SHOOTING THE BEAR

I have recently seen and read an exchange on Celia’s Facebook page comprising a lengthy argument over the justification for Mr Putin’s invasion of the Ukraine. I quoted some of it in a previous blog (What Happens from Here? 2^nd March 2022).

 

Personally I can see no justification whatsoever for the actions taken by the Russian President.  As against that, I can see no justification either for the violent internal civil strife going on in south eastern Ukraine around Donetsk and Luhansk, between Russians, who are citizens of Ukraine - but who allegedly seek some form of self-rule - and Russians-Ukrainians and Ukrainians who seek to maintain the sovereignty of the Ukraine as it stands.

 

What makes it even more tragic is that Mr Putin refers to the Ukrainian Central government as neo-Nazis and openly supports the “Rebels” with arms and now chooses to formally recognise these dissenters as independent Peoples Republics.  By doing this, he “gets himself invited” to provide a peace keeping force to defend democracy.

 

This reasoning from a man who not only does not allow dissent or criticism of any kind, but arrests and detains children for protesting against war, and surreptitiously kills anyone who he sees as a threat, or has them detained like Dr Manette at 105 North Tower in his Bastille. He has completely put an end to democracy in his own country and seeks to enlarge his power over former regions which are now sovereign democratic countries in their own right. If anyone should be labelled neo-Nazi it is Vladimir Putin and his cronies.  What is even worse is that he is not really recognising independence but deceiving these republics, maliciously, to once again become oblasts of his new repackaged Soviet under his dictatorship.

 

He has entered an Orwellian alternate universe and is clamping down on any and all truth to keep the Russian people subjugated and ignorant of what is actually happening in the rest of the world. How the Russian Federation Council and State Duma can go along with this is uncanny, let alone the people at large.

 

The Council has 170 members which is made up of 142 United Russia Party, 5 Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), 4 from Just Russia for Truth Party (SRZP), 3 from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF), 13 Independent and currently 3 vacant seats. The State Duma has 450 members, 324 United Russia Party, 57 Communist Party, 28 Just Russia for Truth, 23 Liberal Democrats, 1 Rodina Party and 1 Civic Platform Party, 5 New Peoples Party, 1 Party of Growth and 1 Independent. In addition, there are approximately 146 million Russian citizens.

 

Putin holds power with the support of by far the largest political party, the United Russia Party. He rules with the backing of Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev and Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoigu. Medvedev is the prime minister and prime stooge of the President. Because of a democratic limit on the length of terms of office, Medvedev stepped in to hold the seat for Putin and then put in motion legislation to effectively allow Putin to stay in power ad infinitum. As to Sergei Shoigu, he is the General of the Army, minister of defence and the second Putin stooge. Medvedev is the tool and Shoigu is the gun. One only has to look at his pictures and the look on his face that he is “nothing more than an A1 trained Karla hood” to quote le Carré. (For Karla read Putin who was KGB

If you examine this picture you will see that Putin and Medvedev, with slightly smug expressions, are looking at whatever parade is passing in front of them, whilst Shoigu is glaring straight at the camera. Indeed, a picture does tell a story.

 

That aside, there are some 620 members of the legislature, who presumably were voted into office as the people’s representative. I cannot believe that not one of those 28 Liberal Democrats or even 60 Communists are in favour of what is clearly a capitalistic dictatorship, run amok. They cannot possibly be in support of this war, can they? As to Just Russia for Truth, well, if Putin is their idea of Truth (Given his display to date) than one can forget about them.

 

But, nonetheless, there must be some elected representatives who are fervently against the goings on in the Kremlin. Is his hold so tight that no one will dare speak out? Dissenting media, it would appear has been closed down. We have seen on our own television screens, radio, press and television personnel raising a farewell glass in regret at the closing of their place of work, but not indicated what they intend to do about it. It looked like a simple acceptance of their lot as being subjugated by a very large and violent not so secret State Police.  We are back in the USSR.

 

The disparity, between the rich and the poor in the Russian Empire, once caused the people to rise up. The disparity between the rich and the poor in the current Russian State is even greater now than it once was.  The Russian people are queuing at banks and ATMs for what little cash they have. Western pressure of sanctions is unfortunately having greater effect on the poor and lower income groups around the world. I think the hope that the sacrifices being made by the people will soon cause serious damage to the oligarchy, forcing them into action to stop Mr Putin to safeguard their wealth, is a long shot; and, whether the economic iniquities resulting will bring the Russian people into action as they once did in 1917 is debateable.

 

On top of sanctions, the very fact that Russia is being ostracised around most the world does not seem to be reaching the Russian People. Do they really understand what is going on? The propaganda blame game has reached new heights in particular with the shutting down all over the country of digital social media. The current Russian State apparatus has moved way beyond what Joseph Goebbels could have possibly dreamed of.

 

Western democratic countries may have problems, but as much as I loathe my clownish Prime Minster, and his ridiculous cabinet, I am still able to call him a mendacious fool, I can still write over the top letters of complaint to my local councillor and my MP and I can do so without fear of arrest and incarceration. Although, given some of this government’s proposed legislation, that very freedom is in serious question.

 

Whether it is possible to break through to the Russian people that we still enjoy such freedoms and that it is something they too can aspire to, even if with difficulty, is very debatable. It is rather like trying to re habilitate a cult follower, fundamentalist, or scientologist. Whatever the conversion, it has to come from within. One hopes there are people inside the Russian continent to lead the way. Unfortunately at present they are nowhere in sight, at least not so far as I am aware, which is probably not very much.

 

In the meantime the Ukrainians wonder why the western powers are unwilling to risk launching world war three, which is a shame, but then when your head is in the mouth of a grizzly bear, you do tend to wonder why your friend stranding next to you with the gun, doesn’t shoot the bear rather than hand you the gun to shoot the bear.