It’s always embarrassing when you bring in a boy to do a “man’s job” isn’t it?....even when that boy (and I disagree with you when you advertise Nīls language strengths on this one Aleks, I think his Latvian “sucks” - to use Steve Jobs favorite expression) tries to strike all the right chords by bringing out his “softer side” by shedding light on the sweet puddy cats that have a free roam of his office while he makes those “grown up” decisions of his.. I’m a big cat lover, but I’m not easily snowed.

I defended this dude on LOL some months ago when he was physically struggling with his heat stroke resulting from his marathon race participation - I have no regrets about that because I don’t believe in “piling on” when the ball carrier is down and defenseless - but he’s back on his feet and showing his boyish decision-making once again and he’ll have to live with the consequences of that. Politics can get nasty. Don’t get into it if you think you’ll need to rely on the lovable puddy cats to defend you. As anyone who has ever had cats in the household well knows….cats have a mind of their own.

Just as an aside, I’m not that impressed with the decision-making of hardcore Latvian politicos either….so, this game is by no means over….the ongoing Lett nonsense enables these opportunities for anyone that wants to take advantage of the Lett ineptitude in “minding their store”.

Al

Well Albert, those “politicians” who benefited from being
in the government probably don’t think that they are
anything but brilliant. Just ask Skele.

Hi Pete:

I have no beef with your point. I do however have significant disappointment with the “sophistication” of the Lett voters. I’ve been told of their more thorough ability to assess subtle issues than the ASV ballot goers but I’m just “not feeling it” (as they say in the hood).

I hate to rag on a catlover like cutesy Nils, but he’s playing both sides of the field when it comes to voting and being voted for. Maris Zanders had a good op-ed piece about that in “Diena” about a week ago. Meanwhile Zatlers has taken some well deserved recent heat about his political stumbling….maybe he should get a cat or two and deflect some of the voter attention. The investigative journalists aren’t keeping him in check, the voters have disappointed with those elusively subtle powers of discernment of theirs, and the Lett reality TV shows aren’t picking up the slack….no wonder the chatter on LOL is waning.

I’m so bored that I just finished reading the 630 page bio of Steve Jobs. (It actually was quite good) I have no doubt that prickly Steve would have weighed in with an opinion or two about the young Letts’ preference to continue to rip off music illegally (ala Skeles philosophy, which your post hinted at) than go the legal route. It pains me. I was taught to expect better.

Al

Looks like Elizabete got it right about gathering enough signatures for a referendum.  Even if it’s unlikely that the changes can pass in a referendum, is it at all likely that the pre-referendum public discussion will help Latvia move toward a ‘saliedeta’ society? Seems like the opposite is more likely.

Hi Everyone:

Though we might prefer it to be otherwise, independent news agencies weigh-in and report it as they see it. Just because we Letts think “them outsiders” are getting it all wrong doesn’t mean that they don’t shape global public opinion far more than our incessant sniping at eachother here on LOL does.

http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/20111201-dispatch-success-latvias-russian-language-campaign

Cerams ka rītā saule atkal spīdēs,

Alberts

Peter K. asks:
“...is it at all likely that the pre-referendum public discussion will help Latvia move toward a ‘saliedeta’ society”?

How do you imagine this “public discussion” will materialize?  Spontaneously from a deep sense of civic responsibility to beloved Latvia’s well being?  At the initiative of people and groups we have not seen for the last twenty years?  Is this to be a spontaneous “happening” in every neighborhood and public space?  Actually, in which language will this “public discussion” take place?  Also, will the Russian language newspapers and Latvian language newspapers start reporting the miraculous progress toward “‘saliedeta’ society” in each other’s languages and with each other’s “national” perspective(s)?  One can only wonder why these public discussions have not happened sooner.  So, Peter K., assuming this ready flocking of the jubilant masses to public discussions wherever the miracle spontaneously happens - with the heaven-inspired desire and commitment to compromise unlike never previously, how would a ‘saliedeta’ society look after a couple of months of this unusual national heart-to-heart? 

Garais, are you really comfortable allowing Latvia’s image to be defined by others and Latvia’s destiny to be left to fate.  “Kas bus tas bus?”  Is the Finn Jukka Rislakki the only one who can find the time and will to make the case for Latvia - and that this is really not that hard to do?  If there really is no (Latvian) there there that Latvians want to struggle for and the “others” like the space of Latvia for there (Russian/Russian-speaking) there, well I’m a realist too.  I love plenty of there spaces, like the SF Bay Area, the Sierra Nevada Mts., the Lake Michigan shoreline, and there’s always Garezers and Latvian Hall.

