Prolonging Kariņš's government requires maintaining tensions in society for as long as possible

When next year, before the 14th Saeima elections, the swollen group of propagandists of Unity (Vienotība) will chant and repeat the phrase - Kariņš carried our country on his shoulders during the most difficult stage of the crisis, it must be clear that they are outright lies. In fact, the opposite is true. Never before has Kariņš felt as comfortable, free and relaxed as he is now, during a pandemic. Kariņš has not gone through any "difficult" stage. I would even assume that Kariņš's government would have long since collapsed, if not for the pandemic. You want facts? Evidence? Here you go.

Let's remember the situation at the end of 2019, just before the appearance of Covid-19. By adopting the 2020 state budget, the coalition was going for blatantly violating the law by refusing to increase the salaries of medical staff to the extent that they themselves had voted in the law a year ago. However, party funding from the state budget was increased sevenfold. Moreover, not starting from the next term, but from January 1. Namely, funding for themselves was significantly increased, in a situation when there was not enough money for doctors.

Let me remind you that at that time, we were 60 million euros short to fall within the framework of the medical care law they themselves voted for. Just 60 million against today's billions wasted. Because of some 60 millions, the government was stubborn and was ready to ignore medical demonstrations at the Saeima and even a campaign to collect signatures for the dismissal of the Saeima. At the time, at the end of 2019, observers of political events could not yet predict how this collection of signatures would end.

But the year 2020 came with Covid-19, and everything turned upside down. There was suddenly so much money that Kariņš accidentally said - there is now more money than ever before; doctors could be given as much as needed; the collection of signatures for the dismissal of the Saeima was forgotten, and a new slogan appeared on the agenda - don't change horses in midstream. It was welcomed by government propagandists, sharply despising anyone who dared to question the axiom of the indispensability of Kariņš's government.

But next autumn, an act of prolonging the powers of Kariņš's government is planned. Various complications are possible. But much has already been done. Social media has been fed generously, and there are people in leading positions whom Kariņš can safely rely on. They will not disappoint. During the pandemic, the most influential PR companies in the country were not kept starving, so it can be expected that there is no danger from that side either. Gobzems and Šlesers are running amok in opposition. Such opposition is just blowing the wind in Kariņš's sails. Lembergs was finally removed from people's eyes and arrested. Even if he is released from prison before the election, it is not guaranteed that he will have maintained his desire to fight the government. So everything seems to be clear. Obstacles to the smooth prolongation of power seem to have been removed. But there is another small obstacle. People's vote in the Saeima elections.

Politicians usually try to overcome this obstacle in the most usual way - with bananas. True, not with Siegerist's "real" bananas, but with various expensive gifts to necessary people or groups of people. These "gifts" require money, but, as we know, "there is now more money than ever before". That is the way it is now, while the pandemic is being fought. Will the generosity of the EU remain after the end of the pandemic? That is an open question. Very likely not. Even more. Almost certainly not. In that case, what is the solution? Exactly. The "state of war" in the fight against Covid must be maintained for as long as possible.

If we continue to live in a state of emergency, then money from the (literally) inexhaustible precincts of the EU and the ECB will continue to come, and governments (not only in Latvia) will be able to live rich. To maintain this feeling of emergency, people are constantly being scared with new virus mutations and new lockdowns very soon - in the autumn. The main task at the moment is to keep the problem of Covid among the current issues on the agenda. Or rather, keep this issue at the forefront. It would be best if it was the only one. Everything revolves around Covid. Nothing else important happens. Well, there is still the European Football Championship and the unprecedented hot weather, but otherwise only Covid, Covid and again Covid.

The European Commission has just approved 209 million euros to mitigate the effects of the Covid-19 crisis in Latvia. Gatis Madžiņš, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Diena", commented on the news extremely aptly: "We must quickly plan new "research", PR campaigns and unprecedented IT solutions..." In Texas, meanwhile, all restrictions have been lifted since June 8, and the state has fully resumed life as it was before the pandemic began. Why? Why are there such different approaches to these issues in Texas and Europe?

The answer is quite simple. The difference is in economic systems. The Soviet Union had a thin economy, Texas has a real economy, but in the EU, the project economy continues its winning streak. Everyone in Latvia still has a fresh memory of the ten pandemic "research" projects worth half a million euros each. Yes, the same ones that "researched" salad recipes. Does anyone think that these "researchers" have returned to the real economy after the end of the project and are doing something meaningful that a private investor would be willing to pay for? Of course not.

Project economy is the fastest-growing sector of the economy, and there is no doubt that much of the EU's money will go into this leaky barrel. The main purpose of these projects is to cultivate as wide a loyal base as possible for the political leadership of the European project economy, one of the bricks of which is Kariņš and his government. Therefore, Kariņš and his government act as a reliable soldier who is well aware of his task and is ready to complete it. That is, to maintain a state of hysterical tension in society for as long as possible, because it is precisely this state that allows governments to swim in money and buy "bananas" for elections.

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