Decided?

The painful, but also the sweet occupation of Gorbachev in power was listening to economists in the hope of getting a saving recipe for the fallen Soviet economy. In this regard, he was no different from his fellow citizens from among the most political economy. It was very difficult for us, like us, that - how many economists, so many recipes. You listen to one - how true! You listen to the other - Lord, but this is exactly what you need! You listen to the third - here it is, that's how I, a fool, yesterday thought that it was completely different!

In the same state, Putin has been all these years. Nobody, even his Chekists, he did not listen as tirelessly and eagerly as economists. As should be in the fatal minutes, the participants of the consultation were divided into two parties. These are liberals and their opponents. When you follow their struggle, you involuntarily rejoice that it is not for you to make decisions. Liberals are career officials in the rank of ministers and so, their opponents are mainly academics, including (without jokes) and glazes. They cry for the liberals with stupids, they come in response truly inhumanly: they do not pay attention to them. Since liberals-ministers are Putin’s frames, the long-not hidden academic hatred of them at the end turned into a frenzy. The struggle, thus, was waged, and worsened day by day, for Putin.

Academics advanced. It seemed to them that they were scoring a goal for a bare goal in the gates of the liberals, but they did not achieve anything, because they did not go out onto the field. When Putin asked why they were behaving like that, they answered that to communicate with illiterate people-the destiny of politicians, and they are not politics. Can you imagine the condition of academicians at whom these upstarts look like psychiatrists - at patients suffering from delirium reformation? This is what happens in Russia, except for the "swamp business", the Olympic Games, the Crimean War and the Ukrainian elections. The last trick of academicians is to declare themselves outside the policy, which is why only the ideological background of the case became more clearly.

And here attention, a simple reader! Now we will say about the greatest oddity of recent years in the Russian top. Putin’s people calmly told him (with their, of course, words) that not a damn thing would come out, if they didn’t end Putinism, the academicians screamed that this was no more than politicized wasteland, insisting that it could be highly high in Putinism. It would seem that Putin was supposed to be the whole creature with academics, since they promised him a success without an attempt on his regime, and he (not the regime, but Putin, but partly and the regime, regime, too) continued to stay in the camp of his ideological graveters, if not afraid of strong expressions. Understand what you want.

How can the majority of the population be worse if the authorities will steal less and crawl, and the courts will be more like the courts?

The economy is such a cunning or, conversely, ingenuous matter, which it does not, and even more interested, cannot, with all the desire, be distracted from his faith. Nevertheless, until recently, Putin felt better, as said, in the company of liberals, in the Gaidarovsky institutes fixed on the healing. It turns out that he was yanking with them contrary to his Chekist nature. With academicians, he seemed to be afraid to be alone. True, they, as it was more than once clarified after the water in the stupa, in principle, did not oppose normal institutions: worse, they say, will not be. Indeed, how can the majority of the population be worse, if the authorities will steal less and crawl, and the courts will be more like the courts? Thus, everything seemed to be resolved by an almost routine transaction: we, academics, are ready to endure you, liberals, if only you have accepted at least some of our proposals. For example, to maintain education and healthcare by a couple of interest of budget deficit, to supply water to the exporters mill less.

But the liberals are not in any. This story has just ended, and such a manner that seemed unlikely before Western sanctions. At the St. Petersburg forum, Putin announced something that the liberals if they believe, then not immediately and with sorrow. The central bank will now be engaged in investments. Taxpayers' money will go to capitalize state banks. Investments will be famously, almost without looking, reinforced by state guarantees. It will not decide what to make money on, the market will not evaluate its calculations, but all this will be done by an official, and if not a thief, even worse. It costs all conceivable punitive measures from all parts of the world. This is what a discouraged person is capable of who does not have his own economic (and only economic!) Beliefs. In addition, Kudrin’s calculations remain in force that with such military expenses that the country allows itself, it does not matter much who will win in the ongoing battle for the body No. 1: liberals, academicians or even pensioners-lambers, since all of them will smoke the imminent Russian Maidan on one day. Including Kudrin himself.

Anatoly Striere - writer and publicist, host of the Radio Liberty program "Your Letters"

Opinions expressed under the heading "Law" may not reflect the point of view of the editorial office