Grigory Pasko: Yavlinsky Goes Green
The latest variant for fitting out Russia
Grigory Pasko, journalist
Grigory Yavlinsky appeared on 21 March at a conference of ecologists in the settlement of Dubrovsky outside Moscow. Here are quotes from his speech.
“…The freeloaders have become partners. Grab. Hold. Live for today. Stretch yourself out. Take everything from life. These are the slogans of the freeloaders. Pyramids have been known since the 17 century.“
“I asked bankers who got burned on the default in the year 1998 in Russia: why didn’t you foresee? Answer: when you’re getting 300% profit – the head doesn’t comprehend.
Stagflation – rising prices and falling incomes. Inflation and a drop in production.“
“In the USA – mass bankruptcies need to be carried out. Huge money isbeing put in – 2 trln. dollars. And things just aren’t moving yet.“
“In the RF we depend on them. 98% of the raw material [goes] forexport. They’ve got a decline in production – we don’t have themerchandising of raw material. Besides this, we don’t have independentcourts, independent business. Our state – a businessman. There’s noindependent parliament. An extremely low level of trust in the state -the court, the police, the procuracy. We ought to have started usingreserves (if they still exist) for getting out of the crisis. The wayout – in the creation of domestic demand. To start the construction ofhomes. The programme – house-roads-land. To give out lands and letpeople go build houses. Roads too will appear. They want to allow theNational Welfare Fund to go for the construction of Olympic sites inSochi. But they ought to [spend it] on the construction of houses forpeople. 14 trln. rubles are required, based on 130 cu. meters perfamily. A ruble put into construction will give from 7 to 12 rubles inconnected sectors – from electric power to furniture for appointing thedwelling. The fitting out of life. And the movement of life to theEast, so as not to lose Russia beyond the Urals forever.“
“We’re losing time. The whole people would take part in this housingprogramme, because this would impact every family. This isn’t aboutsaving Deripaska.“
“We’ve got a strategy chosen, after all – to watch and wait. When theUSA over there is going to crawl out of crisis. And in this time toberate the USA.”
“The world economy does not take indirect costs into account. Theprice for gasoline includes the search for, the production of oil,distillation, the production of gasoline, filling stations… Does notinclude: climate, the army, health care…For now it doesn’t include.That is, the price ought to be 4 times higher.”
“Price – this is a signal. The world market is giving the wrongsignals. Hence wrong decisions. The non-limitlessness of naturalresources is not taken into account.”
“Costs not taken into account today will lead their having to betaken into account in the future. This is a worldwide problem, not onlya Russian one.”
Summary: «My critical considerations – for you and me, and not forthe power. If we tolerate the power – then this is our problem».
Commentary from G. Pasko:
– The former head of the «Yabloko»party hasn’t appeared in public much in recent times. And this isunderstandable – the party has another leader – Sergey Mitrokhin. Buton occasion, certain calls come out from the bowels of the party: tounite, for example. And new programmes: about yet another fitting outof Russia, for example. The whole misfortune, as it seems to me, isthat few react to Yavlinsky’s proposals – even rational ones. Butpublic resonance in general I don’t see and don’t hear. Here you cometo a conclusion whether you like it or not: either the «Yabloko» partyneeds to be seriously reformed; or it will die.
– …But Grigory Alexeyevich’s speech was interesting.
Photo of Grigory Yavlinsky by Grigory Pasko
