Pass the Parcel
Russia is a democratic country these days - in the sense that there are 'free and fair' elections periodically.
But the body politic of the country tells a different story - one where Russia's democratic institutions are under the control of powerful undemocratic forces - which smack of smoke-filled rooms and dubious private deals.
Take the issue of who will stand for President on behalf of the United Russia Party - the largest in the Russian Duma or Parliament - and therefore the party of government.
Which it has been for the past 20 years - since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Step forward Valdimir Putin - Russia's current Prime Minister - who was previously Russia's President, but stood down four years ago - because the country's constitution says that a President can only serve for two consecutive terms.
So Vlad steps down and nominates his pal Dimitry Medvedev as President - shadows Dimitry for four years as Prime Minister - then Dimitry announces that he's standing down and is nominating Vlad to become President again in 2012.
Now the Russian people will almost certainly elect Vlad for a third term as President - and possibly fourth.
But that doesn't mean that this game of 'pass the parcel' is democratic in any real sense - it's just the apparatchiks in the United Russia party manipulating the system to their own benefit.
And before anyone in the UK gets too carried away - it's not a million miles away from what happened inside the Labour party in 2007 - when Gordon Brown 'inherited' the Labour leadership and subsequently the job of Prime Minister from Tony Blair.
The big difference between the UK and Russia though - is that we have a free speech and a free press - whereas in Russia if you cause trouble for the establishment - your health and safety is very much at risk.
Investigative journalists have been murdered for uncovering political wrongdoing - critical foreign journalists are simply banned from the country.
And Russian exiles like Alexander Lebedev are poisoned to death with radioactive polonium - pour encourager les autres - as they say.
Now that may be what passes for democracy in Russia - but it certainly lacks key elements of a free country - which include freedom of speech, the rule of law and the right not to be victimised (or killed) for criticising the ruling elite.
But the body politic of the country tells a different story - one where Russia's democratic institutions are under the control of powerful undemocratic forces - which smack of smoke-filled rooms and dubious private deals.
Take the issue of who will stand for President on behalf of the United Russia Party - the largest in the Russian Duma or Parliament - and therefore the party of government.
Which it has been for the past 20 years - since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Step forward Valdimir Putin - Russia's current Prime Minister - who was previously Russia's President, but stood down four years ago - because the country's constitution says that a President can only serve for two consecutive terms.
So Vlad steps down and nominates his pal Dimitry Medvedev as President - shadows Dimitry for four years as Prime Minister - then Dimitry announces that he's standing down and is nominating Vlad to become President again in 2012.
Now the Russian people will almost certainly elect Vlad for a third term as President - and possibly fourth.
But that doesn't mean that this game of 'pass the parcel' is democratic in any real sense - it's just the apparatchiks in the United Russia party manipulating the system to their own benefit.
And before anyone in the UK gets too carried away - it's not a million miles away from what happened inside the Labour party in 2007 - when Gordon Brown 'inherited' the Labour leadership and subsequently the job of Prime Minister from Tony Blair.
The big difference between the UK and Russia though - is that we have a free speech and a free press - whereas in Russia if you cause trouble for the establishment - your health and safety is very much at risk.
Investigative journalists have been murdered for uncovering political wrongdoing - critical foreign journalists are simply banned from the country.
And Russian exiles like Alexander Lebedev are poisoned to death with radioactive polonium - pour encourager les autres - as they say.
Now that may be what passes for democracy in Russia - but it certainly lacks key elements of a free country - which include freedom of speech, the rule of law and the right not to be victimised (or killed) for criticising the ruling elite.
