Komsomol meeting

The newspaper "Vremya Novostei" tried to find out the political views of the youth movements of the two parties in power

All major political parties have youth branches, which are designed to interest traditionally apolitical youth in politics. The youth wing of the “main” party in power, “United Russia”, “Young Guard” has about 70 thousand members and in the last elections proved that, thanks to active street agitation, it is capable of “throwing” an additional percentage of votes to its older fellow party members.

The party in power number two - “A Just Russia” - recently had several youth wings appear at once. The largest of them is “Victory” .

Despite the periodic attacks of both “Russies” on each other, both parties do not hide the fact that they fully support the current President Vladimir Putin. The newspaper Vremya Novostey tried to find similarities and differences in the ideology of the youth movements of the parties in power by asking their representatives the same questions. The questions of Vremya Novostey correspondent Kirill MELNIKOV were answered by the co-chairman of the youth movement “Victory” of the A Just Russia party, Dmitry GUDKOV, and the chairman of the political council of the Young Guard movement of the United Russia party, Nadezhda ORLOVA.

Dmitry Gudkov: The President is not a girl to love or hate

— How do you feel about Russian President Vladimir Putin and the policies he pursues?

— There is such an interesting opinion that the president is no longer a person, but a certain function. The President is not a girl to love or hate. He is responsible for all government policy. Therefore, it must be assessed according to other criteria. Of course, I agree that during the years of Vladimir Putin’s presidency there has been political and economic stability. The country now has an energetic president who speaks foreign languages ​​and works 20 hours a day. There are many positive achievements in Russian politics. But there are also erroneous decisions, in my opinion. For example, the transition from elections to the appointment of governors, the abolition of single-mandate elections to the State Duma, the tightening of election legislation. Once upon a time this may have been in demand, but now we need to return to the norms that existed before. The goal has been achieved: we now have few parties, all of them are more or less large, and now they must be given the opportunity to develop.

Now, it seems to me, everything must be done to ensure that political competition appears in the country. Otherwise, we are driving many bright leaders into the opposition. If there were fair competition, there would not be so many dissatisfied people. Left behind, many find only one way to participate in political life - through the street , through “Dissent Marches” and other protests.

As for Putin’s policies, I am sure that many of the president’s instructions are carried out to no more than 20%. The President talks about democracy, but we see that many of his instructions are carried out exactly the opposite.

— Do you think the next president will be a person whom Vladimir Putin will place personal trust in?

— I think so: who would give up power just like that? I am sure that in any case, Putin will continue to control many processes for a long time. If we look now, we will understand that there is not a single serious figure who could replace him. Putin’s influence on the masses will still be enormous : the people love Putin, because the country is stable and there have been no crises for a long time. Although, it seems to me, life will still make its own adjustments. People will someday learn to choose. Sooner or later there will be a revolution in the minds, and not on the streets, I hope. And democracy will rule the country. Well, there shouldn’t be such a thing as choosing a party or a person for twenty or thirty years!

— In your opinion, is there an opposition in Russia?

- Of course there is. But the Russian opposition has failed to become a real force over many years. True, now a new player has appeared - “A Just Russia”. This is a kind of constructive opposition to United Russia. The Social Revolutionaries not only criticize, unlike the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, but also offer an alternative program of action. Although this is a very young party. It held its first congress only in February, so for objective reasons it has not yet gained strength. But I think everything is ahead.

— How do you feel about the “Other Russia” movement?

- What is the program of all opposition parties, movements - participants in the “March of Dissent”? Some things they may say are correct. But I don’t understand one thing: how can Kasparov, Limonov, Kasyanov be united in “one political bottle.” These are people who have only one thing in common - hatred of the president. But if they come to power, they will need to make political decisions. Then they will be in complete discord: Kasyanov will be drawn towards capitalism, Limonov - towards National Socialism, etc. Like a swan, crayfish and pike. It will turn out like in Ukraine, the situation in which already falls into the category of medical ones. These people will still disperse.

