Estonian Parliamentary Election, 2015

[Tallinna Rahvavabariik]

Regarding the parties the OP never bothered to include, there are also the green, christian democratic and leftist parties like in many European countries. Nothing special to say about them. They are what one would expect. Well, except for the leftist party. The Center Party isn't the only one explicitly pro-Russian, you see; the United Left Party in Estonia is, alongside its socialism, concerned about the Russian minority in Estonia. There is also the Independence Party, which is just like the Hungarian Jobbik and Greek Chrysi Avgi/Golden Dawn. A neo-fascist party.

As for which one I'd vote, I find no party deserving of my vote.

Well the other parties have been mentioned elsewhere in this thread and I believe the OP didn't include them in the poll because their support is truly minimal, mostly between 0%-2%, way below the national threshold of 5% of votes to get seats in the parliament. As for the Christian Democratic Party, they went bankrupt a few years ago and a part of their membership joined IRL.

[Ergotaria]

Regarding the parties the OP never bothered to include, there are also the green, christian democratic and leftist parties like in many European countries. Nothing special to say about them. They are what one would expect. Well, except for the leftist party. The Center Party isn't the only one explicitly pro-Russian, you see; the United Left Party in Estonia is, alongside its socialism, concerned about the Russian minority in Estonia. There is also the Independence Party, which is just like the Hungarian Jobbik and Greek Chrysi Avgi/Golden Dawn. A neo-fascist party.

As for which one I'd vote, I find no party deserving of my vote.

Well the other parties have been mentioned elsewhere in this thread and I believe the OP didn't include them in the poll because their support is truly minimal, mostly between 0%-2%, way below the national threshold of 5% of votes to get seats in the parliament. As for the Christian Democratic Party, they went bankrupt a few years ago and a part of their membership joined IRL.

I see. Well, felt like adding my own biased view to the mix anyway.

[Teemant]

Relations between Reform party and Social Democrats seem to be deteriorating now. Because they have different opinions about how estonian language should be taught in schools where there are a lot of russians studying.

[Tallinna Rahvavabariik]

What are the most recent polls?

Nothing new to report at this point, the latest poll for January showed the popularity as follows:
Reform Party - 25%
Center Party - 22%
Social Democratic Party - 18%
Pro Patria and Res Publica Union - 15%
Free Party - 8%
Conservative People's Party - 5%
Other parties had less than 5% support which is the necessary threshold in national elections to get seats in the parliament.

Relations between Reform party and Social Democrats seem to be deteriorating now. Because they have different opinions about how estonian language should be taught in schools where there are a lot of russians studying.

They have been deteriorating ever since the government took office I'd say, although I agree that things have taken a turn for the worse lately, probably because of the elections coming up. They have disagreed on many topics though, for example also on the fund for single parents which is meant to ensure that the children would get the monthly allowance even if the other parent doesn't pay for whatever reason or over the deletion of the recordings of meetings of parliamentary committees (to be honest, this issue has been blown way out of proportion and turned into a populist issue with those against the deletion of these recordings trying to scare people as if something gets hidden or people will be lied to and whatever; the truth is that these recordings only serve the purpose to put together stenograms or summaries which will be made public anyway). The issue of Russian-language schools however seems to elicit even more emotion and I have already said what my opinion is on this issue. For the record, I read the statement issued by Sutrop & Co (Reform) and also Ossinovski's reply to it and I completely side with him on this issue.

There was also an interesting radio debate on Vikerraadio today with the youngest candidates in these elections debating the issues of demography and emigration. Reili Rand (SDE), Jaak Madison (EKRE), Tõnis Mölder (Center) and Argo Mõttus (Independence Party) took part representing their parties. Let me first say that if you speak Estonian then please do and go listen to that debate on their webpage, simply to hear the Independence Party representative talk. Just as a short summary, he started by saying that he cannot reveal his party's program for the elections because otherwise their ideas would be stolen and they'll only reveal it step by step over the coming debates, before descending into the usual ramblings about conspiracies etc. I have to say though that EKRE's representative was definitely the most professional and clear on this talking points even though I disagree with their ideas on ideological reasons. SDE's representative was also quite good but sometimes a bit hard to follow because her answers were often all over the place and not concrete enough. All in all I'd say that I much prefer this format for a political debate over the ones on ETV because the candidates actually have the time to speak themselves and don't have to constantly fight with the hosts who present only the kind of questions they want.

