VLADIMIR PUTIN : SOCIALIST ICON OF THE FUTURE OR A MAN ABOVE POLITICS ALTOGETHER?

Are the fears of the most rabid, redneck and hyper-capitalist right-wingers in the USA now being confirmed?

In his address to the Federal Assembly of the Russian federation today Vladimir Putin presented a series of measures that are distinctly socialist in nature.

The emphasis was very much on the transfer of wealth from the state to those in need. To children and families, to single mothers and pregnant women, on those suffering from poverty and underprivileged at the bottom of Russian society.

Those of a young age are to be assisted at the time when their immune systems are being built with new payments and discounts. Every Russia will be able to access a health check with priority given to those with afflictions and diseases most prone to worsening by Covid-19.

Health and Family are the two watchwords emphasized by him throughout the first half of his address with a plethora of finance-backed initiatives to bolster the population growth of Russia and provide incentives and services to maintain good and boost life expectancy to seventy eight years on average.

Richer Russians will pay more to the state for the benefit of those suffering in Russian society, from disabilities and disease, especially children.

In his address one new transfer of state wealth after another to the Russian people was announced and brought to mind a statement from last year by Medvedev that state planners are looking at the possibility of a universal basic income Russia.

There are some normally thoughtful people in the West who are inclined to believe in an equitable society where the needy are provided with multiple means of gaining the benefits of the good life or the basic fundamentals for a decent life at least. Many of these people consider Vladimir Putin to be a figure of the right, some even go so far as to call him a despot, a dictator. I would challenge all of them to watch his address below and see if they can equate his words to anyone other than a man with a deep and abiding social conscience.

To others, themselves on the far right, you can forget any allegiance you may have in regard to Mr Putin due to thinking him to be on your extreme side of political life. He is not. In large part he is one of those rare individuals that has risen far above the usual left-right dichotomies or neat little boxes of political theory many still insist upon. First and foremost he is a Russian patriot and dedicated through and through to the well being of all the Russian people and to Russia herself. His heart is generous, and his intent is benign.

Even when slanderously attacked by the most vicious of lies as to his character he remains generous of spirit. In the weeks to come he will no doubt have his first meeting with Joe Biden as the new U.S. president. You can be sure that despite Biden’s recent slanderous words about him he will greet him nonetheless with a smile and a handshake and be as gracious with him as with any other leader.

This is a man who doesn’t care what you call him or that you attempt to place him within some closed political box. He simply gets on with the job in hand irrespective of what others think or say about him. And that job is simple to state but highly complex to perform; improving the life of every Russian and, if possible having good relations with all other world leaders and nations to achieve benefits all round.

Is he a Socialist? Is he a Communist? Is he a Capitalist?

If any attribute, emotion, impulse, intention action or policy within any of these three assists in bringing the Russia people to a better life I am certain he will use it, personify it, nurture it and bring it to fruition across Russia. Just as long as it does that job.

Like all men who achieve such a position who are determined to do their utmost for the good of their people rather than for themselves he is a pragmatist, and not at all a dogmatist. He has seen how dogmatism destroyed potential and hindered growth. He knows that those plagued by such fixed ideas cannot possibly see the whole picture or employ all tools to benefit everyone possible.

His focus is on real help, practical help, not in posing in any way, shape or form. With him there is no pretense involved. As he said in his inaugural address on first becoming president in the year 2000 he is only human and will make mistakes... but that his complete focus will be to benefit the people of Russia and the nation of Russia herself, his motherland.

And so he is today, twenty-one years later and so he will be until the day he dies.

His heart is that of a socialist. His mind sees the benefits of capitalism.

Using both he constantly envisions ways to bring the best of all possible worlds to the Russian people.