The myth about the so-called "internal Russian threat"
Estland
sources used are Estonian or Western.
1. In Estonia all established foreigners vote in the local elections.
The Russian ethnic parties suffered utter defeat in the local elections
of 1998 and it got worse in the last ones. Currently Russian ethnic
party holds power in only two minor cities in Estonia - Maardu and in
another one, cannot remeber at the moment. The party has closed
recently and reopened under new name, analists pronounce it dead
nevertheless and this is the most powerful "Russian minority
protecting" party. In the Parliamentory Elections the support for
pro-Russians is naturally even smaller and they fall far from 5% quota,
though they combine themself with the Toomsalu's communists.
2. 68% of the people identifying themselves as Russian-speakers support
NATO membership, only 7% less than the ethnic Estonians. Same question
unofficially posed by a concerned kremlinist at estonia.livejournal.com
Russian-speaking community, couldn't even get anywhere near 32%
anti-NATO locals there.
3. The Estonian Security Police Board stated in its Yearbook of 2003
(or was it 2002) that the Russian secret services (you name it) stopped
working with the local Russian organizations because of lack of hope of
this work and switched to infiltrating EU and NATO (connected local
officials) instead.
4. There was no single mass-protest (let's say that in Estland mass
starts with 100 people in a crowd), political or any, by the local
Russian-speakers since.. 1993 or even 1991 (suggestions?). I am pretty
sure starting with 1998, but certainly unlikely before that as well.
With one exception - there was one significant protest few years ago,
numbering around 100 people conducted by the local Russian youth, but
it was anti-US and took place at the gates of the US Embassy.
5. The relevant acts of the Estonian State, notably denials of visa
entries for high-ranking Kremlin officials or "diplomats" have nothing
to do with the so-called "internal enemy" (what's that?), but are
likely retaliations for denials and obstacles made to the Estonians in
their entries to Russia, or are indications to the Kremlin of the
Estonian position - lack of fear or respect toward that country, and,
in case of "diplomats" are anti-intelligency measures. Claims that this
or that particular official was denied or turned away because of its
alleged "influence" on the local Russian community (sorry, what??) is
propaganda aimed to Russia and to naive listerners in the West (such as
Greek communist party), because in Estonia nobody understands anymore
what harm could it do. An official could instead appear in the Pervyj
Baltijskij Kanal and speak out if it is so urgent to raise masses,
hehe.
6. News of this or that "European Russian party", "Estonian
communists", "Centre for Human Rights" are irrelevant information
concerned activities of the groups numbering 10-20 persons who are
professional project-workers dealing with utilizations of funds
designated by different donor organisations, mostly by Mitrofanova's
Russian budget-financed Compatriot Federal Centre (correct name?) in
Moscow (I'd give 95% of all activities financed from there and leave 5%
to be EU-financed, but this is me, pro-Russian pinky, remember?).
Russia has no political influence over the Estonian Russians, and
couldn't have, because the people aren't fools.
I hereby undertake to explain to everybody: there's no "inner Russian
threat". Haven't been for years already and even Gulag-treated
pro-patriotic politicians stopped frowning suspiciously at
slavic-looking bypassers. It is lost. Karta bita. Time to move on.
Kalmenas
Estland wrote:
> Things necessary to know about Estonian Russian-speaking minority. All
> sources used are Estonian or Western.
>
> 1. In Estonia all established foreigners vote in the local elections.
> The Russian ethnic parties suffered utter defeat in the local elections
> of 1998 and it got worse in the last ones. Currently Russian ethnic
> party holds power in only two minor cities in Estonia - Maardu and in
> another one, cannot remeber at the moment. The party has closed
> recently and reopened under new name, analists pronounce it dead
> nevertheless and this is the most powerful "Russian minority
> protecting" party. In the Parliamentory Elections the support for
> pro-Russians is naturally even smaller and they fall far from 5% quota,
> though they combine themself with the Toomsalu's communists.
>
Just returned from a visit to Estonia. Not just to Talinn but to
russian
inhabited cities like Paldiski. Not enough factual information to
judge what
is written in this post, but it does seem plausible. Talking to
russians in
Paldiski I found no one ( sample total of 3) who would be interesed
in moving to Kaliningrad. Fact is they told me (maybe they pretended)
that they had not heard about the invitation of G. Boos for 'baltic'
russians
to move to Kaliningrad.
From the russian language press, (there is quite a lot of it in
Estonia,
certainly more then in Lithuania,) I got the impression that the
russians
have a thinly vailed inferiority complex. One front line story listed
the
russians who were honored by Estonian high society, several stories
emphasized other russians who 'made good' in Estonian led businesses.
There is also an 'estonian russian' beouty contest. The articles
which
dealt with school reform were critical, but, compared to equivalent
russian language articles in Latvia, only mildly so. One article noted
that
part of the problem is that russian language schools are loosing pupils
and
that this endagers teachers jobs.
«Pas de deux»
news:1141119350.5...@i39g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> From the russian language press, ...
>One article noted that part of the problem is that russian language
>schools are loosing pupils
> and that this endagers teachers jobs.
Problem? What poblem? It's a good thing! Of course their kids don't
want to be backward losers. Russian language teachers should go and
learn something useful like welding or driving a bus.
loco
> >One article noted that part of the problem is that russian language
> >schools are loosing pupils
> > and that this endagers teachers jobs.
>
> Problem? What poblem? It's a good thing! Of course their kids don't
> want to be backward losers. Russian language teachers should go and
> learn something useful like welding or driving a bus.
Most french teachers around the globe did so 30 years ago...
>
«Pas de deux»
news:44055a1a$0$492$61c6...@uq-127creek-reader-03.brisbane.pipenetworks.com.au...
>> > From the russian language press, ...
>> >One article noted that part of the problem is that russian language
>> >schools are loosing pupils
>>
>> Problem? What poblem? It's a good thing! Of course their kids
>> don't
>> want to be backward losers. Russian language teachers should go and
>> learn something useful like welding or driving a bus.
>
> Most french teachers around the globe did so 30 years ago...
That the best you can do, cochon russe? The number of russophones will
continue to shrink annually - just like your balls and brain.