I want to remind you, gentlemen, that the administration of the country is still a profession, and not the most simple. Even in Ukraine. The adoption of new laws, even the creation of laws should be dictated by public necessity, or, at least, expediency. Is it because the Constitution of the United States for several centuries it remained a small brochure? Yes, because the law for the country is serious business, not a reason to stand out from the homogeneous mass. Here the heavy Soviet legacy “planned” economy in government. Therefore, to deal with the consequences of a scoop it is necessary first in the head, and not in the names of streets, cities and symbols.
Well, anyway, it would be good for bungling the answer, the demolition of monuments, draconian language laws, a very “timely” renaming of lanes, streets, squares and even cities in such a difficult time for the country much like the dancing on the deck of a sinking ship. I’m willing to believe that is naive figures who sincerely believe that they are struggling with the system and that their descendants will remember, as fighters with it.
Let’s leave them in the dark — let them amuse. But why include the following bill — here even I speculated! It is no secret that the deputies submitting bills a little, sometimes accused of sabotage, laziness and other sins. Apparently, this is their proletarian past — if you have a job, there must be a plan, which, in turn, needs to be done. So require, and themselves semi-literate parliamentarians also believe that they are not worse than others, and quite capable of supplying intricate bills.
Moreover, the most “wit” odious differ with drive type of “Freedom” (what’s the word muck!), or the Radical party. Here is another striking example — the Deputy kiyevsoveta from “Freedom” Yury Sirotyuk, it’s obvious good guy and a true patriot, on the Facebook page sfotkatsya in camouflage with a gun in hand, to doubt no one had. Requests assistance and support from “real Ukrainians” to shove it “extremely timely” bill “the right of Ukrainians to serve in all spheres of the native — that is to say, the Ukrainian — language”. Make translate to “will titulo MOV”, to replace the Ukrainian all the other signs, and also to bend sellers, waiters and conductors to communicate with Kiev (fortunately, while only Kiev) in the Ukrainian language. Moreover, Sirotyuk complains that his bill provoked resistance and almost a year collecting dust under the carpet. And now — time for revenge — the document was removed, blew the dust off and are going to consider. Apparently, the time has come — and more to do with the city Council nothing — excellent roads, a complete order on the streets, well, what is a truly European city!
Only here in all cities around the world and in all commercial establishments, it is customary to communicate with customers in the language that is convenient to them, not the nationalists from the city Council. And generally — a good excuse to once again prove their patriotism towards the issue in the fight against occupying Soviet legacy. No, if pan Sirotyuk so sore for the idea, even to carry out reforms for its own account, as a sponsorship, or at least the survey was conducted — are all in awe of his “devilish creativity at the expense of others”. Who have visited abroad, particularly in the streets of the multinational cities (which I would very much like to classify and Kiev), he can testify that the streets are absolutely teeming with shops with foreign signs, and the sellers just trying to sell your product quickly and profitably.
Shops with foreign signs EN masse occur, for example, in Israel, Paris, London, Berlin, not to mention new York, with its China Town and Brighton beach. And everywhere, mind you, are the sellers and waiters who know the maximum number of foreign languages, and not boomy proudly in their native language, “I don’t understand.” Well, to all the other troubles, it is worth remembering that Ukraine is a multinational country and that inadequate language policy led her to what we have at the moment. And here the Deputy of the city Council, a wonderful guy from Dubno with kind eyes and Volynov in his hand, trying to make it worse, to drive a wedge, to quarrel still friendly people of Kiev, to bring trouble to the same citizens, like himself, in short, clearly is a Subversion, sowing national hatred, discord and licentiousness. By the way, is a criminal activity!
Now look at how similar problems are, of course, if you turn the language to call them so, the situation in the rest of the world. Oddly enough, the closest analogy we were able to hold of France, hot French guys for centuries fighting the English for supremacy in Europe, the dominance of the French language as an international, on English. However, they all looks much more civilised, although not without kinks. For example, in 1994 one of the French Ministers Jacques Thu Bon was promoted the law “on the use of the French language”, which included many familiar items, including a quota of French songs on radio and television. For France, it sounded wildly and caused a wide protest, but the French quota — 40% in comparison with the Ukrainian 75%, just sophomoric. Well, an attempt to oblige the employees of the French airports to communicate in native French, instead of the conventional international English, brought in 2000 year, the collision of two planes over one of the French airports. Was, by the way, wounded and dead. I wonder did anyone think to ask the victim of the jealous native language of the ex-Minister Jacques Thu Bon? Probably not, though — sorry!