[Teemant]

What are the most recent polls?

Nothing new to report at this point, the latest poll for January showed the popularity as follows:
Reform Party - 25%
Center Party - 22%
Social Democratic Party - 18%
Pro Patria and Res Publica Union - 15%
Free Party - 8%
Conservative People's Party - 5%
Other parties had less than 5% support which is the necessary threshold in national elections to get seats in the parliament.

Relations between Reform party and Social Democrats seem to be deteriorating now. Because they have different opinions about how estonian language should be taught in schools where there are a lot of russians studying.

They have been deteriorating ever since the government took office I'd say, although I agree that things have taken a turn for the worse lately, probably because of the elections coming up. They have disagreed on many topics though, for example also on the fund for single parents which is meant to ensure that the children would get the monthly allowance even if the other parent doesn't pay for whatever reason or over the deletion of the recordings of meetings of parliamentary committees (to be honest, this issue has been blown way out of proportion and turned into a populist issue with those against the deletion of these recordings trying to scare people as if something gets hidden or people will be lied to and whatever; the truth is that these recordings only serve the purpose to put together stenograms or summaries which will be made public anyway). The issue of Russian-language schools however seems to elicit even more emotion and I have already said what my opinion is on this issue. For the record, I read the statement issued by Sutrop & Co (Reform) and also Ossinovski's reply to it and I completely side with him on this issue.

There was also an interesting radio debate on Vikerraadio today with the youngest candidates in these elections debating the issues of demography and emigration. Reili Rand (SDE), Jaak Madison (EKRE), Tõnis Mölder (Center) and Argo Mõttus (Independence Party) took part representing their parties. Let me first say that if you speak Estonian then please do and go listen to that debate on their webpage, simply to hear the Independence Party representative talk. Just as a short summary, he started by saying that he cannot reveal his party's program for the elections because otherwise their ideas would be stolen and they'll only reveal it step by step over the coming debates, before descending into the usual ramblings about conspiracies etc. I have to say though that EKRE's representative was definitely the most professional and clear on this talking points even though I disagree with their ideas on ideological reasons. SDE's representative was also quite good but sometimes a bit hard to follow because her answers were often all over the place and not concrete enough. All in all I'd say that I much prefer this format for a political debate over the ones on ETV because the candidates actually have the time to speak themselves and don't have to constantly fight with the hosts who present only the kind of questions they want.

I support Estonian language education and think that 60/40 rule is a good thing. One reason why I support is my own experience. I have a friend who speaks Russian as his mother language and so do his parents (who speak almost no Estonian at all) and he has no problems at all learning in Estonian (he was in Estonian school and as second language chose german language). We have no problems communicating with each other eventhough I don't speak word Russian.
So it's almost impossible for me to understand why can't some people learn even 60% of topics in school in Estonian language.

I don't know if you watched vabariigi kodanikud last week. They had some interesting points there. One problem with two different school systems in Estonia (Estonian and Russian) is that it needs too much resources and teachers. There are two choices: 1) One system with good education 2) Two systems but the quality of education suffers.

[Tallinna Rahvavabariik]

I support Estonian language education and think that 60/40 rule is a good thing. One reason why I support is my own experience. I have a friend who speaks Russian as his mother language and so do his parents (who speak almost no Estonian at all) and he has no problems at all learning in Estonian (he was in Estonian school and as second language chose german language). We have no problem communicating with each other eventhough I don't speak word Russian.
So it's almost impossible for me to understand why can't some people learn even 60% of topics in school in Estonian language.

I don't know if you watched vabariigi kodanikud last week. They had some interesting points there. One problem with two different school systems in Estonia (Estonian and Russian) is that it needs to many resources and teachers. There are two choices: 1) One system with good education 2) Two systems but the quality of education suffers.

And there is absolutely no disagreement on the goal which is that eventually all education should be in Estonian (aside from private schools but that's a whole different topic), the question is about how do we get there. Aaviksoo's plan, to put it very simply, had two steps: 1) make it a legal requirement to have 60% of classes in Estonian. 2) To ensure that said requirement is fulfilled, increase oversight and control over Russian-language schools. Am I really the only one who sees that there is something wrong with such a plan? We need a comprehensive approach to make sure that Estonian language is taught to kids from early age, starting in kindergarten.

