Session Profile: Kristina Šmigun-Vähi
15th Riigikogu, 3rd sitting, plenary session
2024-01-18
Political Position
The political position focuses strongly on social policy and values-based education, opposing the excessive emphasis on children's rights, which undermines the authority of coaches and teachers. The speaker advocates for legislative intervention to prevent the raising of a "soft generation" that is unwilling to put in the effort. Furthermore, he/she supports a pragmatic approach to optimizing local government resources within the sphere of extracurricular education.
2 Speeches Analyzed
Topic Expertise
The speaker demonstrates knowledge of the practical problems within the education and sports sectors, highlighting coaches' concerns regarding giving honest feedback and the abuse of children's rights. Furthermore, they have a clear overview of issues related to local authorities organizing extracurricular education and allocating resources, emphasizing the necessity of cooperation when sharing swimming pools and teachers.
2 Speeches Analyzed
Rhetorical Style
The tone is concerned and blunt, highlighting the societal repercussions that result from overemphasizing children's rights. The speaker employs strong, value-driven arguments (e.g., referring to a "soft generation") and poses rhetorical questions to underscore the necessity of legislative intervention. The style is rather emotional and problem-centric, aiming for practical solutions.
2 Speeches Analyzed
Activity Patterns
Not enough data
2 Speeches Analyzed
Opposition Stance
The criticism is directed at the current legal and social environment, which has created a situation where teachers and coaches are afraid to give honest feedback. The opposition targets the excessive emphasis on rights and leniency, which hinders children's development and discipline. Specific political opponents are not named; rather, the consequences of the system are being criticized.
2 Speeches Analyzed
Collaboration Style
The speaker strongly emphasizes collaboration, especially among local municipalities (parishes) in providing extracurricular education and sharing resources. He views inter-municipal transport and service sharing as a "lifeline" for optimizing resources. This demonstrates a pragmatic and solution-oriented approach to administrative problems.
2 Speeches Analyzed
Regional Focus
The focus is on local-level issues, concentrating specifically on how local governments (parishes) manage extracurricular education. We emphasize questions related to sharing regional resources (such as folk dance teachers or swimming pools) and transportation, all of which are directly tied to organizing local life.
2 Speeches Analyzed
Economic Views
The economic views address the efficiency of public service delivery, advocating for inter-municipal cooperation to optimize resources. The goal is to avoid a situation where every single municipality must provide all expensive services (e.g., swimming pools) itself, underscoring the necessity of fiscal prudence.
2 Speeches Analyzed
Social Issues
Social issues are central to the profile, emphasizing the need to restore the authority of teachers and coaches and to foster diligence and discipline among children. The speaker voices concern over the "softening" of society, which they attribute to the excessive focus on children's rights—a trend that has led to situations where children are demanding grades with the help of a lawyer.
2 Speeches Analyzed
Legislative Focus
The speaker's priority is legislative intervention to clarify the permissible scope of activities for teachers and coaches. The objective is to amend sections of the law in the Riigikogu that govern educational relationships and children's rights, in order to provide educators with clear guidance and protection.
2 Speeches Analyzed