Russia moves closer to election law changes [More, "to further tighten the Kremlin's grip."]

Reuters ^ | 29JUN05 | Reuters

[A. Pole]

Also, do you think the Kremlin is trying to tighten its grip (as the subtitle of this post implies)?

Let us hope so.

Or do you think this is an innocent move on the part of Putin/Unity?

Politics and innocence do not mix well. As Graham Greene said "innocence is like a dumb leper who has lost his bell, wandering the world, meaning no harm."

[TheBigPicture]

If you are for Putin increasing his grip, are you also in favor of Russia and China joining forces against the USA?

(Excerpt) The accord also prominently recycled language that China has pushed in international agreements for decades: "All countries of the world should strictly observe the principles of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual nonaggression, noninterference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence."

Vasily Mikheyev, deputy director of the Institute of Far Eastern Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences, said the declaration was "to some extent counterproductive because it is composed in an old diplomatic style, in the spirit of the Cold War -- that is, the declaration is full of cliches from Cold War times."

Link:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/07/02/MNG3FDI5OA1.DTL

[A. Pole]

If you are for Putin increasing his grip,

I wish that Putin succeeds same way as de Gaulle succeeded in pulling France from chaos.

are you also in favor of Russia and China joining forces against the USA?

No, I am in favor of Russia friendly to USA. And also if it is possible I wish for friendly relations between USA and China.

But I would like the MFN status of China to be revised or at least some well calibrated tariffs imposed on imports from China.

[TheBigPicture]

==No, I am in favor of Russia friendly to USA. And also if it is possible I wish for friendly relations between USA and China.

So why do you suppose they are joining forces against the US?

[A. Pole]

So why do you suppose they are joining forces against the US?

If they do it would be for the balance of power. If some day China become the strongest nation it might be USA and Russia "joining forces". Russia, China, France, India, and several other countries desire "multipolar world".

I suspect that "multipolar world" would be better for USA since being the world leader or hegemon is too exhausting and sooner or later leads to ruin.

[TheBigPicture]

So you think they are joining forces to take the pressure off the USA? (Just kidding :o)

[jb6]

Can the democrats, greens and socialists ban togather into blocks for voting purposes. True, we elect individuals, who must represent only one party, they vote for a party (at the upper house of parliment). What he's doing, or rather what this bill is doing, is making each party stand on its marits, not ride the coat tails of another party to power. So a vote for say the democrats doesn't translate into a vote for democrats, socialists and greens or whom ever else is in that block.

On a side note, this doesn't help him either, because his side controls the parliment but was itself elected as a block of 3 parties.

[jb6]

Unity itself is a collaboration of smaller parties. As for Russia, Yeltsin told the local strongmen to take as much power as they wanted, they all but disintegrated the country, going so far as to even charge tariffs for trade from province to province. This is work to bring back a real federation from at best a loose confederation.

[jb6]

Small parties can run all they want, they just have to run as themselves, not riding the coat tales of the communists and other bigger parties. Now they actually have to sell their ideas to the public instead of getting a hand out.

[Destro]

Russia is not banning parties - it is not allowing 2 or more parties from running as a "unity" party. This is the arrangement many American states also have so liek New York allow thrid party to place on their ballot line another party's candidate.

Next time do some homework. Either you have poor reading comprehension skills or are ignorant of such things or know the facts full well but are here to advocate a position and thus distort truth for that agenda.

[Destro]

Also in America some states allow for party groupings (placing another party's candidate on a separate party ballot) others don't. Those that do allow different party groupings are corrupt systems like in New York's.

[GarySpFc]

For some reason you sound like TapTheSource.

[TheBigPicture]

Who is "TapTheSource"?

[GarySpFc]

In theology we use what is called higher criticism to determine the author? You're an easy match.

[TheBigPicture]

"In theology we use what is called higher criticism to determine the author"

Do you do this to everybody, or are you just happy to see me?

[GarySpFc]

Do you do this to everybody, or are you just happy to see me?

I get really fed up with your posting half-truths and lies under different names.