Here is another article which, apparently, ran afoul of Mr Putin. Quite why, I cannot say.
I should add here that I cannot be certain of the reason except for nearly 5 years I had no columns returned by the Strategic Culture Foundation, then I was told that columns about Russia or Russian policy (such as in Syria) were off limits and then I started having columns returned.
Perhaps they simply wanted to get rid of me in which case a letter would have sufficed.
Incidentally, I was paid a pittance for these articles so I’m not being a crybaby!
There are, it scarcely needs saying, many forms of so-called “democracy” going back to ancient Greece and Athenian democracy. Perhaps there is a common thread – the voice of the people is heard through voting for their leaders. The ‘franchise’ as we call it. The importance of the “election” is such that even the most egregious of dictators holds them – on schedule – then solemnly announces that he got 98.6% of the votes and trumpets his popularity and how essential he is to the nation.
The recent vote in Zimbabwe shows how this is now refined by the dictator so that there is apparently an Opposition and Opposition leader but, alas, they just didn’t get enough support so “better luck next time”.
Like many brought up in a “democracy” I’ve clucked my tongue with the best of them when these sorts of elections take place and thank my lucky stars that I live where the voice of the people counts. Except it doesn’t and those of us in Canada and the USA have entrenched electoral fraud. Continue Reading »
