Wow! Thanks for this one, Karl: An object lesson on how to run and develop a country and organise its economy for the benefit of all - Russians and any other country wise enough to have good relations with Russia.
Mind-boggling stuff. IMO, it's a twofold eye-opener: first, that Rosatom's technological footprint is vast and at the sharp end of cutting technology, and, second, the social dimension seems to be a core component of who they are, and who they see themselves to be.
And I think you're right, Karl: this isn't possible in the west. Having read so many of your exposes of VVP's trips here and there, and his meetings with all manner of regional directors, I cannot conceive of any other nation doing what Russia is doing. It's the place to be in the future, I'm certain of it. I'm too old, or I would seriously consider it, but I will try and point my sons there.
IMO, Putin's Leap Day Speech with its futuristic theme that encapsulated all those trips and the plan discussions is the big selling point versus the nothing offered here but downward future expectations and a mass of student debt to repay. For us oldsters, such opportunity is easy to see. Once upon a time, a young man set off from Spain to the USA ended up in Southern California and bought some marginal land in what was a desert at the time. Water was then brought to that desert and its soil supported citrus and grapes. Established, my Great-grandfather sent for his wife and two children to join him. That was 115 years ago, Today's New World is the oldest yet most virgin that has similar opportunities awaiting those with vision and courage to do the hard work of becoming established.
I'm surprised there wasn't a greater focus on inland transportation, specifically high speed rail. I've seen this talked about elsewhere as a means of overcoming the challenge of developing the hinterland. Basically a high speed rail network powered by modular reactors every 100km or so. This would facilitate development of the far east regions which are sparsely inhabited at present, creating an incentive for people to remain there rather than migrate to the big western cities which already consume a disproportionate share of national resources.
To give an example, the distance from my wife's prefecture Niigata to Tokyo is 316 km. It takes only two hours by Shinkansen to cover that distance, so you can actually make a 632 km round trip in a day and still have plenty of time for shopping, sight seeing and a movie while in Tokyo. By comparison, Kazan to Moscow is about 800 km and currently takes 12 hours by train. High speed rail will cut that time in half or even less, so an overnight (sleeper) train on Friday night, returning Sunday evening, would give you two whole days at either end, with only one night spent in a hotel. A major increase in business and holiday travel. This can be done with many cities that at the moment are too far apart to have this sort of interaction.
Speaking of Kazan, there's a lot of focus on developing that city as a major industrial and technological centre (which it already is) to the point where it's even become a thing in popular culture. Check it out!
Лэйна - не Колхозница (Leina - I'm not a collective farm girl)
HSR is taking root in European Russia where it makes sense. Air transport for Russia's vast spaces is more apt. Also, many local roads needed to be upgraded and a modern highway system built as quite a lot was left unfinished during the Soviet Era. Russia has a great deal to accomplish, but its demographic issue is clearly a liability as it needs more workers to push the pace of development--something Team Putin are well aware of. So, they've tailored their plans to what they can hope to accomplish.
"....its demographic issue is clearly a liability..."
I see the recent relaxing of immigration rules for western 'dissidents' as being partly motivated by that issue. It's been a plan of ours for several years now to move there, which was derailed by the pandemic and now the war. It's so much easier now than under the previous rules, and as conditions worsen in the West I think the number moving there will grow. Importantly, the new immigrants will be bringing skills and capital, which as you point out are in short supply at the moment.
I regard popular culture, and especially pop music as a leading indicator of social change. Think of America in the 60's.
An example of what I mean. This is a very popular group in Russia. Can you imagine western pop artists doing something like this?
Karl Denninger wrote an article recently on this subject which I think hit the nail on the head. People's decision to have children is largely determined by their economic condition. As prosperity grows in Russia, so will the population. It's going to take some time, but they'll get there. At the same time, automation and new technology makes it possible to get more work done with fewer workers, so the problem of displaced workers and unemployment is not likely to be a problem in the future.
It's quite amazing how the artistic community in Russia has taken up the challenge. Not just the mainstream, but even the underground and subculture scenes are highly patriotic these days. Suddenly it's cool to be Russian and western kids are picking up on that, thus the growing popularity of hardbass and gopnik culture. Hard to get western kids to hate Russia when so much cool music comes from there nowadays:)
I doubt if Putin would approve, but he's a bit out of touch with youth culture. I'm sure he'd recognize the self-parody though. Russians are good at that.
