A person who has not spoiled Moscow: Yuri Luzhkov visiting Yegor Yakovlev

I met Yuri Mikhailovich Luzhkov in a fire. More precisely, immediately after him. Luzhkov was the first of the Moscow authorities to come to Moscow News when they burned with the WTO on Pushkinskaya Square. Thus began and formed our "fire" relations.

When Yeltsin freed me from the post of chairman of GOSTELEDIO, of course, forgetting to tell me about this, the first one who called us home was Luzhkov with proposals about work. Of course, I do not want to say that Yuri Mikhailovich is a fireman, and I am a fireman. We are just tied by long -standing friendly relations. He is ten years old, and for ten years I have been releasing a "general newspaper."

- Yuri Mikhailovich, on the eve of the decades of your activity as Moscow Komsomolets, a survey made a survey. A number of people expressed a wish to make Luzhkov a lifelong mayor. Some even said that they could not imagine the capital without you. What do you think about all this?

- Frankly? I don't think anything. Spring, here after a conversation with you, I’ll go to play football. I don't think anything. It is necessary to calmly finalize until the end of 2003, and then start to assume something.

And now I believe that such conversations, albeit friendly, are not only useless, but also to a certain extent harmful. Because the city should not indulge in dreams, but solve problems, work. We need to concentrate on business. And they are a mass.

“Could you call, say, ten things that you are proud of, remembering this decade?”

- Of course, I can call it. But I will not. I’m more modest - in these ten years I have not spoiled Moscow.

- Fine. Then another question - what failed?

- God are you! It’s even scary to list, honestly! Take the problem of communal apartments. So far, there is at least one indigenous Muscovite living in a communal apartment, neither the mayor nor the government of the capital should sleep calmly. Or health care issues. A lot of things failed. Suppose to develop children's sports. He "failed" less than in other regions, but his potential does not correspond to what should be in the capital and in modern society. Both children's sports, and generally sport.

How can we get to the point that we hold the Russian championship in Berlin! You can imagine the scale of shame!

- How did the people working with you change during these ten years, and, finally, Muscovites?

- As for the environment, I will say that. Today, a team of specialists is working in the government. The team of people who, as they say today, are well advanced in their business. And they correspond to the changes that have happened over the years in society, and those criteria that exist today. Sometimes I hear - Luzhkov does not change the team, it threatens with stagnation, and so on. Yes, changing! Not at the request of politicians or some media, but for real necessity. When a person not only stops “plowing”, and when he simply pulls the strap, when he is not initiative. In this case, even with very high marks that he had in the past, I say goodbye to such a person.

Now about Muscovites. Recently, I participated in the next program "Facial to the city." Participated with Muscovites. Imagine a large family, four generations. Live in a three -room apartment. Intelligent, talented people. And what is most interesting, they had the opportunity to complain to the mayor, to tell about personal problems. This family was chosen by accident. I did not even know their last name. But they were lucky, and they could say bluntly: Yuri Mikhailovich, you see, it’s difficult for us, help, say, with housing. And what are they? This family, it turns out, is worried that the children in Moscow and in the state began to read less! They are concerned about the state of the tax system, the fate of the small business that they are engaged in folk crafts, domestic manufacturer, etc.

State people who are concerned about affairs in Moscow, in Russia ...

- And what, in your opinion, are these things today?

- As for Moscow, then, say, last year we worked well. The year was truly successful. But we have problems. Moscow is alarmed that the pace of production slows down.

- Moscow?

- No, everywhere. Here the gentleman of the repair predicts us an increase in unemployment. He took on this task. We have recently achieved a level that is unprecedented - 0.6 percent. And the repair raises: unfortunately, it may be worse. I would like to ask - what do you, except to predict, know how to do, Mr. Minister of Labor and Social Policy?

We are also worried about a single social tax. When the trade unions introduced it, the Moscow government was against it. But introduced. And what? They received a significant infringement of social capabilities, say, to finance spa treatment, for sports, for summer children's health campaigns, etc. And this is against the backdrop of the slow -down economic growth rate. Remember, when default erupted, it was a terrible time, but we survived it. We gained some experience and even learned the lessons. For example, they noticed that default increased the significance of the ruble, its competitiveness. We began to buy imported goods less. And this was a factor in the rise of production, but one that will not always work. And this means that it is necessary to create those conditions for lifting the economy that would compensate for the reduction in the share of the named factor. What is such a compensator? In my opinion, this is an increase in the level of wages. They say to me: what are you, this is the way to inflation. I think that you can only be afraid of inflation in one case - if it leads to the devastation of the market.

I had several conversations with Viktor Vladimirovich Gerashchenko, an outstanding financier, it is not for nothing that his name is Hercules. And he told me that the regulation of inflation is a very difficult problem, but there is no need to make Zhupel out of it. And we must monitor the availability of goods in warehouses, in stores. If the reserves are not reduced, you can raise the level of salary. In other words, wages should not be empty, as happened in the 90s. Inflation was almost half as much as possible, and the money was not provided with anything.

Since then, a lot of good and bad has happened, government has changed, and we must pay tribute to the current cabinet. He risked when he offered to reduce income tax to 13 percent. For example, I was afraid that the state would not get money. But the government, to be objective, acted boldly. And got positive results. Another thing is that in this government no one is engaged in the real sector of the economy. Nobody! Everyone plays in money - percent, credit rates. And there are no real, powerful efforts to stimulate the economy.

No matter what favorable factors develop in the global economy, everything will eventually become back in the backwardness of our technologies. Today we have technology - this is the 70s of the XX century. And in what century do we live in the century? That's what you need to think about.

Another trouble is our customs policy. I’ll say directly: we do not have customs policy. Therefore, the desire to join the WTO I consider it a dangerous goal. Moreover, political first of all. This is again (how not to recall our privatization!) Politics is jamming all the reasons for the economy. Who is against entering the civilized world or even to the countries of the golden billion? But first you need a set of measures that protect our domestic market, stimulating their own manufacturer. In this regard, the customs policy should solve two problems.

The first is to benefit the state. The second is to protect your own manufacturer. Remember the textile war between Japan and the United States, remember how the United States, having spit on everyone, set quotas and duties for imports. Remember the recent scandal with the legs of Bush, which I will never eat. And I forbid children to give. In short, we need to learn how to engage in protectionism in the good sense of the word. Sorry, but China, Türkiye can ditch our light industry. Engineering will undermine Europe, America, Japan. And the confectionery industry is the same Ukraine with its cheap sugar. If we join the WTO without any serious and unhurried stages of the transition, then we are the end.

- But, Yuri Mikhailovich, you must agree, Putin’s head should hurt, Kasyanov ...

“Shouldn't that disturb the mayor?!” Moscow in the state, among other things, is heavyweight for the production of various goods. Including products of high technology. Well, the mayor should worry only the cleaning of the territory? But in this case, we will not get any money for cleaning the streets, because there will be no tax collection. The entire social sphere depends on the solution of serious state, economic problems, everything is from the fight against homelessness to the problems of pensioners. I'm not talking about housing and communal reform.

In other words: Moscow is not an island. She is tied to everything that is happening in the country. Moreover, here all the processes are indicated most vividly and aggravated.

On May 1, a rally on the Vasilievsky descent gathered 140 thousand people. We have normal relations with trade unions. People came not only for the holiday. And today Moscow feels alarmed. The fact that unemployment may increase, by the fact that the growth rate of the economy is reduced ... Interesting, one student performed at the mentioned rally. He said: "Listen, why do we have been showing in television all the time, how do students drink beer? What are we drinking for 200 rubles of scholarships?" The guy was very indignant.

- Let's get back 10 years ago. There was probably a doubt - can I cope with such a strange profession - the mayor of Moscow? If just - was there a jack?

- Well, firstly, I wanted to work as mayor. After Popov left. I persuaded him to stay. I had no desire to sit in this regard, to take his place. But when he announced the departure completely, despite our persuasion, he felt this desire to work as mayor. I do not draw, I say sincerely. There was a feeling that I could.