All of A-sun’s constructive contributions aside, it looks like “All over-the-map” Ushakovs is now pushing Latvian as the language for tautas saliedeshanas. Of course he sees this happening through SC and their presence in the pashvaldiibas.
In Diena;

Ušakovs: Pašvaldībām ar SC pārstāvniecību jāveicina latviešu valodas apguve un naturalizācija 88
BNS, 2011. gada 2. decembris 13:59
Pašvaldībām, kurās darbojas Saskaņas centra (SC) pārstāvji, ir jāveicina latviešu valodas apguve un sabiedrības saliedētība, piedāvājot latviešu valodas kursus un citus konkrētus pasākumus, piektdien SC pašvaldības deputātu otrajā konferencē uzsvēra SC vadītājs Rīgas mērs Nils Ušakovs.

Well A-sun, keep on keepin’ on!

Ushik also wasn’t going to sign the pledge….................

Just another useless manureover…............

ps. is his buddy Antonov going to finance the affair
    or will it be the usual suspects?

Ambersun, you did note that I said it seemed the opposite was more likely, right?  It was the sentence right after the one you cited.

The ‘saliedeta’ in my question was taken from Usakovs’ explanation for why he signed the pledge even though he favors Latvian as the sole state language.

The article that Garais linked to seemed to be fairly level-headed about the situation in Latvia—i.e. that the initiative was aimed at putting pressure on a weak governing coalition out of frustration by SC voters at not having their party in the coalition, and that it may be a sign of the governing party in Russia feeling more sure of its influence in the Baltic area.

I need to look at Usakovs’ work in detail before I sound off about what sort of person I think he is. I have some VERY nationalistic elderly relatives in Riga who voiced their approval of him when I saw them last winter (all the more sincere since it was so grudgingly given). On the other hand, his “I’ll sign the petition to change the constitution even though I disagree with it” seems quite fishy, wanting to please both sets of potential patrons.  An impression that Berzins has also given, whether trying to wriggle out of answering a question about the Soviet occupation, or spending his November 18th speech mumbling uncomfortably about Latvia being a safe place for investors.

Hi Peter K.

Thanks for noticing. Kudos to you for picking up on the fact that the Stratfor Global Intelligence video treatment of the situation seemed balanced and objective. They are an independent news agency dedicated to that principle and tend to deliver unbiased assessments. I wrote my tongue-in-cheek commentary with the full expectation that some readers might find that any fair reporting of real issues and truthful observations about what’s going on in Latvia isn’t to their liking and would deem such reportage bothersome because it wasn’t draped with their preferred nationalistic spin. It is what it is. I’ll leave it at that.

Interesting comment about the way your relatives have surprised you. I’m sure that it would me too.

Mine surprise me in a different kind of way by leaving politics completely out of just about all ongoing discussions while breaking bread….I agree with them that this approach leads to far better food experiences at the dinner table.

Alberts

Sveiki!

„I need to look at Usakovs’ work in detail before I sound off about what sort of person I think he is. I have some VERY nationalistic elderly relatives in Riga who voiced their approval of him when I saw them last winter (all the more sincere since it was so grudgingly given).”

„Interesting comment about the way your relatives have surprised you. I’m sure that it would me too.”

It might have something to do with Riga’s public transportation suddenly becoming „available for free for unemployed pensioners” under Ušakovs’ administration.  See http://balticreports.com/?p=23289

Visu labu,

E.

Elizabete - 03 December 2011 07:53 AM

  It might have something to do with Riga’s public transportation suddenly becoming „available for free for unemployed pensioners” under Ušakovs’ administration.

Yep, that was a big part of it. Appalling that such a sensible and decent move marked him off so starkly from most other Latvian politicians.

Sveiki!

Pēteri K, I agree.  However, all of Ušakovs’ moves may have been made with an eye toward the municipal elections in the spring of 2013 – despite that seeming long off in the future to us mere mortals.  It amazed me when reviewing newspaper digests for the early (1993-1998) years of this round of Saeima that instead of concentrating on what they planned to achieve during their mandate, parties spoke freely and *only* about focusing on how they would win re-election. 

It’s going to be interesting to see how solvent Rīga is during the last six months of the campaign prior to the election.  Certainly, allowing pensioners free public transportation is a drop in the bucket and won’t tip the balance, since it’s less than 1% (actually, only an additional 0.8%) of the city’s budget.  But, it remains to be seen how well SC has been handling the city’s finances during its tenure. 

Visu labu,

E.