options being exhausted and consequently without suffering being relieved the question is whose interest was paramount in this process the interest of team or the interest of others euthanasia is legal in just 5 countries and is one of the most controversial practices globally stories like the teams reveal just how difficult it is to ensure that people's desire for personal freedom isn't tragically misinterpreted and abused well sleeve tampons that you thought carter standing trial in the euthanasia case full of response she told is that she cannot comment at this time all 3 doctors deny the charges but if you have something you'd like to say about this story or anything else than do get in touch by following us on social media and join us again the top of the hour for the latest headlines.

they put themselves on the line they did accept it or reject it. so when you want to be president. wanted. to be right. this is what the 3 of the people. interested in the water. financial survival stacey let's learn. let's say i'm not sure i get. the fight. thank you for. the story that's right. that's slavery.

hello and welcome to cross talk where all things are considered i'm peter lavelle russian president vladimir putin has proposed some important political reforms what are they what are their significance and importantly why now and what about the claim of clinging to power. across talking some real news i'm joined by my guest she's a political analyst and editor and you know smee internet media project and in london we crossed alexander material he's a writer on legal affairs as well as in chief of the duran dot com. in effect that means you can jump in anytime you want and i always appreciate it i want to break. this program into 2 parts i want to talk about what these reforms are their

significance and then i want to look at the critique in criticism of them on all sides ok let me 1st go to alexander macarius in london. this is a bombshell and really is what are the most important reforms. mentioned proposed that will be voted on by the electorate maybe sometime later this year. what you're also important takeaway go ahead alex but there's a whole package of reforms firstly the power to appoint the parliament the government will now be shifted from the president to the parliament so the parliament will decide who the prime minister is and the parliament will be able to hold the government to account and also to appoint the ministers so that is going to be a major shift of power at the same time the business body the state council is being built up and if i can explain the president will retain overall control of

foreign and defense policy he will also continue to set in the general direction of the country's domestic development he was also a point the minute the officials who will deal with security and defense policy but there will be this body this is the state council which already exists which looks like being the bridge where all of these various people will meet together so the the the government the people appointed by the parliament will be there probably the most important parliamentary officials will be there the president and he's officials will be there and of course the various representatives of the regions the regional governors directly or recollected by the regions they too will be there it will have a consultative berbers not an executive or legislative but there's that he's very important but it will be there where they will thrash out all their various

discussions now they're also various other lesser provisions the the constitutional court has to be beefed up so that it will have an ability to actually check and confirm the constitutional validity of legislation the local procurators will be appointed by the president these. the district attorneys if you like of the of the of the russian federation they will now be appointed by the president in consultation with the upper house of russia's parliament the federation council which represents the regions as opposed to being determined directly by the regions has been the case up to now and i think importantly for many russians there will be steps both to make the russian constitution. superior to the international law not not not superior to international law but

that in future court decisions by say the european court of human rights specific yes it will only apply in russia if they are consistent with the russian constitution as administered by the constitutional court of the russian federation and last but not least people top officials including the president have to be russian citizens with residency of 25 years instead of 10 years now so it's an important package of measures it's primary purpose is to strengthen the parliament. live away from the super insurgency still rooted in residency but a more duvall's you know what i think was something that hasn't really been mentioned critically western media which we'll talk in the 2nd half of the program is that this is actually. pumping up the political parties because if they're going

to be electing the prime minister a very powerful post in russia the political parties are going to play a much more important role and that's been one of my criticisms over the last 20 years where the political parties are not is much part of the process now it looks like they will be well it's because the bottom and to will be basically a point in their prime minister all of the ministers will have to be approved by the parliament so indeed political partisan will. more important role but. you know kitchen of one of what that xander has just said about a. preponderance of russian or over the international one i want our listeners and our viewers to understand we have this so-called magnitsky act now not only in the united states also in several countries of the european union all the baltic countries poland they you can see what does it mean making its character it means

that anyone can be arrested on the for integrity and your mind can be stripped of his assets if someone basically of the government in the west decides that this person breached the human rights in russia or in iran or in china or anywhere so in this situation if we stuck to the system where international law is above russian war then we would not be able to protect ourselves so let me remind you of that just recently we heard that the general saudi money it was perfectly legal according to the american what we heard it from a lot of officials i think it was illegal of course for the 2 countries are not at war. when you have such as. situation when the sheriff isn't working when the judge isn't working you have to protect yourself you know that's a very american that you do if you want so this is very important changes to their constitution that make russia more solver and more able to defend itself but the

general trend toward putin said in his address is that we ensure that we are able to protect ourselves despite 800 times more money spent in the west we have new weapons that can protect also protect us 2nd the financial stabilization has been achieved right now it's time to develop i think this is the real reason why medvedev and probably some people from the economic walk or his government will have to go all they were good at preserving financial stability you know russia's economy is not intact us as a bomb set and there's the times and russia actually does grab the russians now you know the former british ambassador to russia 20 brandon wrote that russian economy collapsed that means that he doesn't understand anything you know the real come out of so economy we've had in the soviet union between 1008 in 1900 out nothing like that is happening now and the collapse of the soviet union was basically produced

by financial crisis it was the inability to control that financial situation in the country so financial stability is there but we need to develop and we need to vote that's that's the next stage or alexander let me go back to you in london i mean the interesting thing is that. critiques of the political system in russia for the last 20 years is power vertical it seems to me that that is coming to an end when you're having your devolving power is down in spreading it out because russia has reached that level of political development where that can happen your thoughts are i entirely agree if i may say actually i mean the thing that comes across to me many of these comments and indeed in the general response we did rush to the state of the union address. yes it's one of more to mrs a though the period of crisis which you know began many years ago has now basically been overcome and when the country's financial system completely collapsed in the 1990 s.