— Is there freedom of speech in Russia?

- We have many problems with freedom of speech, but we must understand that the media everywhere depend not only on money or power, but also on the position of the editor-in-chief. For example, the newspaper “Zavtra” is unlikely to write well about the SPS party, and on the first and second channels the priority is always “United Russia”. To be independent, a newspaper or television channel must be public, as in many civilized countries of the world. The leadership of public media should include representatives of various parties and civil society institutions. The editorial policy of public media is always a compromise.

-- Is it possible in Russia to repeat the events in Georgia and Ukraine that led to a change of power? Youth movements played a big role there.

- It is obvious that a change of regime took place there not only due to the good will of the citizens. But such a turn of events was, in my opinion, expected, because our officials are accustomed to pounding the table with their fists and solving everything by force. The Americans worked differently: they created non-governmental organizations, various foundations, “worked on the ground”, with people. Maybe we shouldn’t have put so much pressure and insist on Yanukovych’s candidacy, maybe we should have worked with Yushchenko in due time. In addition, it was possible to use mechanisms of inter-party cooperation, civil society institutions, etc. Unfortunately, it turned out according to Chernomyrdin: “we wanted the best, it turned out as always.”

And with Georgia, it seems to me, they went too far. Georgian winemakers found a new market - in Ukraine, and Russia got problems in Transcaucasia. Again, it could have been done differently. We are accustomed to blaming America for all its sins, but we ourselves make mistakes that cause even more harm. For some reason, we are sure that at any moment we can send a platoon of PR specialists to our closest neighbors. But what will be the point in them if in 10-15 years people there will no longer understand Russian at all? By the way, in most countries of the same Shanghai Cooperation Organization, children already speak Russian poorly - that’s what you need to think about.

— Do you agree with the statement of the Russian President that we now live in a unipolar world?

- Yes. And so far America is ahead of the rest. Although China is also beginning to claim leadership. Therefore, we need to develop the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. You cannot quarrel with Europe, but developing a different direction is strategically important. Russia and China can become the second pole.

-- Is the USA an enemy or a partner of Russia?

- In some areas, a partner and ally, and in others, a competitor. There are a number of joint programs - the fight against international terrorism, for example. There is a competition for energy resources and geopolitical influence. The Americans have completely legal organizations that work with young people, with civil society institutions, including in Russia. Why can't we do this? The time has passed when we tried to conquer the whole world with propaganda. Now is a new time, new technologies are working. Why don't we introduce, for example, preferential courses in studying the Russian language for our neighbors from the SCO or CIS member countries?! People will come here, communicate, learn Russian, study culture.

—Is there now a threat of a “cold war”?

- The Cold War probably can no longer exist, because globalization has swept the whole world - everyone is bound by economic interests.

--Who do you consider your main opponent in youth politics?

- “Young Guard”, because this organization has a large number (70 thousand), and we still have about 50 thousand, but we can get ahead of them. “MG” is quite organized, has a clear structure, serious funding, administrative and media resources. So the “Young Guards” are our competitors. But not enemies, because we understand that they are hostages of the situation. There are normal guys there who might want to do something, but can’t. And most importantly, they have to pretend all the time that everything is fine in the country and is only getting better. We can calmly raise pressing problems of young people and offer concrete solutions.

— Please tell us about the projects that your movement is preparing now.

- I have no doubt that the main problem of young people is housing. Housing today is unaffordable even for young bankers. A good friend of mine works as a top manager in a fairly large bank. Even he, with a high salary, cannot yet buy an apartment. And if the banker can’t, what can we say about the rest?! The phrase “affordable housing” at the current cost per square meter sounds simply mocking. This suppresses and humiliates, giving rise to social injustice.

