seems to have been the case here in the European elections in Slovenia. On election day we followed the only prominent candidate for peace, the veteran Slovenian TV correspondent who is known to every voter after nearly five decades of reporting from around the world. Despite his fame in Slovenia, the mainstream media, for which he used to work, shut his campaign out.
We begin with a wide ranging interview with him and then follow him to the election booth, to his gathering with supporters to watch the results, and finally to the election center where he addressed the nation live.
Camera & Interviewer: Joe Lauria. Editor: Cathy Vogan.
Uroš Lipušcek addressing the media after conceding that he was not elected to the European Parliament. (Joe Lauria)
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I would that we had more voices like these for peace, fairness, and survival…
The current goal of western leaders:
om·?ni·?cide ?äm-ni-?s?d. plural omnicides. : the destruction of all life or all human life (as by nuclear war) As our understanding grows, so does the horror. What we face now is not merely slaughter or genocide, but “omnicide,” the obliteration of all humans and all living species.
Would have loved to hear his opinion on Robert Fico as a follow-up to his two sane politicians in Europe. Would Uros consider Fico in the same category as the pope and Orban? Great interview and election follow-up.
Great interview Joe Lauria! Thankyou. He said it all, the media is”one sided”. Seems clear the controlled media preaches democracy & blacks out the most important & crucial democratic debate.
It seems to me that the elites in Europe have understood the lessons of Antonio Gramsci better than most well-meaning political parties? This train wreck of an EU leadership is heading towards WW3 and it will only stop when it is too late.
A great interview with a remarkable man. Wish I had known of him long ago. Thanks so much for bringing him to my attention.
As Ireland also rejected the brave and estimable Clare Daly, it seems that Slovenia is not at all remarkable in its preference for war. She was the only reason to watch any coverage of the EU parliament (apologies to her colleague Mike). Unless, of course, one’s job requires such painful duty.
sigh—Sometimes I think that wars could be ended if those on charge of creating wars had to join all those soldiers and fight too.
I have thought that as well, but then I recall that in prior ages, when the leaders were amongst those doing the fighting, there were still plenty of wars. I wish it were different, but I think the answer lies elsewhere. I am not sure where, unfortunately. But I’ll never stop looking.
I do think that going back hundreds of years ago, leaders (politicians) were much more likely to be directly engaged in wars that they were politically involved in. Today, NO politicians that I’m aware of get directly involved. I think it’s similar with high ranking military officers. Initially, they were exposed to risk. Not so in today’s NATO or US military.
Jamie, good comment. I’ve noticed that if all the non-voters turned out to vote for peace advocate candidates, those candidates would be elected. We in “Western democracies” such as the US, the EU, Canada, Australia plus Israel are shackled by narcissistic leadership, sick to the point we may be annihilated before those peace candidates are elected. No one is forced to vote for the lesser evil because there’s no such person; both major US candidates are equally evil. Joe Lauria, thank you and the journalists who keep going in spite of the threats and pressure to back up the propaganda machine.
Both US candidates are evil. But definitely not equally evil. I’m forced to vote for the one who is obviously less evil. I’m not convinced those who do not vote would make a good choice.
And your choice is why nothing will ever change in future elections as the major parties rely on this.
Both main candidates are awful, but Biden is the one who could get us to nuclear war, albeit limited.
I’m deciding among the three candidates against the European war. 90% of my friends are progressive democrats. they are angry with me. But the leadership of the Dems–Ginsberg, Obama, Hilary, Biden, Pelosi, the campaign leadership–have utterly betrayed me and my friends. They need to lose so badly that, like the Whigs, disappear in their present form.
Strange, I was thinking the same thing about the Republicans, as they’ve failed to provide any opposition to the war mongering democrats – and although they fancy themselves conservatives, have failed to conserve anything – borders, American industry, the economy, the working classes, small town America, freedom of speech and association, the fourth amendment, etc etc etc. They are worshippers of Mammon, corporate suckups, Zionist shills and whipping boys for the dominant party almost to a man (and woman – I’m lookin’ at you MTG!) I say Zero Seats for the Republicans, and then the Democrats won’t have any more excuses for screwing things up. I’m also a little confused at how Clifford finds that one candidate is so obviously less evil. It’s definitely not obvious to me. We were not on the brink of WWIII before Biden came into office.
