Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Putin's stupid economic policies might be eroding the support of the Russian people

New York Times reporting that workers in some Russian cities are not getting paid.

MOSCOW — In the far east, the teachers went on strike. In central Russia, it was the employees of a metallurgical plant. In St. Petersburg, autoworkers laid down their tools. And at a remote construction site in Siberia, laborers painted their complaints in gigantic white letters on the roofs of their dormitories.
“Dear Putin, V.V.,” the message said. “Four months without pay.”
After months of frustration with an economy sagging under the weight of international sanctions and falling energy prices, workers across Russia are starting to protest against unpaid wages and go on strike, in the first nationwide backlash against President Vladimir V. Putin’s economic policies.

This is the New York Times, so I don't know how true it is because it has taken a consistent, anti-Russian stance since Crimea, however, take it for what it's worth.

I can tell you that I have a friend whose family lives in Siberia and they are very frustrated and angry at what Putin has been doing.

Workers not getting paid. Hospital closings. Spending cuts. Skyrocketing interest rates.

The Russian people are starting to feel the pain of Putin's stupid policies in reaction to US/EU sanctions.

I  predicted this.

Instead of ramping up domestic spending and investment, curtailing oil and gas sales to Europe and decisively intervening to end the violence in Eastern Ukraine, Putin has done the opposite. He's imposed austerity, stopped making payments to workers, pleaded with Europe to allow Russia to continue its gas sales (to help his oligarch friends?) and bought gold (WTF???).

This is much  more than a slap  in the face to the Russian people who have supported him. It's abandonment.

Western neocons might be playing a more savvy game of chess here. They might not have to do very much; as Putin's support erodes who knows what could happen? He gets removed? A coup by some oligarch with CIA support? Just thinking out loud.

4 comments:

Matt Franko said...

Is the NIA accounting framework the "new gold" ?????

They are thinking like: "We cant pay you because our external surplus has collapsed!"

Similar to previous: "We cant pay you because nobody has dug up enough gold!"

As if the metals werent bad enough for centuries, now all these morons have become slaves to a preferred ex post outcome of a f-ing national accounting framework.... what a bunch of disgraced losers...

rsp

Tom Hickey said...

The strongest opposition in Russia to Putin right now wants Russia to take Eastern Ukraine by force, NATO be damned. In their view, the advantage is all on Russia's side militarily, since Ukraine is on Russia's border and the US is thousands of miles away. And they are willing to use tactical nukes to do this.

Merkel and Hollande know this, which is why they went to Moscow to work out a deal in the face of US opposition. They don't want a war in Europe, much less a nuclear war that would destroy Western Europe.

Tom Hickey said...

As far as the NYT on Russia goes,

http://sputniknews.com/columnists/20150420/1021135202.html

Magpie said...

"Instead of ramping up domestic spending and investment, curtailing oil and gas sales to Europe and decisively intervening to end the violence in Eastern Ukraine, Putin has done the opposite. He's imposed austerity, stopped making payments to workers, pleaded with Europe to allow Russia to continue its gas sales (to help his oligarch friends?) and bought gold (WTF???)."

He's doing a Dilma Rousseff: alienating his people by embracing austerity, precisely when his foreign enemies move against him.

Brilliant.