Ufa [Bashkortostan], 30 July: Russian Federation Council speaker Sergey Mironov believes there should be public control over the content of television broadcasting, which can be exercised through public councils set up for this purpose.

"In my view, not a single programme of any of our television channels is working for the benefit of our country," Mironov declared in Ufa today at his meeting with editors-in-chief of Bashkortostan media outlets.

"Just listen to what the president is saying and what the television shows. Every little commercial ad is instilling the ideology of `grab whatever you can in life', implanting naked consumerism. One feels like introducing censorship if only for the health of the nation, to help it stay within the law," Mironov explained.

"I am not saying we should see the world through the rose-tinted glasses, but you must show it is its true light. I travel across the country and I know there are lots of positive things around too," he stressed. "We should set up public councils at every television channel to put up barriers against the flood of all that gloomy, violent and soulless stuff."

He argued with "those who proclaim that we have lost many good things" in Russia. "This is not so. We have kept Gazprom and our nuclear potential, for instance. It is a myth that the state cannot manage [such assets] efficiently," Mironov said, adding that state participation in the country's economy not only benefits Russia, but also ensures it against "economic collapse".

In his view, "it is possible to build our own, Russian, democratic socialism - with the state taking responsibility for the welfare of its citizens and introducing unified consumer standards, and in which the economy would be developing under the market conditions but with state participation". "Russia has its own destiny in 21st century. I have a feeling it is yet to say its decisive word. We shall be overtaking, not catching up," Mironov said. "We must put our television channels in order and hold their managers to account for what they are stuffing our heads with from the TV screen," he added.