Taras Kuzio’s Blog

Yanukovych-Yushchenko Stop Tymoshenko! Alliance

November 22, 2009 – 9:31 am

http://eng.weekly.ua/pulse/economy/2009/11/19/060635.html

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Weekend Diary

November 16, 2009 – 9:06 am

Weekend Diary
On Saturday I decided to take a break from Ukrainian politics and “escape” from Ukrainian politics by going to see the film “2012”. What better way to “escape” from reality than going to see a film about the end of the world!?
Little did I realize that even outside – and inside – the cinema “escaping” from Ukrainian politics would prove to be impossible.
As I waited to go into the cinema three young people called my name and, because I did not know them, they explained that they knew me from five years ago when they had been members of Pora. Because of this connection to the Orange Revolution I could not resist asking what they thought of the last five years. Without even thinking about the question they replied in the negative.
We then moved on to the candidates in the upcoming elections. After discussing the second round as one with “no choice” (that is, they could never vote for Viktor Yanukovych) I asked them what they thought of Arseniy Yatseniuk’s 180-degree change in views from those he had until 2008 as a member of NUNS, as Foreign Minister and Parliamentary Speaker?
One former Pora member replied that “Maybe he had no views in the first place”. Maybe she is right? As a Westerner I assume – wrongly – that everybody has a viewpoint (especially a “representative of the younger generation”) and stands for something. This is obviously the wrong conclusion to reach in a post-Soviet country like Ukraine.
During the commercials prior to the beginning of the film in the Ukrayina cinema, the packed audience were surprised to see a political advertisement by presidential candidate Yatseniuk. This was the first time in my life I had seen a political advertisement in a cinema; such a feature is uncommon in cinemas in the West.
The reaction of the audience was more interesting than the actual advertisement. They also, like myself, seemed surprised and bemused, but more importantly not very happy at the fact that Ukrainian political realities had intervened into each individual “escape” from Ukrainian politics.
I very much doubt that Yatseniuk obtained additional voters from the investment he made into the commercials shown inside Ukrainian cinema’s before the start of films. If anything, the opposite is true and he probably lost voters.
The following day I purchased a copy of newly published political magazines. The front cover of Ukayinsky Tyzhden said everything (http://www.ut.net.ua/) there was to say about how Ukrainians relate to Arsenii. UT’s depiction of him is the same as that found on the political satire Nedotorkani (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7bg306NQnw) that was prepared for TRK Ukrayina but was never aired on the channel.
Why Nedotorkani was never aired I have no idea. Maybe after watching the show TRK Ukrayina management decided to also take a time-out from Ukrainian politics. I recommend nevertheless watching it on the internet as it very well made.

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