You'll want to investigate the homesteading possibilities. Yes, lots of positive changes and a bright future provided the current conflict van be ended amicably.
That was a fun read. I used to tune in to Radio Moscow back in the 70/80's and I'll never forget "Income and Prices in the Soviet Union" a feature program from which I got some good laughs. The similarity is striking, the difference being that this time it's real.
Radio Moscow was an odd combination of absolute nonsense and critical geopolitical facts. If you knew how to sort them out, you were way ahead of any other source on international politics.
I had a Zenith Transoceanic shortwave receiver when I was young and listened to that programming and more. Team Putin has salvaged much of the Soviet political-economy and honed it into the machine we now see that's still being fine-tuned. Those that survived the 1990s are likely very happy about the new Russia.
My dad was a radio operator in the Royal Navy. My interest in radio and electronics started as a kid when I found his old notebooks in a trunk full of family memorabilia. Later on I discovered Kraftwerk, and was inspired by their album Radioactivity to switch from guitar to synthesizers. Like them, I incorporated shortwave sounds into my music and still use them today as intros and samples in some of my programs.
Russia really needs to lop off a few zeros from their currency. I know it's purely cosmetic, but somehow a currency measured in hundreds and millions seems a bit more stable than one measured in trillions.
The financial growth figures are skewed by Russias high inflation rate atm. The operations and achievements are impressive by any measure and make grid operators in the west look like a clown show.
It must be remembered that Russia finances its projects and investments very imaginatively unlike the West. It works via the budgets and special investment banks plus special investment/development loan programs that are much lower than the stated rate. And yet, funds for development are still lent at those rates because the expected rate of return is higher. Also, the cost of doing business is very low relative to loan rates.
Wow! Thanks for this one, Karl: An object lesson on how to run and develop a country and organise its economy for the benefit of all - Russians and any other country wise enough to have good relations with Russia.
Come on, Ursula von der Leyen, read this and then tell us again what you once said: "Russia is in tatters." 😂
Mind-boggling stuff. IMO, it's a twofold eye-opener: first, that Rosatom's technological footprint is vast and at the sharp end of cutting technology, and, second, the social dimension seems to be a core component of who they are, and who they see themselves to be.
And I think you're right, Karl: this isn't possible in the west. Having read so many of your exposes of VVP's trips here and there, and his meetings with all manner of regional directors, I cannot conceive of any other nation doing what Russia is doing. It's the place to be in the future, I'm certain of it. I'm too old, or I would seriously consider it, but I will try and point my sons there.
IMO, Putin's Leap Day Speech with its futuristic theme that encapsulated all those trips and the plan discussions is the big selling point versus the nothing offered here but downward future expectations and a mass of student debt to repay. For us oldsters, such opportunity is easy to see. Once upon a time, a young man set off from Spain to the USA ended up in Southern California and bought some marginal land in what was a desert at the time. Water was then brought to that desert and its soil supported citrus and grapes. Established, my Great-grandfather sent for his wife and two children to join him. That was 115 years ago, Today's New World is the oldest yet most virgin that has similar opportunities awaiting those with vision and courage to do the hard work of becoming established.
I'm surprised there wasn't a greater focus on inland transportation, specifically high speed rail. I've seen this talked about elsewhere as a means of overcoming the challenge of developing the hinterland. Basically a high speed rail network powered by modular reactors every 100km or so. This would facilitate development of the far east regions which are sparsely inhabited at present, creating an incentive for people to remain there rather than migrate to the big western cities which already consume a disproportionate share of national resources.
To give an example, the distance from my wife's prefecture Niigata to Tokyo is 316 km. It takes only two hours by Shinkansen to cover that distance, so you can actually make a 632 km round trip in a day and still have plenty of time for shopping, sight seeing and a movie while in Tokyo. By comparison, Kazan to Moscow is about 800 km and currently takes 12 hours by train. High speed rail will cut that time in half or even less, so an overnight (sleeper) train on Friday night, returning Sunday evening, would give you two whole days at either end, with only one night spent in a hotel. A major increase in business and holiday travel. This can be done with many cities that at the moment are too far apart to have this sort of interaction.
Speaking of Kazan, there's a lot of focus on developing that city as a major industrial and technological centre (which it already is) to the point where it's even become a thing in popular culture. Check it out!
