Precedent

All yesterday, everywhere (Twitter and beyond, Internet platforms and the media) there was a battle around the Ministry of Education, around Livanov, around Fedyukin.

Duma factions, the professional community, and the public as a whole reproach Livanov for unprofessionalism, incompetence, and the fact that he cannot establish contact with scientists and teachers.

Livanov’s defenders describe his modernity, courage, and uncompromisingness in the fight for a non-Russian Russian education; they admire that he is a United Russia member according to documents, a liberal at heart. They like him, there’s nothing they can do about it, there’s no need to change him, and in general he looks like James Bond.

In general, the naked eye can see that on one side there are arguments on the merits, and on the other there are politics and emotions.

It’s just a classic situation in Russian elections of recent decades: how to vote, with your mind or with your heart?

The paradox is that Livanov’s supporters, who insist on a rational, meaningful position every election, now vote “with their hearts”, without any logic, because they like it.

The paradox is that they, who all these years insisted on civil initiative, on the fact that the public should raise its voice and present its demands to the authorities, now themselves disavow this public opinion and resist it.

Carried away by arguments of a purely political nature, they ignore the fact that Livanov’s possible resignation is the main political argument today in favor of the fact that civil society in Russia is gaining strength, that it is regaining not only the right to vote, but also the right to decide, who is worthy to represent his interests.

Livanov's resignation is important as a precedent, as evidence that the era of complete disregard for public opinion has come to an end, as evidence that society is regaining control over power, that it is it, together with the professional community, that determines who sits in their place and who does not .

Finally, this is a precedent that will set a rule according to which not only universities that are ineffective in terms of ratings will be cut, but also ministers that are ineffective in terms of ratings.

Justice for all!

And there is only one question: who will respond to the demand of society, who will administer this justice - the president or Livanov himself, who has the opportunity to submit his resignation at any time.