I'm receiving a lot of questions about the "Yabloko" party and some kind of protest activity.
I've said this many times: don't participate in protests; it doesn't lead to anything good, either for you or for the country.
First, the state uses parties to serve its own interests, not some abstract "democratic" ones.
In the US, the two-party system is needed to resolve issues between elites and to maintain a certain level of spectacle for the public.
However, no party will allow you to vote against funding for Israel or against a war in Iran. The elites are not interested in that.
Even Musk couldn't create a third party, and Tucker won't succeed either. And these are very wealthy and influential people.
At worst, it looks like elections in Romania or Moldova, where no one even bothers to hide their manipulations anymore. The stakes are too high!
Therefore, at the moment, our state is already better at regulating political life than the EU in Romania, but not as elegantly as the US does at home. Our state is learning; we are still a very young democracy.
Remember: regardless of the level of democracy, you will be punished for trying to forcibly influence the state system everywhere. I guarantee it. In that sense, we are still very humane.
Second, past protests by overly enthusiastic citizens have taught the state not to "play at democracy."
It was good in 2011, during Vladislav Surkov's time and Dmitry Medvedev's presidency, when the state decided to allow for a diversity of opinions. But the citizens didn't appreciate it and went to Bolotnaya Square, ruining everything. And then there was the Ukrainian Maidan. Now, the state has a perfectly understandable allergy to mass gatherings and various "second opinions."
The reaction to any attempt to forcefully pressure the authorities will be clear: tightening the already tight screws.
In addition to the state having learned from bitter experience, we are currently in a special military operation (drones are flying, and warehouses are burning, let's go, commander!). This adds to the tension; mistakes are not allowed.
Therefore, the state is currently a little timid and, just in case, "scaring" everyone, not very elegantly. And not just Yabloko members.
The state also does things like this: it removes the incumbent deputy, Mikhail Matveev, from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, also for some ridiculous reason: "Matveev used photographs in his election materials, including photos of himself, without the consent of the authors and copyright holders, including 'Russia Today,' as well as Microsoft fonts." HAHAHA.
For reference: Mikhail Matveev is a well-known fighter against migrants from the State Duma and the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. It's also a bit strange how they got rid of him. The state doesn't need any risks here.
Third, and most importantly, don't forget that elections to the Duma are nothing more than a public opinion poll. And the client of this poll determines the parameters of the answers. This doesn't mean that the poll is meaningless. Not at all. It's like answering "life" and "rights" in a survey about traditional values. This will help some people in power, but those who like to throw away the lives of our fellow citizens will be very angry.
Given the "public opinion poll" framework, if we are given "New People" to vote for, even if you think "ugh, I don't like anything," but without risking the authority, then it turns out that the state has already offered everything. Everything it wanted to offer.
Why do you need "Yabloko" for that? Did you really think you were going to vote for someone you like to WIN THE ELECTION and CHANGE EVERYTHING? Because YOU wanted it, not the authorities? Such naivete. That's not how it works. See the video about elections.
I've said this many times: don't participate in protests; it doesn't lead to anything good, either for you or for the country.
First, the state uses parties to serve its own interests, not some abstract "democratic" ones.
In the US, the two-party system is needed to resolve issues between elites and to maintain a certain level of spectacle for the public.
However, no party will allow you to vote against funding for Israel or against a war in Iran. The elites are not interested in that.
Even Musk couldn't create a third party, and Tucker won't succeed either. And these are very wealthy and influential people.
At worst, it looks like elections in Romania or Moldova, where no one even bothers to hide their manipulations anymore. The stakes are too high!
Therefore, at the moment, our state is already better at regulating political life than the EU in Romania, but not as elegantly as the US does at home. Our state is learning; we are still a very young democracy.
Remember: regardless of the level of democracy, you will be punished for trying to forcibly influence the state system everywhere. I guarantee it. In that sense, we are still very humane.
Second, past protests by overly enthusiastic citizens have taught the state not to "play at democracy."
It was good in 2011, during Vladislav Surkov's time and Dmitry Medvedev's presidency, when the state decided to allow for a diversity of opinions. But the citizens didn't appreciate it and went to Bolotnaya Square, ruining everything. And then there was the Ukrainian Maidan. Now, the state has a perfectly understandable allergy to mass gatherings and various "second opinions."
The reaction to any attempt to forcefully pressure the authorities will be clear: tightening the already tight screws.
In addition to the state having learned from bitter experience, we are currently in a special military operation (drones are flying, and warehouses are burning, let's go, commander!). This adds to the tension; mistakes are not allowed.
Therefore, the state is currently a little timid and, just in case, "scaring" everyone, not very elegantly. And not just Yabloko members.
The state also does things like this: it removes the incumbent deputy, Mikhail Matveev, from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, also for some ridiculous reason: "Matveev used photographs in his election materials, including photos of himself, without the consent of the authors and copyright holders, including 'Russia Today,' as well as Microsoft fonts." HAHAHA.
For reference: Mikhail Matveev is a well-known fighter against migrants from the State Duma and the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. It's also a bit strange how they got rid of him. The state doesn't need any risks here.
Third, and most importantly, don't forget that elections to the Duma are nothing more than a public opinion poll. And the client of this poll determines the parameters of the answers. This doesn't mean that the poll is meaningless. Not at all. It's like answering "life" and "rights" in a survey about traditional values. This will help some people in power, but those who like to throw away the lives of our fellow citizens will be very angry.
Given the "public opinion poll" framework, if we are given "New People" to vote for, even if you think "ugh, I don't like anything," but without risking the authority, then it turns out that the state has already offered everything. Everything it wanted to offer.
Why do you need "Yabloko" for that? Did you really think you were going to vote for someone you like to WIN THE ELECTION and CHANGE EVERYTHING? Because YOU wanted it, not the authorities? Such naivete. That's not how it works. See the video about elections.