THE PROTEST VOTE
THE extraordinary victory of Mr Boris Yeltsin in the elections to the new Soviet parliament should not obscure the fact that he has no coherent programme of his own. He has criticised Mr Gorbachev's reforms both for being too fast and too slow. A populist of limited education, he has taken advantage of Moscow citizens' understand- able frustrations with the shortages of practically all goods. Insofar as he has an answer, it seems to be to deprive the elite of their material privileges — a kind of return to Leninist 'purity'. One suspects that had he been born in another age, he would have supported pogroms. The victo- rious Baltic nationalists, on the other hand, have a perfectly coherent programme, which is to free their countries of Soviet control, either openly or by stealth. It remains to be seen whether Mr Gorbachev will be permitted to permit this, or whether it will bring his whole edifice of reform tumbling down. A relatively easy solution to Russia's own problems, however, is not even conceivable. The elimination of spe- cial lanes for limousines in Moscow streets would be momentarily gratifying, but would do nothing to reactivate the stagnant economy. Hard economic decisions will have to be taken that will increase, not decrease, popular exasperation, at least in the short term. Mr Yeltsin's victory is a welcome indication of general dissatisfac- tion with the status quo, but he offers no solutions. Indeed, the great lesson of the last few years has been how difficult it is to reform a regime run on the principle that a few men can know everything.
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