Vladimir Putin: “The Liberal Idea Has Become Obsolete”

There are three topics guaranteed to cause enormous controversy at this site: Jews, abortion, and the Russians. Opinions on those subjects are so strongly and vehemently held that commenters often forget common civility when they hasten to express their two cents’ worth.

It is thus with great trepidation that I post the following interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Before you jump all over me about any lying, brutal, sneaky, conniving, and lethal behavior by Mr. Putin, pay attention to what he says. Read it carefully, and see where you agree or disagree.

All politicians that rise above the county board of supervisors level are dishonest and insincere to varying degrees. No one attains regional political prominence without compromising the truth and his own principles. It’s simply not possible, given the political realities. All major politicians lie and dissemble — some just a little, others a whole lot. There are no exceptions.

So the issue for me isn’t whether Vladimir Putin is sincere in these things he says — it really doesn’t matter. What matters is whether he acts in accordance with what he says. If he does, then the Russian people will be better off than they might be otherwise. I don’t know about the rest of the world — his job is to take care of his own people, so we in the West will just have to keep a close eye on him. Western political leaders need to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves when they deal with the Russians.

And if he doesn’t act in accordance with what he says, then he will be consigned to the ash heap of history, as so many leaders have been before him when they disregarded the needs and aspirations of their own people.

Many thanks to D@rLin|{ for verifying the translation, and to Vlad Tepes for the subtitling:

Video transcript:

00:00   Again a big picture question. I talked at the beginning of our conversation about fragmentation.
00:08   Another phenomenon today is that there is a popular backlash against elites
00:15   and against the establishment, and you have seen that — Brexit in Britain.
00:23   Perhaps you were speaking about Trump’s America. You have seen it with the AFD in Germany;
00:30   you have seen it in Turkey; and you have seen it in the Arab world.
00:38   How long do you think that Russia can remain immune to this
00:45   global movement of backlash against the establishment?
00:53   You should look at the realities in each particular case.
00:59   Of course, there are some trends, but they are only general.
01:05   In each particular case, when looking at the situation and how it unfolds, you should
01:12   take into account the history of the given country, its traditions and realities.
01:30   How long will Russia remain a stable country? The longer the better.
01:39   Because very many other things and its position in the world
01:42   depend on stability, on internal political stability.
01:45   Ultimately, the wellbeing of the people depends, possibly primarily, on stability.
01:55   One of the reasons, the internal reason for the Soviet Union’s collapse,
02:03   was that life was difficult for the people, whose take-home wages were very small.
02:12   The shops were empty, and the people lost the intrinsic desire to preserve the state.
02:21   They thought that it could not get worse no matter what happened.
02:28   It turned out that life became worse for very many people, especially at the beginning of the 1990s
02:34   when the social protection and healthcare systems collapsed and industry was crumbling.
02:42   It could be ineffective, but at least people had jobs. After the collapse, they lost them.
02:47   Therefore, you should look at each particular case separately.
02:52   What is happening in the West? What is the reason for the Trump phenomenon, as you said, in the US?
03:03   What is happening in Europe as well? The ruling elites have broken away from the people.
03:15   The obvious problem is the gap between the interests of the elites
03:20   and those of the overwhelming majority of the people.
03:25   Of course, we must always bear this in mind.
03:29   One of the things we must do in Russia is never to forget
03:34   that the purpose of the operation and existence of any government is
03:41   to create a stable, normal, safe and predictable life for the people
03:49   and to work towards a better future.
03:52   There is also the so-called liberal idea, which has outlived its purpose.
04:04   Our Western partners have admitted that some elements of the liberal idea,
04:09   such as multiculturalism, are no longer tenable.
04:15   When the migration problem came to a head, many people
04:19   admitted that the policy of multiculturalism is not effective,
04:23   and that the interests of the core population should be considered.
04:29   Although those who have run into difficulties because of political problems
04:34   in their home countries need our assistance as well.
04:40   That is great, but what about the interests of their own population
04:46   when the number of migrants heading to Western Europe is not just
04:50   a handful of people but thousands or hundreds of thousands?
05:00   Did Angela Merkel make a mistake?
05:05   Yes, cardinal mistake. One can criticize Trump for his intention to build a wall
05:12   between Mexico and the United States. It could be going too far. Yes, maybe so.
05:19   I am not arguing about this point. But he had to do something
05:24   about the huge inflow of migrants and narcotics.
05:30   Nobody is doing anything. They say this is bad and that is bad as well.
05:33   Tell me, what is good then? What should be done?
05:36   Nobody has proposed anything. I do not mean that a wall must be built
05:42   or tariffs raised by 5 percent annually in economic relations with Mexico.
05:48   This is not what I am saying, yet something must be done. He is at least looking for a solution.
05:52   What am I driving at? Those who are concerned about this,
05:57   ordinary Americans, they look at this and say,
06:03   good for him, at least he is doing something, suggesting ideas and looking for a solution.
06:07   As for the liberal idea, its proponents are not doing anything.
06:12   They say that all is well, that everything is as it should be. But is it?
06:18   They are sitting in their cozy offices, while those who are facing the problem every day
06:24   in Texas or Florida are not happy, they will soon have problems of their own.
06:31   Does anyone think about them?
06:34   The same is happening in Europe. I discussed this
06:37   with many of my colleagues, but nobody has the answer.
06:40   They say they cannot pursue a hard-line policy for various reasons. Why exactly? Just because.
06:47   We have the law, they say. Well, then change the law!
06:53   We have quite a few problems of our own in this sphere as well.
06:57   We have open borders with the former Soviet republics,
07:01   but their people at least speak Russian. Do you see what I mean?
07:05   And besides, we in Russia have taken steps to streamline the situation in this sphere.
07:12   We are now working in the countries from which the migrants come,
07:18   teaching Russian in their schools, and we are also working with them here.
07:23   We have toughened the legislation to insist that migrants
07:27   must respect the laws, customs and culture of the country.
07:30   In other words, the situation is not simple in Russia either,
07:34   but we have started working to improve it.
07:37   Whereas the liberal idea presupposes that nothing needs to be done.
07:42   The migrants can kill, plunder and rape with impunity because
07:45   their rights as migrants must be protected.
07:48   What rights are these? Every crime must have its punishment.
07:52   So, the liberal idea has become obsolete. It has come into conflict
07:58   with the interests of the overwhelming majority of the population.
08:04   Or take traditional values. I am not trying to insult anyone,
08:07   because we have been condemned for our alleged homophobia as it is.
08:11   But we have no problems with LGBT persons. God forbid;
08:15   let them live as they wish. But some things do appear excessive to us.
08:29   They claim now that children can play five or six gender roles.
08:35   I cannot even say exactly what genders these are; I have no notion.
08:42   Let everyone be happy, we have no problem with that.
08:47   But this must not be allowed to overshadow the culture, traditions
08:54   and traditional family values of millions of people making up the core population.
09:02   Does that include — this is very important, like you say — the end of this liberal idea,
09:12   because — what else did you say — uncontrolled immigration, open borders, definitely,
09:19   as you say, diversity as an organizing principle in society?
09:27   What else do you think is just finished and over in terms of the liberal idea?
09:32   And would you say — if I could just add — that religion therefore
09:39   must play an important role in terms of national culture and cohesiveness?
09:46   It should play its current role. It [religion] cannot be
09:55   pushed out of this cultural space. We should not abuse anything.
10:06   Russia is an Orthodox Christian nation, and there have always been problems
10:12   between Orthodox Christianity and the Catholic world.
10:18   This is exactly why I will now say a few words about Catholics. Are there any problems there?
10:24   Yes, there are, but they cannot be over-exaggerated and used for
10:28   destroying the Roman Catholic Church itself. This is what cannot be done.
10:32   Sometimes, I get the feeling that these liberal circles are beginning to use certain elements
10:37   and problems of the Catholic Church as a tool for destroying the Church itself.
10:43   This is what I consider to be incorrect and dangerous.
10:47   All right, have we forgotten that all of us live in a world based on Biblical values?
10:56   Even atheists and everyone else live in this world.
11:05   We do not have to think about this every day, attend church and pray,
11:14   thereby showing that we are devout Christians or Muslims or Jews.
11:23   However, deep inside, there must be some fundamental human rules and moral values.
11:33   In this sense, traditional values are more stable and more important for millions of people
11:38   than this liberal idea, which, in my opinion, is really ceasing to exist.
11:44   So religion, religion is not the opium of the masses?
11:52   No, it is not. But I get the impression that you are detached from religion,
11:56   because it is already 12:45am Moscow time, and you continue to torture me.
12:01   As we say here, there is no fear of God in you, is there?
12:05   This is history. I have waited a long time for this.
12:12   I have got one last question. And thank you for your — go on please.
12:19   Please, go ahead. —Mr President, would you say — I was reflecting on what you just said:
12:25   some of the themes you were referring to would echo in people such as Steve Bannon,
12:30   and Mr Trump himself, and the groups in Europe who have come to power.
12:36   Do you think if the time of the liberal idea is over, is now the time of the ‘illiberals’?
12:45   And do you see more and more allies growing around the world
12:48   to your way of seeing human existence at the moment?
12:51   You know, it seems to me that purely liberal or purely traditional ideas have never existed.
13:01   Probably they did once exist in the history of humankind, but
13:05   everything very quickly ends in a deadlock if there is no diversity.
13:09   Everything starts to become extreme one way or another.
13:19   Various ideas and various opinions should have a chance to exist and manifest themselves,
13:36   but at the same time, the interests of the general public,
13:40   those millions of people and their lives, should never be forgotten.
13:44   This is something that should not be overlooked. Then, it seems to me, we would be able to avoid
13:51   major political upheavals and troubles. This applies to the liberal idea as well.
13:58   It does not mean (I think, this is ceasing to be a dominating factor)
14:02   that it must be immediately destroyed.
14:07   This point of view, this position should also be treated with respect.
14:12   They cannot simply dictate anything to anyone
14:15   just like they have been attempting to do over the recent decades.
14:18   Diktat can be seen everywhere: both in the media and in real life.
14:25   It is deemed unbecoming even to mention some topics. But why?
14:32   For this reason, I am not a fan of quickly shutting, tying, closing,
14:37   disbanding everything, arresting everybody or dispersing everybody.
14:42   Of course not. The liberal idea cannot be destroyed either;
14:46   it has the right to exist and it should even be supported in some things.
14:51   But you should not think that it has the right to be
14:57   the absolute dominating factor. That is the point. Please.
15:03   You really are on the same page as Donald Trump.
 

12 thoughts on “Vladimir Putin: “The Liberal Idea Has Become Obsolete”

  1. Where was Putin speaking and more importantly to who? I look liked what he, and you, said. Very interesting indeed. Would that the looney left get eith the program.

    • He must have been in the Kremlin, and the interviewer sounded like an American or a Canadian.

  2. And so he will continue to massively import migrants no longer with liberal methods, but with totalitarian ones!

    Do not believe the words of the information golem.

  3. A lot of what Putin said was common sense. It shows how far the PC/MC world has deviated from this.

  4. Putin’s word in this interview are pure and unadulterated common sense. They sound refreshing after the boring screeching of the woke crowd.

    • Putin’s words have nothing to do with what is really happening in the country.
      A selection of criminal news from the hometown of Putin, Petersburg.
      This is only one source, there are others.
      https://konkretno.ru/kriminal/
      Drunk Asian broke the glass entrance doors of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute

      In Nevsky district, a visitor from Tajikistan raped an 11-year-old girl

      Tourists from Colombia robbed in the center of St. Petersburg. Police detained suspects – two citizens of Tajikistan.
      ========
      In one single day, I gather as much news about the “tricks of migrants and Muslims” in Russia as you collect from all over Europe.

      • Nobody is yet answering Elena, which is unfortunate, as she is in Russia and speaks Russian.

        I would point out in the face of her Putin scepticism that:

        1. the Muslim welfare migrants to the EU or the Anglosphere from MENA (Middle East, North Africa) do not speak the language of the countries they are occupying by globalist invitation and are largely unskilled; Tajik or Uzbek migrants to Russia speak Russian and are presumably not doing it for the welfare benefits (are there any for them?) but for the work? Surely that work eases future integration? What is the migrant unemployment rate in Russia?

        2. what is the official Russian justification for Russian migrant policy? is it the same as the globalist one behind the humanitarian-style empathy cant, that is, requirement of continued economic growth (mortage and consumer debt of Nigerians or Pakistanis in Stockholm, housing prices and higher rentals for Syrians in Berlin, retail sales to fecund Iraqis in London)?

        3. I have the impression that no Russian entity bows down to Islam the way that legislature/judiciary/executive do in the USA and its vassals. This will be because Islam e.g. Daesh, is the weapon of the “West” to split up Russia and China (Uighurs), hence Islam has to be protected in the West with accompanying and purely cosmetic gubmint programs of “deradicalisation” to fool the voters.

        Relevant Putin text below:

        06:57 We have open borders with the former Soviet republics,
        07:01 but their people at least speak Russian. Do you see what I mean?
        07:05 And besides, we in Russia have taken steps to streamline the situation in this sphere.
        07:12 We are now working in the countries from which the migrants come,
        07:18 teaching Russian in their schools, and we are also working with them here.
        07:23 We have toughened the legislation to insist that migrants
        07:27 must respect the laws, customs and culture of the country.
        07:30 In other words, the situation is not simple in Russia either,
        07:34 but we have started working to improve it.

        • Practice shows that they live in enclaves and do not want to integrate.
          On the other hand, corrupt officials and police are cashing in on them – this is a real “gold mine” for them.

          The Russian Empire and the Soviet government at one time managed to pull these backward peoples from the feudal and tribal society. BUT! Their number for 1916 was ten times smaller (according to WIKIPEDIA). And then they multiplied very much.

          Now Russians do not integrate this mass. Just no opportunity.

          Russians have a big problem with demographics. The oligarchic regime did not want to invest in the population, and now the problem arose of retaining these vast territories. Therefore, Putin imports migrants by the millions.

          A little forecast for the future.
          Wahhabism in the Vladimir region. Our Kosovo.
          https://werewolf0001.livejournal.com/4443754.html

          • OK thank you Elena. But I do not understand why importing millions of migrants from SCO, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation into what is now Russia allows Russia to “retain these vast territories.” Becauser Uzbekistan and Tajikistan and Kazakhstan are now independent countries.
            So does “retain” mean”have good relations with”?
            Do those three countries benefit greatly from money sent home from Russia by migrants working in Russia?

            So is Putin
            1. bribing the leaders in those countries with that money for their economies and so stopping them thinking about cooperating too much with Erdogan in Turkey (all those countries are Turkic; Erdogan is very necessary in US aggression towards Russia) or the Chinese
            2. ensuring that Russia has low-wage migrant labour, for example on building sites, and constitute demand for Russian goods?

            (NB: it is nice to see your phrase “backward peoples from feudal and tribal society”, pure Marx and Engels writing about Central Asia. This phrase could now get you banned from social media in the West and/or disciplined in your job or sacked, depending on the legal code in a given country and whether any Turkics noticed it or some government Diversity person wanted a career advancement.

            Because there were no tribes, there are just First Nations, you know:-))?

    • He specializes in talking common sense.

      I suspect that he’s also behind some of the funding for “woke” projects in the West, along with the Chinese, Saudis, etc.

      The method is to create divisions in society – while at the same time looking reasonable/appealing. I think that these are old KGB techniques.

      And let’s face it – at this rate, in 20-30 years, life in Russia will be a lot more pleasant than in the “West” (or what’s left of it).

  5. It was an interesting conversions , Putin is still a really dictator we must no forget .He has some very good points that many leaders in the western world have lost the thread of doing things to protect and advance their own countries and people at the expense of virtual signaling small fringe groups .Not addressing problems and being truthful about solutions to problems in countries following “progress” ideas does not make problems go away. The west cannot solve the problems of the third world by importing large numbers of third world people with no limits , borders , laws or stability in who can enter and stay in any country of their choice. Giving “special” rights to” migrants” or people who where “oppressed 60,80 150 years ago does not seat well with the general population and enhances instability in any country that puts forth this crazy idea .The rights of law abiding citizens should not take a back seat to illegal law braking non-citizens who refused to follower the laws of the country they have entered as uninvited “guest”. WE in America have had 45 years under democratic and republican presidents and congressmen of both parties who have not address this problem.

  6. The Russians call the democrats “dermocrats”: loose translation [excrement]ocrat.

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