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Speedhump wrote:Is that irany (sic) or sarcasm?
No-one knows the true result of the ballot, probably never will.
BUT you forget that still not everyone wants to live in a democracy. For example there are a lot of inhabitants of the ex USSR that would like to have their old jobs guarding escalators back (I'm not making a joke). Countries where the state previously provided for everyone (with either a lot or a little) have a lot of people who are lost and without bearings when democracy is suddenly thrown in their path. Freedom to vote and free markets aren't just a birthday present everyone can unwrap and enoy. A lot of people sink.
Red Chief wrote:Speedhump wrote:Is that irany (sic) or sarcasm?
No-one knows the true result of the ballot, probably never will.
BUT you forget that still not everyone wants to live in a democracy. For example there are a lot of inhabitants of the ex USSR that would like to have their old jobs guarding escalators back (I'm not making a joke). Countries where the state previously provided for everyone (with either a lot or a little) have a lot of people who are lost and without bearings when democracy is suddenly thrown in their path. Freedom to vote and free markets aren't just a birthday present everyone can unwrap and enoy. A lot of people sink.
Why don’t you leave former USSR alone and bother about bright future of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the topic, you are more familiar with?
On the other hand the only two “democracies” on the post Soviet space (Ukraine and Georgia) definitely show the worst results in economic and social developments. I don’t know whether it’s a coincident or a consequence of a simple human desire of some private persons to shorten a long way from rags to riches using the sudden power. Probably more elections mean more people is getting wealthy.
Speedhump wrote:Just one more question. Do you think Georgians will ever really feel part of Russia? They seem all down the years to have been a different mentality of people. It was no coincidence that Stalin was Georgian; strong minded but charismatic, people who met him admired and simply wanted to follow him.
Speedhump wrote:Maybe it's the gypsy blood
I can see how Georgia was a battleground for hundreds of years between Mongol, Ottoman, Persian, all making grabs at them. It must make for a certain type of character I guess. Maybe not so civilised as Russians I'm sure.
I don't know much about the Ottoman wars in Eastern Europe (yet). But I do believe that although their invasions were bloody and barbaric, once they had subjugated the people they were then quite tolerant rulers.
I could happily retire and read world history for the rest of my life.