Daily Diary

Putin his place

Posted 5/03/2008 by The Daily Diary

The legal profession has further tightened its iron grip on executive power in recent times with the anointment of Dmitry Medvedev as heir apparent to Soviet dicta—sorry, democratically-elected Russian premier and international goodwill-spreader Vladimir Putin.

Medvedev – who triumphed Russia's recent presidential, erm, 'elections' – was barely out of law school when he first penetrated Putin’s inner circle. However, according to a recent profile in the Financial Times, he was not necessarily always destined for greatness.

One lawyer who worked with the callow counsel cast doubt on whether Medvedev was ruthless enough to survive the cut-and-thrust of Kremlin realpolitik.

“I wouldn’t say he could have got a place as senior partner at Linklaters,” the source volunteered, possibly giving the game away slightly about his own political affiliations. “He was rather gentle. But people change. He strikes me as rather like John Major.”

The Diary will leave it to readers to decide whether they would rather get on the wrong side of Silk Street commissars or the KGB.

Putin: would lose to David Cheyne in a fight