That is why, together with specialists, we have prepared a low-rise construction project, the implementation of which will make it possible to sell housing for young people at $300-500 per sq. m. meter. And this is not a myth. A presentation of the project will be held soon. Throughout Russia, we will demand the allocation of land plots on which young families, united in youth housing cooperatives, will be able to build housing for themselves at cost. Investors, all intermediaries, and the corruption component are excluded from the housing purchase scheme. And young people build their own housing at construction costs. We called this project “Youth City”, and it is one of our main priorities. By the way, many other youth movements also support this idea.

In each region we will use all legal means to achieve the allocation of land. But if they don’t give us the plots, we will fight and demand. If young people understand that it is possible to get an apartment at an affordable price, they will fight for this right. We will be able to gather 10-20 thousand people for such actions, and riot police will no longer disperse them. In any case, when people understand that the Pobeda movement - the youth wing of A Just Russia - protects the interests of young people, young people, in turn, will reciprocate our feelings in the elections. So victory is ours - literally and figuratively.

Nadezhda Orlova: Personally, I want to see a man in power

— How do you feel about Russian President Vladimir Putin and the policies he pursues?

- In this case, I do not separate the personality from the idea. That is, when I say “Putin,” I do not mean a specific married man of athletic build, father of two children, but the main political processes that are taking place in our country. The latter appeal to me. Firstly, they are holistic in nature - this is when changes in one industry are initiated systematically and taking into account how they will affect another industry. For example, you reform the military industry, and as a result, librarians receive an increase in their salaries. In our unstable world, such a systematic approach is simply vital, like, say, a railing on a steep spiral staircase. Secondly, these processes concern me personally, Nadezhda Orlova. For example, I like the prospect of receiving maternity capital or buying an apartment under the Affordable Housing program as a member of a young family.

— Do you think that a person who will be personally trusted by Vladimir Putin will become president?

- The president will be the one we choose ourselves. The key words are “ourselves”. For us, the Young Guard, these words contain the essence of sovereign democracy. We ourselves choose a new political time, we ourselves are responsible for our choice. On May 4, we said exactly that, during a large public event, at which, with the consent of 15 thousand participants, we expressed support for the current political course of the country. So “The Successor is Me.” And the full name of a specific person does not matter much to us. However, personally, I want to see a man in power. A large, headstrong country needs firm, strong leadership, which only a man can organize. What's his name? Don't know. In my opinion, this should be a person with whom you agree in assessing the capabilities of your country and the criteria of “what is good and happiness for the population.”

Given the enormous popularity of Vladimir Putin, the contours of the future structure of presidential power will naturally differ from the current one. I am extremely interested in what forms it will take. But there is no fear of the future - the departure of a key figure does not mean an inevitable loss on a national scale or chips instead of a playing field. We have a strong political party on the one hand - this is United Russia, and the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and the Liberal Democratic Party, which give the necessary drive, on the other. Plus youth movements that work on the streets. So the situation is under control, and the country can live in peace!

— In your opinion, is there an opposition in Russia?

— If we consider the opposition as an alternative force that has the support of at least 7% of the population and offers not just an upgrade to the top of the government, but a fundamentally different way to make Russian citizens happy, for example, by creating a new paradigm of life, we do not have such opposition. There is a strong habit of voting and people who live on memories: the Communist Party of the Russian Federation stands on this and “A Just Russia” begins to rise. There is a charismatic leader who is a “walking oxymoron”, being always expectedly unexpected: he forms the LDPR. As for those who like to criticize the authorities and scare people, we have a bunch of such groups. To talk about them as an opposition means to engage in free PR for them.

— How do you feel about the “Other Russia” movement?

-- These are decent spinners. That is, people who know how to professionally organize and manage information “bubbles”. I think that commercial companies should pay attention to this movement and include it in the list of participants in the tender for annual PR services. In politics, other Russians prefer to flash around and fuss. Like fish that always accompany marine authorities. No authorities - no leftover food. Diverse fauna makes the world brighter and the sea cleaner.

— Is there freedom of speech in Russia?

