Why isn't Russia in revolt?

[Gotno Gizmo]

I found this article in the Moscow Times interesting in the context of today's Ukraine and of any possible comparisons, I have edited some of the contributors analysis to make it a shorter piece:-

The spread of political protests in the Middle East and increasing problems inside Russia including corruption, income differentiation and official arbitrariness have prompted ever more Russian analysts to ask why is it that Russians are not going into the streets more often and revolting against the powers that be.
Lev Gudkov, the head of the Levada Analytic Center, told the Moscow media that 85 percent of the population of Russia considers that they are not in a position to influence anything in the country and thus do not try to change things by engaging in public protests. Hatred of the force structures, the growth of corruption, and [so on] taken together weaken the generally accepted rules of behavior, Gudkov says the normative system of society is breaking down like a rotten fabric, something he suggested is linked to disappointment in reformism. As a result, people continue to show loyalty to the powers that be. But the trend of the day is indifference, all the more so because the media insist and the Russian people believe that there is no alternative for them. That sense, of course, makes it easier for the authorities to rule them because it leads people to ask for what should [we] protest?

Sergey Udaltsov, the leader of the Left Front, said, the distinctive characteristic of Russian society today is apathy, indifference, individualism and a lack of faith in the possibility of changing anything at any level. Udaltsov continued, the reason was that the idea that they cannot influence the actions of the powers that be, was drilled into the consciousness of the people by the system. Now, he said the powers that be actively through the mass media are pushing this [same] ideological doctrine.” The current powers that be, he said, “do everything in order to show citizens that protests do not influence the decisions of the powers. If people protest something as they do, the authorities respond in almost all cases by doing nothing until there is a sufficient interval to cast doubt on the notion that the protests played any role in any change. How all this will end, Udaltsov added, the period of apathy will not continue forever. The problems will not become fewer, people will express their dissatisfaction in the Internet (in Soviet times, they did so in their kitchens. And if the state does not begin a dialogue with the society, such feelings will lead to a social explosion.

A third observer, Geydar Dzhemal, the chairman of the Islamic Committee of Russia, offered yet another view. Today, he said, unlike the end of the 1980s and at the start of the 1990s, the population lacks the leaders who might take them into the street, either genuine ones or false ones supplied by the security services. Moreover, Dzhemal argued, the picture of the world [that gave rise to protests 20 years ago] has been destroyed. Earlier the intelligentsia had the idea that in the West was a gleaming island of democracy and in the Soviet land, a dark kingdom. This wasn't entirely accurate, but it existed and played a major role. At present, Russians lack such a picture. The West is also a dark kingdom, and things in Russia are complicated. In brief, people no longer have in their consciousness this exact dichotomy, and the guidance it offers, they have been converted into a silent majority. Russians now, Dzhemal said, carry around anger with them, but they do not know what channels they should use to express it. Such a situation is especially dangerous because when at last the cock crows, the anger of the silent majority will overwhelm the system. People who do not understand the situation and cannot influence it will remain silent only until then.

[Gotno Gizmo]

Continuing on the subject of Russia, and whether or not revolution elsewhere in the world could ever impact upon Russia.

Please see:-

Russia's chief whistleblower wants to jail the corrupt | World news | The Guardian

[Gotno Gizmo]

The ruling United Russia party, which has controlled all institutions and levels of government since the beginning of the Vladimir Putin era a decade ago, is confident in the country's stability. United Russia Duma Deputy Andrei Isayev said this week: "There will be no revolution in Russia. There are no grounds for that, no reasons." He added that the Russian people have seen that the so-called colored revolutions in Ukraine, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan "didn't bring anything positive." But the mere fact that representatives of the ruling elite are issuing such statements indicates the prevalence of such concerns. A recent poll by the Levada Center found that 38 percent of Russians think "the Egypt scenario" is possible in Russia, while 43 percent think such a development is unlikely. The Public Opinion Foundation made headlines with a survey that found that 49 percent of Russians are prepared to participate in protest demonstrations, up 9 percentage points from a month ago.

[Thorvald]

Same question, why not anywhere else in Europe?

Because, in my opinion, Europe and Russia are lack of personal responsibility determining their own political future. Democrazy is in Europe a farce aswell. Do not be blinded by the media.

[Gotno Gizmo]

Thorvold

I cannot agree with you that there is a "lack of personal responsibility determining their own political future". Britain, France, Germany and others have throughout their history (for better or for worse) demonstrated, that their peoples united together could bring about fundamental changes to the way they were governed.

Yes, we are currently in a period of history where the popular media is all powerful in shaping public opinion. Governments, and more importantly global oligarchy recognise this. "Free" media is being "blinkered" either by state censorship (as in Russia, Kazakhstan etc), or by global oligarchy ownership (or through advertising revenue funding). I agree with you that you cannot believe everything you see on TV or newspapers. However, with the exception of China and a few other despotic regimes, opinions like yours and mine over a multiplicity of sites, is spreading the thoughts of the people.

The internet and SMS messages are now the means by which the "people" are organising all manner of protest marches and information imparting activities. You must be aware of the upturn in people protests in Greece, Spain, France and Ireland.

On the 26th March it is expected that tens of thousands of people will gather to march through London to protest the recent "austerity" measures about to be imposed resulting primarily from the multi-billions of Dollars big banks bail outs.

Finally what is the point of your link to your Germanic Peoples website, do I smell Facism here?

[Gotno Gizmo]

I despair that the Russian people are either so naive or apathetic that they will rush to the polling booths to elect once again a man who has done so much less for Russia than should have been acheived, given Russia's strong position as one of the worlds major hydrocarbon exporters. However, I recognise that in comparison to Yeltsin, Putin has sparkled.

Although I have not been to Russia, I believe that there remains a huge disparity between the relative wealth of Moscow, St. Petersburg and few other pockets of economic development than the greater part of the Russian Federation, where a significant sector of society remain impoverished and seek solace in cheap vodka that reduces their life expectancy by such a large margin.

I find it remarkable that Vladamir Putin a once so called "communist" party officer is so happy to oversee a country where the obuse of rank and privilege is allowed to prosper without any accountability, except those who had the balls to confront the Putin administration head on. There is evidence that Putin has had a mansion built for himself on the Black Sea coast, and rumours have existed for sometime that he has offshore bank accounts.

Because of its vast mineral resources, Russia has an ability to develop a secure economy that could provide for a "tiger economy" akin to other eastern countries. However, Russia is progressing at a slower rate than it otherwise should, if only a different breed of leadership prevailed.
Please see:-http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15047292

[Gotno Gizmo]

Are some of the Russian people waking up to the reality of their current political leadership? Vladimir Putin was alledgedly booed when he stepped into the ring to congratulate Russian winner of a martial arts fight.
Please see:-http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15818517