Court and case

Sometimes we have problems in the law enforcement system, and sometimes people are not released on parole for health reasons, but in general we are not against investigators, we just need to find forms of dialogue with them, try to bring public activists into public councils, study public opinion .. . And so on.

As a journalist and pseudo-public figure, lately I have to attend more and more round tables, conferences, public meetings and other events that are meaningless and merciless. Merciless, first of all, by the time that the participants have.

For example, the forum “Trust in power is the key to systemic best changes in society”, which was held at the Novosibirsk City Hall by the organization “Institute of Man”. This forum began with a report by the president of the institute, Natalya Tolokonskaya (she is also the wife of the acting governor of the Krasnoyarsk Territory) about the image of the mayor's office as a source of trust.

In the report, Natalya Petrovna touched on many topics - she spoke about indigo children, who “in terms of information fly ten orders of magnitude ahead of adults”, and about the structuring of water in a word, and about the unique structure of the mind of sixty-year-olds.

A lot of correct words and impressive images did not come together to understand what the speaker wanted to convey to the audience, what they should change in their behavior, what exactly needs to be rebuilt in the work of the mayor's office.

Natalya Petrovna also spoke about indigo children, who “in terms of information fly ten orders of magnitude ahead of adults,” and about the unique structure of the mind of sixty-year-olds

After Tolokonskaya's report, "VIPs" disappeared from the hall - the mayor of Novosibirsk, Anatoly Lokot, and State Duma deputy Alexander Abalakov. After a while, I ran away.

And what, one wonders, I clung to? Do we have many events where they pour from empty to empty?

No, not a lot. I am horrified to discover that all these events are a waste of time. And for most of the participants this time is generously paid by taxpayers. Meetings, meetings with the public, round tables, conferences - thousands and millions of correct, but meaningless words. For what? Who needs it?

The answer comes by itself when you ask another question - how do we make real decisions in our country (region, city)? And there are completely different pictures. A conversationalist in a restaurant. Or in the bath. Or "on the barbecue." At worst, negotiations in the office. A narrow circle of respected people, among whom - all of their own. And if not their own, then real negotiations, such as "shooter".

And the decisions made there then need to be “carried out” through formal procedures. Committee meeting, public hearings, decisions of the United Russia presidium, primaries, and so on.

Well, as a “candy wrapper”, “wrapper” - also depict “interaction with the public”. This is where all these sandbox games like the “Public Chamber”, round tables, conferences, symposiums turn out to be needed. Numerous screens designed to divert attention from the real power structure.

By the way, since the opportunity has turned up, I will report on the results of the year of my stay in the Public Chamber of the Novosibirsk Region. A screen is a screen, but it has its own hierarchy - co-chairs (three pieces), chairmen of commissions. Just in case, this unpretentious hierarchy is also controlled - well, so that unnecessary excesses do not happen.

Let me tell you a funny episode. By chance, it turned out that only eight people signed up for the commission for public control over the activities of law enforcement agencies, four of them are not quite trustworthy: Evgeny Mitrofanov, Alexander Rudnitsky, Yakov Samokhin and your obedient servant. There was a possibility that Yakov Nikolaevich would become the chairman of the commission, which, in my opinion, would be very good. We come to the meeting of the commission and (suddenly!) find that four more people have come, “wishing” to work in the commission. Among them are Alexei Osipov and Oleg Puchkov. Osipov immediately proposes to elect Puchkov as chairman of the commission, and he defeats Samokhin with a small majority of votes. The voices of those who have just arrived. Osipov attended another meeting of the commission, and then I did not see him.

The fact that I did not see Osipov is not so bad. During the year of "work" of the commission "on public control over the activities of law enforcement agencies, reforming the judicial and legal system and protecting the rights of citizens," I did not see a single representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the RF IC, the prosecutor's office or the judiciary.

NO ONE. That is, I saw them sometimes, but not in connection with the activities of the Public Chamber of the Novosibirsk Region.

If I had a strong need, I would have caught this Joe. But this Joe, as we remember, is elusive, including because no one needs

By the way, the chamber also has a council of the chamber. Consists of co-chairs and chairmen of commissions, lives some kind of life of its own, makes some decisions. Apparently, this is a deeply secret body, because, as a member of the House, I was never told where and when this council meets. As, however, they never said what he decided there.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. If I had a strong need, I would have caught this Joe. But this Joe, as we remember, is elusive, also because no one needs him.

Social work is what I do when I'm not busy with work, pre-production or recording, an unfinished house, two children, an elderly grandmother. Why would I waste my rare free time to revive something that not only died, but was never alive?

There is no harm from the Public Chamber of the Novosibirsk Region, some like Natalya Pinus even manage to benefit from it. Well, okay. Let it be.

But here's what's really surprising - when the empty format "Let's say a thousand correct words and leave satisfied with ourselves" is repeated by people who seem to really need to solve some problem, and not drown it.

Today, the press club of the Novosibirsk Union of Journalists hosted a round table "Public participation in monitoring the activities of law enforcement agencies and courts." It was conducted by the Institute of Regional Marketing and Creative Industries, whose director is Lada Yurchenko.

It would seem that a much more pressing topic: Yurchenko herself has been charged with a criminal offense, and her colleague at Interra, Dmitry Petrov, has been in a pre-trial detention center for two months, and the arrest has been extended until the end of summer.

Among the participants of this round table were business ombudsman Viktor Vyazovykh, and “just” ombudsman Nina Shalabayeva, and State Duma deputy Ilya Ponomarev, and many other respected people.

What were they talking about? That sometimes we have problems in the law enforcement system, and sometimes people are not released on parole for health reasons, but in general we are not against judges and not against investigators, we just need to find forms of dialogue with them, try to bring public figures into public councils, study public opinion, improve the legal literacy of the population... And so on and so forth.

Why, even when it seems to be "locked", we reproduce the dead forms of "meetings" and "discussions"? Hoping for what? For a miracle? What "melts on its own"? Or that the government will listen?

After two hours, they left satisfied with themselves. Or dissatisfied, it doesn't matter. It is important that none of the participants of the round table had an understanding of what goal should be achieved and what he should do to achieve this. Each is specific.

What's the matter? Why, even when it seems to be "locked", we continue to reproduce the dead forms of "meetings" and "discussions"? It's probably contagious. Used to. We are a "country of councils", after all. We don't know anything else. And here we procrastinate, procrastinate, procrastinate. Hoping for what? For a miracle? What "melts on its own"? Or that the authorities, for example, will listen?

Although my speech at the round table was just about the fact that the authorities do not need this for nothing, in fairness I will say that even if the authorities wanted to listen, they would not be able to hear specific proposals. They mentioned the election of “at least the chairman of the regional court”, they wanted to “rotate” judges from criminal cases to civil law cases so that they would not “dehumanize”, they suggested making public councils more effective.

But that's how it is.

As for diagnostics and ascertaining, yes, the performances were at their best. And about the isolation of the “caste” of judges and law enforcement officers, and about the lack of influence of citizens on this caste, and about the desire to “accountability” while neglecting the rule of law.

We know everything very well.