And just as you, I also had classmates who were from Russian families but thanks to having gone to Estonian kindergartens and schools they spoke Estonian perfectly so of course it is possible to learn it. The issue here is with the kids who have gone to Russian kindergartens and Russian schools and simply have not had such opportunity to learn Estonian.

[Teemant]

I support Estonian language education and think that 60/40 rule is a good thing. One reason why I support is my own experience. I have a friend who speaks Russian as his mother language and so do his parents (who speak almost no Estonian at all) and he has no problems at all learning in Estonian (he was in Estonian school and as second language chose german language). We have no problem communicating with each other eventhough I don't speak word Russian.
So it's almost impossible for me to understand why can't some people learn even 60% of topics in school in Estonian language.

I don't know if you watched vabariigi kodanikud last week. They had some interesting points there. One problem with two different school systems in Estonia (Estonian and Russian) is that it needs to many resources and teachers. There are two choices: 1) One system with good education 2) Two systems but the quality of education suffers.

And there is absolutely no disagreement on the goal which is that eventually all education should be in Estonian (aside from private schools but that's a whole different topic), the question is about how do we get there. Aaviksoo's plan, to put it very simply, had two steps: 1) make it a legal requirement to have 60% of classes in Estonian. 2) To ensure that said requirement is fulfilled, increase oversight and control over Russian-language schools. Am I really the only one who sees that there is something wrong with such a plan? We need a comprehensive approach to make sure that Estonian language is taught to kids from early age, starting in kindergarten.

And just as you, I also had classmates who were from Russian families but thanks to having gone to Estonian kindergartens and schools they spoke Estonian perfectly so of course it is possible to learn it. The issue here is with the kids who have gone to Russian kindergartens and Russian schools and simply have not had such opportunity to learn Estonian.

Maybe all kindergartens should use Estonian language? Starting as soon as possible.

But I think it has something to do with will. During Soviet Union almost every Estonian spoke Russian (because they had to learn it in school) and now when Estonia has been independent over 23 years some Russians can't even say hello to you in Estonian language. I simply can't understand it.

[Tallinna Rahvavabariik]

Maybe all kindergartens should use Estonian language? Starting as soon as possible.

But I think it has something to do with will. During Soviet Union almost every Estonian spoke Russian (because they had to learn it in school) and now when Estonia has been independent over 23 years some Russians can't even say hello to you in Estonian language. I simply can't understand it.

I'd say that teaching Estonian should begin in kindergartens because at this point in time, simply converting them to Estonian would result in kids thrown into water before they have been taught to swim. Once we have the next generation of Estonian Russians who have learned to speak Estonian and have their own kids, we can end public support for Russian kindergartens. But yes, the earlier we can begin teaching Estonian the better.

And yeah, of course it has a lot to do with will but that is mostly the parents' fault. It's not really the 7 year old kid's decision to pick a school etc. We can't punish the kids for the mistakes made by their parents. As I noted earlier in the thread, it's a very complex social issue and needs time and patience to deal with. Paranoid ramblings about the threat to national security and of russification to drum up nationalist feelings and political support do nothing to help that cause.

Edit: Just to add, I believe that the most appropriate people to solve this issue are exactly the young Russians who have learned to speak Estonian and understand what is going on in Russian schools and what needs to be done. They, through their background and by the example of Jevgeni Ossinovski, are the people who probably understand best how vital it is to learn Estonian and how much of an advantage it gives them - I mean the guy is only a year older than me and he's the minister of education in Estonia. And I believe they want other young Russians to be just as successful.

[Teemant]

Maybe all kindergartens should use Estonian language? Starting as soon as possible.

But I think it has something to do with will. During Soviet Union almost every Estonian spoke Russian (because they had to learn it in school) and now when Estonia has been independent over 23 years some Russians can't even say hello to you in Estonian language. I simply can't understand it.

I'd say that teaching Estonian should begin in kindergartens because at this point in time, simply converting them to Estonian would result in kids thrown into water before they have been taught to swim. Once we have the next generation of Estonian Russians who have learned to speak Estonian and have their own kids, we can end public support for Russian kindergartens. But yes, the earlier we can begin teaching Estonian the better.

And yeah, of course it has a lot to do with will but that is mostly the parents' fault. It's not really the 7 year old kid's decision to pick a school etc. We can't punish the kids for the mistakes made by their parents. As I noted earlier in the thread, it's a very complex social issue and needs time and patience to deal with. Paranoid ramblings about the threat to national security and of russification to drum up nationalist feelings and political support do nothing to help that cause.

