Latvian Political Monitor

From@AndrisKulbergs

AirBaltic from today will have to start flights to Colombia and back, in order to cover the 14.5% loan interest payments of ~€50 million per year. This payment will eat up all earnings this year and next year. At the end of the year the result will be negative profit, which is a very unfavorable circumstance for the IPO process, which is planned by November this year. This whole saga with the refinancing of the €200 million bonds would not have happened if Kariņš had not shut down flights for 61 days as the only EU airline (that cost -€200 million) and used the special COVID circumstances when EU countries were allowed to support their airlines and money cost almost nothing. Now we all see the price of these unaccepted, botched decisions. Last week's €136 million state injection into bonds + we give €50 million from profit to 'junkbond' speculators, we risk €/$ exchange rate fluctuations (because planes are leased in $), we enter an IPO with a negative story and losses in the 2024 balance sheet. I say that unfortunately this is not the last time the state has to prop up AB. I would like to hear soon from @Apvienotais_ faction an explanation from @Briskens about further plans, so that this time we don't have to go head over heels to save without information and plan B. #airbaltic

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From@cosmix

Interview with Alvis Hermanis in German newspaper FAZ (02.09.2026). "Because of his criticism of Merkel's refugee policy, theater director Alvis Hermanis was excluded from the German theater scene. How does he look back on it today? And would he lead a theater in Germany if the AfD governed the region? Alvis Hermanis, why did you disappear from German stages? I haven't counted, but I believe I created some 35 to 40 productions in the German-speaking region. I spent seven summers at the Salzburg Festival and seven winters at the Zurich Schauspielhaus. I directed about six productions at the Burgtheater, six in Munich, including the Munich Kammerspiele and Residenztheater. So for almost ten years I had the opportunity to work on the best German-speaking stages. And then everything ended. Do you not know the reason? I assume it's connected with 2015 and your political views on Angela Merkel's refugee policy. Exactly. Many German politicians today use much sharper expressions than I did ten years ago, but back then I suddenly became a kind of outcast because of my criticism of Germany's refugee policy. I remember an article in the magazine 'Spiegel' calling me an 'enemy of the people.' Within one day I lost all contact with my German colleagues and friends. No one called me anymore, no one responded. I was suddenly completely isolated. What exactly happened? I was supposed to create the next production at the 'Thalia' theater in Hamburg. At the same time I was preparing an opera production at the Paris 'Opéra Bastille.' During this time those terrible terrorist attacks happened. They occurred very close to 'Opéra Bastille,' only a few blocks from my apartment. So it affected me very personally. I remember writing a letter to Joachim Lux, the director of 'Thalia' theater, and telling him that I had suddenly lost all enthusiasm for working at his theater because his theater had proudly announced that it was a 'Refugees Welcome' institution. At that time I directly linked the terrorist attacks to the influx of refugees. Actually it was a private correspondence between me and Joachim Lux, but he decided to make this letter publicly available and published a kind of indictment on the website https://t.co/Ckygwk3bC5. After that the matter received widespread resonance. I remember practically every German media outlet published an article about me. Why? Because, as you know, the German-speaking artistic scene is very left-oriented. And in this environment I suddenly became a complete exception. Would you have classified yourself as conservative or right-wing before this event? You will laugh, but before this I had never thought about it. I never emphasized my political positions in the theater. But when I saw what happened in 2015 in the German-speaking theater and in the art world in general, how a wave of political activism swept over everything, I suddenly felt very alien. Actually your productions have never carried obvious political messages. You rather tried to create a timeless impression. Yes, exactly. I come from a different theater tradition. In our part of the world theater is more oriented toward the human soul, toward the relationship with God – not in a religious sense, but rather a spiritual one. That generally characterizes art in our part of Europe. I have never been particularly political. You know, my generation, which still experienced Soviet times, even has a certain aversion to any form of political ideologization. You must understand: we have experienced the experiment with socialism, communism, and Soviet power. So we have a certain immunity to utopian ideas. However, regarding German theater, I have always considered its self-description as 'political