Tag: vladimir putin

Cameron vs. Fry: It’s Just Not Cricket

Posted on by Kelly Welles


British Prime Minister David Cameron has rejected a plea from Stephen Fry to ban Russia from hosting the Winter Olympics, stating that while he “share’s [Fry’s] deep concern about the abuse of gay people,” he believes “we can better challenge prejudice as we attend.”

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Pussy Riot: Better Parenting Through Imprisonment

Posted on by Kelly Welles

Image: Maxim Shemetov/Reuters.

If we accepted Vladimir Putin’s suggestion that Pussy Riot’s musical protest “erode[d] Russia’s moral foundation and undermine[d] the country“, it would be pertinent to ask how depriving two kids of contact with their mothers at a crucial point in their development could possibly be constructive in this regard.

However, since most sane people would reject that assertion out of hand, let’s not waste time arguing the point. It’s moot now anyway, since Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova are being shipped off to a prison colony in the Russian hinterland where they will spend their days sewing prison uniforms and learning how to fight murderers.

Which will, of course, benefit Russia’s moral foundation for generations to come.

MORE: Pussy Riot, Theatre of the Absurd

Pussy Riot: Theatre Of The Absurd

Posted on by Kelly Welles

How come the dangerous punk revolutionary is dressed more appropriately for court than her guard? Image: AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko.

Clearly punk feminist collective Pussy Riot knew that they would face severe punishment for attempting to sing a protest song inside a Russian Orthodox church while wearing badly knitted balaclavas. Presumably they were counting on the heavy handed treatment meted out to them by the Russian authorities being picked up by the global media, encouraging high profile figures from the music community to offer their support and further publicise their cause.

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