tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24528000.post3636531331175497766..comments2023-10-28T12:01:47.929+00:00Comments on Edward Lucas: Edward Lucashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369936559712607693noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24528000.post-62914374670834575802007-03-14T09:26:00.000+00:002007-03-14T09:26:00.000+00:00what's wrong with that is that estonians, esepcial...what's wrong with that is that estonians, esepcially old and sick ones who need a doctor, don't speak portuguese.Kristopherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01394211030848077681noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24528000.post-53342221810007458412007-03-13T09:51:00.000+00:002007-03-13T09:51:00.000+00:00Why does everyone think that if a country has work...Why does everyone think that if a country has workers moving to work in richer places that's bad for its economy? If they go, new ones from poorer countries will come. What's wrong with that?bonzoqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13346369375252920309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24528000.post-14938647429832276782007-03-12T08:42:00.000+00:002007-03-12T08:42:00.000+00:00Predictions:1) The poor in Estonia will bear the b...Predictions:<BR/><BR/>1) The poor in Estonia will bear the brunt. Obvious, but had to throw that in there, newly converted Sotsdem voter that I am.<BR/><BR/>2) But most people will squeak by and be able to avoid foreclosure. Most of the debt was taken when the real estate was still at £1000/sq m and under mark rather than the current £1500+. <BR/><BR/>3) People "changing homelands rather than their jobs", to paraphrase a 2007 campaign slogan, is a problem, and in the case of medical workers, I have no good ideas. Probably impolitic of me as a foreign Estonian to even speak on the topic of leaving, but my gut feeling tells me anyone who leaves for good on pure economic reasons probably isn't that profoundly Estonian to begin with. Meanwhile, I think we will see a back-to-the-land movement (already just noticeable among the young educated urbanites), spurred by the growing popularity of the Greens, gaining strength, and who knows, maybe this will help to address one of the problems -- that damn foreign trade deficit. I still have faith in the forests and fields. Every other strategy besides enlightened self-sufficiency has a flaw -- it will be far too costly for Estonia to do the cozying up to Russia required to be a plum transit country. And a lot of people talk about Estonia's high tech potential, but Skype aside, I get the same uncomfortable feeling I do as when I read attempts to paint Tubin or Tobias as an equal to Grieg or Sibelius -- there's not enough substance or catchy ideas to bear out the hype.Kristopherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01394211030848077681noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24528000.post-25937555254402736482007-03-11T09:28:00.000+00:002007-03-11T09:28:00.000+00:00No.No.Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11219870920638914624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24528000.post-35605415591233875612007-03-10T20:41:00.000+00:002007-03-10T20:41:00.000+00:00Kristjan, I agree with you and disagree with Marti...Kristjan, I agree with you and disagree with Martin. Estonia has been a historic success story of economic transformation, for the reasons given in the article. Would it have been better with a "softer" monetary policy? No<BR/>Would it have been better with slower privatisation? No<BR/>Would it have been better with a more regulated economy? No<BR/><BR/>Estonia's problem now is that the public sector reforms have finally been outstripped by the private sector. That is a common problem across the region, and for a time Estonia was shielded because its public sector was relatively efficient.<BR/><BR/>Poor public services mean a) more emigration b) slower productivity growth (chiefly because of bottlenecks in education, also because of labour market restrictions) <BR/><BR/>I don't see what "neoliberalism" has to do with this. Is there any example in the post-communist world, Martin, which you think HAS followed the right sequence and emphasis of reform?<BR/><BR/>cheers<BR/><BR/>EdwardEdward Lucashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11369936559712607693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24528000.post-35217615195104728502007-03-10T15:56:00.000+00:002007-03-10T15:56:00.000+00:00Martin,I have to confess that your words make no s...Martin,<BR/><BR/>I have to confess that your words make no sense to me, other than giving me a general feeling that what you say is negative.<BR/><BR/>Could you please explain what you think has been done wrong in various Eastern European countries, and why you think that a "crash" is now inevitable (if that is, indeed, what you're saying)?<BR/><BR/>Kristjan in Tallinn, EstoniaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24528000.post-54227790651683450432007-03-10T14:07:00.000+00:002007-03-10T14:07:00.000+00:00Edward,Perhaps the cart of high growth economic re...Edward,<BR/><BR/>Perhaps the cart of high growth economic reform was put before the horse of stability. <BR/><BR/>With everything presumably privatised off to foreigners, it's hard not to see how a 'Domino' effect wouldn't crash the whole lot.<BR/><BR/>Ah, neoliberalism! Don't you love it?Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11219870920638914624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24528000.post-37236225834463620892007-03-09T22:31:00.000+00:002007-03-09T22:31:00.000+00:00Hey Edward, nice redesign! You are moving up in t...Hey Edward, nice redesign! You are moving up in the world, I see. Excellent!La Russophobehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05672264388217953086noreply@blogger.com