Power talks break down

Photo: Jaanus Lensment

With no real results to show, coalition talks have grinded to a halt. With Reform Party left rather alone, the deepening human mistrust between parties is foreboding.

All four – Reform, Soc Dems, IRL and the Free – share plenty of ugly baggage from the past making them doubt everyone and everything. The Free have got the feeling that Reform thinks to make them their pocket party – one playing the good kingmaker. While the Soc Dems and the Free get along pretty well, same cannot be convincingly said regarding Soc Dems and IRL.

Understandably, the latter have plenty of ado within their own ranks. Also, all three are puzzled: is this the clumsiness of Mr Rõivas as a creative negotiator, or is this intentional delay and draining of strength – Reform again harbouring a Plan B. 

Thereat, Reform swears a thousandth time, the thousand and first time yesterday: a deal with Centre is out of the question. But, should the Free leave, they’ll do all in the name of a coalition of three.

A trio or a quartet – Reform will have to consider that during the second round of the talks, two partners will also have greater stakes.

Reform thinks the Free are approaching the Republic like a board game. «They are gamblers,» say squirrels. «Desiring to raise income tax and to destroy the entire corporate income system – this is unthinkable.»

Today they were supposed to talk again but no-one saw much sense in getting together. The more so that Mr Rõivas is in Brussels. So they take a couple of days off to think and to do phone calls.

Artur Talvik, a Freeman now in Riigikogu, thinks such plenary meetings should stop. «We don’t think it right to be wearied this way. They call this mapping of problems. Mapping is fine, but as it produces no results at all we don’t think such plenary meetings make any further sense, by topics,» said Mr Talvik, desiring an agreement regarding state reform and democracy package, and a clear goal reducing wage poverty and tackling taxes and business environment.

Soc Dems secretary-general Indrek Saar also found it imprudent to continue with consultations with prime minister away in Brussels and the big issues not agreed. Mr Saar thought that after the consultations have gone on for ten days resulting in no agreements, it is good to take time off and change gears. «Soc Dems are ready to talk about creating a coalition, once it becomes clear what kind of a government it will be and what it intends to accomplish,» he said.

While Mr Rõivas yesterday claimed to have presented party chairmen the bare bones of main agreements, IRL chief Urmas Reinsalu says bare bones are very much elusive. Mr Reinsalu said that as they met with Mr Rõivas yesterday, they discussed main IRL stands concerning state and administrative reform and cutting the tax burden of low income people, but no decisions were made and the plan is yet to be put together and weighed. «A far cry from bare bones,» he said.

Reform has already agreed that the Free will leave.  «Eight votes, eight differing opinions,» they say regarding the new political power.

Before journalists yesterday, Mr Rõivas laid out the core of the basic agreement. «The initial bare bones suggested by me are built on the prerequisite that all parties need to be responsibly yielding even in their most important priorities, but at the same time the priorities most important for all parties must in one way or another be reflected so everyone would feel that the agreement possibly born also looks like them,» he said.

«I think there are quite a few things where we have common ground so we can build on it. I do feel we could put together a coalition with the most important priorities of everyone represented.»