Russians vote in nationwide parliamentary poll

[Gerald]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16020632


Note: Update,record 4 December 2011 Last updated at 13:03 GMT

[Jimbuna]

There can be only one!!

[CCIP]

Actually, exit polls are showing that United Russia has, for the first time ever, got less than 50% of the vote - 'only' 48.5% this time, which is actually quite a drastic change for them.

However that's nothing to get excited about. The other 3 parties to get enough votes to pass appear to be the Communist KPRF (19.8), the softer socialist SR (12.8), and the ridiculous nationalist clown party LDPR (11.4). No western-style liberal democratic party pushed the 5% required to pass. There's no unity on the left, and the LDPR is guaranteed to yell loudly and yet be Putin's lap poodle when it comes to actual decisions.

Still interesting to see the fact that the confidence in United Russia has, for the moment, at least somewhat shaken.

[Susexx]

The party of Swindlers and Thieves has again won, democracy forever

the ridiculous nationalist clown party LDPR (11.4).

Surely that is Putins mantle.

[CCIP]

Originally Posted by Tribesman

Surely that is Putins mantle.

Led by this guy... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Zhirinovsky

Who, as speaker of parliament, has done many things - on camera - like: throwing juice and other objects at his opponents; being vocally anti-semitic despite being half-Jewish himself; founding his foreign policy on reclaiming the old Russian empire which would include Poland, Finland and Alaska (the latter to be populated with traitorous Ukrainians as punishment); assembling a group of top Russian language experts and lecturing them on why [expletive] academics are ruining our language by telling us not to swear, followed by an expletive-filled tirade; appearing in a music video rapping about AIDS; calling for use of nuclear weapons against Japan; suggesting that Condoleeza Rice needs to be raped by a platoon of Russian troops; threatening the use of Russia's secret gravity-control machine to flood the entire United States...

...and the list goes on When I said "ridiculous nationalist clown party", I actually meant every word of that

[Gerald]

Members of Nashi, a pro-Kremlin youth movement, held a victory rally in Moscow on Sunday night.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/05/wo...y.html?_r=1&hp

[Gerald]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16024938


Note: 5 December 2011 Last updated at 11:40 GMT

[kranz]

At first, I wanted to quote the famous saying coined by Stalin, the one concerning voting and counting votes.
But after watching this film I realized, that in Russia, votes have already been counted before you put one.

[Hottentot]

Originally Posted by CCIP

Led by this guy... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Zhirinovsky

[snip]

...and the list goes on When I said "ridiculous nationalist clown party", I actually meant every word of that

Ah, the man that makes the Finnish Defence Forces tremble in fear and naughty conscripts sleep with a loaded gun just in case the boogieman comes during the night to take them with him. He can't be all bad if he manages that.

Edit: Oh, and of course as you said, he has too .

[Karle94]

Originally Posted by CCIP

Led by this guy... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Zhirinovsky

Who, as speaker of parliament, has done many things - on camera - like: throwing juice and other objects at his opponents; being vocally anti-semitic despite being half-Jewish himself; founding his foreign policy on reclaiming the old Russian empire which would include Poland, Finland and Alaska (the latter to be populated with traitorous Ukrainians as punishment); assembling a group of top Russian language experts and lecturing them on why [expletive] academics are ruining our language by telling us not to swear, followed by an expletive-filled tirade; appearing in a music video rapping about AIDS; calling for use of nuclear weapons against Japan; suggesting that Condoleeza Rice needs to be raped by a platoon of Russian troops; threatening the use of Russia's secret gravity-control machine to flood the entire United States...

...and the list goes on When I said "ridiculous nationalist clown party", I actually meant every word of that

Is Russia even capable of taking back Alaska? Sure the US economy is not at its best day. I still believe that the US would win. To get to Alaska they have to go through both the navy and the airforce. Something they can`t do, for the moment. I think its ironic that the US navy has more planes than most airforces combined. I strongly believe that the Russians won`t risk loosing everything they`ve built up the last ten years. Never before has Russia been in such good times. The same goes for China.

[CCIP]

Originally Posted by Karle94

Is Russia even capable of taking back Alaska? Sure the US economy is not at its best day. I still believe that the US would win. To get to Alaska they have to go through both the navy and the airforce. Something they can`t do, for the moment. I think its ironic that the US navy has more planes than most airforces combined. I strongly believe that the Russians won`t risk loosing everything they`ve built up the last ten years. Never before has Russia been in such good times. The same goes for China.

I did mention the guy is a clown I certainly hope noone takes him seriously.

Russia really doesn't have any reason to take over anything. It'd be ludicrous for them to even try. They never needed and could never really sustain Alaska - its "sale" (actually originally signed as a long-term rent) may not have been the most advantageous thing for Russia, but it wasn't really a loss like some nationalists like to paint it either. Bottom line, it's the distant past.

As for Russia having good times - that's very questionable to say the least. A very small proportion of the population and a still-insignificant middle class are definitely not living too badly. But the majority of Russia's population still lives in crushing poverty and massive social, economic and even basic health problems are practically tearing the country apart while the state pretends that everything is okay. The only reason the current regime enjoys popularity is that it's better than previous alternatives in that at least it keeps things more stable. Rather than going through a series of constant economic and social catastrophes (as in the 1990s), the country is slowly bleeding the unwanted parts of its society to death. And Russia is far from immune to global economic problems.

[Karle94]

Originally Posted by CCIP

I did mention the guy is a clown I certainly hope noone takes him seriously.

Russia really doesn't have any reason to take over anything. It'd be ludicrous for them to even try. They never needed and could never really sustain Alaska - its "sale" (actually originally signed as a long-term rent) may not have been the most advantageous thing for Russia, but it wasn't really a loss like some nationalists like to paint it either. Bottom line, it's the distant past.

As for Russia having good times - that's very questionable to say the least. A very small proportion of the population and a still-insignificant middle class are definitely not living too badly. But the majority of Russia's population still lives in crushing poverty and massive social, economic and even basic health problems are practically tearing the country apart while the state pretends that everything is okay. The only reason the current regime enjoys popularity is that it's better than previous alternatives in that at least it keeps things more stable. Rather than going through a series of constant economic and social catastrophes (as in the 1990s), the country is slowly bleeding the unwanted parts of its society to death. And Russia is far from immune to global economic problems.

I never really said they were in good times. just the best time they`ve ever had.

[Gerald]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16042797


Note: Update record,5 December 2011 Last updated at 20:42 GMT

[CCIP]

And the protest was, of course, squashed with police and interior troops