theater' problematic. For me political theater means open dialogue and a clash of opposing views. I have never seen anything like that in German theater. It has always been an ideological one-way street. There has never been a true clash of political ideas on stage. That is why I consider the claim that German theater is political to be nonsense. If only one opinion is propagated, then it is not political theater. Does that mean that German political theater lacks conservative perspectives on stage? Historically, German theater has always been an instrument for improving the civic life of citizens. I imagine that in the 19th century, every Sunday the city mayor, the pastor, the school director, and the theater director sat at the dinner table and thought about how to improve the lives of citizens – that is roughly how I imagine the roots of German theater. In other countries it was different. In my country, Poland, and in Eastern Europe generally, theater was rather a substitute for church – both spiritually and emotionally. That is why, for example, there are also large differences in the working methods of German and Latvian actors. German actors mainly work with the intellectual and physical 'chakras.' The emotional and spiritual spheres often remain completely inactive. What would you answer to someone who says that as an artist he cannot work under a right-wing government, for example in Czechia or Italy, or perhaps soon also under an AfD regional government? If today we hear or read about AfD in Germany, what confuses us most is its attitude toward Russia. More precisely, its relations with Putin's Russia. Regardless of that, we agree on many questions regarding conservative values. By 'we' I mean conservative-minded people like myself. I myself have mixed feelings on this issue. As a father of seven children, I am of course to some extent conservative. I think about their future. I believe that life requires concrete rules and that society depends on traditions and reliability. On the other hand, as an artist I am by no means conservative. The very expression 'conservative artist' sounds contradictory. Artists always act without strict rules. They are libertarian by nature. To be an artist means to be a rebel. So as an artist I am a rebel, but as a citizen I am conservative – that is how I would formulate it. Suppose the AfD formed a government in Saxony-Anhalt and thus gained influence in theaters, and you were asked whether you would like to take over the direction of a theater there. What would you answer? No. Mainly because I am now 61 years old. I do not want to direct another theater. I have been director of the New Riga Theater for 27 years and I am satisfied with that. However, one thing I would like to say: if you look at the history of various countries, you can conclude that representatives of right-wing political forces usually treat artists with different political views much more tolerantly than representatives of left-wing political forces. From a historical point of view this seems self-evident to me. Therefore I would tell all artists: do not be afraid. If such politicians ever get the chance to lead a country, one should first observe what actually happens before making hasty judgments. So as an artist you are not afraid of right-wing political forces or right-wing politicians? What does 'right-wing' really mean? That always has to be clarified first. Honestly, I have personally never encountered the dangers that are often talked about. However, I also do not know exactly what the situation was like in Hungary under Orbán. Of course, today there are two hostile political wings in almost every country. But each society's attitude toward them is very different. For example, in my theater in Riga actors with completely different political views work together. Some even represent completely opposite opinions. Yet they can rehearse and collaborate together. Usually we avoid political discussions during rehearsals. If they do arise, we usually just joke about it. Do you also accept 'wokeness' in your theater? For example, my personal assistant is very 'woke.' She represents pronounced progressive and partly radical positions. She has been working for me for fifteen years. And, honestly, I hired her precisely because I wanted someone beside me who sometimes unsettles and challenges me. What do you miss in German theater? First, I miss the audience. When I looked from the box at the hall or observed spectators during intermission, I saw those intelligent facial expressions. From their appearance one could see how many books they had read. I miss people about whom one could get an impression just from their look and aura of what books stand on their shelves at home. However, I fear that this world, like Atlantis, has disappeared forever. Do you not think that longing for the emotional dimension of theater could return and inspire the younger generation again about theater? Actually it is already happening. We observe that theater is increasingly becoming a place for smaller communities. It works as a glue that holds groups of people