The Daily Mail’s travel supplement once invited readers to identify the world’s most beautiful country. The surprising but obvious choice was Latvia. The nation dubbed ‘The Canada of Europe’ recovered its independence from the Soviet Bloc in August 1991. The Latvians right to take care of their affairs ended when their small but beautiful nation was coerced into joining the European Union Bloc in 2004.

Was this a good move?  You decide as ‘The Pearl of the Baltics’ is today mired in a deep, unpaid and irrecoverable debt to the international banks that inveigle their control of the Latvian nation and yours. There is no crisis, no war, but Latvia’s debt is growing fast.

The population of this small nation is 1.9 million. To put this into perspective, hundreds if not thousands of cities have larger populations than Latvia so how do the hard-working and talented Latvians settle an €11 billion debt. They do try and repay at €1 million every day but it won’t keep the bailiffs away. This is only interest on loans so taxpayers’ money that purchases absolutely zilch. Real money earned by the sweat of the brow and Latvian know-how becomes digital money of the banking cartels. A German investigator revealed that everything we purchase could be 40 per cent cheaper if we were to remove cumulative interest paid to the banking cartels.

Latvia has the highest level of income inequality in the European Union. The political elite and their cronies live well at the expense of ordinary people and do so more than anywhere else in the European Union.

Latvia has the highest labour tax burden in the European Union. In fact, the tax burden is twice that of far richer countries like the UK, Luxembourg, Finland, and Germany. Latvia also has the highest VAT burden on food products across Europe. The EU occupied Latvia has the fastest tax burden increase in the EU around 9.5 % every year. Regular taxes are raised, new taxes are being introduced and expanded taxation bases.

Latvia has the third-highest number of public officials and servants in the world with their snouts in the trough that is regularly filled by taxpayers.

Manufacturing applications need to feed three times more public officials and servants than in rich countries like Switzerland, Italy, four times more Japan, Korea and New Zealand.

Latvia, 40 per cent forested, has the highest energy costs. The cost of energy is four times higher than in countries like France, Germany, Sweden and more than eight times higher than Ireland, Italy, and Denmark. How then can Latvia hope to compete with trading partners less burdened?

Latvia pays more for everything than do rich Western countries. For example, construction costs pay an average of 326%, the state shows deals around 200%, and municipal territory and housing management 240%, education around 130% of EU richest countries, whilst salaries are significantly smaller.

Latvia has one of the lowest income levels in the European Union among 28 countries. These are only 29% of the average European level. Latvian residents have the lowest life expectancy in the EU and men’s average life expectancy is only 69 years!

Latvia has the highest number of suicides in the European Union. In 2017, 382 people took their own lives and the following year there were 443 suicides in a country with a population smaller than most cities. Compared to the number of deaths in traffic accidents, the suicide rate is three times higher.

You can’t help but notice that there are forces that intentionally want the destruction and dissolution of Latvia. How else can you explain, for example, that the monthly allowance for a Latvian child is €11.38? Yet, a foreign migrant receives €256.00 each month and for each child €60.

Since 1989, no less than 800.000 Latvians fled abroad to improve their lives. In other words, one-third of the nation’s people; the hardworking talented young age between 18 years and 40 have taken their skills and their paying power to other countries.

Latvia is one of the most corrupt countries in the European Union. According to the European Parliament’s research, Latvia loses up to €5,669 billion every year due to corruption. In fact, on the esplanade overlooking the River Daugava flowing past Riga is a monument dedicated to political corruption. At least the political cabal didn’t pay for that out of their pockets.

It is no exaggeration to say that the tragic Soviet deportations did less harm to Latvia than has the European Union, which appears to be finishing the job started by their Soviet counterparts. According to official UN data, among the world’s 233 countries, the population in Latvia is the worst affected by its plight.