Medvedev's inauguration

On the 9 o'clock news this evening we were treated to Medvedev's inauguration. Most of the commentary was in Georgian so I can't say whether it was favourable commentary or not. There were only a few clips of film which were alternated desperately for at least 15 minutes. One had Medvedev striding manfully on his own (not allowed an escort or a retinue) towards the camera, which made him seem a bit embarrassed. He climbed up a rather long and lonely red-carpeted staircase, eventually coming to a door opened by flunkeys (the effect rather spoiled by their jackbooted marching) which revealed another long corridor through cheering bystanders (probably grandees of Putin's party, or whatever grandees are called in post-modern Russia).

I am afraid I was reminded rather too much of the style of entry of contestants to Big Brother in Slovenia. I have only seen it there so I am not sure whether it is de rigeur for contestants to enter up a long staircase with cheering fans then through a dark passage eventually opening into the bright welcome of Big Brother house. It did make me wonder for a second how long it would take for TV viewers to vote him out of Big Brother house, but then I remembered that there is another set of rules for Russian Big Brother. In this case Big Brother becomes Prime Minister and even watches over the President, who has not had quite the same training in watching. Big Brother was in fact waiting at the altar for Medvedev. So then the camera alternated between the two, though only one side was required to recite any vows. (Should the ex-President promise not to interfere and let the new one make his own mistakes? or was it "till death us do part").

There were canons but it was hard to see whether it was the full 21 gun salute, and the film showed them being fired by someone (the White Rabbit?) popping out from behind a hedge, which did not lend dignity to the occasion.

After this reverie, I noticed the film loop had stopped and Putin and Medvedev had put on their macs (it was clearly raining outside) and had gone out to some balcony for a wave like royalty. There was a disrespectful close up of them coming down the stairs like an oddly assorted couple after the registry office wedding. Not holding hands, you understand, but the British Press would never have shown their crumpled macs, which made them look like they had spent the night already.

The only other clip showed Medvedev swearing an oath with his hand on a book (should it have been his heart, Father I cannot tell a lie). The hand obscured what sort of red book it actually was (of course it would be red in Russia), and the commentary was still in Georgian so I will have to wait to ask tomorrow which faith Medvedev actually follows. With some separation of state and religion these days in Russia, it is clearly not obligatory to be crowned in one of the churches of the Kremlin, as required in Britain. Nevertheless one could have wished for a bit more pageantry and a quick blessing in church for the civil ceremony would not have gone amiss.

Turning later to BBC World, we only saw a short stretch of the staircase marathon, and a short clasp of the hands of the new partners. Deference required that the mac scene was cut, of course. There was more about the march past and defending the realm in the speeches, which I could understand this time. The talk was of a dual power, a sort of "WilliamandMary" as learnt from "1066 and all that".

Lest this report be deemed too disrespectful, we should remark that this is a peaceful transfer of power (if any is transferred) and Medvedev has not (yet) been jilted. It is difficult for a post modern society to devise meaningful rituals for these rites of passage in society.

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