Prime Minister Putin continued his annual Q&A with the Russian people on Thursday. A full English transcript is now available on Putin’s website. Russia watchers have already began combing through his words, interpreting their significance, and assessing their political resonance. As most reports emphasize, Putin spoke at length about the economic crisis assuring Russians that things will get bad but the nation will weather the storm. It’s not surprising that the PM’s comments focused on the economy. Issues like unemployment, inflation, benefits and pensions were naturally what concerned most people.
Russians were eager to pose questions to the PM, or as a caller named Dasha Varfolomeeva called him, “Uncle Volodya.” About 2.2 million flooded in via phones, text messages, and the Internet. At times it appeared the studio was barely handling the deluge. At one point, Maria Sittel, the event’s co-host said, “The load is tremendous, Mr Mackevicius. No time for rest. I think we have crossed an important psychological barrier: 2.2 million communications, including 1.5 million telephone calls and just over 600,000 text messages. The rest is from the Internet.” Putin may not be president, but he certainly is “the father of the nation.”
This idea of Putin as “father” or even “uncle” to the masses is certainly not a new political idea for Russia. Direct communication with the Father, whether it be the Tsar, General Secretary, President or Prime Minister has been a dynamic between leader and people for centuries. Normally, the distance between leader and led is vast, giving the opportunity to be in the leader’s proximity a momentary but significant symbiotic relation. Here I find myself in agreement with Masha Lipman’s explanation of this event:
“[It] emphasizes the paternalistic nature of the regime. It is a style of government in which the most important thing is the rapport between the top decision-taker and the people. Many of those questions were local or even individual. And people have their own legislators. They have federal legislators they voted for, they have their own governors and yet there is this sense that maybe the only way to get a problem solved is to get through to the supreme authority.”
Putin’s Q&A does say a lot of about the personalized nature of the regime, but it also says that Russians themselves recognize this as an effective means to get problems solved. For example, the Financial Times notes,
From the southern city of Nizhny Novgorod, a mother called to complain that a subsidised baby food clinic had been closed. Half an hour after the show, the governor of the province announced the miraculous resolution of the problem.
The Tsar + people against the boyars dynamic continues to function. The interests of the leader are sublimated into the people so that for one brief moment they embody the sovereign body of Putin. When looked at closely, the whole exercise exerts an air of the carnivalesque.
The notion of proximity between leader and lead is further seen in how so many Russians crafted their questions. Not only did they address subjects as wide ranging as Christmas trees and pedophiles, how callers crafted their questions says volumes about the language of appeal. The questions were often personal and callers were quick to give Putin a short autobiographical note mixed with a political statement. For example,
Good afternoon, Mr Putin. My name is Oksana Klimova. I’d like to express the pain of many people who live in the Far East. We feel detached from central Russia, since many families cannot buy train or air tickets, because air tickets cost around 30,000 rubles or even more. My kid asked me if we could go to St Petersburg for winter holidays, but I said No.
What will be done for the healthcare and education professionals to help them afford such luxury?
or,
Good afternoon, Mr Putin. My name is Olga Savelyeva.
I am a single mother. My daughter is 16. She studies in the 11th grade, this is her final year. I work at the radio-electronics plant, the Kontakt plant with billions in sales. These days, they have announced layoffs because of the crisis. Out of its 4,000 workers, 1,500 will be dismissed. I have worked as a production engineer for more than 20 years, and my salary grew from 6,000 to 8,000 rubles, but now it is being reduced. I am afraid I may lose my job.
Mr Putin, how will you deal with massive unemployment?
As someone who has read a number of appeals to leaders during the Soviet period, I’m struck by their narratological similarities. Often letters to power began with an autobiographical introduction of some sort. Since those appeals were written, the authors tended detail their life in greater depth than those fielded by Putin. Citizens’ requests from the early Soviet period also had a similar individual tone. I have letters to Komsomol General Secretary N. Chaplin asking for advice on marriage, employment, money, and other forms of assistance. Sometimes people got results. On some letters to Stalin, one can see his marginal notes directing the appeal to the appropriate authority. In other cases, letters of complaint and denunciation opened up investigations of local officials.
Finally, I think the most interesting part of the Q&A was the final part when Putin took short questions and at many points took personal responsibility for their resolution. Here are a few examples:
“I have eight children, my eldest daughter is 20. I have not received the Order of Maternal Glory, and, hence, I don’t get the benefits.”
It goes without saying I will check on this. I can’t comment on this particular case now, but this mistake should be corrected. I hope you’ve left your address here. We will find you.