it has been a herculean task to actually study law is it now russia has single digit inflation around 2 percent this this this is where it is at the moment until the early think it was 2010 it had been in double digits we deem and i know that very very well very well it is neither a massive task. it's not big financial reserves it's got a functioning banking system which is no longer by the way dependent on western loans it has. 6 every basis now for actually moving forward towards a major investment program to develop the country's interest and they're going to go and they can do it are their own and they can do it on their own and you know do you know one of one of the commentors is that the atlanticist in the government

have been well said goodbye to when we look at the we the the new the new law that will be voted upon and we have to like for example be prime minister you have to be lived here for 25 years not to be the president to be the president 25 years but only essentially one of the critiques is that it's pushing out the westerners in promoting the modernizers how do you feel about that well there are all kinds of exotic versions about it i even read in the british press there that the normal bar to present having to leave russia for 25 years is actually directed against well. that's the more exotic i would say interpretation going to be about we don't know what the new government will be you know we don't know the personality. yes but the general trend is what you said you know if you are a minister or a governor or a jog you cannot have a double citizenship. unlike ukraine and other so-called democratic countries of the former soviet union russia allows double citizenship you can be for example

defacto citizens are always real and the citizen of russia at the same time i think this is very humane but putin has said if you are an official if you are serving the country you must have russian citizenship you can be billed as emotions yes only russians if you are going to be a businessman and then ok you know we had to have you in history so a lot of people and adopt in places like israel or germany simply because they wanted to you know to to do business or to develop their scientific achievements so that we're not losing these people but if you want to be an official if you want to be a judge you have to serve russia that's very important ok so how can it still be a presidential system if we're going to have these changes here real quick before we go to prove the president can sack ministers and other state officials who split and put it almost he is or her confidence so this was

a very important tool for removing openly cynically corrupt a scene you can lose in if you can't hold that thought we're going to go to a short break and after that short break we'll continue our discussion of some real news stay with r.t. . and also seemed wrong. but all wrong just don't call. me. yet to see. just become educated and engagement equals betrayal. when so many find themselves worlds apart. choose to look for common ground.

welcome back to crossfire where all things considered i'm peter lavelle toronto we're discussing some real news. ok let's go back to alexander in london i've been waiting for this announcement for this these reforms of whatever nature well but because we're looking at president putin's term will end in 2024 and everyone wants to know and it's a cottage industry operation successor we've been thinking about of her 20 years now it's coming about and i think the timing is just perfect it is a gradual process. looking at the constitution tweaking it here and there to

meet the times and face the future here however of course we have western media coverage coming to power how do react to how westerners receive this this package of reforms go ahead alex is supposed to pull up some words let's just compact this sort of all out moment how computed cling to power when the he's made it absolutely clear that there's any going to be 2 terms so that rules him out standing as president in 2020 fool and there is no other think going to be comparable to the president. as a result of well i mean you know the criticism will be like a dow shall paying you know you know the president of the bridge. association the well another keep going on that has nothing like that has ever russian history there is no analogue in russia any. who knows russian use dri knows that the

power goes to the office not the man or the person or the woman or whoever else that you know where there is there so you have to look at who the top of. the person who is the president is going to be the person who's going to lead the country the state council the people who are talking about would be a purely consultative balti so he put in cannot rule the country by being a member of the state council the idea of the crime and what's really upsetting you know what i've been saying to people for years and meetings of the demon here and you may agree or disagree with me on this but you know the operating assumption is that putin wants to claim to power in front of you know restack the deck so he can say i would i have thought for a long time now is that he wants to find a way to leave not to stay and to leave where he feels that his project for this

country for 20 years he's achieved he wants to make sure his legacy remains intact and is a foundation to move forward so it's not wanting to stay it's not wanting to hang on but it's a find a way to gracefully leave where everyone is police well we have been critical of mania for him publications here there is one publication that finalists the troops all the places it's in creation you know creation or use really deep advance you know where all editorial put in did not choose the success it was a myth that medvedev was his plan success so this means doesn't exist anymore what putin wants is to create institutions that would work after his presidential mandate expires in 2024 that's exactly true of wants to create institutions and if he succeeds in that that will be his main key of mint asked for

