Christopher Hitchens on Vladimir Zhirinovsky and Parliamentary Systems (1994 Part 8)

November 21, 1994 http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww....

Watch the full program: http://thefilmarchived.blogspot.com/2010/08/christopher-hitchens-and-mona-cha...

Vladimir Volfovich Zhirinovsky (Russian: Влади́мир Во́льфович Жирино́вский, born April 25, 1946 as Vladimir Volfovich Eidelstein) is a Russian politician, colonel of the Russian Army, founder and the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), Vice-Chairman of the State Duma, and a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Despite its name, the LDPR is usually described as a radical nationalist party.

Question Time in a parliament occurs when members of the parliament ask questions of Government Ministers (including the Prime Minister) which they are obliged to answer. It usually occurs daily while parliament is sitting, though it can be cancelled in exceptional circumstances. Question Time originated in the Westminster system of the United Kingdom, but occurs in several other countries as well.

In practice, the questions asked in Question Time are usually pre-arranged by the organisers of each party; although the questions are usually without notice. Questions from government backbenchers are either intended to allow the Minister to discuss the virtues of government policy, or to attack the opposition. A typical format of such a government backbencher's question might be "Could the Minister discuss the benefits of the government's initiative on -issue-, and is the Minister aware of any alternative policies in this area?" Ministers may attempt to avoid opposition questions, but lying or intentionally providing misleading answers to Parliament is not permitted by the standing orders. The resulting political outcry could, and often does, result in that Minister being relieved of their position, and possibly suspended from the House. Skilled Ministers will often attempt to turn around the opposition's questions, rather than answering the question asked using them to further attack the opposition.

The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from 1833 to 1856, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and the Democratic Party. In particular, the Whigs supported the supremacy of Congress over the executive branch and favored a program of modernization and economic protectionism. This name was chosen to echo the American Whigs of 1776, who fought for independence, and because "Whig" was then a widely recognized label of choice for people who saw themselves as opposing autocratic rule. The Whig Party counted among its members such national political luminaries as Daniel Webster, William Henry Harrison, and their preeminent leader, Henry Clay of Kentucky. In addition to Harrison, the Whig Party also counted four war heroes among its ranks, including Generals Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott. Abraham Lincoln was a Whig leader in frontier Illinois.

In its two decades of existence, the Whig Party saw two of its candidates, William Henry Harrison and Zachary Taylor, elected president. Both, however, died in office. John Tyler became president after Harrison's death, but was expelled from the party. Millard Fillmore, who became president after Taylor's death, was the last Whig to hold the nation's highest office.

The party was ultimately destroyed by the question of whether to allow the expansion of slavery to the territories. With deep fissures in the party on this question, the anti-slavery faction successfully prevented the nomination of its own incumbent President Fillmore in the 1852 presidential election; instead, the party nominated General Winfield Scott. Its leaders quit politics (as Lincoln did temporarily) or changed parties. The voter base defected to the Republican Party, various coalition parties in some states, and to the Democratic Party. By the 1856 presidential election, the party had lost its ability to maintain a national coalition of effective state parties and endorsed Millard Fillmore, now of the American Party, at its last national convention.

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[JohanOlsson]

haha this is the funniest thing ever >P haha about Zhirinovsky and alcoholic man haha what a comment =)))))))))

[alabamamanable]

@SketchyBack I really hate to respond to comments made so long ago, but yours was a sentiment very lacking in representation in this country as our left wing becomes more center-right. I simply couldn't agree more and hope soon to have the pleasure of voting for a representative that recognizes the benefits of a society rather than condemns them (but not holding my breath, of course).

[90talisten]

I love Zhrirnovsky and Christopher Hitchens, is that wierd?

[Mr40acresandamule]

I hear some of the same comments echoed today.

[quantumofhate]

So you want Russia to Be moddern and becoming a muslim state.VICTORY RUSSIA and those who love Russia.I SPIT ON THE USA AND ISRAIL AND LONDANISTAN.GOD BLESS RUSSIA. NOT THE JEWS NOT USA OR FUCKED UP BRITTEN and multiey culturalisme. ALL SAY NO TO JEW LOVERS .These to jew lovers want RUSSIA to become like the USA and England which are becomming muliticultural and non white so that all nations all the same.It stinks and it will happen over my dead body.

[carlo88moe]

the women around 4:00...wow, that's the same blithering indignation you hear today...