“Dear Mr Putin, I found my father’s grave killed during WWII on the Internet.” The man asks to help with restoring the monument, which the local budget cannot afford.
We shall contact you. This is a sacred duty of local and regional authorities alike. If they do not have enough money, I would stress that the matter implies not only money but also morals. We shall help if they cannot afford such things, but I don’t think this is a matter where thrift should come in to play.
“We have no school and no art or knitting classes near our home. The children hope you will help.”
This is also a matter of regional scope, but we shall help, as the message has reached me. We shall certainly help.
“My request concerns my son, who will be conscripted next autumn. He dreams of serving in the Kremlin Regiment.”
Good boy! It’s great that he wants to go into the army. As for the Kremlin Regiment, it has certain qualifications. I will pass your message along to the Federal Guard Service, and I believe its chiefs will do something for you.
Whether Putin actually comes through on these is immaterial. What is important is that he acknowledged people’s individual voices in a very public forum. In the big political sense, that recognition is more important as any results.
“My web moniker is Candide, I was born in the USSR, now I live in the US and I think your silly act is a stupid joke.”
Must be a bummer now that your president is a Marxist dictator. What are you going to do, defect to Bali? You’re going to run out of countries to betray pretty soon at this rate.
Hard-hitting American media in action, speaking Truth to Power!: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081207/pl_nm/us_usa_obama_smoking_3
Chris’s link reminds me of Mark Twain’s quip:
“Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I’ve done it thousands of times. “
Mr. Clemens spoke truth!
Speaking of historians (Figes etc.) I just pocked up Chang and Halliday’s book on Mao. JEEE-SUS! This book is truly awful, without a doubt the worst book of purported history I have ever read. If Dean Koontz wrote nonfiction, he would write books like this. This book really is that bad.
Putin didn’t publicly answer all the letters adressed to him; some letters remained out of public view. Here but the two of such letters (some explicit expressions of personal affection had to be expunged):
1. Most Adorable Vladimir,
I lived in many countries, I speak a smattering of languages and I have many names (call me Chris) and I am your bi*ch.
Vladimir, I dream of you constantly. Your visage (censored)… your physique (censored)… your dreamy toes (censored)… There is nothing I refuse to do for you (censored)… I will be putty in your arms. When you have your way with me, I’ll speak to you tenderly in many tongues (for I lived in many lands and speak many languages)…
Yours always, Chris.
______________
2. Vovka!
VO!!!!!!!
(big sketch of thumb-up gesture)
Signed, ivanov
I bet Poemless wishes she’d been touched by the hand of Putin.
Chris: So true… In the mean time I will have to settle for you imagining me in the nude. Check it out: my boyfriend totally does not mind that I have a portrait of Putin in my bedroom!
As someone who has read a number of appeals to leaders during the Soviet period, I’m struck by their narratological similarities.
Sean: Whatever. And all the questions the People posed to Obama and McCain didn’t have the same stupid format?
At least Putin honest about the life getting worst. In the USA the life is getting worse by day, and it will be much worse in the near future. However, nobody has the guts to honestly say this.
Dimochka: Actually, Obama assured the nation on Sunday that things are def. going to get worse.
Americans (at least) feel much more able to make appeals and expect results from their local government.
Wally: I think I basically agree with you on the difference between the way Americans and Russians conceptualize their relationships with their leaders. However, I truly think that in the past decade, many Americans have become more like Russians with their combo of leaderworship and feeling totally cynical and helpless to change anything, and many Russians have become more like Americans with their sense of entitlement to things as citizens, and their willingness to at least try to get results from their leaders. This is something I have been following for the past … 15 yrs or so. American mentality is becoming more like that of many Russians, and vice versa.
BTW, I think that these little Q&A’s, however theatrical, are good things. Can you imagine Bush ever doing such a thing? On an annual basis? Hell, 90% of politics is theater. At least give a convincing performance, ya know?
Also, for those who think this paternalistic cult of personality is peculiar to Russia, you should pay more attention to Obama. His style is different, but the effect is the same.
Is the portrait of Putin nude?
Er, no.
You could photoshop his head onto a picture of your boyfriend.
I think things are fine the way they are.
Now someone is going to post that I’ve gone and destroyed the intellectual tone of this conversation…
No, no, the tome-lowering was all my doing.
Seriously, good point about Obama. Though it is to be expected given that he is a budding Marxist dictator and all.
“…you should pay more attention to Obama. His style is different, but the effect is the same.”
Obama can bullshit Putin into the ground in 3 minutes flat.
However, Putin can slam Obama into the ground in 3 minutes flat with his mad judo skillz.