together. Nevertheless, at the same time the art, poetry, professional skills of theater, and acting craft are being lost. It is a completely different profession – whether, for example, in Matthias Lilienthal's environment developing experimental theater installations, or creating a large theater production for a big stage and a wide audience. A production that addresses the great dramas and fundamental questions of human existence. These are two completely different cultures. We have to face reality: the great old theater is lost. I was lucky enough to catch the last train. But this train has already left. That does not mean theater will disappear entirely. It remains as a place where small groups can come together, meet, see each other, and experience the presence of real people. But it is no longer about theater art in the classical sense, nor about acting as a craft. I mean that art form in which one actor with his personality and mastery was able to enchant thousands of people. That requires tradition. And exactly that is currently disappearing at a rapid pace. Even internationally you do not see anyone from the younger generation who maintains this tradition? I must admit that this 'virus' that originated in German-speaking theater and is called postdramatic theater has spread like Covid from China. This modern understanding of theater has affected not only Europe but also many other countries. For example, Poland. Polish theater had its own unique tradition. Today, in my opinion, it often poorly imitates German theater. I think the last great European aesthetic statement of theater was Frank Castorf's theater. Before him was Pina Bausch. She was the first to convincingly show that a theater evening can be created without text. Thus she fundamentally changed the rules of theater. In my opinion, Pina Bausch's influence on spoken theater has never been properly appreciated. Then came Frank Castorf, who was undoubtedly a genius or perhaps still is. However, the problematic side effect of his success was that suddenly thousands of little 'Castorfs' appeared all over Europe. That was the real catastrophe. I do not consider myself an inventor of a new theater aesthetic. My productions have always been very diverse. I rather take pride in being a theater craftsman/artisan. Perhaps there are still similarly influential personalities in German theater. Some might mention Florentina Holzinger today. When I look at Austrian culture of the 1960s, her work reminds me a lot of that. In the sixties, artists of the 'Body Art' movement experimented with blood, their bodies, and extreme physical experiences. In this respect it is something very Austrian. The strange thing about theater is that its memory fades roughly every thirty years. Thus old things can be presented again and again as innovations. In literature or music that does not work so easily. Will you ever stage a production in Germany again? No idea. It is not up to me. Is it really true that after 2015 you have not received any offers from German-speaking theaters or operas? After the scandal I still had two productions at the Residence Theater, as well as one at the Salzburg Festival. Those contracts were fulfilled. After that, however, I truly have not received any invitations. I remember Sven-Eric Bechtolf, who at that time was the interim artistic director of the Salzburg theater, telling me only this one sentence: 'Alvi, you're done.' And he was right." Source: https://t.co/o8R2oLhWXk (unofficial translation.)

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From@edgarsj

@JurgisLiepnieks LPV also promised that it would not close ANY educational institution in the next four years. Then they also included all private ones.

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From@PAgenskalns

@JurgisLiepnieks Yesterday I was surprised that only Vienotība and Progresīvie are for staying in the EU, the rest think we should leave, we are rich and self-sufficient, what has happened to them in the last 30 years, how toxic AP Tavars is, a saboteur for LV

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From@EglitisGatis

M.Kotello proudly announces on August 31 (a day before September 1) that there will be a pedestrian crossing. OK, but if it was needed already 10 years ago, then why did the work start on August 31, not, e.g., June 1, to disturb Riga residents' daily life less? Why hasn't a single worker been here for 4 days? Why don't they work in two shifts? Since M.Kotello's video nothing has changed for 4 days. The question arises: is PRO creating these traffic jams on purpose, as a gesture against unwanted drivers?

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From@dacuks_edene

@JurgisLiepnieks Well, only Jurevičs did not want to give the pension level back to the people

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From@Lato_Lapsa

Kulbergs, Vītols, and Kučinskis' new, great airBaltic business plan: borrowing at 14.5% per year was bad, so now we'll borrow at 25% per year. And shut up, dimwits, you understand nothing!

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