Yury Pronko wanted to repeat the debate between me and Yevgeny Fyodorov of United Russia exactly one year later.
The debate became famous because it, as people say on the internet, “boosted” the meme “United Russia — the Party of Crooks and Thieves” and finally sent that meme off to live a life of its own. Fyodorov agreed to do it (good for him). It was all supposed to happen this evening on Finam FM. However, this morning Yevgeny told pronkou that United Russia had forbidden him from going on the air: Yevgeny Fyodorov called me at 11:45 and told me that the lawyers had issued a recommendation (or, in the deputy’s words, an “order”) not to take part in the announced debate. They cited current legislation, which imposes various restrictions during the election campaign period. “The conversation will inevitably turn to Putin, and that would violate legal norms.” That is the view of the party’s lawyers. “Personally, I would like to talk with Navalny about Putin, and I think this ban is stupid, but the lawyers think otherwise,” Yevgeny Alexeyevich said to me during our phone conversation. http://pronkou.livejournal.com/499163.html So today on Finam I’ll be alone — no ensemble. It seems to me that despite Fyodorov’s absence and the strict instructions from the lawyers of the Party of Crooks and Thieves, the conversation may still end up turning to Putin.