Forget about Democracy and Human Rights

Constituent meeting of All-Russia People’s Front took, as we know, manifesto "For Russia!" The terms "unique Russian civilization" and "solidary society" haven’t been earlier present in lexicon of the federal authority. On the contrary, you will find nothing in it about democracy, about the right of people to choose and define its destiny as well as about the rights and freedoms of person and citizen. "Aspiration to live following principles of truth and justice, in consent with conscience", "love to the Homeland, service to Russia" are declared general values round which participants of All-Russia People’s Front unite. They, according to the authors of "manifesto", "make the core of our national character and moral basis of our life".

Meeting disappointed those supporters of the leader of People’s Front who expected some encouraging assurances about "state-building status" of the Russian people from him. The word “Russian” could be met neither in the public speech of the leader at the meeting, nor in "manifesto.

Promise "to realize historical mission of Russia as integration center of the Euroasian space", undoubtedly, pours soothing balm on the soul of supporters of imperial revenge. While "unique Russian civilization" and "solidary society" mentioned at the very beginning of our article send us to organizations positioning themselves as "Russian". These are Russian Orthodox Church and structure patronized by it under the name "World Russian National Cathedral".

It is known that ideologists of political Orthodoxy for many years have been concentrating on proving notorious originality of "unique Russian civilization". It’s originality and uniqueness, in their opinion, is first of all means that the rights and freedoms of person are unacceptable as values. "One man’s meat is another man’s poison" (or something like it).

A year before last the Synod of Russian Orthodox Church accepted, following the results of the 15th Cathedral (WRPC), the document under the name "Basic Values — Basis of National Identity". The number of "basic values" doesn't include the right of people to democratic choice, the rights and freedoms of citizen. “Belief in God” is on the first place there.

Relation of the present head of Russian Orthodox Church to democracy could be seen in his article "Conciliarity and Democracy" written by him during his stay metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad in 2003. Democracy, in his opinion, for Russia "remains something external, brought from outside", "principle developed in the West, in the countries of Euro-Atlantic region". From here, the metropolitan (nowadays the patriarch) Kirill assures us, "every Patriot of Russia faces a task to reveal original principle of organization of its political life". The main thing in this principle – the leading role of Russian Orthodox Church in the society because, V. M. Gundyaev warns us, "without impact of Church, other traditional religions on hearts and minds of participants of the Cathedrals and our society as a whole we won't be able to construct uniform society of free people which would become the Russian equivalent of the western democracy".

In public speeches of the patriarch we could frequently meet phrase "solidary society" as certain alternative to civil democratic society. In September, 2009 at "a meeting with youth of the Nizhny Novgorod Region" he again mentioned that meme. Later the words "solidary society" began to sound even more often from lips of the head of Russian Orthodox Church. In December of last year "Presidium bureau" of WRPC under chairmanship of the head of the Department on Relations between Church and Society archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin decided to use "concept of solidary society and civil union" as “the base for Cathedral activity.

Documents of WRPC don’t mention what notorious "solidary society" means just hinting foggily that it’s not the same as democratic society based on liberal values of "the rotting West". However, the concept of "solidary society" since 2011 has been officially carried out in the Belgorod region under leadership of its governor E.S.Savchenko. There is quite extensive document approved at the end of 2011 by the government of the area as "Concept of formation of regional solidary society". There’s even a magazine called Belgorod Solidary Society issued in Belgorod. However even members of the regional Public Chamber don’t know what it is.

However, I will give some info from "Strategy". I apologize before readers for long citing in advance. As objectivity is worth it.

"Strategy aim: improvement of quality of human relations.

Targets of Strategy:

- society consolidation on the basis of idea and ideals creating moral and spiritual, moral and political, cultural space of the region, also forming patriotism of citizens;

- creation of favorable social conditions for innovative economic development of the region, working out and deployment of modern technologies;

- guarantee of participation of the population in assessment of efficiency and safety of the regional government;

- development of intellectual potential of the region on the basis of modernization of education system, intensification of information and interpersonal exchange;

- formation of positively focused social networks integrated into the process of social and economic development;

- use of network forms of self-organization for forming of competitive economic structures (banking systems, credit unions, insurance companies);

- strengthening of atmosphere of social optimism, mutual trust between people;

- development of charity and social support of groups of the population being in difficult vital conditions;

- strengthening of a family and improvement of demographic situation mainly at the expense of increase of level of birth rate, decrease in mortality and divorces;

- revival and development of traditions of spirituality, culture, daily interpersonal communication, mass participation in positive socially significant processes;

- ensuring of spiritual safety of the population and organization of mass educational work".

It’s possible to hide whatever you want under beautiful words and attractive slogans. Though it’s impossible to hide what you don’t have. So, what is absent in the "concept of solidary society"?

It is obvious that there is no expansion of the right of participation of citizens in management of the region and local government, there is no increase of legal security and self-organization of citizens. More shortly, there is nothing there what inevitability would follow from development of democratic freedoms of citizens and legal culture of the power.

It’s won’t a mistake if I say that ideology of the authoritative state of rigid paternalistic guardianship forces its way nowadays under the brand “solidary society”. Historical analogies convince even more.

The term "solidarizm" started to be used by the Russian émigré organizations of the 30s years of last century under direct influence of ideology of fascism. "National and labor" (subsequently "public and labor") "National Alliance of Russian Solidarists" – is known for cooperation with Hitlerite administration in occupied territories of the USSR in 1941-1944.

Nowadays brand "solidary society" is adopted by social movement which is headed by the president of Russia.

Orthodox ideologists of “solidary society" have to write on its gates honestly: "Forget about democracy and human rights, all ну who enter here".

Belief in uniqueness of "the Russian civilization" sends us to those not so remote times in the history of Western Europe when some peoples believed in their originality and chosenness.

One could only hope that game in unique civilization and alternative to democracy won’t so catastrophic for Russia as it was for Germany in 1933-1945.

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