The confrontation between the coalition and opposition has become so sharp to have resulted in direct disregard for valid legal norms. It is especially shameful it has taken place in the Riigikogu Constitutional Committee, Rait Maruste writes. Blatantly ignoring the Riigikogu Rules and Procedures Act is unconstitutional because § 3 subsec. 1 of the Estonian Constitution clearly provides that "State authority is executed based exclusively on the Constitution and constitutional acts." Obstructionism is hardly new or unheard-of in civilized parliamentarism. It is more common in Anglo-American politics, while it has also been wielded in Europe, in France and the United Kingdom. Methods differ, ranging from giving hours-long speeches (filibustering), to taking a very long time to walk to the rostrum (cow walk) and introducing a massive number of amendment proposals to clog up proceedings.