For a minute there I thought I had to get off my couch, when all the while the fact is we don't have to do anything much but keep things afloat for just a few decades more! In fact, we'd best shut up about PO, because if our offspring finds out we knew about it all along, they'll turn and wring our necks come 2036!
Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 12:23 am Post subject: Ukraine disolves parliament! Energy Politics Involved
Yesterday Ukraine dissolved parliament for new elections as disagreement and political plays by Pro-western, Russian, and European political elements collided. This political/energy tug of war has already resulted in an Orange Revolution and now further turmoil as things play out. Personally I think the changes resulting from this turmoil are good, but it is some pretty crazy stuff and there are lots of people in the streets again!Correction, there are crowds and people coming into the city, but not yet on the scale of the Orange Revolution.
Quote:
April 2, 2007 KIEV — Ukraine’s pro-Western President Viktor Yushchenko signed a decree on Monday to dissolve parliament and order an election next month, stepping up months of confrontation with the assembly and prime minister. Parliament, loyal to his arch-rival Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich, said the decree was akin to the start of a coup...Yanukovich, friendlier to Russia, urged the president to withdraw the decree or face plunging Ukraine into an uncertain future."
“My actions were prompted by a crucial need to preserve the the state, its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
(By this I suspect Yushchenko means, keeping Ukraine out from under the thumb of Russia.)
"Defence Minister Anatoly Hrytsenko, said he and the armed forces would obey only orders from the president."
http://preview.tinyurl.com/2ypuwq
The story behind the story: In their representative parliament, politicians are not allowed to get voted into seats and then switch parties, a dishonest move to the voters. It seems Yanukovich was organizing switches to his party to consolidate power. And since the turncoat politicians were refusing to step down, the elections for parliament have been moved up a presidential decree was signed effectively booting them out (until reelected in proportion to the voting populous).
And why is there a an Energy Summit in Ukraine? Much of the former soviet unions gas transport structure runs though Ukraine. This often appears to be used as a negotiating point Ukraine uses in getting good deals on gas. Also coal deposits in Eastern Ukraine near Russia puts Ukraine at the center of many energy talks and disputes spilling over into the political spectrum.
Here is a very debatable and simplified impression of the main Ukraine political players and who their backers are:
* Viktor Yushchenko - Pro-Western, western energy exports.
Position: President of Ukraine
Possible motivations: Wants more civil rights for Ukrainians and independence from Russia.
First thought: Dam did he lose his looks from the dioxin poisoning that was probably carried out by Yanukovych's party.
* Viktor Yanukovych - Pro-Russian, coal and gas transport / energy interests.
Position: Prime Minister
Possible motivations: Wants Ukraine more connected to Russia.
First thought: Would be a great person to rejoin Ukraine and Russia or separate Eastern and Western Ukraine for that purpose.
* Yulia Tymoshenko - Pro-European Union, European energy and banking interests?
Position: Ukrainian politician and former Prime Minister
Possible motivations: Wants Ukraine more connected to Europe, but switches sides a lot?
First thought: Great hair and often described as fiery.
So we have this Western, European, Russian three way tug of war with Ukraine in the middle that has resulted in political turmoil and many changes such as strenuous measures to fight corruption like with the traffic police. The traffic police thing was similar to the disbanding of their parliament in that they disbanded the traffic police and said to everyone "drive safely for a few months while we hire new people!" So it looks like they are handling problems with parliament the same way! Crazy stuff! But whatever happens, I just wanted you all to know there are people in the streets of Kiev again because of energy interests playing a big role in Ukrainian politics.
Last edited by steam_cannon on Tue Apr 03, 2007 8:43 am; edited 2 times in total
Joined: Apr 08, 2006 Posts: 1239 Location: Somewhere there
Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 2:55 am Post subject: Re: Ukraine disolves parliament! Energy Politics Involved
by the way if someone doesnt know, prime-minister Yanukovich had served 2 terms in prison for robbery and assault in 1970s, was processed for rape in late 1970s, though not convicted, and for stealing from the state in extreme amounts in early 80s( execution-level article in the criminal code)
In his aplication for a presidency in 2004 he indicated that he is a PROFFESOR (professor is the highest teaching rang in post-soviet union universities) and he made 2 mistakes in the word describing his current position, "prime -minister"
He is a well-known whore of Renat Ahmetov , mafia leader in South-eastern Ukraine since 1995 , who is currently a noble businessman, billionire, richest guy in Ukraine.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rinat_Akhmetov
Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 7:53 am Post subject: Re: Ukraine disolves parliament! Energy Politics Involved
Pretorian wrote:
prime-minister Yanukovich had served 2 terms in prison for robbery and assault in 1970s, was processed for rape in late 1970s, though not convicted, and for stealing from the state in extreme amounts in early 80s( execution-level article in the criminal code)...
...He is a well-known whore of Renat Ahmetov , mafia leader in South-eastern Ukraine since 1995 , who is currently a noble businessman, billionire, richest guy in Ukraine.
Yeah, what a thug! It surprises me he is not friends with Bush, of course Renat Ahmetov is a close substitute... Renat's company "SCM controls large steel and mining (both iron ore and coal) companies in Eastern Ukraine." So it is not surprising that Yanukovich serves big coal interests...
What is interesting to me about all this is imagining what it would be like here. If people were in the streets surrounding the capital building and demanding a new congress! Crazy stuff. But that is something I like about Ukraine. I like their ability to effectively protest for changes. And how people are not rounded up into Free Speech Zones... For accuracy, I'll emphasize again: protest activities over this event are not on the scale of the Orange Revolution...
But I still think it is interesting that effective protests can happen there and I think that is because of a number of factors. Their army has not decided to step in a violent manner. Their army is made of the people serving from the general population and not career mercenaries. People live more on the edge economically, so if big coal wants to bring in rules to cut wages, it is effectively a bigger drop making it very important. And finally, their prison laws changed after the fall of the Soviet Union. Now they lock up much fewer people then the US and for shorter times. This means that there are less laws like locking people up for holding a beer in public. And it means that more active young people with wild ideas are on the streets...
I think it would take major shortages to get any large number of old fat Americans to walk around a block to complain about something. Even more so with most Americans squared off in Suburbia, far away from seats of power. And in America protesters straying from Free Speech Zones get locked up and or injured by police. Very interesting and different dynamics...
Of course what is similar is how our politicians and theirs are mostly backed big money: Coal, Big Oil, Banks, Agribusiness, EU... Well, that's modern political systems. Politicians can't get elected without backing from some element of big money.
Last edited by steam_cannon on Tue Apr 03, 2007 8:45 am; edited 3 times in total
Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 8:13 am Post subject: Re: Ukraine disolves parliament! Energy Politics Involved
Update: People were calling for the dismissal of parliament and that has happened, now moving on to their courts. There has been an influx of people into the cities and some crowds, but right now there are not people in the streets like the orange revolution. So I probably read too much into people coming into the cities, it's not on the scale of the Orange Revolution. Most people there seem to be taking a wait and see approach at the moment, not blocking the streets... Oh well
But I'm still trying to imagine what things would be like here if the president tried disbanding Congress or the Senate. These power plays are just crazy! And when you look at the players, it's all about energy.
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