'We are watching you', protesters warn Ukraine's new leaders

[bemildred]

Time appears to have stood still in the weeks since anti-government protests turned Kiev's Independence Square into a battleground, the site almost perfectly preserved as a warning to Ukraine's new leaders that those who swept them to power are keeping close watch.

An angry tangle of metal, barbed wire, sandbags and tyres still block the entrances to the square where they were erected as a barricade against riot police in the final bloody weeks of three months of protests which left over 100 people dead.

Passers-by linger in front of makeshift shrines, surrounded by masses of wilted flowers and mementos honouring the dead, while others pose for a photo in front of the untouched theatre of Ukraine's revolution.

To one side a wooden chapel has sprung up in a matter of days.

http://digitaljournal.com/news/world/we-are-watching-you-protesters-warn-ukraine-s-new-leaders/article/378631

[The Magistrate]

1. The Hard Core Rightists Left There, Sir

Will not enjoy much popular support when the police turn on them.

The hard right elements have very limited support, and less than average in the cities, particularly the capital.

[bemildred]

2. I hope you are right Sir, can't say I know much about that.

I fear for them, the people of Ukraine, they have become a political football.

I expect Putin to keep poking at the new Crimea-less Ukraine from the outside, balkanization works great for him, and "the West" to be trying to engineer things from the other side, keep it together, improve it's economy etc., and I doubt we have the wits for the job.

[The Magistrate]

3. I Have Seen Polling Results Recently, Sir

I regret I cannot provide a link, but they put the Svoboda and Right Sector both in single digits. Perhaps I am being optimistic: unusual, but it has been known to happen occasionally....

"The optimist says the glass is half full. The pessimist says the glass is half empty. The engineer says the glass is twice the size it needs to be."

[bemildred]

4. That, I don't doubt, that their support is small-ish.

And I expect they will be "dealt with", in one way or another, but that is not the same thing as being able to govern well, and Ukraine has a world of troubles. If it is not governed well, things won't go well. And Putin is waiting for that.

Edit: I seem to be gloomy today. Sigh.

[The Magistrate]

6. I Got Up Way Too Early Too, Sir

And should probably have gone to my modeling work-bench rather than the keyboard when I did....

Be well!

[bemildred]

7. I am well, Sir, but insomniac at times.

On the other hand, I can sleep when I choose, so I'm not complaining.

This is the internet, anybody can talk here. Even such as we.

I trust you are well too, Sir?

[The Magistrate]

8. I Nap a Lot, Too, Sir

I am well enough, and without wanting to jinx things, suspect I have recovered pretty well from the last heart attack. My wind is better than it used to be, I can walk a lot farther before needing to sit....

"I'm not as good as I once was, but I'm good as I ever was once."

[bemildred]

9. Make it so, Sir.

This is one of the prime seats in all of history, Sir, you don't want to miss it.

[reformist2]

5. If a new group sweeps into power, will we support that too?

It's not clear to me when a coup is legal, and when it isn't. I think we need clarification from Victoria Nuland on this.