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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-30735673

Russia has listed transsexual and transgender people among those who will no longer qualify for driving licences.

Fetishism, exhibitionism and voyeurism are also included as "mental disorders" now barring people from driving.

The government says it is tightening medical controls for drivers because Russia has too many road accidents.

"Pathological" gambling and compulsive stealing are also on the list. Russian psychiatrists and human rights lawyers have condemned the move.

The announcement follows international complaints about Russian harassment of gay-rights activists.

In 2013 Russia made "promoting non-traditional lifestyles" illegal.

Valery Evtushenko at the Russian Psychiatric Association voiced concern about the driving restrictions, speaking to the BBC Russian Service. He said some people would avoid seeking psychiatric help, fearing a driving ban.

The Association of Russian Lawyers for Human Rights called the new law "discriminatory". It said it would demand clarifications from the Russian Constitutional Court and seek support from international human rights organisations.

But the Professional Drivers Union supported the move. "We have too many deaths on the road, and I believe toughening medical requirements for applicants is fully justified," said the union's head Alexander Kotov.

However, he said the requirements should not be so strict for non-professional drivers.

Mikhail Strakhov, a Russian psychiatric expert, told BBC Russian that the definition of "personality disorders" was too vague and some disorders would not affect a person's ability to drive a car safely.

So Russia continues its march to be the number one anti-LGBT regime in Europe.

Perhaps less tolerance for driving under the influence of alcohol would be more useful than punishing people who are not hetero normative

 A Town Called Malus wrote:

So Russia continues its march to be the number one anti-LGBT regime in Europe.

I would think you (a European) would want to distance yourself from that, and call Russia "the number one anti-LGBT regime in Asia"


To the heart of the matter... all I can really do is shake my head. Hopefully someone somewhere will have the ability to fight this thing off, but given Russia's stellar human rights performances, I am doubtful.

Well that's a no-way justifiable move that clearly shows some disgusting attitudes.

It is very sad but not surprising, Russia has been descending into that kind of retrograde, backward conservative bigot laws a lot recently.
That and putting the Pussy Riots in prison.

I wonder if they'll add Tiny Penis Syndrome.

Putin may soon be in the market for a chauffeur.

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:

 A Town Called Malus wrote:

So Russia continues its march to be the number one anti-LGBT regime in Europe.

I would think you (a European) would want to distance yourself from that, and call Russia "the number one anti-LGBT regime in Asia"

Well I was going to put some little quip about the Vatican being more accepting of LGBT but then I thought that putting them both in a sentence together was unfair....


...on the Vatican, at least. Go Pope Francis!

Putin is growing some dictator chic, with apparent whackjob laws. It seems all he now needs are some sunglasses, a gilted cap, a shiny suit, and a gold plated AK.....

However; this new law and similar preceding ones are not as stupid as they sound though. Facepalms are not in order, alarm bells are in order. Putin is not a joke president, and he is not an out of touch madman making bizarre random laws. Putin is nobodies fool, he is creating internal enemies to focus his people and stabilise his regime, everything he does he does with cold reasoning..
i have an enormous amount of respect for Vladimir Putin, the way he stole a march on just about everyone regarding the Crimea and got away with it, and how he has advanced the cause of Russian realpolitik enormously and turned around a bankrupt wreck of a country after Yeltsin into a nation on the verge of regaining its super-power status. He is a smooth operator and in my opinion the most impressive statesman on the world stage today.

However that admiration doesn't mean he is not a threat to the global balance of power, and someone to be exceptionally wary of and carefully opposed.

 Orlanth wrote:
Putin is growing some dictator chic, with apparent whackjob laws. It seems all he now needs are some sunglasses, a gilted cap, a shiny suit, and a gold plated AK.....

Hes certainly thinking about it.

Naw..Putin would just wrap that brick up in a towel and beat you to death with it...funnier that way.

 Orlanth wrote:
Putin is growing some dictator chic, with apparent whackjob laws. It seems all he now needs are some sunglasses, a gilted cap, a shiny suit, and a gold plated AK.....