Edit: Just to add, I believe that the most appropriate people to solve this issue are exactly the young Russians who have learned to speak Estonian and understand what is going on in Russian schools and what needs to be done. They, through their background and by the example of Jevgeni Ossinovski, are the people who probably understand best how vital it is to learn Estonian and how much of an advantage it gives them - I mean the guy is only a year older than me and he's the minister of education in Estonia. And I believe they want other young Russians to be just as successful.

But I think that Ossinovski and SDE are trying to gain votes also right now because of the upcoming election. For example if you put a russian language billboard sign that says "Do you support learning in Russian langugage" what are the people who this ad targets most likely to answer? Yes, of course. SDE and Center Party are fighting for russian votes or at least it seems to be like this.

[Tallinna Rahvavabariik]

But I think that Ossinovski and SDE are trying to gain votes also right now because of the upcoming election. For example if you put a russian language billboard sign that says "Do you support learning in Russian langugage" what are the people who this ad targets most likely to answer? Yes, of course. SDE and Center Party are fighting for russian votes or at least it seems to be like this.

I do know that SDE sent out a questionnaire in Russian which included a question on Russian-language education but I haven't seen such a billboard. And no, I'm not going to skirt around the substance of your question: of course they are but I take it as a part of an election campaign. To be more clear - the fact remains that only less than a third of Estonian citizens have a language other than Estonian as their native language. There is simply no way that a government could ever be formed that would establish a bilingual state or continue with Russian-language education indefinitely; for that to happen, in addition to winning the support of all of these people, you'd need to convince at least half of Estonians as well that it's a good idea and that just isn't going to happen, ever. Politics is always a compromise. Altogether, I wouldn't put too much faith in the crap that the parties say in ads during an election campaign but rather look at their programs, actual policies (possible with the governing parties or the ones who were recently in the government) or other more reliable sources to predict their policy. Or looking at it from another angle, I'd much rather have Russians vote SDE instead of Center Party.

In any case, my opinion remains such that the education policy so far hasn't produced the desired results and could use some revision regarding the methods to achieve those results.

Edit: if I wasn't clear enough then I'll add that all parties say stupid stuff during their campaigns and personally I think they shouldn't but in this case regarding the education issue, I'm basing my opinion on what SDE and Ossinovski have actually proposed as their plan. While I'm no education expert, at least on its surface, it looks more likely to produce results than the current policy.

[DnalweN acilbupeR]

Always nice to see a lack of left-leaning parties

Anyways, center(-right), and definitely anti-Russia, so Reform.

I definitely hope the "Center" won't get much.

[Scepez]

Always nice to see a lack of left-leaning parties

Anyways, center(-right), and definitely anti-Russia, so Reform.

I definitely hope the "Center" won't get much.

We all hope that, well except the Russians, but that hope always fades, as they always get a relatively large vote count.

[Teemant]

What are the most recent polls?

Nothing new to report at this point, the latest poll for January showed the popularity as follows:
Reform Party - 25%
Center Party - 22%
Social Democratic Party - 18%
Pro Patria and Res Publica Union - 15%
Free Party - 8%
Conservative People's Party - 5%
Other parties had less than 5% support which is the necessary threshold in national elections to get seats in the parliament.

Relations between Reform party and Social Democrats seem to be deteriorating now. Because they have different opinions about how estonian language should be taught in schools where there are a lot of russians studying.

They have been deteriorating ever since the government took office I'd say, although I agree that things have taken a turn for the worse lately, probably because of the elections coming up. They have disagreed on many topics though, for example also on the fund for single parents which is meant to ensure that the children would get the monthly allowance even if the other parent doesn't pay for whatever reason or over the deletion of the recordings of meetings of parliamentary committees (to be honest, this issue has been blown way out of proportion and turned into a populist issue with those against the deletion of these recordings trying to scare people as if something gets hidden or people will be lied to and whatever; the truth is that these recordings only serve the purpose to put together stenograms or summaries which will be made public anyway). The issue of Russian-language schools however seems to elicit even more emotion and I have already said what my opinion is on this issue. For the record, I read the statement issued by Sutrop & Co (Reform) and also Ossinovski's reply to it and I completely side with him on this issue.

