A bad day for Ukraine.  Another day at the Rada (parliament) and once again, the speaker's rostrum is blockaded by members of parliament.  It works like this: members of a bloc in the Rada are dissatisfied that they can't achieve something.  Rather than try and persuade the other side, explain their grievances to the voters, or wait to be voted into power, some MPs in the bloc cluster around the speaker's rostrum to stop any parliamentary business being done. Result: the Ukrainian parliament cannot work.  MPs from several blocs have used this tactic.  Sometimes, if others attempt to break through the blockade, things descend into fisticuffs.  A popular humorous clip on international media channels in 2008, alongside tomato-throwing festivals in Spain and ugly dog competitions in California, was a video of Ukrainian MPs fighting in the Rada.  This, then, for many people outside Ukraine, was their chief image of this excellent country.

I've no doubt the MPs who blockade the Rada rostrum feel their action is justified.  Some leading Ukrainian politicians are inclined to laugh off the blockades with a "what can one do?" roll of the eyes.  But both the MPs doing the blockading and those who have influence over them need to be aware that this kind of behaviour is rocket-fuel for those who argue that Ukraine isn't a proper democracy and doesn't deserve support and partnership.  Conversely, such scenes make things difficult for those, like me, who are keen supporters of Ukraine's democratic credentials.  It's harder to make the case that Ukraine is a leader in democracy in the region when a bunch of burly MPs is blockading the speaker's rostrum or punching their opponents.  For the friends of Ukraine, every day the Rada cannot work because of poor parliamentary procedures is a bad day for democracy in this country.