Kossackja
28-12-2005, 02:04
AN OUTSPOKEN economic adviser to the Russian president Vladimir Putin has quit, saying he could no longer work in a government that had done away with political freedoms.
Andrei Illarionov said that political freedom in Russia has steadily declined and that government-controlled corporations have stifled competition and ignored public interests.
"It is one thing to work in a partly free country, which Russia was six years ago. It is quite another when the country has ceased to be politically free."
Mr Illarionov, who has also criticised what he says is a return to inefficient state control of the economy, complained that he was no longer able to speak his mind. "I considered it important to remain here at this post as long as I had the possibility to do something, including speaking out."
Yevgeny Ikhlov, who leads the group For Human Rights, described Mr Illarionov as "the last liberal in the government" who dared to expose the authorities' crackdown on political freedoms.from scotsman.com (http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=2465892005)
Too bad, I will miss him, since he was about the only man in government, who voiced a sensible view on the Kyoto bs:The Kyoto protocol will impose such strong economic constraints that it will be like an "international Auschwitz" for countries that ratify it, a top aide to Russian president Vladimir Putin has declared. Economic advisor Andrei Illarionov is a well-known opponent of Kyoto within the Russian administration, but his previous criticism pales in comparison with the latest remarks.
Kyoto is a "death treaty" that will "stifle economic growth" and bring "many negative implications" because it will limit Russian carbon emission growth, Mr Illarionov said in comments reported by news agency Interfax on Wednesday.
The global agreement was worse than the Gosplan committee responsible for the famous communist five-year plans, he said. Even Stalinist era prison camps had better conditions, he added: "In a gulag, people were at least given the same rations... from one day to the next, but the Kyoto protocol proposes decreasing rations day by day."from here (http://www.energyforum.net/news/2004/w16/news81.shtml)
Andrei Illarionov said that political freedom in Russia has steadily declined and that government-controlled corporations have stifled competition and ignored public interests.
"It is one thing to work in a partly free country, which Russia was six years ago. It is quite another when the country has ceased to be politically free."
Mr Illarionov, who has also criticised what he says is a return to inefficient state control of the economy, complained that he was no longer able to speak his mind. "I considered it important to remain here at this post as long as I had the possibility to do something, including speaking out."
Yevgeny Ikhlov, who leads the group For Human Rights, described Mr Illarionov as "the last liberal in the government" who dared to expose the authorities' crackdown on political freedoms.from scotsman.com (http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=2465892005)
Too bad, I will miss him, since he was about the only man in government, who voiced a sensible view on the Kyoto bs:The Kyoto protocol will impose such strong economic constraints that it will be like an "international Auschwitz" for countries that ratify it, a top aide to Russian president Vladimir Putin has declared. Economic advisor Andrei Illarionov is a well-known opponent of Kyoto within the Russian administration, but his previous criticism pales in comparison with the latest remarks.
Kyoto is a "death treaty" that will "stifle economic growth" and bring "many negative implications" because it will limit Russian carbon emission growth, Mr Illarionov said in comments reported by news agency Interfax on Wednesday.
The global agreement was worse than the Gosplan committee responsible for the famous communist five-year plans, he said. Even Stalinist era prison camps had better conditions, he added: "In a gulag, people were at least given the same rations... from one day to the next, but the Kyoto protocol proposes decreasing rations day by day."from here (http://www.energyforum.net/news/2004/w16/news81.shtml)