IN 2016, WE REALISED WHY PEOPLE DO NOT LIKE FOAM*

“90% of all politicians ruin the reputation of other politicians,” said Henry Kissinger, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973. Actually, the person is called Heinz Alfred as Kissinger is a German-born Jew, born in 1923. The ending year in the Estonian politics and that of the world has shown that those latter ten percent may worry about their reputation however much they like, the remaining 90% will significantly damage it anyway.
 

In Estonia, politicians with a “damaged” reputation have carefully moved to the trash bin after the last parliamentary elections. The first government of the Members of Parliament, chosen in March 2015, was put together by Taavi Rõivas, Sven Mikser, and Urmas Reinsalu, all of whom have been pensioned off. In Estonia, the retirement age of politicians is 37, when Rõivas was sent off, and not 70, as it is in Margus Tsahkna’s dreams.

Edgar Savisaar was also pensioned off, involuntarily, and he was replaced by the most hard-working member of the Estonian politics, Jüri Ratas. The first “generation change” failed at an incredible pace. The result was three failures: Rõivas, Mikser, Reinsalu. Additionally, there was one outcast – Savisaar.

The nationalization of the hazel-nut stock of the squirrels in the Estonian Reform Party

The despair of Jürgen Ligi, the “mother” of the most strident party in Estonia which flagellates itself the most and wishes the most achievements, is appropriate: If we paraphrase the movie Noor pensionär, we would sum up his reformatory anguish after the walls came crumbling down under the most splendid Minister (of Foreign Affairs) with the sentence “If you do not get off the bike right this very instance, you have to find yourself a new mother… I am telling you.. a new mother.” The new mother will be selected on 7 January.

The new-new generation leading Estonia does not bother themselves with the hope of remaining in power forever. The long years of savings and scantiness under the leadership of the Estonian Reform Party served as a Trojan horse for them and this will enable the new government to please more than 80% of the Estonian population. The feckless and hungry. The others, in this sense, are irrelevant. They would choose the Reform Party nevertheless or, at least, would not choose one of the current parties in power.

Being generous goes a long way in collecting votes. Tallinn’s policy of preferring public vehicles might disturb me as bus lines mean a predatory waste of time for people driving cars, but I understand: The more equal a society is, the higher is the well-being of both the rich, who will not need security men, and the poor, who will not starve.

The local government elections are the most exciting political event of the next year because it is the first real test for the new-new generation. It also serves as training for the coming parliamentary elections. Without a doubt, the elections in autumn will transform the Estonian policy and the results will likely be shocking.

The president does not listen to the people*

The state reform will give a completely new essence to the institution of the president. The paralyzed sense in the appearances of Kersti Kaljulaid and her uncertainty as a president is largely due to the lack of a comprehensive social network in the Estonian society.

On 16 December, I attended the opening of the exhibition Nogank Hoparniis, full of colours and messages, of Kaido Ole. Hundreds of respectable people from the Estonian culture and business elite also attended. Unexpectedly for the guests, the president arrived as well.

A recognized lawyer noticed that the president is looking only straight forward when moving, so she would not have to exchange glances with any of the other guests. The art-guru Ole did give her a tour, but after a quick glance, she did not find anyone to speak to from the numerous guests. People did not even notice that they were sharing the room with the president. The president, who has lived away from Estonia for 12 years, does not have a social bond with the Estonian society. We sent one “stranger” to USA, and replaced him with another one from Luxembourg.

Toomas Hendrik Ilves tweeted foam about the Anti-Russian sentiment, and Kaljulaid is tweeting foam about her personal views. However, these views have not been shaped after being in close contact with the “natives”. Politicians can say that “if they are black, show them the door” because behind them are only people who think in the same way. The president, however, has to represent 1.3 million people. All of them. To do this, they must be able to love both those who travel by public transport and those who travel in helicopters, regardless of their views.

The world’s political elite is also in the trash bin

On 20 January, the new US president, Donald Trump, at a ceremony held at the White House, will, like all the previous US presidents, put his hand on the Bible, and say the traditional words: “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, so help me God.”

The handwriting of Barack Obama is disappearing from the politics all over the world. The people can no longer by bothered by exhortations and reasonings about how to live. The people wants actions. Money, well-being, jobs, safety.

The pink-mist-policy, which prevailed for long years throughout the Western society, is losing its most important strongholds. The weakening of the European Union after Brexit is, without a doubt, worse than Brexit is for the British.

The prelude of the upcoming French presidential elections and the results of the Italian constitutional referendum – new people doing new things – more particularly, of course, executing old conservatism –, and representing other social groups. Those groups who the politicians of the pink mist have, so far, ignored or abandoned.

„First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin,” sang the legend Leonard Cohen, who recently passed away. Manhattan has been taken. Berlin has not yet fallen, but the results of the last week may help with this.

A friend of mine, who is working in New York as a diplomat, called me during the holidays, and noted, “History is made by masses, great numbers of people. But these masses are leaded by a single person.” Events in Syria and Aleppo confirm that masses, who have nothing to lose, and who were killed and left in the mud, are ready for a revolution.

World policy could not be more boring or less painful in the next year than it was this year. During restless times, people do not tolerate foam. When European leaders say that they are sorry that people have died in Syria, it is murderously little. It is no wonder if the people take down these leaders. A leader who does not know how to or is not able to be a leader, must be taken down. Fortunately, in Europe, they will survive. In Asia and the Middle East, however, they usually do not.

* From the song Vangile ei meeldi trellid, lyrics by Vello Salumets.