Thread: What's russia's government?

Thanks for taking time to write down your opinions about this. Do you think this attitude exists in all areas of society or just with some state employees like bus drivers? I guess the culture of the people from ex-USSR countries is a little bit different too. A bit like Italians or Greek compared with Germans or Swedes. I suppose there is a different temperament.

I've heard such comments about Russia (no customer service, rude shop assistants...) but I have only ever spent a few days in St Petersburg /Leningrad as visitor. As you can imagine this was not a problem for me.

Apart from a few chaotic years in the 1990s, Russia has always seemed like a pretty nice country to me -- based on TV and people that I met. I wonder if I have been given misleading information.... Perhaps the TV reports I remember from my childhood were a bit glossy/airbrushed -- -showing the Russia from its' best angle..

But there was no "airbrushing" in the 1990s and it was pretty shocking to see all the problems that existed then. I felt terribly bad for Russian people to lose the superpower status, the ideology and the job security, and life savings -- all at the same time. Can't even imagine what that was like. It must have really "hardened" people.

Based on what you say, living in Russia must be a completely different experience compared with the nice image on TV.

It's a pity people have such a negative and unhelpful attitude. I don't understand why. Being nice doesn't "cost" anything and ought to give most people a good feeling.

Why do you think people are like that?

Once when I lived with my ex-fiancee and was very busy at work, so I hired a cleaner. She was Russian. She didn't seem like she really wanted the job, which seemed strange. She actually refused to do some jobs that were needed as part of the cleaning - for example changing the bags in the vacuum cleaner. One time she didn't do anything at all in the kitchen because there were no rubber gloves available and she didn't want to damage her manicure... I was stressed and didn't want an unreliable cleaner, so I told her not to come back. But I never associated this problem with her nationality - I assumed it was her personality.

Originally Posted by Ramil

Originally Posted by Crocodile

Sure. So, what are the five dominant marine life forms are there in Moscow river?

I'm afraid there isn't any left If there is still something alive there I wouldn't probably want to meet these species. There is the whole damn periodic table in the river and I've heard that mutants are hideous.

I saw people with fishing poles on the banks of Moscow river within the city limits this summer. I wonder what were they going to catch?

Originally Posted by rockzmom

We do that all the time here in the States as well... you can "support" and "respect" the Office of the President, yet you do not have to respect the man himself. You can support and respect the troops, yet not approve one of their assignments/missions.

Interesting. Maybe it's what happens in large countries.
Plus, I think in the USA people become patriotic about some general principles behind the state because it is repeated so much in schools. Like various loyalty oaths parts of the constitution. I think Americans in general are quite patriotic.

In my country there is no distinction. People really identify with the state and feel part of decisions. There have been a few examples where the government have taken decisions that people have not agreed with--- this totally paralyses the country because it's so unusual. But normally the state, the media and almost all the people have the same opinion. The nickname for the state is "Folkhemmet" ("The peoples' home") which refers to the idea that everyone is 100% part of the society and taken care of... It also refers to the country as being one big family...

Originally Posted by Basil77

I saw people with fishing poles on the banks of Moscow river within the city limits this summer. I wonder what were they going to catch?

Some bacterial life, I guess... But it's the process that's important, isn't it?

Not just now, but historically.

Historicals accounts give another picture for the life before the Soviet period. The Chekhof's stories as an example.

Originally Posted by Johanna

In my country there is no distinction. People really identify with the state and feel part of decisions. There have been a few examples where the government have taken decisions that people have not agreed with--- this totally paralyses the country because it's so unusual. But normally the state, the media and almost all the people have the same opinion. The nickname for the state is "Folkhemmet" ("The peoples' home") which refers to the idea that everyone is 100% part of the society and taken care of... It also refers to the country as being one big family...

This may be easy for your country (population: 10 million nearly all of them are Swedes and wealth is distributed uniformly) , but hardly possible for large countries with many ethnic groups and large populations. In my country lives over 150 nationalities with many conflicts of interests so if one decision is popular here it becomes automatically unpopular in an adjacent region. Wealth is distributed nonuniformly both through the population and across the area. It is simply impossible to gain a universal support for any decision.

Originally Posted by Оля

If you only knew how many true fools, and uneducated and impolite people there are in Russia... The most strange thing is that such people always hold some post, have some, often very small, but - power. From a rude saleswoman in a shop to a clerk in a public utilities office.