Лэйна - не Колхозница (Leina - I'm not a collective farm girl)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iGQ4lbyz_Y
and this (note the Kamaz dump truck which are built in Kazan)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVlfWbDyhm8
Ya lyublyu Kazan! Tatarstan supergood!
Of course you can always fly:)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwkqhM0D9NU
HSR is taking root in European Russia where it makes sense. Air transport for Russia's vast spaces is more apt. Also, many local roads needed to be upgraded and a modern highway system built as quite a lot was left unfinished during the Soviet Era. Russia has a great deal to accomplish, but its demographic issue is clearly a liability as it needs more workers to push the pace of development--something Team Putin are well aware of. So, they've tailored their plans to what they can hope to accomplish.
"....its demographic issue is clearly a liability..."
I see the recent relaxing of immigration rules for western 'dissidents' as being partly motivated by that issue. It's been a plan of ours for several years now to move there, which was derailed by the pandemic and now the war. It's so much easier now than under the previous rules, and as conditions worsen in the West I think the number moving there will grow. Importantly, the new immigrants will be bringing skills and capital, which as you point out are in short supply at the moment.
I regard popular culture, and especially pop music as a leading indicator of social change. Think of America in the 60's.
An example of what I mean. This is a very popular group in Russia. Can you imagine western pop artists doing something like this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bb3PYFr5y98
Karl Denninger wrote an article recently on this subject which I think hit the nail on the head. People's decision to have children is largely determined by their economic condition. As prosperity grows in Russia, so will the population. It's going to take some time, but they'll get there. At the same time, automation and new technology makes it possible to get more work done with fewer workers, so the problem of displaced workers and unemployment is not likely to be a problem in the future.
It's quite amazing how the artistic community in Russia has taken up the challenge. Not just the mainstream, but even the underground and subculture scenes are highly patriotic these days. Suddenly it's cool to be Russian and western kids are picking up on that, thus the growing popularity of hardbass and gopnik culture. Hard to get western kids to hate Russia when so much cool music comes from there nowadays:)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzyahHv1j6A
I doubt if Putin would approve, but he's a bit out of touch with youth culture. I'm sure he'd recognize the self-parody though. Russians are good at that.
You'll want to investigate the homesteading possibilities. Yes, lots of positive changes and a bright future provided the current conflict van be ended amicably.
Fascinating!
That was a fun read. I used to tune in to Radio Moscow back in the 70/80's and I'll never forget "Income and Prices in the Soviet Union" a feature program from which I got some good laughs. The similarity is striking, the difference being that this time it's real.
Radio Moscow was an odd combination of absolute nonsense and critical geopolitical facts. If you knew how to sort them out, you were way ahead of any other source on international politics.
I had a Zenith Transoceanic shortwave receiver when I was young and listened to that programming and more. Team Putin has salvaged much of the Soviet political-economy and honed it into the machine we now see that's still being fine-tuned. Those that survived the 1990s are likely very happy about the new Russia.
My dad was a radio operator in the Royal Navy. My interest in radio and electronics started as a kid when I found his old notebooks in a trunk full of family memorabilia. Later on I discovered Kraftwerk, and was inspired by their album Radioactivity to switch from guitar to synthesizers. Like them, I incorporated shortwave sounds into my music and still use them today as intros and samples in some of my programs.
Cool! You ought to converse with james, a Canadian jazzman, who comments here and at MoA.
"52 trillion rubles"
Russia really needs to lop off a few zeros from their currency. I know it's purely cosmetic, but somehow a currency measured in hundreds and millions seems a bit more stable than one measured in trillions.
That will change over time as the dollar reaches its genuine exchange rate.
The financial growth figures are skewed by Russias high inflation rate atm. The operations and achievements are impressive by any measure and make grid operators in the west look like a clown show.
Inflation rate year to date, YTD: 5.77%
https://www.statbureau.org/en/russia/inflation?ysclid=m2axifuh2w137584094
Correct ,I was thinking of the 18% interest rates
It must be remembered that Russia finances its projects and investments very imaginatively unlike the West. It works via the budgets and special investment banks plus special investment/development loan programs that are much lower than the stated rate. And yet, funds for development are still lent at those rates because the expected rate of return is higher. Also, the cost of doing business is very low relative to loan rates.