There was also an interesting radio debate on Vikerraadio today with the youngest candidates in these elections debating the issues of demography and emigration. Reili Rand (SDE), Jaak Madison (EKRE), Tõnis Mölder (Center) and Argo Mõttus (Independence Party) took part representing their parties. Let me first say that if you speak Estonian then please do and go listen to that debate on their webpage, simply to hear the Independence Party representative talk. Just as a short summary, he started by saying that he cannot reveal his party's program for the elections because otherwise their ideas would be stolen and they'll only reveal it step by step over the coming debates, before descending into the usual ramblings about conspiracies etc. I have to say though that EKRE's representative was definitely the most professional and clear on this talking points even though I disagree with their ideas on ideological reasons. SDE's representative was also quite good but sometimes a bit hard to follow because her answers were often all over the place and not concrete enough. All in all I'd say that I much prefer this format for a political debate over the ones on ETV because the candidates actually have the time to speak themselves and don't have to constantly fight with the hosts who present only the kind of questions they want.

About these polls. For some reason I think that this month (February) support of small parties will be smaller than in this poll.

[Tallinna Rahvavabariik]

About these polls. For some reason I think that this month (February) support of small parties will be smaller than in this poll.

Could go both ways, really. On the one hand, it's true that EKRE's and Free Party's programs for the elections were confirmed in early January so people got more certainty about what these parties are standing for and it encouraged people to support them. So now that both of these parties have over 5% of support, even more people might consider voting for them since it's more probable now that their vote doesn't go to waste then. Then again, on the other hand, there are some obvious reasons why their support might drop. Firstly, the Free Party's rise from 1% to 8% in just one month does seem very anomalous and in my opinion indicates that they do not have a stable base. It has been noted before by experts that in Estonian politics only the Center Party has a very stable voter base with Russians and the elderly, but the other major parties are all competing for the same voters who may differ in political views but are mainly united in their distaste for Edgar Savisaar. So basically the Free Party's support can evaporate rather quickly if other parties come up with something to attract these voters. Secondly, both the Free Party and EKRE have relatively few big names in their ranks who could attract voters so on election day people may still decide to go with a better known option from the larger parties.

As for EKRE, I believe that even though their overall support may be smaller than Free Party's, their base is stronger and will be more inclined to come out and vote. Mainly because unlike the Free Party, EKRE represents a very clear ideology and if they can keep themselves on the picture by taking a very clear stand for or against the issues they consider important then it is likely that they may get seats in the next parliament. By the way, I'm afraid that the Free Party shot itself in the foot by coming out with the idea that they basically support registered partnerships for same-sex couples even if they don't necessarily agree with the Co-Habitation Act that was passed last October.

In conclusion, I expect the Free Party's support to drop somewhat but I think EKRE's support will remain more or less stable.

[Teemant]

About these polls. For some reason I think that this month (February) support of small parties will be smaller than in this poll.

Could go both ways, really. On the one hand, it's true that EKRE's and Free Party's programs for the elections were confirmed in early January so people got more certainty about what these parties are standing for and it encouraged people to support them. So now that both of these parties have over 5% of support, even more people might consider voting for them since it's more probable now that their vote doesn't go to waste then. Then again, on the other hand, there are some obvious reasons why their support might drop. Firstly, the Free Party's rise from 1% to 8% in just one month does seem very anomalous and in my opinion indicates that they do not have a stable base. It has been noted before by experts that in Estonian politics only the Center Party has a very stable voter base with Russians and the elderly, but the other major parties are all competing for the same voters who may differ in political views but are mainly united in their distaste for Edgar Savisaar. So basically the Free Party's support can evaporate rather quickly if other parties come up with something to attract these voters. Secondly, both the Free Party and EKRE have relatively few big names in their ranks who could attract voters so on election day people may still decide to go with a better known option from the larger parties.

As for EKRE, I believe that even though their overall support may be smaller than Free Party's, their base is stronger and will be more inclined to come out and vote. Mainly because unlike the Free Party, EKRE represents a very clear ideology and if they can keep themselves on the picture by taking a very clear stand for or against the issues they consider important then it is likely that they may get seats in the next parliament. By the way, I'm afraid that the Free Party shot itself in the foot by coming out with the idea that they basically support registered partnerships for same-sex couples even if they don't necessarily agree with the Co-Habitation Act that was passed last October.

In conclusion, I expect the Free Party's support to drop somewhat but I think EKRE's support will remain more or less stable.

I agree and especially what you said about Free Party last. Probably they lost supporters among people who support and do not support same sex civil unions.

