Let me write one more post on economical crisis. As to the response to one comment, I have to admit that in Latvia it is a criminal offence to rumour or spread lies about the country’s economical situation. Two cases already had been open that were publicly criticized, but probably there are more and papers don’t know about them. At the same time many politicians with power can make rumors or lies, such as the prime minister, but no charges are brought against him. The first case was when a professor at a seminar expressed his views on crisis, the second – when a singer of a band on stage made a joke about the infamous Parex bank. And of course it was not that the security police was patrolling there but people who were present at those events (seminar, concert) denounced them, just like in good old KGB times.
On 13 January there will be a mass protest meeting at Dome square. Some youngsters made a website (it’s already been shut down) where they called to subvert the government with violent methods, for instance, to go to the parliament with molotov cocktails and bricks. Of course, secret police has started the investigation.
This country centrainly lacks a sense of humor which would be especially needed in such hard times, and in a lot of cases you can notice the signs of totalitarian legacy – the old-fashioned laws, denouncements, actions of secret police, indolence of society etc. People don’t change, capitalism has brought new houses and cars but our mentality is still the same…