However; this new law and similar preceding ones are not as stupid as they sound though. Facepalms are not in order, alarm bells are in order. Putin is not a joke president, and he is not an out of touch madman making bizarre random laws. Putin is nobodies fool, he is creating internal enemies to focus his people and stabilise his regime, everything he does he does with cold reasoning..
i have an enormous amount of respect for Vladimir Putin, the way he stole a march on just about everyone regarding the Crimea and got away with it, and how he has advanced the cause of Russian realpolitik enormously and turned around a bankrupt wreck of a country after Yeltsin into a nation on the verge of regaining its super-power status. He is a smooth operator and in my opinion the most impressive statesman on the world stage today.

However that admiration doesn't mean he is not a threat to the global balance of power, and someone to be exceptionally wary of and carefully opposed.

It can hardly be considered on the verge of regaining superpower status. His annexing of Crimea and interference in eastern ukraine has contributed to obliterating the russian economy thanks to economic sanctions coupled with the low price of oil.

Putin's lust for power and regaining superpower status and fear is destroying Russia. He's a brilliant politician if your definition is "man who bankrupts country in order to wave his dick in peoples faces".

http://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=RUB&to=USD&view=2Y

What does he have against fabulous drivers?


Having seen a lot of dash cam vids on youtube their priority needs to be with all the vodka soaked drivers hammered out of their minds. Russia is the only place I've ever seen somebody literally drive half a car down the road with a dead friend in the back.

How about a little common sense in what you post here, please? --Janthkin

*sigh* I think this calls for the usual, feth you putin.

 stanman wrote:

Having seen a lot of dash cam vids on youtube their priority needs to be with all the vodka soaked drivers hammered out of their minds. Russia is the only place I've ever seen somebody literally drive half a car down the road with a dead friend hanging out the back.

I don't normally get uptight about things on the internet, but can we spare dakka links to videos with dead people hanging out the back of cars?

 A Town Called Malus wrote:


It can hardly be considered on the verge of regaining superpower status. His annexing of Crimea and interference in eastern ukraine has contributed to obliterating the russian economy thanks to economic sanctions coupled with the low price of oil.

Putin's lust for power and regaining superpower status and fear is destroying Russia. He's a brilliant politician if your definition is "man who bankrupts country in order to wave his dick in peoples faces".

http://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=RUB&to=USD&view=2Y

The old Soviet Union didn't need an economy. It had a horde, a space program and lots of nukes.
Russia still ticks all three of those boxes, and Putin is in effect turning back the clock to the Cold War era little by little.

I have some sympathy for that. westernised bankrupt Russia resorting to selling cheap oil and porn is not what they want. Most Russians look back to the days not too long ago when the world trembled whenever the Soviet Union moved its hand.
And yes America trembled too, don't believe the hype.

Putin wants a return to those glory days, and he has a good chance of getting what he wants.

If that deosnt convince you try this:
The Us jmnational debt makes almost other nation look competent and solvent, with possible exception of Zimbabwe. However the Us national debt is an irrelevance, as noone can pull the -plug on the US. People can pull the plug on russia, they couldnt pull the plug on the Soviet Union, a return to the old standards will make the fiscal situation a paper exercise of little real relevance.

This is a simplifiction, but Russia has a growing relationship with China and India, and has enormous natural resources to internalise. The only thing making Russia vulnerable is western trade itself, cutting it off makes the import of luxury good more difficult and therefore available to fewer people,. but that wont effect those in power and their cronies. however sanctions have a retrograde effect, like a bee srting that can be drawn out, it only really bites once if Russia draws the sting. I suspect Putin is aiming to do exactly that, and with China's help can do so relatively painlessly.

Except if we look back on those "glory days":

Most russians didn't have TVs, fridges, freezers or a car (let alone a decent car).

They had food rationing whilst the west was guzzling down coca-cola and steak.

The only reason russia wasn't selling cheap oil and porn then was because the eastern bloc had to buy their crap cars and other tech as they weren't allowed western stuff

Well, until perestroika came in. Then what happened?

Do they even need freezers?

 A Town Called Malus wrote:
Except if we look back on those "glory days":

Most russians didn't have TVs, fridges, freezers or a car (let alone a decent car).

They had food rationing whilst the west was guzzling down coca-cola and steak.

