Opinion

Opinion
Richard Bloss's picture

Russians and the Future

Submitted by Richard Bloss on Tue, 07/10/2012 - 18:45

A girl is sitting with me at an al-fresco coffee place.  People are passing by, coming and going; going and coming. Life is fine. The world is fine. Business,  is... well,  what's that? The fact is, she is bored.  After all, she has been in London for several years and has visited every night club in London, at least twice.  What is a girl to do?  It's a difficult one.  She thinks she will move to New York.

Shock. Horror. Yes, I know.  Hard to believe. One minute we think that the Russian way of life in London is here for ever... and the next minute?

Mark HOLLINGSWORTH's picture

The Secret Russian Family History of Famous Britons

Submitted by Mark HOLLINGSWORTH on Tue, 06/26/2012 - 16:50

The recent migration of Russian Oligarchs, professional people and ordinary workers to London has been well-documented and written about.  But what is less well-known are the Russian family backgrounds of British celebrities, businessmen and politicians.  Mark Hollingsworth reveals the Russian ancestries of prominent Britons and the history of Russian migration to London.

russianmind's picture

The G20 and global economic challenges

Submitted by russianmind on Wed, 06/20/2012 - 15:59

An article by Vladimir Putin, published by the Mexican daily El Universal, covers the global economic issues and new challenges facing the G20.

An unprecedented crisis hit the global economy four years ago, sending visible ripples around the entire world and affecting every country to some degree.

To meet a challenge of this scale the world’s leading countries had to radically change their approach. For the first time in history, the leaders of the countries that account for almost 90 percent of global GDP showed genuine desire and ability to coordinate economic policy. Most importantly, they prevented the world from taking the dead-end road of trade wars and all-out protectionism, and began putting the international currency and financial system in order.

russianmind's picture

On the Right Side of History

Submitted by russianmind on Tue, 06/19/2012 - 16:27

Article by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov published in Huffington Post UK

Over the last year or a year and a half, the events unfolding in North Africa and the Middle East have come to the forefront of the global political agenda. They are frequently referred to as the most remarkable episode in the international life of the new 21st century. Experts have long spoken about the fragility of authoritarian regimes in Arab countries and possible social and political shocks.

However, it was difficult to predict the scale and pace with which the wave of change would sweep over the region. Alongside the manifestations of crisis in the world economy, these events have clearly proved that the process leading to the emergence of a new international system has entered a zone of turbulence.

Richard Bloss's picture

RUSSIANS and TRAVEL....to boldly go...or maybe not…

Submitted by Richard Bloss on Mon, 05/28/2012 - 16:47

Just across the road from Baker Street tube you will see a couple of open-air fruit stalls. They are the classic tourist vision of contemporary London, with Sherlock Holmes look alikes strutting around Madame Tussauds just next door and a few "street tradesmen", who have conveniently parked their BMWs out of sight round the corner, playing the My Fair Lady part of local green grocer. It's already mid morning, and even in March, the sun is picking up. My friend looks around and then looks up at me. 

"I'd love one of those apples ", she says.

Mark HOLLINGSWORTH's picture

Russian Murder Incorporated Comes to London

Submitted by Mark HOLLINGSWORTH on Wed, 04/18/2012 - 20:56

When Russian banker German Gorbuntsov was shot outside his apartment in London by a contract killer, even Russians were shocked. They were not surprised by an attempted gangland killing but this was the first time that it occurred on the streets of London. Is London no longer a safe haven for Russian businessmen?

Richard Bloss's picture

RUSSIANS and WORRY

Submitted by Richard Bloss on Wed, 04/18/2012 - 19:41

Richard Bloss comes to the conclusion that Russians worry about everything.

I love worrying. Honestly I do. I have this theory that goes something like: ‘If I'm not worrying, then I'm obviously missing something seriously tricky that if I wasn't so sure of myself, I would have recognised and thus prevented all sorts of disasters that will now hit me when I am least expecting it’.

You know the feeling, and I'm not alone, am I? It’s a bit like my fear of flying. If this flight is as smooth as smooth - then for sure the next one will be a roller coaster from hell. And if Life is really a bitch, then…well! I told you so, huh!!!

Richard Bloss's picture

RUSSIANS and CELEBRATIONS

Submitted by Richard Bloss on Tue, 04/03/2012 - 16:00

I am getting all moralistic this morning. What can I say? There's a girl I know - let's call her Galina. She is having a party for a few close friends - almost a hundred in fact. Clearly this is no ordinary party. For two reasons. It is a wedding party, because Galina, bless, is getting married.

But also because, for Galina - life has been a struggle. The little flat she and her partner share, is not exactly in the best part of town. The metro out to Avalon deliberately goes nowhere near her little suburb. But this is the high point, it's the proof that she's made it, she going to have the best wine - even though her husband-to-be doesn't touch a drop of alcohol, bless him too - the biggest tables, and maybe there will be some sort of after-party, who knows. It's a celebration! And people will remember, long after the divorce in a few years time, this was a PARTY! We can look back and say, yes, this was a marker in the sand, when everyone came!

Richard Bloss's picture

So... Are You a Racist?

Submitted by Richard Bloss on Thu, 03/22/2012 - 15:28

There's a young man at Liverpool Street train station. It is cold, he's tired, I'm tired and it is busy even for a Sunday evening and the last thing I need is some guy giving me a hard time. The young man's job is to open the barrier and I have lost my ticket. There are a lot of people around. Nobody wants to wait while I find my ticket. But after an eternity I find the small receipt and I wave it under the young man's nose. He takes no notice, so I tap him on the shoulder:

The young man spins round: "You touch me again, and you go to Court!"
The young man, of course, is black.

I am surfacing at Kings Cross tube en route to Heathrow: I have decided to break my journey. The guy opens the glass barrier and I take a quick coffee and I return to the tube station. The guy at the barrier has changed, but I explain:

"Look, your colleague let me pass...etc"
The barrier man is also black, and he smiles and laughs:

Richard Bloss's picture

RUSSIANS and HOUSES. All Property is Theft.

Submitted by Richard Bloss on Thu, 03/01/2012 - 18:51

There's a girl I know who lives in a small village that I can't pronounce, just alongside the 4 lane highway that on a good day speeds you out of Kyiv towards Borispol airport. It's not her that interests me. It's actually her Mum and Dad. They live in a small detached house with two bedrooms, in one of the bedrooms they keep chickens. They grow potatoes in their garden, which they sell at the local market. Buy and sell. Sell and buy. The father repairs cars that happen to break down on the motorway near where they live. There are quite a few of those. I am not entirely sure I would want the Father to service my Volvo. His own Lada turns to the right whenever you turn the wheel to the left... They have been doing this for quite some time, and nothing has changed all the time I have known them.