Quiet before the storm...

Summer Solstice is merrily over and days will become shorter again... thus the seasonal cycles go in this geographical area. The week after Summer Solstice is usually quiet and the Riga environs look unusually full with tourists. After Latvia regained its independent statehood it was the first Summer Solstive when nobody deceased in the traffic accident, good Lord! Police raids were omnipresent and during the week long police operation around 250 drivers still happened to drink & drive. Therefore somone even spelled out an omenous utterance, that only brain transplantation could change behaviour of such people ... . My goddaughter Saimi is visiting me these days, who came from Estonia with her brother and mother. They noticed unusual number of policemen on Latvian highways, as well as unusually bad shape of Latvian roads if to compare with Estonian ones:)

While Estonian president is visiting Washington D.C. Latvian incoming president is preparing for the inauguration ceremony in the Jelgava palace. The Jelgava palace is the main building of the Latvian Agricultural University. Considering the fact that the bulk of the Latvian political elite represent graduates of this university it is not a surprise. For example, the founder of the People's Party, incumbent PM, minister of Defense, Health and Education, all have graduated from this university and the graduate network is pretty much in place here. If previously mentioned politicians and ther rest of the cabinet would be able to shape the future of this country then I would not write these lines in my diary, but whilst talking with Latvian public I have a feeling that the TRUST within Latvian society rapidly decreases and the economy sputters...

Absurdity of the politicians pronouncements in Latvia similarly to other democracies is never ending, and just the difference is that the critical mass of people who would pressure such inadequate political mawericks out of the office is too little in Latvia - the civil society is simply surviving. Therefore, the style of governance of the irresponsible political elite combined with the proposed inauguration feast of July the 8th in true honesty reminds me about the Mideaval expression - the feast during times of plague...

Outgoing president Freiberga has hinted already twice during last week, that severe accusations about the bulk of the present political elite in Latvia have been collected (at least she has confidential information). Referendum of the July the 7th is approaching. According to the logic of the present Latvian political culture the prosecutors office should announce the list of allegedly corrupt list of politicians early next week, and first hints the Latvian public could expect already during this Sunday's De Facto Latvian TV emission. Shall wait and see:-)