[Teemant]

Yesterdays Looduslik valik was quite fun. Participants were given live animals and they had to kill them and eat afterwards. Liina Raud (SDE) got extremely emotional. But I was really surprised by Ojuland how she handled the birds after they were killed.

[Tallinna Rahvavabariik]

I agree and especially what you said about Free Party last. Probably they lost supporters among people who support and do not support same sex civil unions.

Yeah. I mean I get what they were trying to achieve with this statement. Considering that it's a very polarizing issue and that the Free Party hadn't been very clear on their stance before (although their program includes a statement about supporting traditional family values), they really had no other choice, though, than to at least take some sort of stand. However while their position may at first seem like a compromise between the two opposing camps, I believe it will rather have the opposite effect of what they were trying to achieve. Because let's be honest, (most of) the people against officially recognized same-sex unions are not going to go for any sort of compromise so for them it only reinforces the belief that the Free Party has also sold itself out to the Western liberal values. The supporters however will see their stance as cowardly and populist. So instead of taking a clear stance they managed to alienate both sides.

On a personal note, all that concerns economic policies - fiscal policy, taxation, liberalization or control - is up for discussion. For me, it's really rather a matter of taste and whoever brings better arguments for their side will get my vote. And on economy, I do tend to be more on Reform's side. However, human rights, civil rights and political rights are non-negotiable and not up to a popular vote because these things define our personal freedom, including the ability to vote for the party that has the best economic platform.

Yesterdays Looduslik valik was quite fun. Participants were given live animals and they had to kill them and eat afterwards. Liina Raud (SDE) got extremely emotional. But I was really surprised by Ojuland how she handled the birds after they were killed.

Personally, I think the showrunners went too far with this. Now don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with killing animals for food and if I was trying to survive in a forest, I'd have no problem to do what they had to do. However in this case it only served the purpose of entertaining the viewer and I find it quite reprehensible, because let's be honest, these politicians were never in any real danger - case in point, Marko Pomerants got to leave for a while to attend a party meeting. But I was also positively surprised about Kristiina Ojuland because so far she has seemed like the weakest link.

[Teemant]

I agree and especially what you said about Free Party last. Probably they lost supporters among people who support and do not support same sex civil unions.

Yeah. I mean I get what they were trying to achieve with this statement. Considering that it's a very polarizing issue and that the Free Party hadn't been very clear on their stance before (although their program includes a statement about supporting traditional family values), they really had no other choice, though, than to at least take some sort of stand. However while their position may at first seem like a compromise between the two opposing camps, I believe it will rather have the opposite effect of what they were trying to achieve. Because let's be honest, (most of) the people against officially recognized same-sex unions are not going to go for any sort of compromise so for them it only reinforces the belief that the Free Party has also sold itself out to the Western liberal values. The supporters however will see their stance as cowardly and populist. So instead of taking a clear stance they managed to alienate both sides.

On a personal note, all that concerns economic policies - fiscal policy, taxation, liberalization or control - is up for discussion. For me, it's really rather a matter of taste and whoever brings better arguments for their side will get my vote. And on economy, I do tend to be more on Reform's side. However, human rights, civil rights and political rights are non-negotiable and not up to a popular vote because these things define our personal freedom, including the ability to vote for the party that has the best economic platform.

Yesterdays Looduslik valik was quite fun. Participants were given live animals and they had to kill them and eat afterwards. Liina Raud (SDE) got extremely emotional. But I was really surprised by Ojuland how she handled the birds after they were killed.

Personally, I think the showrunners went too far with this. Now don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with killing animals for food and if I was trying to survive in a forest, I'd have no problem to do what they had to do. However in this case it only served the purpose of entertaining the viewer and I find it quite reprehensible, because let's be honest, these politicians were never in any real danger - case in point, Marko Pomerants got to leave for a while to attend a party meeting. But I was also positively surprised about Kristiina Ojuland because so far she has seemed like the weakest link.

These politicians weren't in danger but in countryside people kill chickens everyday to eat them. Though in the show they didn't kill chicken but another bird. But it is still a survival show and the main point is teaching participants survival skills.
I mean do we have to ban fishing shows as well because they pull living fish out of water.

[Tallinna Rahvavabariik]

These politicians weren't in danger but in countryside people kill chickens everyday to eat them. Though in the show they didn't kill chicken but another bird. But it is still a survival show and the main point is teaching participants survival skills.