Obama could puff second-hand smoke in Putin’s face, run away, and wait for Putin to die of lung cancer in 30 years or so.
Dear ‘Russian President’,
My web moniker is Candide, I was born in the USSR, now I live in the US and I think your silly act is a stupid joke.
Please explain why pathetic wankers like you and ‘ivanov’ never miss a chance to declare they regard American affairs with ‘great concern’, but also insist that others are not allowed to express ‘concern’ about Russia?
Indecently yours,
——————————————
Dear Candide,
You are right the Russian President and his many proxies are very busy and sometimes cannot reply to every unpleasant remark about Russia, its government and the people.
We express “concern” about America because everything that is being said about Russia by you and the people like you, can be said about America. You surely don’t have double standards, right? Both America and Russia should be evaluated from the viewpoint of the same values (i.e., “democracy”, “market economy”, “human rights”, …)?
I appreciate that you immigrated from the USSR and now live in the US, however sometimes people like you to justify their decision to immigrate, want to see Russia in a bad light. You assert yourself on Russia’s expense. However, in reality you should have forgotten about Russia and concentrated your attention about your life in the USA, which is a very wealthy and democratic country. Did I mention the USA has a strong economy? So, stay focused. Think what’s your life in the USA is going to be in the coming years. Blaming Russia will not solve your problems. Surely, Kasparov, Novodvorskaya think like you, but still they are but two people with 15 supporters in Russia whom their hire to “protest” on the streets of Moscow.
Cheers, RP.
”Chris: So true… In the mean time I will have to settle for you imagining me in the nude. Check it out: my boyfriend totally does not mind that I have a portrait of Putin in my bedroom!”
I tried to put up a portrait of Roise de Burca on our bedroom wall (she’s on the left, with the Ros na Run sign)
http://www.tg4.ie/clar/rnr/rnr.asp
Sadly the wife was having none of it. The bloody Putin portrait remains though. Doh!
”Speaking of historians (Figes etc.) I just pocked up Chang and Halliday’s book on Mao. JEEE-SUS!”
Whats wrong with it, precisely? Are you saying the style of writing was bad, or that the Cultural Revolution and the millions who died didnt happen, or that they are inflating figures? I dont know a whole lot about China – An tSin – but I thought the book wasnt bad, and if half of it is true, its utterly shocking. I have no doubt Halliday and Cheung have books to sell, but that doesnt mean what they’ve said isnt true.
Here’s the book’s pattern of reasoning in a nutshell.
“When Mao was 5 years old, babies began disappearing from his province. From what we know of Mao’s later psychology, it is probable that these babies were killed and eaten by the little Mao. From the fact that he killed and ate these babies, we can determine what we need to know about Mao’s later psychology.”
They also do a lot of blatant fucking around with figures. E.g. at one point they state that the number of missing persons in one event contains an undetermined number of deaths. Then later in the same paragraph (!!) this undetermined number becomes all of them. Completely clumsy. Plus, they seem to have certain knowledge of Mao’s mental state at every point in his life. How do they know this? Did they hold a seance? If people tried to write this way about Hitler, they would be laughed at.
I am simply astonished this book ever got published.
”Masks are used by special units. I think this common practice everywhere now. Both identity protection and extra fear tactics.”
I think in mid-90s Russia it was entirely appropriate to wear masks. Anyone calling on gangsters demanding cash or ‘delicate’ documents – especially calling on Chechen gangsters – could at least expect pot-shots from Oxhrani or worse retribution later. Reminds me a bit of Russian pilots wiping their names from their cockpits for fear of reprisals later.
”When Mao was 5 years old, babies began disappearing from his province. From what we know of Mao’s later psychology, it is probable that these babies were killed and eaten by the little Mao.”
WHERE in the book was that?:-) I cant even remember it! I’ll have a look when I get back to Limerick.
”They also do a lot of blatant fucking around with figures. E.g. at one point they state that the number of missing persons in one event contains an undetermined number of deaths. Then later in the same paragraph (!!) this undetermined number becomes all of them. Completely clumsy”
This is true. They did seem to pull numbers out of their arse a lot of the time, I’ll grant that. But who is counting, really? The fact is many millions did die. I have no doubt these are major faux-pas, but the book is hardly meant to be a reference for academia. Surely? The sad thing is they didnt need to inflate/distort at all. He did actually kill millions of people.
”Plus, they seem to have certain knowledge of Mao’s mental state at every point in his life.”
Yeah that was more bullshit. His approach to personal hygiene was unique though:-)The book was also painted with utter hatred throughout, and all objectivity was lost very early on. Still though much of what was written is probably true. He was fucked up, no doubt about it.