Do you really think that a shop assistant or a clerk has any power? That's like the lowest form of life in a company. I used to work as a shop assistant in a bookshop and I always tried to be as nice as possible but sometimes people get offended at the most ridiculous tiny things. It's just not possible not to offend anyone, however unwittingly. I remember I used to literally fly like a rocket round the shop trying to do everything, and yes, I didn't always have the time to smile to everyone. I don't understand this smiling business at all -- personally, I don't come to a shop to exchange civilities with the shop assistant. All I need is to get what I came for and there's no point in making it into a big deal.

Working with people is extremely difficult. I remember being literally torn to pieces: for example, I'm the only shop assistant in the shop (the other girl went for her break), there are several people that want my help and cosultation (and the phone is ringing all the time) but I'm alone. Naturally, they don't like waiting and start getting angry at me even though it's not my fault it's the crisis and the company doesn't think it necessary to employ more people. Or that people don't want to work for 7000 rubles.

Forgive me for ranting. I just think the service issue sometimes gets blown out of all proportion and mountains are made out of molehills.

Originally Posted by Johanna

Once when I lived with my ex-fiancee and was very busy at work, so I hired a cleaner. She was Russian. She didn't seem like she really wanted the job, which seemed strange. She actually refused to do some jobs that were needed as part of the cleaning - for example changing the bags in the vacuum cleaner. One time she didn't do anything at all in the kitchen because there were no rubber gloves available and she didn't want to damage her manicure... I was stressed and didn't want an unreliable cleaner, so I told her not to come back. But I never associated this problem with her nationality - I assumed it was her personality.

Most likely, she wasn't a nice person from the start. She left her country, and the manicure bit suggests that working as a cleaner wasn't what she came abroad for. She probably just expected to marry a prince. Working as a Cinderella in the meantime.

Originally Posted by Basil77

In my opinion patriotism is not to love your goverment but to love your country. There is a wide-known saying in Russia: "I live in the best country in the world but in the one of the worst states." And I feel exactly like that.

Yes, to separate the two is the right thing to do. A nation can't really be responsible for its rulers because who knows what they're really like when you elect them and how they're going to do things? I am reminded of Mark Twain and his story "Running for Governor." Besides, I don't consider any government really representative of its country if it doesn't have 50% of women in it.

It is sometimes very difficult to distinguish the government from the people because every nation gets brainwashed by its government that what it's doing is right. I'd be loath to think that, for example, all Georgians are the same as Saakashvili but from I read in some articles back at the time of South Ossetian war (English articles too, not Russian), at least the interviewed people were inclined to think the same as he did. I came on an American site and saw that one of the members suddenly put the Georgian flag in her siggy (and she didn't have any ties with Georgia either -- just having read the matter represented as completely black-and-white in the media, she assumed the big, 'aggressive', 'bellicose' Russia attacked poor little lamb Georgia). I felt rather sick when I saw this -- but it wasn't even the South Ossetian flag! That said, unlike many men here, I didn't really support Russia's intervention there. I would much rather Russia joined NATO and that stupid confrontation disappeared altogether... But this belongs in a completely different topic. A lot of Russians respect Putin although the Western press (at least some of it) might be prone to see him in a very different light. I wouldn't blame Germans for what Hitler did although they did elect him after being thoroughly brainwashed... And you might say, just as Stalin, he succeeded in making the country more prosperous, united and industrialised (at least on the surface of things).

Russia's government is one where no person in power can abuse his powers or violate one's basic human right. Or else, with all those hostile legislators eager to unseat Putin, there shall be impeachment proceedings on him (Putin). Since there are no proceedings, the presumption is that no one in Putin's government has abused his powers. Remember, impeachment provision is enshrined in Russian constitution. See the beauty of Russian democratic laws!! Every person has the right to free speech and free assembly. If the communist government were in power like that during Stalin, millions of Russians like the members of the moribund Communist Party of Russia cannot assemble and petition the government for redress and grievances. Stalin just massacred them just like that! With a flick of a finger!! You won't see the person of STalin in Putin!

Originally Posted by starrysky

Originally Posted by Оля

If you only knew how many true fools, and uneducated and impolite people there are in Russia... The most strange thing is that such people always hold some post, have some, often very small, but - power. From a rude saleswoman in a shop to a clerk in a public utilities office.

Do you really think that a shop assistant or a clerk has any power? That's like the lowest form of life in a company.