Clifford,
I will vote for a third candidate. RFK, Jr. or Jill Stein if she’s on the ballot. Bobby Kennedy, Jr. will if he’s on the ballot in all or most states. Only Jill Stein calls the genocide a genocide, but Bobby will sit down and listen to Palestinian voices. Trump is evil (raped children), Biden is evil (backs every illegal war and the murder of millions of innocent people in those wars, may cause the entire world and every living thing to be annihilated as soon as before the election). You do know the Doomsday Clock has reached 90 seconds to midnight. Only NOT electing Biden or Trump will save us…and everyone else. It’s good to keep in mind that Putin doesn’t lie and never bluffs.
Yes. Solid argument. I’ve held my nose in three POTUS elections and voted for senators who OKed the Iraq invasion. One time my vote was successful. I am grateful for that. One failure resulted in a second term for Junior, our second worst POTUS. The other failure resulted in our worst POTUS.
We have a two party system. That will not change until at least until 2029. Until we have a viable third party, votes for quirky candidates by thinking people (the best kind of voters) are wasted votes. It would be good to believe that those who voted for Nader in 2000 wish that had voted for Gore. (Imagine a world where we did not invade Iraq.) Support good third candidates, but don’t vote for them if they can’t possibly win.
Thank you for this piece Joe – it is very sinister how voices for war have spread in the west through mainstream media’s bombardment of propaganda and the underhanded way governments are succeeding at blocking the truth by violently suppressing opposing voices…
There is a reason to feel hopeful about the recent election in Europe. It appears that Sunday’s election sent a clear message to those in power that the public does not support those who advocate for war. This was evident as voters chose opposition and right-wing parties, with nearly 50% of the population abstaining from voting despite calls to preserve democracy.
Although Ursula remains in power, it is evident that the population is not easily swayed by the media’s propaganda and attempts to influence political decisions. Is social engineering losing its grip? Could self-awareness be the way forward? People seem to be growing weary of manipulation and being led by ineffective leaders. Can holistic and emotional intelligence become more important?
As the saying goes, sometimes failures can lead to more positive changes in society.
Despite the awakening of the people, we are still at risk as long as our leaders can engage in war without the consent of the public.
The “consent of the public” has increasingly become a sham. A neoliberal oligarchy of corporations and billionaires is in control both in the EU and the United States, having bought and paid for all the major parties and the mainstream media. Just as in the Roman Empire, only the hollow forms of the Republic are allowed to remain, in order to add a veneer of legitimacy and keep the masses placated. We are not going to vote our way out of the multiple existential crises we are in, since the only “choices” on offer are just differing factions of the same elites. And those crises are all about to come to a head at the same time.
I agree, leadership has a fundamental flaw. Those who seize power often behave like animals in the wild, fighting to maintain their position and status. Their priority is self-preservation, not the greater good. In the wild, physical strength determines dominance, but in our society, financial and political power are the keys to success; the teeth, claws, and muscles of our “civilized” leaders. Those in power, no matter who we elect, will stop at nothing to crush anyone who threatens their privileged position. This proves we are still driven by basic evolutionary instincts; today’s wars are a perfect example.
I think it’s also important to consider the psychological traits of those drawn to politics and power. Many politicians display disturbing psychological characteristics, including narcissism and anxiety, which are often reinforced when in power. Donald Trump’s narcissistic traits have received significant attention, but Hillary Clinton’s have gone largely unnoticed. In fact, her narcissistic tendencies (and “anti-social”) would have earned her top honors. It’s surprising that we don’t require psychological evaluations for political candidates, results that should be made public.
I believe in a more anarchic system; it could work, but only if we have a much better education system, a properly informed population, an active citizenry, and a more inclusive and collective society. AI could help us develop such a society. The current political system’s failures are waking people up. They’re realizing that giving power to a few individuals is not the answer, and will never be the solution.
We’ve got way more power than we think we do. Independent journalists like Consortium News are a great example. They’re basically heroes, just like YouTubers who travel to China and Russia. They’re out to prove mainstream media and politicians wrong, and they’re killing it! By showing us the beauty of these countries, they’re “re-humanizing” the “enemy” – and they’re doing it with simplicity, love, and care.
And people are telling me we are heading in the wrong direction? We are heading toward the right revolution.