do you want. zation you know we know from time sea memorial that lion is asian or politicians is boring well demonization can also be boring and very unprofessional and we have seen it i mean the same words in the in the headlines you know the new yorker with marsha gessen put inspire or grab the same power grab in the new york times and washington everywhere you see this expression power grab you know what power grab putin could stay with me better for a few more years you know he there were all the opportunities he started very thing going to switch chairs back and forth and these people contradict themselves they don't know which is they have been saying the ultimate power in russia how can he grab power already on it but at the most the most outrageous situation that was with the british press you know i read do surprise the telegraph you know the 4 were in paragraph let me call this whole thing in full or 20 years in power putin

has created the clip crissy it's a system that morgan mimics democracy but which is also italian in its nature. pint elections have been hollowed political opponents leaving feel have been assessing it and then i read the same almost the same paragraph with the same signature in the times the same day since coming to power into the year 2000 when you were put in has built on authoritarian clipped ocracy in russia in this system elections and political institutions have been called out the judiciary supine and political opponents have ideas that are look plagiarism obviously. this guy this someone named andrew fawkes hall who is the director of russia and eurasia start a center at the jackson society knows the same society where i think i guess with. a few other people so he publishes he basically plagiarized himself you publishes

the same stupid paragraph. 2 newspapers almost at the same time and that it reminds me of dr gurgles who said that basically you just have to repeat the same thing in many times i knew it syncs you know it so these people repeat the same you know in london i think what's really again you have to kind of think counter-intuitively about all of this i mean why would create a system as he exits to undermine the very system that he wants to preserve i mean no one thinks that far i know that's a deep question made nobody wants to think about that in the west well nobody wants to think about that because they've constructed this completely absurd unforeseen image all because russia and mr hussein and they're now trapped so good they cannot amount themselves to actually admit that these constitutional changes

simply cannot do what they say they will do because if they admit that then the whole of this whole construct that they built up over the last 20 years simply collapses i mean can i can i just say something not one of these articles has explained how mr coote see it intends to hold on to power of 2024 not one of them not one of them has an analog just these changes in any way whatsoever as we have tried to do on this program you know in one of the things i think is really interesting if you look at maybe franklin delano roosevelt when you look at the presidency before him it was it was very limited in scope ok and then you have the super presidency as a result of the new deal of the 2nd world war yes and then you have somebody like charles de gaulle that invents the super presidency of france because it was necessary at the time and i have lived through this to my. it was history of russia

i've been here for over 20 years and i can understand the construct that has come into being and i see that there are parts of it that are no longer necessary or useful and how you need to move to in a direction that is a reflection of how change is going about well it's true that russia. had to have a super presidency because. presidential power was weak and that was there and the war but you and i think you're going constitution was came into being under yeltsin yes not a lot of your putin and the limitations of the limitations on democracy that were important russia where imposed by the so-called liberals you know their constitution was written in 1903 by boris yeltsin support us right after their terrible of an assault october 1903 when several dozen people were killed in war school you know because yeltsin had a conflict with the parliament but i would pick up on the word alexander has just

said that demonization of putin you know the problem is that the western analysts they have talked themselves into believing that putin is the only problem because it allows them not to doing anything you know if putin is the only problem then you don't have to ask questions about american policy in iraq. american policy in levy under obama about the american policy in ukraine it's all putin's fault you know so they cannot get out of you know. alex and we're rapidly running out of time and i probably get my critics you know plenty of fodder here to attack me but. you know the it was the times in the 1990 s. under the advice of western advisors. about reforming the economy they created the necessity of somebody like vladimir putin and i'm echoing something the demon just said there it's not really the person it is how history created someone of the

necessary at the time and we. a president that is looking for years in advance how to move from the center of power that's not a power grab go ahead alex no it's not at all i mean as you correctly said the times created the man i mean the putin is a response he had to deal with the crisis of the 990 s. and i have to say this he did it very well the country is now a lot of stable it has stable political institutions it has a stable financial system and by the way we should stress very considerable growth in the economy since no i mean in fact transformed economy since the 1990 s. and a real to much real democratic activity in a real civil society so of course the time has now come to start to consolidate all that to build the institutions the demon restocking about to try to make for

a more stable system a rather a system less dependence on one individual what what the russians i think talk about you know the system is excessively manual at the moment how are you power vertical the power vertical your letter exactly. let me ask demers as a russian here because we're talking about your country you know one of the things that people would say to me when i 1st moved here in the late ninety's all they wanted was a normal country is that a normal country no. well. it's not what you were on the spot here it's not normal in the sounds that michael vaughan pilpul would say oh this was you know what you're saying there here is what he said we will stop the border there are no we will stop or threaten iran when they become so normal carburator it's not normal of ok so they sent. by the it's much more normal than it was in their late 90 s and of course life is much more peaceful predictable and predictable now. and

basically it's it wasn't all done each of mental would you know lol and it's and achievement of many people and many factors and unfortunately a lot of them a call to productive that just was there for the west so if you asked me what surprised me about these basically suki years since the reforms started to russia it was that the west was mostly poor but the negative factor in our development this is something that's no surprise a great point brought out of time gentlemen many thanks to my guests here in moscow and in london thanks to our viewers for watching us here are to see you next time and remember.

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