In the best traditions

At the plenum of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Gennady Zyuganov sharply criticized the “orange” opposition, accusing it of all mortal political sins. According to the communist leader, she is a “fifth column”, since the Western powers and their intelligence services stand behind her. And if the situation overflows during the crisis, then, according to Gennady Andreevich, this opposition “could serve in the hands of puppet masters who rely on the technology of “controlled anarchy” as a tool for seizing power in the capital and in a number of large cities.” In general, the “orange” are enemies of the people, which, it turns out, every conscious patriot, including communists, must fight.

The simplest thing is to assume that Zyuganov wants to please the Kremlin, which has made some positive gestures towards the Communist Party, realizing that in a crisis any systemic party can be useful. The Vladimir governor Vinogradov was reappointed, although he suspended his membership in the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, but did not renounce his comrades and did not throw away his party card. The comrades themselves reacted to such a step by a fellow party member, not provided for by the party charter, with understanding - for them the main thing is not the payment of contributions from the governor’s salary, but decent relations with the head of the region, which in this case were fully preserved. In addition to the reappointment of Vinogradov, we also note the inclusion of deputy Denisenko in the “first hundred” of the presidential personnel reserve. Although he is not a communist, he was elected to the Duma on the list of the Communist Party and is a member of its parliamentary faction. For the Kremlin, this candidate is also acceptable - he is quite loyal, was previously a colonel in the Alpha group, a fan of good wines (his favorite is Mouton Rothschild) and golf. In general, not a street fanatic declaring war on palaces in the name of huts. There was also information in the media that a “turntable” was installed in the Duma office of Comrade Zyuganov, although not the most prestigious one - it is impossible to reach Medvedev using it.

It turns out that Zyuganov is attacking the “orange” in exchange for a “half-turnover”? Such an obvious conclusion would be hasty. The main thing about the communists’ attitude towards the “orange” is not the furious rhetoric, but a couple of modest paragraphs towards the end of the speech. They are worth quoting in full:

“Although we understand the nature of these groups, it would be a manifestation of dogmatism to flatly refuse any forms of interaction or parallel actions even with them when solving certain specific problems. Decisions in this regard must be made taking into account local conditions, the composition of political forces and the individuals who lead them. Let’s not forget that behind the various “orange” movements are people who have little understanding of the hidden intentions of their leaders, but are sincerely outraged by the current state of affairs and intend to fight to change it.

In a word, we must carefully study the emerging new forms of resistance, take a closer look at the experience of opposition groups, be able to make temporary alliances and develop useful compromises. For us, the guideline should be the final result - the interests of the working people and the revival of our state."

Like this. This means that with the enemies of the people it is necessary not to engage in mortal combat, but to interact and at the same time reach compromises in the name of the revival of the state. In fact, Zyuganov gave the green light to local party activists who were organizing protests and were ready to cooperate with any opponents of the existing government. And such actions of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation are becoming increasingly harsh: in Primorye, the communists took part in one of the actions under the slogan “Putler - kaput!” Only recently did party leaders accuse supporters of interaction with the “orange” of some kind of neo-Trotskyism (even the most experienced communist ideologists can hardly clearly formulate what this is). Now the situation is changing rapidly. And it is not surprising - at the plenum it was decided to seek the resignation of the government, which, let us remember, is headed by Vladimir Putin, whose name the communists until recently tried not to take in vain. Now they say it. Even FSB reserve colonel and heroic defender of “Iron Felix” Nikolai Kharitonov proclaimed at the plenum: “We must make a call to dismiss Putin and his government!”

Communists have always been fans of dialectics, and they remain so now. During this time, the leader of the “guiding and directing” could from the rostrum throw mud at world imperialism, capable of destroying all of humanity before its final decay. And a couple of paragraphs below, speak about the benefits of economic cooperation with this same imperialism. Depending on the political situation, certain Western figures became either symbols of reaction or representatives of progressive thought (such as the philosopher Bertrand Russell). The Communists are still acting in the best traditions of their party. On the one hand, there are “anti-Orange” signals to the Kremlin, with which the Communist Party of the Russian Federation does not intend to completely break off relations (becoming a “non-systemic” party is very uncomfortable for Zyuganovites). On the other hand, the desire to make maximum use of the opportunities provided by the crisis to any opposition force - in connection with this, both the radicalization of slogans and the opportunity, with all the appropriate reservations, to create broad situational protest coalitions.

The author is first vice-president of the Center for Political Technologies