And that bothered the Politburo exactly how?

It helps Putins case that a lot of ordinary Russians are now looking back at the Soviet Union with nostalgia, and most of all the worst mistakes of Communism are behind them. Soviets didnt have nice things because the Kommissars had an up their own arse dogma on everything. Modern Communism as pioneered by China is not anything so backward, if you are loyal to the state you can expect a reasonable standard of living, with plenty of amenities and plenty of opportunities for capitalism and profit to keep the ambitious moving forward.

 A Town Called Malus wrote:

The only reason russia wasn't selling cheap oil and porn then was because the eastern bloc had to buy their crap cars and other tech as they weren't allowed western stuff

Well, until perestroika came in. Then what happened?

The old school communism was unsustainable. China realised this in the 70's and reformed,. russia stuck with the old dogmas and didnt reform until too late. Russia was also pushed from internal pressure set up by western agencies. Modern Russia is not old Communism, it might not be communist at all, just totalitartian. If it is is sufficiently nationalistic, and Russians are long on nationalism then the populace could well rally behind a neqw master and a new power future.

Also Russi doesn't need western gear anymore, the West doesn't make most of it for a start, China does and China will sell no matter what embargos the US or Europe wants to impose.

I wouldn't put too high a store on western sanctions on Russia. The only reason its being done is because we are now the ones with a doctrinal mission. LGBT doesn't matter on the global scale, it didnt matter even in the west until a few years ago, and neither China nor Russia not India care. If they don't care, we don't really matter.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Shadow Captain Edithae wrote:
Do they even need freezers?

It gets quite hot in Russia in summertime. Also if Russian freezers (actually unpowered by lined cold rooms) are like Canadian ones they in a way keep the meat comparatively warm. You don't want to store frozen food at -60C.

I know, it was a dry joke.

 Shadow Captain Edithae wrote:
I know, it was a dry joke.

And not a bad one either.

That being said, many people don't realise how baking hot Russia can get, even at quite northerly lattitudes.

Remember the winter Olympics that saw people Sun bathing?

Putin is restoring the church in Russia. He doesn't want Russia to be anything like it was under communism. Pre Bolshevik Russia is what he's aiming for.




He's a man that does questionable things but the Russians love him. He's getting their pride back that was ground down by Marxist scum. Russians lived in terrible poverty and fear during the times of the Soviet Union.

I'm sure this policy has more depth than the way it is represented.

Transgender people are far more likely to suffer depression/be suicidal so it's not really up for debate that they have a more fragile mental state.

Whether that should lead to a driving ban is perhaps a bit of a mental leap. I think the idea is to make it very difficult to be anything but a straight married couple.

He's restoring the church because it's a big powerbase. Easiest way to help the church and get them onside is to pander to them, hence this move.

Even Stalin also restored the church briefly in 1940, as it suited him.

This can work, Russian Orthodox is not heavily linked to any other deonomination, there is no external influence from the glovbal Christian identity, it has always been isolated and linked only really to Greeck church and then only be tenuous routes centuries out of touch. So if Putin places his own men in all the important bishoprics and chooses church doctrine he has a fair chance of getting what he wants even if he sets the cvhuch 'free' to continue on its course afterwards.

Best means for totalitarianism to proliferate is to offer the people some freedoms that the state can afford to give. With Chinese imports a new Russia can have an import economy, with a tied church a new Russia can have relgious 'freedom'. China itself is still communist and has both those things.

There is a lot of religious persecution in China, but there is also an official Christian church and their own form of Buddhism, both tame and state controlled.
It is a workable system from the point of view of a centralised state.

The illegal free church in China is however very strong, in fact it has a larger membership than the Communist party, much to the states chagrin, but then conscience based Christianity has always been very strong in times of persecution, to kill a church movement you need western decadence, not totalitarian repression.

Putin is appearing to learn not only the lessons from the Sioviet era errors, but also those moves China itself has made that were not for the best. By controlling the church now, ahead of time, before there is visible religious persecution to set splinter denominations moving Putin will have firmer control later once the regime locks down.

Sounds about right for Putin to pander to the lowest common denominator. He is a classy guy with classy ideas.

