And he sang beautifully

The former head of the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly, Senator Vadim Tyulpanov, died. Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, whom journalists, when working in the parliamentary pool, considered insufficiently democratic and constantly teased him.

It was only later that everyone realized that in modern realities he was perhaps a greater liberal than many “regular” oppositionists. A senator whose hand did not raise his hand to vote for the “Dima Yakovlev Law”, and he said he was sick. A husband who loved his wife immensely.

He answered all the press questions, even the most idiotic ones: how many times does he do pull-ups on the horizontal bar, what does he eat for breakfast, when will he start singing at La Scala, etc. Sometimes he answered awkwardly. And then his press secretary tried to persuade journalists not to publish the boss’s unfortunate statements. She asked, not demanded.

Interviews were difficult for him. He seemed shy. I remember we were sitting in his huge office in the Mariinsky Palace, and he was forced to make an election speech about the social code. It’s hard, with sighs and long pauses. However, as soon as I asked a question about the family, he broke into a smile. And for half an hour he talked non-stop about his son Vladik’s tolerance lessons, about his daughter Milana’s studies at the journalism department, about his wife Natalya.

Once Vadim Albertovich spoke out against children studying abroad. It turned out very sincerely in a Tulip way. He said that children should not live in Europe even for six months, because “they are starting to like it there more and they don’t want to go back.”

Politicians have a habit of lying, this is professional. Tulips are certainly no exception. But he never said that he drives a Zhiguli, lives in a five-story panel building and vacations only in Anapa. In a luxurious official car, he drove straight onto the ramp of the Mariinsky Palace and entered the Legislative Assembly with dignity. While his replacement, Vyacheslav Makarov, hid for a long time that he had acquired a luxury car, parked it a kilometer away and ran to work across the entire St. Isaac's Square.

And one more thing. As the head of the Legislative Assembly, Vadim Tyulpanov did not place his relatives in the Mariinsky Palace. For him it was a kind of taboo. He didn’t have to shout, stomp his feet, or call himself a warrior of who knows what in order for people to listen to him. His subordinates and deputies respected him.

Every December he threw a Christmas tree for journalists and loved to give presents. Sometimes it’s just candy, sometimes it’s something more serious. Many did not take them for reasons of principle, but he never insisted, was not offended, and simply a year later tried to give gifts again. They say this is not a bribe, but from the bottom of my heart.

It was possible to have late-night conversations online with Tyulpanov. He had a great sense of humor and often joked (he was especially good at jokes about Buryats).

But he could also be a free psychoanalyst. Once I flew from Stockholm and almost at the airport I came across everyday rudeness. She started whining on Twitter that Russia is not Europe. And VAT calmed me down until almost five in the morning.

He was unexpected. A few years ago, Tyulpanov proposed nominating Nadezhda Tolokonnikova from Pussy Riot for the title of the most beautiful woman in Russia. His former subordinate Vitaly Milonov publicly attacked him with terrible force, but Tyulpanov stood his ground: “She endured everything that befell her with dignity. Nadezhda has long been worthy of leniency, although I have a negative attitude towards her actions.”

He also sang romances and arias beautifully, recorded CDs and gave them to everyone.

There is one less broad soul among the senatorial corps...