The second time I felt confidence during the elections of the 96th year. Then something has already been done and much started. And most importantly - a huge support for Muscovites. Well, the third stage is the election of the 99th. Here I already wanted to protect my right to continue to work.

And yet - do not let the city defeat. I am very grateful to Muscovites that they supported me then. They said: you are imposing on us, but we will decide for ourselves. And they decided. Thanks to them.

You see, when society is alarmed by something, it declares its activity much more than on ordinary days. We Russian people are generally relaxed, chaotic. We need the enemy to approach Russia, to Moscow. And then!

- Such a city as Moscow can lose controllability?

- Of course, maybe. If the city is ineffective in the city. It can be given for plunder.

What is the effectiveness of power? This is the correctness of the decisions made, the ability to organize their implementation and support of society. If one of the conditions is not, it may happen terrible.

- And what does the daily working life of the mayor look like?

- The mayor must organize his life in the full subordination mode to performed duties. And this is absolutely systemic work. About 25 years ago, when I was already the director of a large enterprise, I was struck by a conversation with some American who explained: I have a program for every day, and I can’t even change it for plus or minus five minutes. As I understand him for ten years.

The mayor's working day begins at eight -twenty in the morning and ends at one in the morning. This is an absolutely tough program. The head of the Office of the apparatus Lev Ulyanov is its permanent creator. On Monday, I know what I will do at five o’clock in the evening on Friday. And on Saturday too.

- After our conversation, you go to play football. What account did Ulyanov define in the game?

- Three - one. (Laughs.)

- "Luzhkov in retirement" is the name of the horror film?

- Yes. This is a terrible and impossible thing. I am generally a workaholic. Do I have free time? Yes, I have. On some days in the evening or until work, I give for several hours to sports. After forty, sorry, a person should play sports.

- And the family?

- Sunday. First half of the day. The second half, most often - again some events.

- And the children?

- This is sacred. With pleasure, at the first opportunity, I go with my daughter to the theater, zoo and so on. They have been eight and ten years old. This is such a joy to communicate with them. I have a vacation only with children. Say, in January, we are on mountain skis.

Unfortunately, my children do not have sufficient contact with my father, but I try.

- Your serious passion for bees. What is it? Maybe the mayor of Moscow in psychology is rural person?

- I am absolutely a city resident. But if we had not put potatoes in the war and after the war, we would not be. If we had not salted cabbage, we would not have been. And if in the 52nd year we had not had a garden plot where strawberries, gooseberries, currants ...

As for the bees, you excuse me, there is more industrial science than agricultural science, no, not so. There is so much universal! I am collecting old beekeeping books. We intend to reprint the three-, four-volume "We are the heirs of the beekeepers of Russia." These are mainly books of the XIX century. They are absolutely relevant now. You will be surprised, the world of bees has changed since then. The equipment, however, people changed. But what kind of language in these books is a leisurely, figurative, calm, interesting. Tasty as honey. And what kind of people were engaged in beekeeping!

- Yuri Mikhailovich, is it true that you have invented some special hive?

- You can say so.

- What is the peculiarity?

- You agree that historically, to the apiary, the bees settled mainly in the hollows of trees. Trees are a round barrel. Then the great man, Prokopovich, came up with a frame. But, having made a square frame, he built it into a square hive. And such a hive in our northern country is like a hut that fierce in the winter freezes primarily from the corners. Therefore, I took the square frames and placed them in a round hive. Just? But, as everything is simple, effective. Now, we can say, the idea is put on the conveyor.

- And the engine you invented?

- It's too early to talk about the engine. He undergoes tests. I work out this task with glorious guys from Saturn. We tried completely from the unexpected side to approach the idea of creating an engine that would meet the conditions and capabilities of the 21st century, based on the principle of Rolzunov’s steam machine.

- Today you have a free day. After our conversation there will be football, and then?

- I'm going to the Kaluga region. Organize the apiary. I put fifty hives. I take seeds with me. Perennial honey plants. On thirteen hectares.

- Personal business?

- Well, no! I don't sell honey. I distribute. And I drink tea with him. Marvelous honey, Yegor Vladimirovich. I have prepared a jar and you ...