You didn't get the point. They have power over YOU. When you come to them and say "hello", and then stand like a fool and wait for TEN or more minutes when they NOTICE you. When you are going to leave a bus and stand before the front door, and the driver sees you perfectly well, and the bus stops - and the front door does not open. You try to find a compromise and say to the cabin, "Open please" which sounds like a humble request. And when there is NO reaction, and you know that he hears you, and he knows that you knows that. And you humbledly go through the whole bus and leave it through the middle door (through which, by the way, another people are already entering the bus, and you are in the way of each other).
And, if you don't know how 'powerful' public utilities employees (I mean работники ЖЭКа) are - YOU ARE LUCKY then and I envy you! You can sit without any water, hot or cold, during several days, and no one would ever try to do anything, except yourself - and that's your problem. I have such expience - so just believe me. Now I live in another house, but fools and samodurs (there is no even a corresponding word in English!) I met here are even bigger. They really think they have POWER here, that they can open MY flat, with or without me in it (thanks God they have no the key), and many other things. But thanks God that, as I said, such fools usually have only small power, and they have bosses who are cleverer and know laws a bit.

P.S. The case which I mean, about the clerk - that woman was not busy with other clients at all, and there were no phone callings at all. Except me and her, there was also another employee in the room, and there was silence. She was just doing something with her computer, and she didn't find necessary to notice me and my 'hello' until she finish the things with the computer. And she was not the only impolite person there; if only she was! Her colleague literally growled at people who were trying to enter the office while her lunchtime (but the door was not closed!).

Originally Posted by Оля

If you only knew how many true fools, and uneducated and impolite people there are in Russia...

If you only knew how many true idiots and dumb and rude people there are on this planet...

Originally Posted by Ramil

Originally Posted by Оля

If you only knew how many true fools, and uneducated and impolite people there are in Russia...

If you only knew how many true idiots and dumb and rude people there are on this planet...

Although I agree with Ramil on that, I think Olya has a very strong point. However, I highly doubt that has much to do with the way Russian Government is structured. And probably also not so much with the way the Government is elected. As a citizen, you only have an option to elect from whoever is out there. And those guys undergo their 'natural selection' by not-so-democratic ways.

Also, starrysky, I guess you weren't building on your working in the retail business for the rest of your life. Apparently, you have planned and worked towards something else. Therefore, you were able to afford yourself being polite and actually WANT doing a good service. That is, to the best of my knowledge, not the mindset of a typical professional retailer in Russia. Also, your experience is genuine, but don't forget the customers also adapt to the environment, so the retailers and the customers typically manage their own "warfare" and push for their individual rights as much as they can.

Yeah it's hard with people who are really lazy, arrogant and indifferent – like the people who Olya describes. I think there are people like this everywhere.. I have certainly met such people in many countries. But I have to say about England, that the state employees are generally surprisingly nice and helpful.

The problem with the utilties company sounds serious - I'm guessing that it gets intolerably cold without heating in the winter. Somebody who dismisses complaints in such a situation is practically criminal! People could freeze to death!

Since they have to BE at work anyway, why don't they try to be nice and helpful why they are there? It actually makes the working experience nicer.
I don't understand their mindset.

I heard comments to say that there are more than the *usual* number of lazy and indifferent people in the countries that were socialist/communist. Perhaps they knew they couldn't get sacked and they couldn't get a performance-related pay rise, so they stopped caring. Such people will be replaced sooner or later, won't they?
Plus -- I think the opposite end of the scale is just as irritating; shop assistants and waiters who are TOO nice and pushy, becuase they are desperate to get sales commission and tips and really scared of being sacked because a customer complained about them.

Originally Posted by Crocodile

Originally Posted by Ramil

Originally Posted by Оля

If you only knew how many true fools, and uneducated and impolite people there are in Russia...

If you only knew how many true idiots and dumb and rude people there are on this planet...

Although I agree with Ramil on that, I think Olya has a very strong point. However, I highly doubt that has much to do with the way Russian Government is structured.

Croc... I think that is the point here... The world on a whole has become more rude. We have become a society that now accepts or tolerates bad behavior. I remember as a child if I did something that was not appropriate, before I even got home to my parents, I had been chewed out for it by every teacher and parent on the way home. My parents did not need to even punish me. They just needed to give me “the look.” Nowadays, if a child does something wrong, you can’t even mention it to them OR their parents. Teachers can’t discipline students. Clerks in the stores don’t get reprimanded for poor service.

Olya, I remember one of my first shopping trip to buy suits for work at a store called "Lord and Taylor’s" (at that time, a “posh” upper quality clothing chain store... it is still open, just less "posh"). I was waited on like a princess. There were no “cash registers.” The ladies had books to write in and cash tills. It was an amazing experience like something you would see in a movie, yet I did not have thousands or even hundreds of dollars to spend. Now, if you go back to that same store, you are lucky to even get the attention of a sales clerk.

