Putin: Will He or Won't He?

[KayBur]

Not really. Honest in terms of vote-counts maybe, but when the powers-that-be can choose who they run against, elections are not free. I also have doubts about their honesty in places that matter, i.e. big cities.

I agree. What is democracy in a country if election results are falsified over and over again? If the senile is reset to zero terms of the presidency. I have no idea how people survive there. I watched a video of what roads they have there and what a mess. Perhaps the video is exaggerated, but I was on a business trip in Eastern Europe, where everything is not as rosy as we would like.

 

[The Atheist]

Here's a real will-he-or-won't-he dilemma for Vlad:

https://www.alternet.org/2020/10/the-u-s-is-playing-a-dangerous-game-of-nuclear-chicken/

Will he do something about it or not?

I doubt Biden's incoming administration will continue the insanity, so he might just be sitting back and waiting.

 

[Childlike Empress]

I agree. What is democracy in a country if election results are falsified over and over again? If the senile is reset to zero terms of the presidency. I have no idea how people survive there. I watched a video of what roads they have there and what a mess. Perhaps the video is exaggerated, but I was on a business trip in Eastern Europe, where everything is not as rosy as we would like.

You understand that Russia is about twice the size of the US with less than half of the population? Pretty easy to find messy roads. Try an experiment and take a look with Google Maps/Earth at the roads at some random inner city places in Moscow and New York City. Report back.

 

[KDLarsen]

I guess it's time for another round of 'Will he or wont he?'

Russian lawmakers have introduced a bill to parliament that would give Vladimir Putin lifetime immunity from prosecution if and when he decides to leave office.

The draft bill would give a former president immunity from criminal prosecution for any offences committed during his lifetime. A supermajority of lawmakers would be required to revoke the protections. Currently, ex-presidents are protected for actions taken only while they were in office.

It is the second bill this week that provides special provisions for former presidents, prompting talk of whether Putin, 68, might be preparing for retirement.

On Saturday he sponsored legislation that would entitle a former president to a lifetime seat as a senator in Russia’s Federation Council, a position that also comes with immunity from prosecution.

The Guardian: Russian MPs consider lifetime immunity for former presidents

 

[JoeMorgue]

I'd love to hear what the rationale for lifetime immunity is.

 

[The Great Zaganza]

I'd love to hear what the rationale for lifetime immunity is.

Putin is so awesome at Judo that, completely innocently, he might seriously injure or kill someone just by being being in the same room as them.
It's not his fault for being that great, so an immunity is necessary,

 

[EHocking]

Putin to quit due to Parkinson’s Disease

Or so a whole bunch of crappy tabloids worldwide are rumouring.

 

[timhau]

I'd love to hear what the rationale for lifetime immunity is.

Vladdy has racked up an impressive crime list before and during his presidency, and he intends to keep that up in retirement.

Unfortunately, banana republic laws aren't really worth the paper they're written on , so he better pick his successor carefully.

 

[TragicMonkey]

Vladdy has racked up an impressive crime list before and during his presidency, and he intends to keep that up in retirement.

Unfortunately, banana republic laws aren't really worth the paper they're written on , so he better pick his successor carefully.

It's all nonsense anyway. If Putin gives up power before he dies his successor will almost certainly novichok him. He knows that. This is just to make his enemies imagine he's actually considering stepping down at some point.

 

[The Atheist]

The answer to "Will Putin have Navalny arrested?" was answered in double time.

Arrested as soon as he got off the plane at Moscow.

I think the idea that Navalny is stark raving mad needs to be explored. It's all very well showing the world his cojones by returning, but he's messed with Vlad and I'd have him at very long odds to survive a prison term. I'd think Vlad would give an immediate pardon to anyone who killed Navalny wile inside.

 

[Childlike Empress]

I think the idea that Navalny is stark raving mad needs to be explored.

He waited exactly long enough to get into trouble again before he returned to Russia. See this announcement by the Moscow government from three days ago. Feed it into a translator and read it carefully. Maybe then you will finally realize that this clown with no actual following inside Russia has made a career out of creating events for the "western" media.

 

[The Atheist]

Maybe then you will finally realize that this clown with no actual following inside Russia has made a career out of creating events for the "western" media.

Ah now I see.

I presume he stole the Novichok to poison himself with. He should change his name to Baldrick with a cunning plan like that.

 

[Lukraak_Sisser]

So, what are the odds Navalny will accidentally fall from a fifth floor window in a hospital soon?

Seriously, why doesn't Putin just drop the pretense and crown himself Czar Vlad the Great?