 A Town Called Malus wrote:

 Orlanth wrote:
Putin is growing some dictator chic, with apparent whackjob laws. It seems all he now needs are some sunglasses, a gilted cap, a shiny suit, and a gold plated AK.....

However; this new law and similar preceding ones are not as stupid as they sound though. Facepalms are not in order, alarm bells are in order. Putin is not a joke president, and he is not an out of touch madman making bizarre random laws. Putin is nobodies fool, he is creating internal enemies to focus his people and stabilise his regime, everything he does he does with cold reasoning..
i have an enormous amount of respect for Vladimir Putin, the way he stole a march on just about everyone regarding the Crimea and got away with it, and how he has advanced the cause of Russian realpolitik enormously and turned around a bankrupt wreck of a country after Yeltsin into a nation on the verge of regaining its super-power status. He is a smooth operator and in my opinion the most impressive statesman on the world stage today.

However that admiration doesn't mean he is not a threat to the global balance of power, and someone to be exceptionally wary of and carefully opposed.

It can hardly be considered on the verge of regaining superpower status. His annexing of Crimea and interference in eastern ukraine has contributed to obliterating the russian economy thanks to economic sanctions coupled with the low price of oil.

Putin's lust for power and regaining superpower status and fear is destroying Russia. He's a brilliant politician if your definition is "man who bankrupts country in order to wave his dick in peoples faces".

http://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=RUB&to=USD&view=2Y

Yeah, I was gonna say, Putin's latest and greatest achievement is alienating every single other country able to help Russia out at the exact time when their economy gets its legs taken out from under it. In classic dictator style, he's very good at securing his personal rule, but that doesn't mean good things for Russia.

I really don't understand Europe's hell bent attitude on making an enemy out of Russia. Encroaching on it's borders when the Soviet Union collapse over the past 2 and a half decades with both the EU and NATO sphere of influence.

It's stupid to initiate cold war 2: putin boogaloo because they'll simply continue to ignore us.

Specifically given that Russia is trading with Argentina suggests that Britain needs to start getting comfortable with Russia again. It might not be a problem now but give it a few more decades and then it will.

We can hardly claim all of our international allies are saints.

 Medium of Death wrote:
I really don't understand Europe's hell bent attitude on making an enemy out of Russia. Encroaching on it's borders when the Soviet Union collapse over the past 2 and a half decades with both the EU and NATO sphere of influence.

It's stupid to initiate cold war 2: putin boogaloo because they'll simply continue to ignore us.

It wsont get that far. We cant start a cold war, we dont have the resources and rthe East knows it. The b lance between sanctions damage and the ilrrelevance of further trade withthe west will switchover soon, then it simply wont matter/

 Medium of Death wrote:
I
Specifically given that Russia is trading with Argentina suggests that Britain needs to start getting comfortable with Russia again. It might not be a problem now but give it a few more decades and then it will.

argentina is not a problem as the Falklands can be secured indefinately by a few relatively inexpensive and careful precautions. It will take a surprisingly little action to achieve. However that requires having the Foreign Office, the Treasury and Westiminster politicians collective pull thumbs out of arses and get on with some work for a change. Therefore Argentina is a problem.

 Medium of Death wrote:

We can hardly claim all of our international allies are saints.]

What allies? Obama will stab the UK in the back given half a chance, the French will stab us in the front and Cameron is pissing on the relationship with Merkel and Labour are all round useless.
The UK has remarkably few friends, again because of short sightedness in Westminster and Whitehall. We have opportunities to make good lasting allies but are not taking them because of pety expediency.

That being said the Uk is not entirely friendless, there are some nations that always quietly vote for our interests due to long standing favours, and their votes can count. Especially as we have enough friends amongst minor countires that some cycle through to the security council with reasonable frequency.
Sill the asshats in Whitehall take their favour foregranted, being the short sighted numbskulls most of them are.
Still its not too late.

MOAR awesome:

 Medium of Death wrote:


Transgender people are far more likely to suffer depression/be suicidal so it's not really up for debate that they have a more fragile mental state.

I wonder why that is? Could it be because of inadequate support and prejudice against them?