Although Latvia in these days is struggling with it`s budget reduction and at all with it`s further existence and as people say - avoiding DEFAULT, then of course EP is not an issue. In the same time I can imagine cynical bets going on saying that we gonna sink already in April, others saying - after Midsummer Night`s Eve.
Then without any bets and cynicism a simple question - “have you heard”, “is it true” that they gonna stop paying salaries in hospitals, decrease teachers income for 1/3 and try to persuade everybody to return to old times when each family had a garden in the city suburbs to grow your own tomatoes - is creating a sadness and mess in people minds. Sadness in my mind as well.
But because of our unemployment, debts and probably starving and freezing in more and more families, there will not be any changes in the program of elections. The only changes that might affect those, could be reduced amount for political advertisement spending, which in the same time will increase advertisement in cheaper communication channels as Internet.
Already during Christmas first advertisement campaign started and some replies just now go on, leaving consequences in voters minds. Those advertisements are a competition between two parties which represent two different cultural groups - rather strongly patriotic Latvians and rather leftist Russian speaking ones. Please get aquainted:
1) 
(SOUND: Latvian Christmas song )
Salespersons shouting: Artificial Christmas trees from China, trees from Denmark, from Poland… trees from Latvia. (Latvian speaking lady with little daughter goes to buy their tree.)
A Russian speaking couple arrives at Latvian speaking salesperson:
Old man: Good Day!
Russian speaking guy: Where is this from, please?
Old man: It is from here, from Latvia.
Russian couple leaves. Instead Latvian lady with little girl arrives to the same man:
Latvian speaking lady: For us our`s tree!
Little girl: From Latvia!
END: During celebration by giving as presents Latvian products you are not just cheering up your closed persons, but you are also making Latvia stronger. Patriotism has its meaning, especially in these times. Support your own people!
2) 
The same scene as in previous add.
Russian speaking man asks: From where is your Christmas tree?
Old man: From Latvia.
Russian speaking woman: It`s beautiful. Maybe lets buy it!
Latvian speaking woman and a little girl arrives to the same old man and asks: What is the price for it?
Old man: 20 Ls
Russian speaking woman: Oi, expensive!
Latvian speaking woman: We cannot afford it this year, my daughter!
Everybody leaves.
END: The rightist parties in parliament, hiding from nationalistic slogans have turned the country to crisis. Change your country!
3) 
Title: What is “Saskaņas centrs” pointing at?
Voice: Today “Saskaņas centrs” is redrawing our video clips, laughing about our wish to support Latvian producers. Tomorrow they are going to rewrite our state official language law, they will change the system of our elections, redraw the map of Latvia. To whom “Saskaņas centrs” is pointing at? (In the target appears statue of Latvian motherland and freedom.)
And what i think is, that these two parties are trying to awake their voters, to make them identify with them and get ready for elections. As EP elections till now in Latvia (well, the only time we had them) have mostly been shaped according to identity issues. Now these parties try to speak to their audiences hoping for the same result to come also this time.
It might actually happen, because people could think that in EP should be seated representatives of the cultures, but in the local one - specialists with bright minds (hopefully)!
Although i am a Latvian speaker, feel disgusted of this Latvian patriotic parties creations. How about you?
(8 votes, average: 4.13 out of 5)
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I am glad that you found such possibility to show those advertisements and translate them for non- residents to imagine our problems.
Wow, that’s very interesting. I find it very worrying. In general I oppose to so called language of patriotism. Even academia still cannot exactly distinguish between patriotism and nationalism-there are some tries, but they don’t convince me. Dialogue with Russian minority couple makes me sad…It’s just not the way to deal with problems and to make minorities scapegoats for economic problems in a country. And great that you showed us what is going on!
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