 

[Childlike Empress]

Ah now I see.

I presume he stole the Novichok to poison himself with. He should change his name to Baldrick with a cunning plan like that.

I heard that Bellingcrap now "found out" that a team of 30 "KGB" specialists followed him around for years just to fail to kill him with the most deadliest nerve agent ever developed. A true Übermensch!

Seriously, read this and drop the crack pipe.

 

[The Atheist]

Seriously, read this and drop the crack pipe.

I'd rather take the word of Vladimir Uglyov.

But hey, don't let anything stand in the way of your love for Putin, so do carry on.

 

[The Great Zaganza]

Defenestration is a know medical condition in Russia....

 

[The Atheist]

Defenestration is a know medical condition in Russia....

And that's only the ones we know about, as are these people who have all been murdered after criticising Putin: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/he...wound-up-murdered/2KEHMXWYNSKZDVTPK2UU5SYN4A/

And as to the time factor, the Skripal poisoning took place 20 years after the affront to Vlad, and long after his release from jail.

Still, you have to say Trump was taught by a master - Putin has long known that if you tell a lie often enough, people will believe it, with nine times as many Russians believing UK intelligence carried out the poisonings than believe the FSB was repsonsible.

 

[Childlike Empress]

Skripal and his daughter are presumably still alive but hidden away by British "intelligence" (last rumour I've heard is that they are in New Zealand with a new identity). The poor fellow who died was Skripal's cat - but not of Novichok. Another fun recent article by John Helmer:

SKRIPAL’S CAT RALLIES RUSSIANS TO LAUGH AT ALEXEI NAVALNY

[...] On October 2, 2018, Vzglyad introduced an author whose pen name was reported as Nesh Van Drake (Нэш Ван Дрейк). These words are meaningless in English except that, spelled in Cyrillic, the first of the words evokes the Russian word Nash (Наш) meaning “our”. This was also the name of the black cat (lead image, 3rd from left) which lived with Sergei Skripal in his Salisbury house, until Skripal was attacked on March 4, 2018, and the cat was then put to death by the British. “To alleviate its suffering” was the reason of state announced at the time.

“Skripal’s cat” (Кот Скрипаля) is also the name on the byline for seventeen articles Vzglyad has published by this creature over the past two years. The other names are meant to sound both Dutch and English; to some ears they may be a reminder of Rip Van Winkle. He was the Dutch-American character invented by Washington Irving in a story he published in 1819. In that tale, van Winkle drinks a mystery liquor given to him by Dutchmen, causing him to fall asleep. When he wakes up again, it is twenty years later, and the American revolution has passed. Van Winkle’s first name is the abbreviation for Rest in Peace; Irving’s tale makes fun of people who have made themselves obsolete.

In his debut, Skripal’s Cat explained that the first Novichok affair was a case of a Russian attempt at rescuing their triple agent Sergei Skripal from the clutches of MI6 who succeeded at foiling the exfiltration; failed at the poisoning itself; and made clumsy mistakes in their cover-up. “While our doves of peace flew over the seas, over the valleys, carrying a message from Skripal,” the Cat aka Nesh van Drake wrote, “Skripal himself struggled with a pathetic semblance of Novichok in his blood. But because Russian blood is stronger than not only Goethe’s Faust, but also English chemical craftsmanship, our colonel remained alive… Now I am seriously considering plans to write a report for the GRU on how the British evolved from James Bond to Johnny English.” [...]

 

[Garrison]

Skripal and his daughter are presumably still alive but hidden away by British "intelligence" (last rumour I've heard is that they are in New Zealand with a new identity). The poor fellow who died was Skripal's cat - but not of Novichok. Another fun recent article by John Helmer:

SKRIPAL’S CAT RALLIES RUSSIANS TO LAUGH AT ALEXEI NAVALNY

Look I get it, your handler in Moscow will get mad if you don't keep up your word count, but you have never and will never convince anyone of the validity of your Putin propaganda drivel. Being generous and assuming you are sincere rather than merely trolling you doubtless see yourself as some crusader for the truth, while everyone else simply sees you as a random loony standing on a street corner yelling about Repitilians.

 

[Childlike Empress]

Look I get it, your handler in Moscow will get mad if you don't keep up your word count, but you have never and will never convince anyone of the validity of your Putin propaganda drivel. Being generous and assuming you are sincere rather than merely trolling you doubtless see yourself as some crusader for the truth, while everyone else simply sees you as a random loony standing on a street corner yelling about Repitilians.

Extra points on the "oh I don't care but I must must must tell you how much I don't care" scale for "Repitilians", buddy.