We are a society of people who want things NOW and who are afraid to speak up or get involved because it is not “politically correct” and little Susie might get her feelings hurt or worse, she might turn around and report us to the police.

Originally Posted by Оля

When you are going to leave a bus and stand before the front door, and the driver sees you perfectly well, and the bus stops - and the front door does not open. You try to find a compromise and say to the cabin, "Open please" which sounds like a humble request. And when there is NO reaction, and you know that he hears you, and he knows that you knows that. And you humbledly go through the whole bus and leave it through the middle door (through which, by the way, another people are already entering the bus, and you are in the way of each other).

The thing is, I never even try leaving a bus through the front door because I know that the "Sesame, open up" is not going to work. I just don't care through which door I get off from the bus -- if I worried about such little things, I'd become one big ball of nerves. At the time when I had to travel every day long distances to my uni on the bus, I had such trouble in my family that I learned to disregard the petty things in life. They're just not worth it. I've probably become a "пофигист". If I encounter rudeness I never take it personally -- that person just has real problems with his/her attitudes/outlook or will have if he/she continues so. You should pity them. It's just another occasion to roll your eyes and make a face. It may be annoying but I never attach much importance to it.

Originally Posted by Оля

And, if you don't know how 'powerful' public utilities employees (I mean работники ЖЭКа) are - YOU ARE LUCKY then and I envy you! You can sit without any water, hot or cold, during several days, and no one would ever try to do anything, except yourself - and that's your problem. I have such expience - so just believe me. Now I live in another house, but fools and samodurs (there is no even a corresponding word in English!) I met here are even bigger. They really think they have POWER here, that they can open MY flat, with or without me in it (thanks God they have no the key), and many other things. But thanks God that, as I said, such fools usually have only small power, and they have bosses who are cleverer and know laws a bit.

Well, in this case, yes, I think we are lucky. I've never heard of such things -- esp. opening your flat without you! Well, one is sure to hear of some or another horrible case on tv -- when people don't have any heat in their flats when it's winter. It may be exactly the case of local "samodurs" or corrupted officials, most likely. I read a story about a school where it was very cold. It was widely known in that area that the person responsible for these things was a corrupted official. Two girls took the initiative into their own hands and wrote to the president. Very soon the school became very warm (literally)!

Originally Posted by Оля

P.S. The case which I mean, about the clerk - that woman was not busy with other clients at all, and there were no phone callings at all. Except me and her, there was also another employee in the room, and there was silence. She was just doing something with her computer, and she didn't find necessary to notice me and my 'hello' until she finish the things with the computer. And she was not the only impolite person there; if only she was! Her colleague literally growled at people who were trying to enter the office while her lunchtime (but the door was not closed!).

Oh yes, I recognise the type. But it's a very common thing. I remember secretaries in the dean's office at my uni were always like that. You had to wait humbly while they finished whatever they were doing and deigned to look at you. And we had a terrible teacher of physical education who was also a prominent figure at the faculty. A good woman essentially, but very rough round the edges. I always knew better than to approach her on any issue for fear of hearing some barking and snarling and roaring. She's a legend with all the students but no one ever even thought about complaining about her to the dean or the rector... Well, when we were leaving the uni, she told us in a bewildered sort of way that the students have become strange ("Студент пошёл не тот") and that they insist on special treatment ("качают права").

Originally Posted by Crocodile

Also, starrysky, I guess you weren't building on your working in the retail business for the rest of your life. Apparently, you have planned and worked towards something else. Therefore, you were able to afford yourself being polite and actually WANT doing a good service. That is, to the best of my knowledge, not the mindset of a typical professional retailer in Russia.

Yes, it's true, for me it was just a transitional phase, I didn't like a lot of the aspects about that work though I liked the people who worked there and I actually remember them with not a little nostalgia... All people who worked there had university education (mostly philologists -- you have to know a little about various authors, at least you have to be able to type their names correctly into the search engine) and were very nice people as well despite being definitely stuck there for ages. Now the things have gone really downhill and there's a huge "текучка" which is to say it's mostly students who work for a few months and then leave. Not many stay for long.

Anyway, overall, I think there are enough unpleasant people around the world. But there definitely is a grain of truth about the "bardak" in Russia. There's no smoke without fire. And there's nothing surprising in it since the 90s were very rough. I hope it's just a phase which will end some time. And I think people will hopefully get nicer as their lives get better.

Originally Posted by rockzmom

Nowadays, if a child does something wrong, you can’t even mention it to them OR their parents. Teachers can’t discipline students.

