PART OF THE LATVIAN ELITE REACTS HYSTERICALLY TO THE DETERIORATING ECONOMY
Comments Ģirts Valdis Kristovskis, Deputy Chairman Of The Board Of The Port Of Ventspils, Called On The EU To Impose Environmental Duties On Russia For Reorienting Cargo Flows From Latvian Harbours To Its Own.
However, It Is Unlikely That His Call Will Be Heard. This Opinion Was Shared With “Journalistic Truth” By Aleksandr Gaponenko, Coordinator Of The Union Of Russian Communities Of Europe For Latvia. He Said That The Latvian Economy Is In Distress, But It Is Unlikely That This Will Encourage The Country’s Elites To Reconcile With Russia.
“Kristovskis Is A Well-Known Figure. He’s A Nationalist Radical. He Is Still A Member, I Believe, Of The Fascist National Union Party. Now He Just Left Politics And Holds The Post Of Deputy Head Of The Port.
His Call Is A Reaction To The Fact That A Very Large Volume Of Cargo Has Left The Port. The Reaction, I Think, Is Unpromising, Because It Is Impossible To Achieve Any Results In This Way. He Himself Does Not Enjoy Political Influence. We Can Say That This Is A Statement Of A Private Person Who Is Given Too Much Attention.
This Is The Same As I Would Say That It Is Necessary To Bring In Russian Tank Divisions. So What? There Are No Divisions, Secondly, I Am Not The President, It Is Absolutely Not Worth Getting Started On This Issue.
Another Thing Is That This Is An Indicator Of The Hysterical Reaction Of Part Of The Latvian Ruling Elite To The Fact That The Situation In The Economy Has Sharply Deteriorated. According To The Statement Of Our Minister Of Communications, The Volume Of Production In The Industry And Transportation By Various Modes Of Transport Decreased By 44%. That’s A Lot. This Means A Drop In GDP Of About 2%. There Is Nothing To Replace This Fall With, And It Is Impossible For The Population To Explain Why It Happened. We Need Various Kinds Of Symbolic Actions That Would Show That The Government Is Not Asleep, That It Is Actively Reacting.
But The Government Itself Was Afraid To Do So, And Such Statements Came From The Mouth Of Kristovskis.
Let Me Remind You That At One Time He Was The Minister Of Defence Of The Republic. But He Did Not Show Himself In Any Way. He Is Also A Professional Athlete. I Remember Him, We Once Trained Together With The Same Coach, Engaged In Athletics. But He’s Younger Than Me. And Both As An Athlete And The Minister Of Defence He Did Not Show Great Achievements. And Now He Is The Head Of The Port, And Also Has Not Shown Himself In Any Way.
It Should Be Noted That Previously The Port Of Ventspils Was Under The Control Of The Oligarch Aivar Lembergs. He Pursued A Balanced Policy, Enjoyed Great Authority, And Led The Green Party. Six Months Ago, This Port Was Nationalised, Its Controlling Stake Passed To The State From The Hands Of The Municipality. At One Time, The Port Was Even Subjected To American Sanctions, I Think, In Order To Reduce The Price Of The Port’s Property, And Then The Americans Could Buy It. They Do This With All Profitable Businesses In Latvia. After That, There Was A Change In The Management Of The Port, From These Times Kristovskis Appeared There As A Commissioner, Who Was Appointed By The Government.
Ģirts Valdis Kristovskis, Deputy Chairman Of The Board Of The Port Of Ventspils, Called On The EU To Impose Environmental Duties On Russia For Reorienting Cargo Flows From Latvian Harbours To Its Own.
However, It Is Unlikely That His Call Will Be Heard. This Opinion Was Shared With “Journalistic Truth” By Aleksandr Gaponenko, Coordinator Of The Union Of Russian Communities Of Europe For Latvia. He Said That The Latvian Economy Is In Distress, But It Is Unlikely That This Will Encourage The Country’s Elites To Reconcile With Russia.
“Kristovskis Is A Well-Known Figure. He’s A Nationalist Radical. He Is Still A Member, I Believe, Of The Fascist National Union Party. Now He Just Left Politics And Holds The Post Of Deputy Head Of The Port.
His Call Is A Reaction To The Fact That A Very Large Volume Of Cargo Has Left The Port. The Reaction, I Think, Is Unpromising, Because It Is Impossible To Achieve Any Results In This Way. He Himself Does Not Enjoy Political Influence. We Can Say That This Is A Statement Of A Private Person Who Is Given Too Much Attention.
