Zhirinovsky: “a new generation has come of age now: the one that will not forgive you, the one that will punish you all!”
“You act as if we’re living in Stalin’s times! But Bortnikov is not Beria. And you will fail to arrest everyone.”
The politician threatened that all members of his fraction in State Duma will resign so that “the world can see the sheer state of this country”.
Vladimir Zhirinovsky has long since exchanged his political independence for two curious activities: a) broadcasting the innermost thoughts and worries of the “deep Russian folk” regarding nationalist topics; b) being a sort of “tester” for Kremlin’s radical ideas – first, he voices them, then the President’s Administration evaluates the public response and takes respective measures.
This is of course implying we disregard the context of the commonplace “loyalty fee” for the ability to maintain “political party business” including feudal-Esque profiteering from multiple impoverished territories.
Habitually, Zhirinovsky’s strong and scandalous statements tend to end with glorious nothing – so it was in 2011 when he threatened Kremlin with revolution, then in 2013, and so on. Such activation always happens on command and during elections. Afterward, having “vented steam”, the politician receives another boon from the “supreme leader” and obsequiously suggests the latter should be crowned for ages. Zhirinovsky sings threats of retribution and does so in a clownish and rowdy manner, but occasionally he drops the act to demonstrate his deep knowledge of Kremlin’s backstage – thus right after the 2018 “elections” he “foretold” the constitutional reform and the creation of State Council, as well as the dismantlement of the few remaining simulative democratic procedures. So it’s obvious everything has been planned beforehand, not quite in the spot of a moment.
Seems like the next maneuver by President’s Administration is being prepared right now: early elections of State Duma are being planned under the aegis of the new Constitution, therefore Zhirinovsky’s threatening demarche is nothing else but a directed theatric performance. I will not be in the least surprised if very soon we will see him officially meeting Vladimir Putin along with other “parliamentary opposition leaders” and emphatically endorsing Kirienko’s and Vaino’s decisions outlined in advance.
Conclusion:
Zhirinovsky is free to pretend to be Zeus the Thunderer as much as he likes – alas, the source of his electricity and political longevity lies in Kremlin. That said, an electric lamp has neither will nor the ability to fight a war against the power station.
