Jonathan Steele's hit piece in the Guardian is a sad example of the condescension that so many hold for Ukraine. He insists on spinning this as a West-Russia dispute, as if the Ukrainians themselves have nothing to do with it. If he'd troubled himself to talk to some actual Ukrainians, he'd know that they're viewing this as a fight against a Mafia-esque ruling class which is using its powers to repress dissent, monopolize political power and cannibalize the nation's infrastructure through corrupt "privatization" schemes.
These oligarchs sound like just the sort of people a nice Lefty like Steele would be against. But I guess it's just more fun to poke a stick at the United States.
In an incredibly Orwellian moment, he dings the US for "provocatively" financing exit polls. Let's get this straight, the oligarch government was financing rigged polls to help justify their theft of the election. Yet it's the WEST who is trying to use exit polls to perform a coup? What a jackal.
Then he goes with an incredibly simplistic "half of the country supports either candidate" approach. Then why are there demonstrations for Yushchenko in virtually every city in the country, and why are there so very few Yanukovych rallies? Why is Kiev awash in orange-clad out-of-towners, but only a handful of Yanukovych people have come -- and these have been paid to do so. Even during the election campaign I never met a paid Yushchenko worker or a Yanukovych volunteer.
As for the map showing the country split by voting tallies, this was done using the corrupt voting results. Factor out millions of stolen votes and watch the colors shift.
As for his implications that this is a Western-financed movement, I'd LOVE for him to come down to the Square and explain his views. He can do that amid hundreds of thousands of people who have traveled to Kiev and devoted themselves to the fight for fair elections -- and this on $60 a month. No one financed that, they're getting by on pure dedication. Most of the donations I've personally seen are coming from the Diaspora, Ukrainians living abroad who care about the relatives they left behind. And this is just and right.
This movement is being run on a shoestring. Things like orange ribbons and homemade flags are practically the only "advertising" we've done. The tent camp has piles of donated food and clothing, brought to the perimeter by babushki.
His contention that many elections have been rigged without outcry from the West is a canard. Those elections were also rigged without outcry from the people. This are an entirely different situation -- this time the people decided they'd had enough. And so the West has very honorably supported them in this.
This is such a pathetically obvious hit piece. Check this out:
"Nor is there much evidence to imagine that, were he (Yushchenko) the incumbent president facing a severe challenge, he would not have tried to falsify the poll."
There's also not much evidence that Jonathan Steele wears women's underwear, but that won't stop me from cynically implying it. See how it works?
Posted by Discoshaman at novembre 27, 2004 12:27 PM | TrackBack
Agree its a shame that the Guardian's hatred of the US seems to have trumped its support for democracy.
There is a rather more rounded item in The Times by Norman Davies this morning.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1376622,00.html
Posted by: Christopher Price at novembre 27, 2004 01:37 PMBesides wearing orange and writing to my Senators, how can an American expat in Prague support the protestors?
Posted by: neil at novembre 27, 2004 01:58 PMWhat a long, strange trip it has been for the Left! They used to be for freedom and democracy. Now they're just mush-brained psycho fascists in severe need of a reality check. Jonathan Steele would be merely a figure of fun if what he's writing about weren't so important. Lefty journalists don't even try to get it right (sorry, no pun intended) anymore, they just blather on in their Solipsism-R-Us universe. They're no longer just funny. They're dangerous.
Posted by: Madeleine at novembre 27, 2004 03:10 PMI think steel's analysis could not be more off the mark and offers me more reasons (if i needed any) not to buy the guardian and feed my info-needs through the net. This is not just about ukraine. Corruption, censorship, mafia-esque ruling classes, media control are real problems in many countries including the US and Italy. It is important for everybody that you pull this off! Best of luck.
Posted by: jj at novembre 27, 2004 03:27 PMJonathan Steele of Guardian is no progressive old leftist.
He is a decrepit fascist-leftist sucker up to Islamist - "my socialist planning on others".
Progressive old leftists never sucked up to fascism and Islamism and still dont.
Posted by: Askari at novembre 27, 2004 03:28 PMMadeleine - I dont think you should be so hard on the left per se. Yes there is a faction within the left that would prefer, say, the Arab world not to have the vote than for it to be the US that gives it to them, but it is only a faction.
In the US Christopher Hitchens and in the UK Nik Choen see no conflict between supporting both the WOT and the redistribution of wealth.
Check out the excellent Harrys Place Blog for some views from the democratic left. There are few good posts on the Ukraine there too.
http://hurryupharry.bloghouse.net/
Posted by: Christopher Price at novembre 27, 2004 03:40 PMThis was an comment of an journalist in the Guardian, but now there are Western Europaen diplomats in Kiev. And: Their appeasement strategy is weakening the democratic movement. So it seems to me.
Same opinion found in DER SPIEGEL, German magazine online.
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,330027,00.html
Seems that the Old Left will go to any lengths to force-fit new events into their now-antique mold of How The World Works.
It's strange how people in the West who call themselves "progressives" are so opposed to real progress, whether it's throwing off the yoke of Soviet Communism or escaping the stranglehold of post-Communist entrenched oligarchs.
If the past is any indication, the future belongs to the free. I'm encouraged by the Ukranian people's recognition of that and their willingness to fight for it.
Thanks again for your reporting, Discoshaman. This may be just another blog amongst millions but because you work for the advancement of liberty you stand tall on the world stage.
I will wear orange on Monday, Nov. 29th in solidarity with the friends I've never met half a world away. Take heart. The world is watching. Ukraine will be free!
Posted by: New Yorker at novembre 27, 2004 04:41 PMI keep finding the anti-Leftist remarks quite bewildering. Sucking to the US is not the right thing to do. Obvious US support for Ukraine's bid to join the EU will poison its chances (read the story of Turkey).
You really need to be sucking to Western Europe's Left, some of whom hold power and might have a say in whether you join the EU or not. For all the talk of oligarchs and mafias, the opposition there is funded from Poland.
Whatever one's opinion about the Guardian overall, it's not fair to accuse them of being so anti-American that they minimise the problems in Ukraine. Jonathan Steele's piece was just one of several columns on Ukraine. They had another one by Timothy Garton Ash, which took a different view. The opinions of the columnists are not necessarily those of the paper; they have included a variety of voices, some no doubt deliberately provocative, in order to encourage broad discussion.
To see all the Guardian's Ukraine coverage see their special report.
Posted by: Amy at novembre 27, 2004 08:32 PMI think this highlights the problem with the "Europe as a counterweight to the US" school of thought.
If the US were cynically hoping this would all blow over so that the guys who rigged the election would stay in power instead of giving moral and diplomatic support to the democrats, then Europe might be needed as a counterweight.
If the US were to gloss over Rwanda because of favorable oil deals instead of trying to rally countries to the cause, it might need a counterweight.
But if the US chooses to be on the side of the angels and you choose to be a "counterweight", what does that make you?
”They're no longer just funny. They're dangerous."
Madeleine wants to eliminate anyone labeled “left” because they’re dangerous. You see, different opinions are dangerous to whatever hype Madeleine has been fed. Madeleine needs dittos, dittos, dittos!
Posted by: antiphone at novembre 28, 2004 01:16 AM