I've just spent over two hours watching latest Savik Shuster program, on-line, here.
It's rivetting stuff.
The show was to comprise Yulia Tymoshenko being cross-examined by a battery of eminent journalists. She claimed during the programme that Viktor Yanukovych was to be present as well. Just as the programme opens, three PoR heavyweights - Mykola Azarov, Hanna Herman and Iryna Akimova gate-crash the proceedings, claiming this was 'in the interest of balance'. The PoR trio are seen milling around the studio floor while Tymoshenko is speaking, and two extra chairs are brought into the studio for them, perhaps suggesting that only one of them was to attend. The journos are all clearly pi**ed off by this as it is obvious they where not aware the PoR trio would be there. During the programmeTymoshenko answers hostile questions in her usual passionate manner complete with many diversions, as well as responding challenges from the 3 PoR guys. The whole atmosphere is very tense and the proceedings quite chaotic.
About 2 hours 20 minutes into the programme [which is on a TV channel owned by PoR deputy Rinat Akhmetov] Shuster, who many consider the most respected TV interrogator on Ukrainian television, tries to explain the mix-up about who was to attend the program and who was not.
He says he had been summoned to PoR headquarters earlier in the day, where he had been accused of pro-Tymoshenko bias and was told that PoR representatives had to be present during the programme. He responded that Tymoshenko may well not agree to this. Herman then accuses Shuster, live on air, of concocting a plan whereby the 3 PoR guys would enter unannounced, but he could carry on with the pretence that Tymoshenko would be questioned only by journalists. Shuster repudiates this, denying he was party to any conspiracy, whilst other journalists lay into Herman too for not trusting them to do their job properly in scrutinizing the PM in a fair manner, and for taking from them the opportunity to quiz the PM live on TV, whilst at the same time promoting their own political agenda and electioneering.
The intention of the programme was to give journalists the opportunity of grilling the PM on her handling/mishandling of the economy during the global crisis. PoR considered that the programme would give Tymoshenko the opportunity to promote herself for president, even though the campaign has not yet started.
In the end, it was Tymoshenko and the journalists who emerged with more credit. 'Glavred', in their 'write-up' on the program say her people are happiest about how it all worked out.
PoR have a real problem with Yulka T who is a star performer on TV. As in this particular programme, if she takes on all-comers on her own, answering their questions and challenges, she looks as if she is being unfairly bullied - neutral viewers feel sympathetic to her. She is a master of playing the delicate 'wronged woman'. If she goes one-to-one against anyone in a TV debate, paticularly Yanukovych, [if this were ever to happen], she would probably win hands down. Putting her in front of agressive journalists, who would have given her a hard time, would probably have been best for PoR at this moment in time. But PoR could not be content with this. By highjacking the programme they let Tymoshenko score some easy points and made PoR and Savik Shuster, who had to apologise to the journalists present for submitting to PoR's, in his words, "blackmail", look devious. And they annoyed the journalists big-time too.
Best part was toward the end when Tymoshenko said her piece and thanked everybody and simply walked out with perfect timing after the aggressive Rooskie Pig faced Irina Akimova would not shut up, and placed herself at the podium an took up the mike in spite of being told that she is not the prime minister and never would be, by Shyster himself.
ReplyDeleteThen all the Rashan speeking hyenas turned on each other, with accusations, of who lied about the show arrangements. Shyster was exposed. No more snickering from Hanna German who looked like she was wearing a black garbage bag for a skirt.
Oops, I did it again - another one of those 3 hour programs with long-winded Ukrainians repeating stuff over and over.
ReplyDeleteThere is no doubt that Tymoshenko is a formidable person to deal with (even when she was looking disappointed and bored as Savik wrestled with the PoR thugs and their chaotic games).
In the past, she has been shy and has not hesitated to promote her candidacy, despite the campaign season not being officially over.
Surprisingly, this time she showed a bit of restraint on the campaign stuff, and when she didn't, Savik promptly kept her in check.
Azarov, founder of the Party of Rogues, showed up with his 2 hatchet hags, Hissing Hanna, and Akimova, or whatever that hag's name is.
They don't ask questions - sovok-style, they drone on and on with big prefatory speeches, before they finally ask a question.
And when the answer is finally given - they interrupt!
I really enjoyed the part where one journalist jumped all over them: "this is not the Rada, where you have parliamentary immunity, and you simply do as you will. This is Savik Shuster's show, where he is the host, he sets the rules. You are in his house now." It got a lot of audience applause, because clearly Azarov and his 2 hatchet hags were still acting sovok dictatorial style, expecting to simply roll over everyone.
One thing about Yulia bothered me - her refusal to guarantee free speech, in light of the recent court ruling that forbids "black" or "dark" or "not-in-good-conscience" criticism of the Prime Minister.
She dodged it. Instead her answer was that if she was afraid of criticism, she wouldn't show up on shows like the Savik Shuster Show. Maybe so, but that's not a complete answer.
And, we got a sneak preview of what the campaign will be like - Yulia is not afraid to mention the corruption of PoR. Example - Yanuk winding up with a HUGE estate, Mezhihirya, under mysterious circumstances. PoR giving up the Black Sea Shelf oil and gas drilling rights by transfer from Vanco Energy in Houston to Vanco Prykerchenska, a mysterious and hastily formed British Islands outfit with Akhmetov (member of PoR) as one of the owners.
Shenanigans by PoR with the budget.
By the time it was all over, Azarov and his hatchet hags looked like they had been rode hard and put up wet - they clearly had their wicked little tails between their legs, to add to their long faces.
The journalists were absolutely right to give those sovoks idiots (Azarov and his 2 hatchet hags) a piece of their mind, and a good dose of journalistic medicine.
Plus - the musical trio at the very end of the program, (after Savik said repeatedly "this won't work, we have to implement new rules") was really good.
I just wish Ukrainians got rid of the sovok habit of being long-winded and repeating stuff over and over.
Oh, yeah -
ReplyDeleteThe Savik Shuster web site featuring that show has drawn over 3,000 comments, last time I checked.
And, for a while, getting it from the web site was spotty - it was clear that lots of people were hitting the web site to watch the show over the Internet, or to comment.