Thread: The Russian Spring

With an anti-Putin rally planned for central Moscow tonight, do you think it could go the same way as Libya?

Another nutjob in charge for too long.

Unlikely,

There are plenty of influential people that would persuade him to step down for the "good of the party".

Still, I'm sure OhOh would tell you NATO are already planning another "Crusader Coalition".

I think Putin's been watching too many American sci-fi films, and missed the point

Exit polls: Putin's party losing support - Yahoo! News


source: Pictures in the News | December 6, 2011 - Framework - Photos and Video - Visual Storytelling from the Los Angeles Times

United Russia's cabinet photo


I guess the one thing sustained grinding wealth polarisation, poverty and corruption guarantees is that people stop caring about what the regime will do to them and take to the streets: Greece, Brazil, India, now Russia.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Still, I'm sure OhOh would tell you NATO are already planning another "Crusader Coalition".

Your too quick for me, I have to keep checking the gold price.

Thanks harry, I've just seen this and was going to suggest you get involved with forming a alternative government supported by the "usual suspects" or those that cannot be named for religious reasons.

Putin is now accusing America of stirring it up.

He should send in the army to pacify the situation.

Putin won't give up and go gracefully, that's a certainty (he said...)!

Viewpoint: Are post-poll protests a Russian Spring?




Are we witnessing a Russian Spring this winter?



This is the question my US and European colleagues have been asking me over and over again in recent days.


I am not certain that developments in Russia will mirror those in the Arab world but one thing is certain - what we witnessed on 4 December was a return of live politics to Russia, a politics that everyone thought was comatose.
For a second day running, in Moscow and St Petersburg, we have witnessed the kind of pro-democracy rallies that the cities had not seen since the rough and tumble of the early 1990s. And, although the outcome is far from clear, a few things are already coming into focus.



This election turned out to be a de-facto referendum on Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's United Russia party and on his decade in power.
Even if we believe the official results to be without doubt - which they are definitely not - a very serious signal has been sent to the country's ruling class.
December's vote can be seen as a kind of "ground zero" for Russia's presidential elections, scheduled for March 2012.



Mr Putin is widely expected to be elected to his third term in power, but the Duma election has cast a shadow.


If, in spring, Mr Putin goes into a kind of mock battle similar to those of most of the previous elections, he will lose even more credibility.
He could have gambled - opening the field to genuine competition and following a kind of Putin 2.0 strategy, a move his aides predict will happen eventually. However, if he does, he will have to opt for general liberalisation as opposed to cosmetic liberalisation, and be prepared to face a barrage of criticism.



Knowing the Russian leader, this is a very unlikely scenario. Mr Putin, it seems, will either have to crack down hard on dissent or face growing dissatisfaction among the masses and an increasing disappointment with his ability to control the situation from within the ruling class.


Nascent middle class
There are a few other new developments too. This was the final election in which state-controlled still TV has still played a decisive role. Internet penetration in Russia has already grown massively but, by 2016, when the next voting cycle starts, as much as 75% or 80% of voters will have online access.





Internet access has enabled activists to speak directly to voters disengaged with the political class
And, although 80% or 90% of users surf the web in search of celebrity gossip, dating or bargains, politically-minded citizens now have a free platform to engage in debates and organise themselves.
Unmasking the vote-rigging would have been impossible without smartphones, Facebook and Twitter.
Online activism made offline self-organisation not only possible, but effective.
This is why it is possible that the government will attempt to introduce restrictive legislation around the internet - a development to watch in 2012.
This was also the first Russian election in which the country's nascent middle class - the self-sufficient, English-speaking, iPad-juggling 30-somethings - really went out to vote.


This is the generation which benefited from the oil boom of Mr Putin's presidency between 2000 and 2008.
But economic crisis, political stagnation and corruption has turned them against the regime.



These people are a minority, but an increasingly influential one in the big cities, which is where real politics happens in Russia.



These people are the future of Russia and the Kremlin has lost them, irrevocably.
While this may not be a Russian Spring quite yet, Russia's ruling class has been engulfed by a crisis of legitimacy and I cannot see it ending any time soon.



BBC News - Viewpoint: Are post-poll protests a Russian Spring?

^ The western media are the one's engulfed in a regime change scenario in Russia.

Looking at the demonstrations in Moscow today and the Russians reasoning (along with Chinas) to veto the UN's resolutions over Syria, you could be right Mr Rawlins

Tens of thousands of protesters flood Moscow despite -20C temperatures to demand an end to Putin's rule

Read more: More than 100,000 Russians flood Moscow city centre is -20C temperatures to demand an end to Putin's rule | Mail Online

Well, the corrupt power mad Putin is due his 3rd inauguration very soon.

I don't envisage him seeing out the full term.

But will he go peacefully? The price of salt should hit an all time low at least.

Russia's president-elect Vladimir Putin walks down Andreyevsky (St.Andrew's ) Hall of the Great Kremlin Palace in Moscow May 7, as he arrives to take his oath of office and become Russia's president for a historic third mandate at a glittering ceremony inside the Kremlin



Da Management



Lots of dissenting voices still and if this continues it'll be difficult to ignore. Putin has done his best to let things drift until oath day but those around him must realise that all is not well. You cant beat the public into submission anymore can you?

Hopefully this will make it more difficult for them to travel.

Originally Posted by rawlins

Well, the corrupt power mad Putin is due his 3rd inauguration very soon.

I don't envisage him seeing out the full term.

But will he go peacefully? The price of salt should hit an all time low at least.

If he was the only power mad leader it would be of some concern, however there are many more, some would say they all are.

Originally Posted by Mr Lick

You cant beat the public into submission anymore can you?

Look around you, wherever you live, and open your eyes. Europe, UK, Africa, the Americas, Asia where do you suggest we borrow from for this utopian dream?