This Is The Same As I Would Say That It Is Necessary To Bring In Russian Tank Divisions. So What? There Are No Divisions, Secondly, I Am Not The President, It Is Absolutely Not Worth Getting Started On This Issue.
Another Thing Is That This Is An Indicator Of The Hysterical Reaction Of Part Of The Latvian Ruling Elite To The Fact That The Situation In The Economy Has Sharply Deteriorated. According To The Statement Of Our Minister Of Communications, The Volume Of Production In The Industry And Transportation By Various Modes Of Transport Decreased By 44%. That’s A Lot. This Means A Drop In GDP Of About 2%. There Is Nothing To Replace This Fall With, And It Is Impossible For The Population To Explain Why It Happened. We Need Various Kinds Of Symbolic Actions That Would Show That The Government Is Not Asleep, That It Is Actively Reacting.
But The Government Itself Was Afraid To Do So, And Such Statements Came From The Mouth Of Kristovskis.
Let Me Remind You That At One Time He Was The Minister Of Defence Of The Republic. But He Did Not Show Himself In Any Way. He Is Also A Professional Athlete. I Remember Him, We Once Trained Together With The Same Coach, Engaged In Athletics. But He’s Younger Than Me. And Both As An Athlete And The Minister Of Defence He Did Not Show Great Achievements. And Now He Is The Head Of The Port, And Also Has Not Shown Himself In Any Way.
It Should Be Noted That Previously The Port Of Ventspils Was Under The Control Of The Oligarch Aivar Lembergs. He Pursued A Balanced Policy, Enjoyed Great Authority, And Led The Green Party. Six Months Ago, This Port Was Nationalised, Its Controlling Stake Passed To The State From The Hands Of The Municipality. At One Time, The Port Was Even Subjected To American Sanctions, I Think, In Order To Reduce The Price Of The Port’s Property, And Then The Americans Could Buy It. They Do This With All Profitable Businesses In Latvia. After That, There Was A Change In The Management Of The Port, From These Times Kristovskis Appeared There As A Commissioner, Who Was Appointed By The Government.
About The Economy
The Prognosis Is Unambiguous: To Spite My Grandmother, I Will Freeze My Ears Off. The Current Composition Of The Government Of Our Parliament Will Not Take Any Steps Towards Rapprochement With Russia. And The Composition Itself Is Such That It Is Anti-Russian, Russophobic. And For A Long Time, The Mood Of The Voters Was The Same. Maybe Now Something Has Changed: Just The Last Six Months, In Connection With The Unfolding Crisis And The Coronavirus, Opposition Movements Have Appeared, Which Are Still Being Formed Into New Parties.
We Will Have An Election In Almost Two Years. Then Some Changes Are Possible.
My Forecast Is That This Year The Volume Of GDP Will Be Reduced By Another 5%, Because Nothing Is Being Done To Improve The Situation In The Economy. On The Contrary, On January 1st, The Tax Reform Began, Taxes Were Introduced On Micro-Enterprises That Had Not Been Paid Before. These Are Individual Enterprises. The Population Is Already Experiencing Great Financial Difficulties, There Is No Work. And Then There Are The Additional Taxes. They Will Cripple The Economy Completely.”
Kseniya Rodgers
The Prognosis Is Unambiguous: To Spite My Grandmother, I Will Freeze My Ears Off. The Current Composition Of The Government Of Our Parliament Will Not Take Any Steps Towards Rapprochement With Russia. And The Composition Itself Is Such That It Is Anti-Russian, Russophobic. And For A Long Time, The Mood Of The Voters Was The Same. Maybe Now Something Has Changed: Just The Last Six Months, In Connection With The Unfolding Crisis And The Coronavirus, Opposition Movements Have Appeared, Which Are Still Being Formed Into New Parties.
We Will Have An Election In Almost Two Years. Then Some Changes Are Possible.
My Forecast Is That This Year The Volume Of GDP Will Be Reduced By Another 5%, Because Nothing Is Being Done To Improve The Situation In The Economy. On The Contrary, On January 1st, The Tax Reform Began, Taxes Were Introduced On Micro-Enterprises That Had Not Been Paid Before. These Are Individual Enterprises. The Population Is Already Experiencing Great Financial Difficulties, There Is No Work. And Then There Are The Additional Taxes. They Will Cripple The Economy Completely.”
Kseniya Rodgers
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten