Boris Yelstin dies

[Daniel]

http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/Reuters/UKTopNews/~3/111289552/idUKL2330837320070423

Was just watching his dancing on youtube last week :mark:

[oily oaf]

Dark and sombre news indeed.
Quite how the Russian vodka industry will survive a hammer blow like this is anyone's guess :(

[Eki]

Dark and sombre news indeed.
Quite how the Russian vodka industry will survive a hammer blow like this is anyone's guess :(
Well, at least the Russian oil industry will be OK as long as there's oily oaf.

[Woodeye]

I know who is Boris Yeltsin but who is Boris Yelstin?

[Mark in Oshawa]

As for Boris passing away, as crazy as he came off to us in the West, I think he was geniuine in hoping for a democractic Russia. Putin on the other hand I think is a throwback to bad old days of the USSR, and even if he relinquishes his Presidency at some point, he will always be pulling the strings, while trying to put a democratic face on his iron fist in the velvet glove...

Farewell Boris, you gave us a little hope, a lot of entertainment, and a lot of mystery to what you were all about....

[tony_yeboah]

boris yelstin dies


who cares?

certainly not me

[Eki]

who cares?

certainly not me
Many people will probably say the same when you die.

[borderpatrolguy2007]

Dark and sombre news indeed.



Especially now as we watch Russia revert back to its old ways under Putin.

[tony_yeboah]

Many people will probably say the same when you die.

thats life

[Dave B]

RIP Boris. Flawed, maybe, but played a major part in dragging the old USSR kicking and screaming into the modern world.

[tony_yeboah]

Thanks for your insight. Now grow up.

who do you think you are talking to me like that?

you have your views, i have mine, i dont insult you and your opinion. think on

[Dave B]

But you don't have a view, do you? You don't care. You have nothing of any value to contribute and yet you still do.

[BDunnell]

I certainly agree with those who have said that he deserves to be remembered for bringing Russia out of Communism. Some people on here who assume that someone vaguely left-wing is automatically some sort of Marxist may be surprised by this, but I do believe that capitalism is the only realistic basis of a successful economy and thus a successful country.

However, it was under Yeltsin that the oligarchs who, in effect, control Russia's economy started to gain control of industry; it was under Yeltsin that the huge gap between rich and poor in Russia that exists today really began to open up; and it was under Yeltsin that the conflict in Chechnya commenced in earnest. He was a genuinely historic figure, I believe he meant well, and he was certainly an amusing character too. But let's not forget the serious flaws of his leadership, which sowed the seeds for Russia's problems today.

[jso1985]

He wasn't Russia's messiah that's for sure, yet I think he did a much better job that any of the USSR leaders.

RIP

[BDunnell]

He wasn't Russia's messiah that's for sure, yet I think he did a much better job that any of the USSR leaders.

RIP

Including Gorbachev, for all his faults as a leader? He will surely be better remembered, at least abroad, than Yeltsin.

[jso1985]

my bad, forgot about him, was actually comparing him to looners like Kruschev or Lenin

[BDunnell]

my bad, forgot about him, was actually comparing him to looners like Kruschev or Lenin

Don't worry. I'm sure there are some people would say that he was a better leader than Gorbachev in some ways, and be able to put forward compelling arguments for that.

[Rollo]

In 1992 Russia suffered inflation of well over 1000%, many Russians hated the man for allowing such a terrible thing to happen. Bear in mind that prices had really only risen twice since 1954 so it was like it all caught up at once.
The upshot was that suddenly there was actually food appearing on supermarket shelves and electricity in peoples homes at times when they needed it.

Yeltsin was the guy who stood out the front of the Russian parliament to stop Leftist extremists from making a military coup; therefore he actually helped keep Gorbachev in power. Does this mean that as a politician, he actually believed in what he stood for? Bravery and character are not usually things a politician are noted for.

I think that we should take a celebratory "dance on his grave". Although derided as a buffoon, he helped make Russia a far different place than it was when he started. He certainly had more character than our PM John Major, who although was the son of a circus clown, had all the fun in his body of a maths textbook.

Let's all have a disco,
Let's all have a disco,
Da-da-da da da
Da-da-da da da

Dance like Boris Yeltsin,
Dance like Boris Yeltsin,
Da-da-da da da
Da-da-da da da

[Thor]

I hope they have Russian vodka ,the other side for him

[Mark in Oshawa]

Ole Boris has his faults, and Russia has a lot of really rich to go with the poor, but alas, that is a reality of capitalism. Or at least it should be if the rich got there by their wits, entreprenuerial ability and smarts. The problem is, in Yeltsin's Russia, the rich were often shady figures who took over the only things of value in the country, the Oil and Gas industry. Some are good men perhaps, but one wonders. The thing is, Boris did the best he could, and I think in the end, wanted to see Russia join the capitalist, democratic nations. Russia has so much potential to be a nation of positive value, but shady people keep it on the fence of sliding into another cold war. It is a sad thing to see happen.....

[Rudy Tamasz]

RIP, Boris and thanks for helping dismantle the evil empire.

[BDunnell]

Ole Boris has his faults, and Russia has a lot of really rich to go with the poor, but alas, that is a reality of capitalism. Or at least it should be if the rich got there by their wits, entreprenuerial ability and smarts. The problem is, in Yeltsin's Russia, the rich were often shady figures who took over the only things of value in the country, the Oil and Gas industry. Some are good men perhaps, but one wonders. The thing is, Boris did the best he could, and I think in the end, wanted to see Russia join the capitalist, democratic nations. Russia has so much potential to be a nation of positive value, but shady people keep it on the fence of sliding into another cold war. It is a sad thing to see happen.....

Exactly. I have no problem with capitalism when it happens, if you like, in a healthy way, but Russia has not experienced this. I agree that it is very sad, and I can see no way out of it at present.

[BDunnell]

Although derided as a buffoon, he helped make Russia a far different place than it was when he started. He certainly had more character than our PM John Major, who although was the son of a circus clown, had all the fun in his body of a maths textbook.

At this point, I think I should mention our former PM's far more entertaining sibling, his brother Terry Major-Ball, who died last month. He was a genuinely characterful Prime Ministerial relative.

[janneppi]

It's also fair to mention in this Bad Putin, good Jeltsin discussion that Boris himself chose Putin as his right hand man and he was the de-facto follower of him, and Jeltsin knew what kind of a man he would be handing the country to. :)

[Drew]

A (slightly geeky) friend ran into the kitchen full of joy to tell me that. I don't really understand why he was so happy, but then again, neither did he :confused: