| 2. Mar 2009 @ 11:20 (bez virsraksta) |
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Amid the wreckage of Latvia's retailing industry, which has declined 17% year on year according to the latest figures, one item is selling well: T-shirts with seemingly mysterious slogans such as "Nasing spesal".
Latvians are glad to have something to laugh about, even if it is only their finance minister, Atis Slakteris.
In an ill-judged foreign television interview, using heavily accented and idiosyncratic English worthy of the film character Borat, he described his country's economic problems as "nothing special".
At a time when strong leadership and public trust are needed more than ever, the country's squabbling and discredited politicians look hopelessly out of their depth.
Latvia is an economic pipsqueak, with just 2.4 m people. But the rest of the region is watching nervously, fearful that more bad news from the Baltics could bring others crashing down too.
(The Economist February 28th 2009) |