“This is true. They did seem to pull numbers out of their arse a lot of the time, I’ll grant that. But who is counting, really? The fact is many millions did die. I have no doubt these are major faux-pas, but the book is hardly meant to be a reference for academia. Surely? The sad thing is they didnt need to inflate/distort at all.”
I think truth is important. I’m old-fashioned that way.
What really shocking is half “historical” book of bullshit and lie.
‘I think truth is important. I’m old-fashioned that way. ”
It sure is. And is true that Mao did kill millions, is it not? So mistakes with a few numbers is hardly reason to write off the whole book, is it? What a pretentious little git you are this morning. The baby eating shite aside, are you actually certain they inflated or distorted figures? Or are you simply saying the boom should be written off cos you dont like it? Is your Mandarin that good -spent any time in the Beijing archives?
”What really shocking is half “historical” book of bullshit and lie.”
Have you actually read it? I didnt think you lot could afford books in Iceland anymore.
“It sure is. And is true that Mao did kill millions, is it not? So mistakes with a few numbers is hardly reason to write off the whole book, is it?”
Well then the book could have been reduced to a single sentence now, couldn’t it? “Mao Killed Millions!” That would have been the whole book.
C’mon Ger, what would you think about a history of Ireland written in a similar fashion? “We see that the population of the village of X reduced by 50% from 1960-1980. It is almost certain that these people were all murdered by the IRA.”
”C’mon Ger, what would you think about a history of Ireland written in a similar fashion? “We see that the population of the village of X reduced by 50% from 1960-1980. It is almost certain that these people were all murdered by the IRA.””
True enough, and sorry. I’m like a bear all day after getting a threatening pismo from Bank Irlandii re. my credit card.
The party is very definitely over in Ireland.
Sorry to hear it.
You can blame it on Mao, if it will help you feel better!
”Sorry to hear it.
You can blame it on Mao, if it will help you feel better!”
Cheers Mate. I was just like a cnut this morning. The cheek of Banc na hEireann to disturb me whilst I live the Irish language dream!
Its funny, actually, the linguistics up here. Some of the native Irish speakers, especially the old guys, dont have perfect English. They understand everything I say, but when they speak, they have stress on the wrong syllables and vowels and their accent is kind of weird. I guess English is their second language.
By the way I can say with certainty that Irish is more difficult than Russian, especially pronounciation, which has no logical system to it at all. Russian is a t least friendly on the ears. Still, its great to go home and show up all the lads with my few words learned.
“Irish is more difficult than Russian”
Mao’s fault.
Actually I really like how Irish sounds.
It’s either censorship descended upon Sean’s Russia Blog and some of my posts have been deleted (which is very likely because if one criticizes Stalin or Putin for to long, one becomes just like them – hence the censorship), or there’s a glitch and they don’t get posted for some computer-problem reason.
”Actually I really like how Irish sounds.”
Its cool sometimes, and much like Russian it has its own long list of insults and sayings that are almost untranslatable.
I must send you that book and cd. I’d just be afraid it wont get to you. I think if you DHL stuff to Russia and mark it as ‘documents’ its gets thru OK. Otherwise customs can stop it and will charge you three million Euro in import duties for something that costs 20 Euro. I love Russia but I wish they’d get their act together about shit like this. You should watch Ros na Run, especially the super-hot Roise who actually lives 1km up the road from me here and serves in her father’s pub. Its at
http://www.tg4.tv/
click on Drama-Cartlann then click on any of the Ros na Run shows. They’re all subtitled.
”It’s either censorship descended upon Sean’s Russia Blog and some of my posts have been deleted (which is very likely because if one criticizes Stalin or Putin for to long, one becomes just like them – hence the censorship), or there’s a glitch and they don’t get posted for some computer-problem reason.”
President Medvedev, as Tom Jones would say ”Its not unusual”. Sometimes comments get blocked and stuck in the spam filter. I’m sure Sean will fix it.
President Medvedev, as Tom Jones would say ”Its not unusual”. Sometimes comments get blocked and stuck in the spam filter. I’m sure Sean will fix it.
—————————————–
Thank you, Irishman.
By the was here’s an interview with Yulia Zhukova whom you may remember from an earlier discussion:
http://thepresidentofrussia.blogspot.com/2008/10/interview-with-yulia-zhukova.html
What’s the problem with mailing?
Incidentally, John Dolan wrote a review of the Mao book in the eXile when it came out: http://exile.ru/articles/detail.php?ARTICLE_ID=7816&IBLOCK_ID=35