I reject this "wisdom"

There is a common opinion that the activity of the party “For the Native Language!” stimulates response activity on the opposite flank – the nationalist one. Hence the conclusion is drawn that our activity is harmful. Like, there is no need to “tease the geese”, etc.

I reject this “wisdom”, which in fact is not wisdom at all, but cowardice. Fear of facing the truth. Reluctance to see life as it really is.

The brutal truth of life is this. The main, strategic goal of the ENTIRE ruling class of Latvia is the de-Russification of the country. Disagreements between the ruling partners are of a tactical nature: pace, methods, public rhetoric, etc. Some expect that the Russians will leave, some that they will assimilate, others that they will turn into a harmless folk group with samovars and balalaikas. The supposedly respectable “Unity” looks back at the liberal West, the straightforward “Visu Latvijai!” almost doesn’t look back, but that doesn’t change the essence of the matter. The general line remains unchanged.

Therefore, to be honest, I don’t give a damn how many votes young Dzintars snatches from the fading Elerte and Aboltini. Horseradish is not sweeter than radish. And how can we - even if we wanted to - influence this process of redistribution of political influence WITHIN the nationalist camp? No way. And don’t bother yourself with this.

To reassure the most fearful, I will add that the percentage of radical nationalists in all the Seimas of the post-Soviet Republic of Latvia was approximately the same. Yes, they were concentrated in “TB/DNNL” (as today in “Visu Latvijai!”), but some of them were dispersed among other parties. And the amount was always the same: 20-25%. Today the situation is exactly the same. And this, in my opinion, is the ceiling for radical nationalism. He won't jump higher, but he's unlikely to go lower either.

Of course, it’s a good idea to keep one eye on what’s going on in the enemy’s camp. You need to keep your finger on the pulse, but this is not the main thing. It is much more important to look critically at ourselves. It is a shame and absurdity that neither in parliament nor in the overwhelming majority of self-governments is there a SINGLE deputy who would clearly and uncompromisingly defend the rights and interests of the Russian residents of Latvia. For whom this would be a priority and a matter of principle, and not a bargaining chip.

We, the party “For the Mother Tongue!”, believe that only continuous psychological pressure on the rulers can change the situation. Under no circumstances should we act like good boys. Because with our “decent” behavior we again and again strengthen the Latvians in the illusion that the Russians have come to terms with the policy of de-Russification, with the course towards a “Latvian Latvia”. As long as this illusion is alive, there will always be nationalists in power (radical + moderate, but nationalists).

We must bury this illusion. So that at least some of those Latvians who believe in it today are convinced of its impracticability. But for this we need to constantly demonstrate the Russian presence in Latvia and our firm position. This was precisely the meaning of the language referendum, which showed: 1) we are against the policy of de-Russification, 2) there are many of us, hundreds of thousands. It was a good, useful shock therapy session, and we will continue this line. Not paying attention to those who have been afraid of “teasing the geese” for twenty years and, as a result, turned from a person into food for these same geese.

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