Ironically, the most civilized things in the structured Germany that opened at the time of the border for a huge number of immigrants. There is a special program for adaptation of migrants. Adult migrants who are unemployed but who have a high chance to remain in the country, will undergo a 600-hour German course and a 100-hour course in cultural orientation, which will be completed with an exam called “Life in Germany”. But here’s the thing — the author of “the Ukrainian law” — Yury Sirotyuk is in Kiev in the same migrant, as, for example, Russian-speaking Kharkiv and other Eastern Ukraine. And does he have the moral right to paste the face in Kalashny number, dictating their fantasies to fellow citizens? Or the example of unpunished Thu Bon it inspires? However, you can assume that he is unaware of who the Thu Bon and just not think about the consequences, but just does not think! Otherwise, he is a saboteur and a wrecker.
And yet, when the external uniformity, for example, the German language, the reality is not so simple. According to the European Charter for regional or minority languages recognised regional languages and minority languages in Germany, besides German, are also: Danish in Schleswig-Holstein, Frisian in Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony, upper Sorbian in Saxony, lower Sorbian language in Brandenburg, Roma in Hesse and low German in Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Bremen, Mecklenburg — Western Pomerania, North Rhine-Westphalia, Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt. This, to Ukrainian patriots linguists at least a little thought — it is going smoothly in Europe, where they seek with such zeal?
And that’s how things are in England — another “standard” national language “monolithic”: in a country like England, in the nature does not exist, there is The United Kingdom of Great Britain, UK, England — only one of the components along with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Currently in the UK there is not official state language. And the oath in Parliament, MPs can take on English, Welsh or Scottish Gaelic language. And although the official language is English, is actively used and there are other languages.
The national language of Wales is Welsh, according to the legislative act, adopted in 1967, has equal rights with the English language. In Wales, all the inscriptions are given first in Welsh and then duplicated in English. Another law on an equal footing with the English language the status of the Welsh language adopted in 1993. Scottish Gaelic and Anglo-Scots was officially recognized in 1992 by the European Charter for regional languages, which in 2001, ratified by the UK government.
Measures to support the Gaelic language by the Ministry of Scotland. Subsidized radio and television Gaelic. In Northern Ireland the official language is English. While the Gaelic language in this province is taught in schools as a separate subject. Has the status of a minority language. In the Republic of Ireland has two official languages — Gaelic (or Irish) and English. The Irish insist that Gaelic is the first state and English the second (article 8 of the Constitution of Ireland). In General, in all their diversity of opinions, there is some mutual respect and willingness to negotiate, unlike what we see in us.
The situation of languages in America and Canada — a separate issue. It is clear that the United States is a multinational country in which we have to live a variety of peoples and races, the American government rightly believes that the question of language is a question of power, and neatly enough fighting for linguistic homogeneity of America. However, the occupation is hopeless — too heterogeneous mass of freedom-loving Americans, in addition to rapidly growing percentage of Hispanic Americans, so that linguistic future of this superpower is very vague.
In Canada all the more easier, or rather, uniquely. The whole history of Canada is the rivalry of the English and French population respectively languages. the ratio of Franco and English-speaking Canadians over the centuries has changed significantly, therefore, developed a more or less reasonable policy in different regions of the living descendants of the different ethnic groups and use different languages. And no one notice no one else in the offense. It happens, of course, anything, but peaceful and calm.
So the problem everywhere in the world about the same. It’s a shame more — this is the 21st century, global integration, whichever way, inevitable. So is it worth to cultivate compatriots systems of small Nations, and then shamelessly speculate on them? The trouble is that some people are too fond of power, considering that the responsibility for clearly inhuman and antihuman actions will never come. A shame if this turns out to be true!
Albert Feldman, Director of the Israeli Institute for strategic studies named after Golda Meir, a political analyst.
