In December 2014, Vladimir Putin gave his annual speech to Russia’s Federal Assembly as usual. It turned out to be a watershed: for the first time, clear notes of ethnic nationalism sounded; Crimea, “reunited with Russia”, was called the “spiritual source of the Russian nation”, which had a “civilisational and even sacral importance” for Russia. It was precisely this part of Putin’s speech that came to figure in discussions in domestic and international media.
But Putin did not limit himself to these declarations. Towards the end of the speech, in particular, the Russian leader began to reflect on social policy. “With regard to healthcare, it is imperative to complete the transition to an insurance-based system,” Putin stated. “We must not allow discrimination of the non-governmental sector in the social sphere and eliminate all barriers to it. Competition is a crucial factor to boost the quality of services in the social sphere.”
While Putin’s speech began with the pompous phraseology of nationalist populism, it ended with the smooth language of competition and effectiveness. Here, Putin spoke not only as a conservative nationalist, but also in a different role — one that is discussed much less often: the role of the neoliberal.
