Andrus Ansip will continue as Prime Minister and will be able to do so with only one partner - their PR system has meant that no one has ever managed to achieve a majority government. Given that, it is amazing how much they managed to reform the country since the Soviet occupation ended in 1991.
Below is the translation into English of what the party believes in. Much of the statements they make are ones that no one can say in Canadian politics at all. The agreed consensus of what is possible in Canadian politics has no space for a classic liberal party.
Here is what they believe in and what I love to see someone in Canada take up:
Ideology - The Reform Party - A Better Estonia for Everyone!
The Reform Party is the leading proponent of the liberal ideology in Estonia and the bearer of Estonia's success story. The Reform Party stands for a liberal environment that is rich in opportunities, where new and improved ideas to advance our lives may be born. Our policy is based on simple liberal values like the individual's freedom of choice, the protection of ambitious people and entrepreneurs, low taxes and tolerance.
The Primacy of Personal Freedom
The predecessor of the Reform Party was the Estonian Liberal Democrat, which in co-operation with a new liberal initiative transformed into the Estonian Reform Party on November 13, 1994. The term ‘liberalism' stems from the word ‘free' (liber in Latin). The Reform Party's ideology is also derived from freedom - more specifically the supremacy of personal freedoms over any public institutions and most of all, the state. As liberals, we believe that each person is the best decision-maker concerning their own interests and they must thus be given the greatest socially acceptable liberties to make these decisions.
A Simple and Fair Tax System
Liberals are in favour of a uniform tax rate on all revenues, but foremost on consumption. Investments as they serve the interests of the whole society (developing the economy, increasing the population's wealth, and creating jobs) should be tax free. In the protection of individuals of lesser incomes, liberalism prefers the implementation of a tax free minimum income, the limit of which must be gradually raised.
Considering Actual Needs
The ethical bases of liberalism are partnership and solidarity: individuals or companies that take into consideration the needs and interests of others, can be successful in their activities on the market. Only the goods and services that someone needs can make a profit. Nationalised and monopolised production only provides the goods and services that the people need in its opinion. Unfortunately, this opinion has often proven to be inaccurate!
A Private Owner Is a Better Master than the State
The target group for liberal ideas are free proprietors who compete with each other on the basis of impartial rules. Liberals presume that persons acting in their personal interest, using their personal assets and funds, act more efficiently and responsibly than public servants operating with assets that they do not own. As the state has not earned its revenue, but rather acquired it through taxes, it also has the inevitable tendency to be more sloppy and inefficient with it compared to private persons using the assets they have earned.
Liberals are Tolerant
Tolerance is very important to us: freedom and human dignity do not acknowledge the limits of nationality. Liberals are open to political co-operation with any party under the precondition that they do not publicly or secretly undermine democracy. The Reform Party has been in coalitions and partnerships with all of the parties currently represented in the Riigikogu and continually seeks opportunities for co-operation with them to benefit the people and the Republic of Estonia and to realise liberal ideals
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