By Sven Mikser
Published 27 August 2010
Columnist Abdul Turay finds in yesterday that the socialist(sotsids) are freaks, The proof, The sotsid are not in government yet their polling rating is in fourth place. Despite Turay's provocative style his opinion story contains questions which deserve an answer.
There are many reason why Estonia politics have leaned to the right for the last 20 years. Sotsid propaganda weakness is only one and not the biggest. Yes the Reform political technology has had most skilful, moving from in 1990 gradual competition in paying for education and medical services, to in 2003 the parent's salaries “soft” sphere, and in the year 2007 bronze portable “nationalism”. But this crude right wing agenda still has basic fundamental errors.
The centre party(Keskerakond) has corned the “disappointment” niche. And this niche is incredible big and lively nuisance for the right, who ruthlessly casts the weakest to the side. The crude right wing and populist left wing are elbowing closer to the centre. This demands an injection of ingenuity.
The secret of success: The Reform and Centre party(Keskerakond).
The advantage of the right wing worked until the crisis as Estonia society developed the idea, of cultivated, tacky materialist, success cults. Part of being successful was drinking the drink and voting for the party of the success.
The sotsid type of voter is a concerned intellectual about our country, in the case of whom public consciousness is assumed, and he agrees to sell his skills almost for free and exclusively from a sense of mission. This perception have to break.
In addition some of the cultural tip vote for the sotsid, he whose heart beats to the left but to whom personal predicament doesn't depend on whether the government carries out right or left wing politics.
The sotsids challenge is a dialogue with all those, who real situation depends of the economy of the country and the socio-policies of the government.
Keskerakond's popularity is based on a self image which depicts them as the marginalised centre, who competitors bully them, the national power, the media. The marginalised have simply to identify with the marginalised.
In addition Keskerakond solutions are simple. The underemployed person turns to his own worries to get solutions by way if one party has a “national show” offering 700 kroon, the other is offering strategic development plan, then is not difficult to guess who gets the vote.
Sotsid must express the complicated world order in words everybody can understood. In addition we must get from thinkers to doers.
We are brave enough to say this. Turay finds that the sotsid lack the courage to say in what they believe, But we are brave.
For example we believe that the tax system is just this lever, with which the country can effect social development. Our goal are reduction in income gaps and regional disparity, restriction is the use of unsustainable resources, saving in times of economic growth and protecting jobs in times of decline and supporting exports. To achieve these goal we must set an additional taxes on very high incomes, tax high luxury consumption and strategic resource use and free up special benefit taxes for people doing investment, reduce VAT for food, medicine and cultural service, We have the courage to defend our position which last year cost us a place in government. But we will come back again.
We are for the poor not for the rich. Poverty especially poverty for children, is a threat to the survival of the Estonian nation. The solution is only generous support at birth but changing the child support system in a way that supports the growth in birth of children. Not throwing money from an aircraft but in support services,child care, and education. We have values and we are ready to defend them. And above all we are people who have the will to carry what we believe.
(ed: note)Sven Mikser went on to become leader of the social democrats soon after this article was published. The Social Democrats did well in the March 2011 elections overtaking the Centre Party (Keskerakond)