- If I start “huffing” in the corridors of MGIMO or saying “he will call” instead of “he will call”, at best I will be equated with Tatyana Larina - they will be considered a “dirty village girl” and excluded from the circle of interesting interlocutors. The same thing will happen if I start to confuse the masculine and feminine genders (look how beautiful the dog is) and construct phrases a la Andrei Platonov. We forgive only foreigners the freedom to use words. If we talk about freedom of speech in a political context, then any of us can tell a dozen political jokes, disrupt the work of the BBC by proving that people in Russia regularly drink cologne, and register a dozen publications of a socio-political nature. It is clear that each media outlet has an owner, and journalists follow the editorial policy that he sets. Both the actions of the “dissenters” and the work of United Russia will be interpreted by journalists according to his tastes and preferences. Does it restrict freedom of speech? Without a doubt. However, the owner is a gentleman.

-- Is it possible in Russia to repeat the events in Georgia and Ukraine that led to a change of power? Youth movements played a big role there.

--It’s flattering, of course, that young people are considered the main players in the political field. However, for the purity of the experiment, we will need at least several political swindlers, one weak president, a deep division of the country along ethnic lines and many foreign well-wishers. We do not have such a set of “reagents”. And I don’t think it will appear in the foreseeable future.

— Do you agree with the statement of the Russian President that we now live in a unipolar world?

— The architecture of international relations is changing, that’s a fact. There were 15 EU countries, now there are 27. Previously, country had contact with country, now country with owners of transnational corporations, country with leaders of religious groups, country with non-profit organizations. At the same time, the leading role still belongs to the UN, weapons are used by those who cannot speak or are not bearers of shared values, and the phrase “you need to stand out with your brains” determines the country’s place in the world. How many centers of force are there in it? I counted a few. China as an economic giant, which also has the most numerous infantry, Japan as the main supplier of breakthrough technologies and ideas, Saudi Arabia as a nursery of terrorism, the United States as a manufacturer of dominant human desires, values ​​and lifestyle. However, the main question is not how many polarities are in the world, but where, in fact, we are? The answer is not yet very clear. Therefore, I put on nanotechnology.

- Is the USA the enemy or partner of Russia?

-In 1918, Lev Trotsky and his comrades in negotiations in Brest-Litovsk proposed the formula "neither war nor peace." It seems to me that to some extent this is a rude description of our relations with the United States. There are projects in which we participate jointly, but there are things with which we radically disagree, such as a war in Iraq or an agreement on Kosovo. This does not mean that, without supporting certain initiatives from the United States, we pursue anti -American policies. We answer our national interests as a country that builds sovereign democracy. It is clear that someone does not like this process. Are we becoming enemies? The probability is approaching zero.

- Is there now a threat to the Cold War?

- The term smells of naphthalin. In general, it sounds irrelevant. Now there is a war of ideologies, a war of meanings: for example, what is more attractive - a society of equal needs or a society of equal opportunities? Intraspecific competition or cooperation? A person stands over nature or exists inside it?

- Who do you consider your main opponent in youth policy?

-- Laziness! A lazy person, in principle, rarely moves brains, especially since it is difficult for him to reflect on civil duty or defend his rights on the street, forcing the power to work. It is good that the elections to the State Duma are at the beginning of December. Polling stations will not have to compete with attractiveness at least with barbecue. Well, if you go to political organizations and personalities, we will win in the battle for the youth electorate we will be over the “fair Russia” (I don’t take four of its youth wings - “password, password, password”, periodic solemn meetings of the leader from balls and flags in hands and almost zero actions) and ATP.

- Please tell us about the projects that your movement is preparing now.

- At the end of June, we will have the finals of regional "political factors" in seven regions. Around the same time, the primaries of the United Russia party begin to form a party list in the elections to the State Duma. The lists have our candidates selected through the program of the Federal Political Plant, so we are awaiting the results with excitement. Currently, we are making a “review of the Young Guard Rows” to expand the youth election headquarters in all regions of the country, prepare a new manifesto and work on several more interesting projects, which are early to talk about.