Good comments, rockzmom. And too true, unfortunately. But not wanting to get into trouble is understandable. I was citing a news story in the "Death penalty" thread which happened here in my city. While on holiday at a sanatorium, a man made a few remarks to a rowdy group of teenagers who were drinking and using foul language. They found him out later and beat him up to death. They only got 5 years each. I suppose they were too old for discipline...

What is the "duma" and how does it work?

It's the lower chamber of the Russian parliament.

How many members are there in the duma?

450

How are decisions taken?

Mainly voting by secret ballot, on some issues - by individual voting. A bill project is registered first and scheduled. There's a fixed list of bodies and officials who can submit a project (like The President/The Cabinet/Ministries/provincial parliaments, etc.) Than it's reviewed by relevant Duma's comission. A successful bill passes through 3 steps of voting.

How many political parties are represented in the duma, plus a quick summary of their ideologies.

4
"United Russia" - a party of government officials
"Just Russia" - like the first one, but tends to be more social oriented
The Communist party - no comments on the ideology
The Liberal-Democratic party - no ideology at all, just people of a political clown, Mr. Zhirinovskiy.

How often are there elections?

Every 5 years (previously - 4)

How are elections organised and what is the lower threshold for getting represented in the duma?

National elections, by secret ballot. Registered political parties may run. A party must get a >=7% vote to win seats.

What role is the head of state and what other important government posts exist. What are their responsibilities?

The head of state is the President of the Russian Federation.
This person is the head of the executive brunch of power. He/she signs international treaties, commands the military, all law-enforcing agencies and does many more, that's mainly deciding/presenting candidates for approval for important offices in the federal government or for heads of the provinces.

Other important posts:
1.Prime Minister (selected by the President and approved by the parliament). This person deals foremost with economics and everyday management. The PM presides over a cabinet of ministers.

2. Members of the Constitutional Court

3. Head of the Central Bank
The responsibilities of the last two are typical.

What power does the various roles and institutions have (or not have) to take immediate action in case of an emergency or external threat to the country?

That's mainly the President's duties.

Is there a mechanism for forcing a re-election or dissolving the government other than through regular elections?

The President can be impeached by the parliament. Though the positive vote must be very high.

Originally Posted by starrysky

Two girls took the initiative into their own hands and wrote to the president. Very soon the school became very warm (literally)!

Right, but even though I'm impressed with the courage of the girls, I would insist that writing to the president should not normally be a way of resolving conflicts like that. And one of the biggest problems is that the conflicts are being resolved this way. Is that the only working channel? If yes, that (among the other issues) promotes that Good Tzar (TM) image. In some of the other countries, such conflicts are normally resolved in the courts. But, I guess, since the local courts are corrupt, there's no point. So, until the Good Tzar (TM) is unable to devise a working judicial system, I guess he isn't so "good" despite what's being broadcast on the First Channel.

Originally Posted by starrysky

I've never heard of such things -- esp. opening your flat without you!

Well, you see, it's a "novostroyka". Just recently it was a construction project and they had all keys from all flats. Now they can't realize that it is a dwelling house now, with people living in it and keeping their things and money in their flats. They also can't accept the situation that a tenant has changed the lock/key and they now can't open everything they want. They also don't even understand that if they open a flat, they should be responsible for values which are kept in it. They don't even know that what they're trying to do is a crime and is called "house-breaking".

Originally Posted by rockzmom

The world on a whole has become more rude. We have become a society that now accepts or tolerates bad behavior.
....
We are a society of people who want things NOW and who are afraid to speak up or get involved because it is not “politically correct”

Yes you are so right, rocksmom.... People can be totally heartless and insensitive - have no respect for older people, for any sort of family values, for their country or any religion. Their only source of what's decent or right is their own personal judgement at that given time. If this type of development continues, where will it end?

Many business are only interested in dealing with people up until the point of sale - after all you can forget getting any sort of useful help from them.

The only exception is political correctness which is supposed to be about politeness and sensivivity. But lately is preventing constructive debate on certain issues. This is particularly a problem in Europe.. Certain values are protected by "politcal correctness" to the extent that it's almost like censorship.

@ Olya -- The situation with the maintenance staff entering the flat happened to me. I was totally furious. Their excuse was that they thought there was a water leak in my flat while I was at work. Which there wasn't.
I don't get angry easily, but I found this incredibly rude and infuriating. It's "illegal entry" I think.. I shouted at them for about 5 minutes that they had broken the law, that I would file a police report on them... All of them apart from the boss are African immigrants who don't speak very good English. They are a bit scared of me now, I think. Good!

@Ленивец - thanks for taking time to explain how Russian government works. Very clear and good answers .