I love to observe societal processes, today and in times long past. Having begun from afar, by acquiring a doctorate in history from Cambridge, I have gradually worked my way to studying the public life of my society, looking for solutions to policy problems and major attitude shifts. Since 2004, I work at the Centre for Public Policy PROVIDUS in Riga, because this is a place where I can indulge my passion for controversy.
An ardent individualist, I do not shun disagreement with the majority. Authority is my greatest allergy. So far I have not discovered a person with whose opinion I am disinclined to argue - with the important exception of my two cats, Tullius Philip and Gareth.
The School: A Perfect Place for Brainwashing?
If our schools functioned as little democracies empowering the individuals who study there and giving them a sense of equality and security there would be no need for spoon-feeding students with dogma. Lasi
Blogā Ministry of Manipulation 5
My own (albeit short-lived) experience in the public sector teaches me that it does not take a very clever person to be a civil servant. An essential skill to acquire before joining civil service, however, is what I would call 'a way with words' - an ability to say things in a certain way that allows to avoid awkward questions. It is a useful skill for politicians, too. Lasi
Blogā Propaganda 13
Before resigning in December 2007, former Prime Minister Kalvītis apparently had promised Cardinal Pujats and other members of the Council of Spiritual Affairs that he will do all within his powers to ensure that the next government continues to oppose "the propaganda of homosexuality ".(http://www.vdiena.lv/lat/politics/quote/kalviitis_apsoliijis_homoseksuaalisma_propagandas_ierobezhoshanu). Lasi
Blogā Temporary bliss and permanent values 3
Some people still remember the promotional video once shown on CNN, where a Tibetan monk was shown meditating in a Latvian forest. I do believe that while for most of us it is less surprising when well-to-do Latvians go to the centres of eastern spiriuality in India or Nepal in search of enlightenment, a Tibetan monk theoretically could find his own spiritual bliss in a Latvian forest. Lasi
Izaicinājums pilsoniskajai līdzdalībai. Analītiskais ziņojums par Saeimas un mediju monitoringu 2
Monitoringa grupa ar teksta analīzes palīdzību identificē gadījumus, kad tiek izmantotas izslēdzošās (deleģitimējošās) stratēģijas attiecībā uz dažādām sabiedrības grupām. Identificējot deleģitimējošo stratēģiju gadījumus deputātu runās vai mediju tekstos, tiek fiksēti gadījumi, kad runātāji un rakstītāji pārkāpj cieņas, argumentu pamatošanas un pamatotības principus, tādā veidā aicinot uz kādas grupas izslēgšanu no publiskās telpas un politikas. Lasi
Blogā Status Symbols and Death Threats 4
This week, for the first time in the history of this website, the author of one of the articles received a death threat from an anonymous comentator. The unsuspecting author brought this upon himself by calling some of President Musharraf's opponents 'radical islamists': http://www.politika.lv/index.php?id=14955 . The commentator declared he would kill the author if he met him in the street. As simple as that. With several years' delay (compared to the US or the UK), the spirit of threat grounded in radical beliefs has reached the virtual space of Latvia. Lasi
The Way We Talk Now: Demonisation of opponents and search for scapegoats in Latvian political discourse in 2007
Autore rakstā analizē pēdējos datus, kas iegūti, veicot Saeimas debašu un drukāto mediju monitoringu. Šeit parādīts, kā noteiktos veidos no leģitīmu politisko debašu lauka tiek izslēgti politiskie oponenti un grupas, ko uzskata par 'nevēlamām' vai tādām, kas apdraud sabiedrības vai valsts mieru. Rakstā doti izplatītāko izslēgšanas stratēģiju piemēri Saeimā un medijos. Lasi
Blogā Riga Forever 13
For those of you who do not follow Latvian politics: a new government is expected to be formed this month. One of the candidates for Prime Minister's office, Mr Zalāns, has given an interview to the weekly Privātā dzīve, in which, among other things, he declared his dislike of Riga. Riga, according to Mr Zalāns, is unjustly presented as an ideal by many Latvians, while in reality it is not human-friendly and is full of traffic jams. Lasi
Blogā Parliamentary Small Talk 22
Recently Latvian MPs have had several lively debates on the comparative rights of citizens and non-citizens in Latvia. This time, the debates were about the right to own and carry weapons and about the right to serve as public prosecutor. The right to carry weapons is reserved for citizens. The same concerns the right to be considered for the office of public prosecutor. According to the opposition parties whose electorate are predominantly Russian-speaking citizens, many of whom have family ties with non-citizens, this situation is no longer justified. According to the parties whose electorate consists mainly of hereditary citizens, this situation is fully justified. This blog is not about the rights of non-citizens, but about the argumentation which MPs use to support their views. Lasi
Kāpēc Kalvītis nav Šarls Drošsirdīgais 7
Tautas partijai bijis visvairāk resursu, lai saviem līderiem izveidotu pieklājīgu platformu komunikācijai ar sabiedrību, taču tas nav noticis. Atliek secināt, ka ārpus priekšvēlēšanu kampaņu drudžainajām vasarām šāda komunikācija viņiem nešķiet aktuāla. Lasi