Yes, with the purpose to eat them. Not with the purpose to film themselves beheading a chicken and putting the video up on YouTube to get likes. As I said, I don't have a problem with killing animals for food, be it on personal scale such as in farms, or on industrial scale. But that was different. Handing out cute little live birds from a box etc was all done with the explicit purpose to elicit an emotional response from viewers.

I mean do we have to ban fishing shows as well because they pull living fish out of water.

Lol, don't read too deeply into what I said. I simply noted my personal opinion and disagreement with that particular aspect of this show. There is no need to ban anything of the kind.

[Alsheb]

Always nice to see a lack of left-leaning parties

Anyways, center(-right), and definitely anti-Russia, so Reform.

I definitely hope the "Center" won't get much.

We all hope that, well except the Russians, but that hope always fades, as they always get a relatively large vote count.

Maybe that's because there are just a lot of Russians in Estonia? The russophobia in Baltic countries is something I always find very disturbing. Estonia is no Latvia, fortunately, but still.

[Teemant]

These politicians weren't in danger but in countryside people kill chickens everyday to eat them. Though in the show they didn't kill chicken but another bird. But it is still a survival show and the main point is teaching participants survival skills.

Yes, with the purpose to eat them. Not with the purpose to film themselves beheading a chicken and putting the video up on YouTube to get likes. As I said, I don't have a problem with killing animals for food, be it on personal scale such as in farms, or on industrial scale. But that was different. Handing out cute little live birds from a box etc was all done with the explicit purpose to elicit an emotional response from viewers.

I mean do we have to ban fishing shows as well because they pull living fish out of water.

Lol, don't read too deeply into what I said. I simply noted my personal opinion and disagreement with that particular aspect of this show. There is no need to ban anything of the kind.

But in overall it's a fun entertainment show (which I think it is supposed to be). Completely different persons with very different views working together as a team (2 teams).

[Suurta-Osavaltio]

Although I strongly support EKRE, I will be voting for the IRL. I feel that the IRL is on the correct path when it comes to ensuring that the Estonian culture continues to factor into the decisions made by the government. I dislike the constant attempts that Estonia makes in order to become something we are not. I also agree with the policies set by the IRL on education.

[Tallinna Rahvavabariik]

Maybe that's because there are just a lot of Russians in Estonia? The russophobia in Baltic countries is something I always find very disturbing. Estonia is no Latvia, fortunately, but still.

I'm saying this as a person who finds nationalism, especially the ethnic kind, distasteful, but for some reason the foreigners who are quick to condemn the Baltic states for extreme nationalism and treating their Russian minorities unfairly, do not seem to have a problem with Russian nationalism which, to be honest, is quite rampant and has been that way since the Soviet era.

[Alsheb]

Maybe that's because there are just a lot of Russians in Estonia? The russophobia in Baltic countries is something I always find very disturbing. Estonia is no Latvia, fortunately, but still.

I'm saying this as a person who finds nationalism, especially the ethnic kind, distasteful, but for some reason the foreigners who are quick to condemn the Baltic states for extreme nationalism and treating their Russian minorities unfairly, do not seem to have a problem with Russian nationalism which, to be honest, is quite rampant and has been that way since the Soviet era.

I have little love for any kind of nationalism in general (except when it comes to progressive forms that exist amongst third-world nations in resistance to imperialism), but racial profiling of ethnic minorities based solely on their ethnicity or language is something that turns my stomach completely. I don't know much about how Estonia deals with its Russian minority, but I do know that Latvia even refuses basic civil rights and the right of suffrage to most of its ethnically Russian minority. Which is sickening.

[Teemant]

Maybe that's because there are just a lot of Russians in Estonia? The russophobia in Baltic countries is something I always find very disturbing. Estonia is no Latvia, fortunately, but still.

I'm saying this as a person who finds nationalism, especially the ethnic kind, distasteful, but for some reason the foreigners who are quick to condemn the Baltic states for extreme nationalism and treating their Russian minorities unfairly, do not seem to have a problem with Russian nationalism which, to be honest, is quite rampant and has been that way since the Soviet era.

I wouldn't say that Estonian language requirement is nationalistic. I mean it's quite obvious that if you go to Finland you learn Finnish, if you go to England you learn English, if you go to Russia you learn Russian but if Estonia asks people to learn Estonian it makes Estonia extremely nationalistic.