Hungarian Politics

[celedhring]

I think it's far better and good that it's an advert on behalf of the government of Hungary rather than buying sponsored content in newspapers (as China has done in the past) or sort of buying a think-tanker to do an opinion piece. At least it is clearly where this is coming from.

Though also obviously fine for a paper to refuse any advert they're not comfortable with and refuse the cash (although I think they may be exposed to charges of hypocrisy depending on their general advertising strategy). And it's definitely a story if they tried.

It'd be interesting to see which papers in each country they think is either sympathetic to them or has a readership sympathetic to them

"ABC" is probably the closest to their ideological profile, although not as extreme. If we were to apply the "He sees himself as/Others see him as" meme they think themselves as the Spanish The Times, while they are just a hoary version of the Daily Mail.

I wonder if they tried to publish in El Mundo, who has a larger readership and is also conservative, although more economically liberal.

[Duque de Bragança]

I guess that makes Orban somewhat more progressive than Macro; he agrees with Serbia being an EU member, unlike Macron. 

[Tamas]

The defeat of the Dutch in Budapest nicely coincided with the Dutch calls for Hungary to GTFO of the EU for government media to treat this like pro-rainbow flag Dutch defeated and humiliated by righteous Visegrad Four heteros.

This is from one of the major "independent" propaganda newspapers:



Under the picture:

Holland brought to their knees
Gabor Dzsingisz [no idea who this is]: In the Dutch PM's place I'd humbly hide in the corner
Dark spots in the past of the Dutch PM
etc etc

[Tamas]

Meanwhile anti-gay propaganda is bearing fruit in Russification.

Last week two German ladies were insulted and spat at by a father-son duo due to their rainbow-coloured face paint. These (the father son duo, not the ladies) have been caught by the police.

Even more serious, a gay couple was beaten up in one of the cities (Pecs) quite seriously, one of them to the point of losing consciousness. Perpetrators have been arrested in this case as well.

[Sheilbh]

Grim.

I find the Russification side of the LGBT debate in Europe really interesting. For example I know that Tbilisi Pride and Kyiv Pride are now broadly endorsed/allowed by their states in a way they weren't before because it is seen as a point of contrast with Russia. Similarly they've established lots of links with pro-LGBT European parliamentarians (at European and national level) for solidarity/support but also, from a Georgian or Ukrainian effort, I imagine as part of a soft power effort to align with Western Europe.

I don't think it was inevitable it would happen over this issue - I don't know if Putin used a wedge issue that existed within Europe or if it has become a wedge issue because Putin used it.

[Duque de Bragança]

Meanwhile anti-gay propaganda is bearing fruit in Russification.

Last week two German ladies were insulted and spat at by a father-son duo due to their rainbow-coloured face paint. These (the father son duo, not the ladies) have been caught by the police.

Even more serious, a gay couple was beaten up in one of the cities (Pecs) quite seriously, one of them to the point of losing consciousness. Perpetrators have been arrested in this case as well.

Missing an islamic republic in Hungary with a Kadyrov to be 100% Russified.   

[Tamas]

Grim.

I find the Russification side of the LGBT debate in Europe really interesting. For example I know that Tbilisi Pride and Kyiv Pride are now broadly endorsed/allowed by their states in a way they weren't before because it is seen as a point of contrast with Russia. Similarly they've established lots of links with pro-LGBT European parliamentarians (at European and national level) for solidarity/support but also, from a Georgian or Ukrainian effort, I imagine as part of a soft power effort to align with Western Europe.

I don't think it was inevitable it would happen over this issue - I don't know if Putin used a wedge issue that existed within Europe or if it has become a wedge issue because Putin used it.

I don't know. Every year less and less far-right idiots attended counter protests for Budapest Pride (Although I am sure of it a friendly government being in place and not wanting to cause trouble unless told to played a part). But then I am surprised how little it took to escalate things into violence and a very anti-tolerance line of talk in government media. It has gone from absolute non-issue to Number 1 Grievance - I am not sure that's possible without something simmering under the surface.

[Sheilbh]

I can't find it now but Hungary is one of the few countries (in the world) where polling on LGBT stuff has gone backwards in the last few years so I think it reflects something for sure.

[Tamas]

Announced yesterday and in effect from today, anonymous donations to organisations have been banned. Charities/NGOs now must collect details of everyone making a donation, and submit the list annually to the government. If the donation comes from a private company, the charity/NGO must list the owners of it.

[The Larch]

EU urged to suspend funds to Hungary over 'grave breaches of the rule of law'
Action follows Viktor Orbán passing law banning LGBT content in schools and mishandling of EU funds

Ursula von der Leyen is being urged to suspend EU funds to Hungary to force Viktor Orbán to address concerns over politicised courts and corruption.

MEPs who work on the European parliament's budgetary control committee are calling on the European Commission president to use a newly created EU law to freeze payments to Hungary for "grave breaches of the rule of law".

It is the latest salvo against the Hungarian prime minister, who last month faced unprecedented criticism from fellow EU leaders over a law that bans the depiction of gay people in educational material. The European parliament is expected to condemn that law in a resolution on Thursday that will urge the commission to launch a fast-track legal case against Hungary over discrimination against LGBT people.

Long before the Hungarian parliament passed the controversial LGBT law, EU member states and MEPs were alarmed by Hungary's spending of EU funds, including a contract for street lights awarded to Orbán's son-in law, as well as a vintage train to Orbán's home village.

The MEPs base their case on a report by three academics, who conclude that "grave breaches of the rule of law" mean the EU executive is legally justified in suspending payments to Hungary to protect EU taxpayers.

"The lack of transparent management of EU funds, the lack of an effective national prosecution service and the lack of guarantees of judicial independence show that Hungary has already egregiously violated basic rule-of-law principles," states the report drafted by three professors in EU law and politics.

The report highlights laboratories in 43 schools that cost €1m (£850,000) each and were part funded by the European social fund. A European Commission investigation found that each classroom was charged separately for the development of textbooks, even though all used the same book. Brussels asked for some money to be repaid after concluding that the Hungarian authorities had not corrected several spending "irregularities".

"What we want is for the rule of law to function in Hungary, not because we have a sanctions fetish," said German Green MEP Daniel Freund, who commissioned the report. "We basically want the re-establishment of the rule of law."

The MEPs are not suggesting a particular amount of money to be frozen – in 2018 Hungary received €6.3bn from the EU, equivalent to nearly 5% of its economy. The Hungarian government has requested a further €7.2bn from the EU's coronavirus recovery fund.

It would be up to the commission to decide which EU payments to freeze, Freund said. "It should not be ordinary Hungarian citizens that suffer from this, it should punish the government, so the commission would have to identify the right budget lines," said the MEP, who conceded that the decision would not be easy.

"I think the commission has to explain to everyone else why billions and billions of your taxpayer money is going to Hungary when there is no management and control system that works on the ground," he said.

Any attempt to halt payments to an EU country over democratic checks and balances would be a test case for the EU's rule of law "conditionality" regulation. Hungary's government is challenging the law in the European court of justice, prompting concerns that the commission may be reluctant to act.

A European Commission spokesperson said: "The regulation entered into force on 1 January 2021 and the commission has been monitoring possible breaches of the rule-of-law principles that would be relevant under the regulation since day one."

Orbán was this week was named a "press freedom predator" by Reporters Without Borders.

[Sheilbh]

I think that would be a good idea for the normal EU funds.

Though I wouldn't want to see any conditionality or link to rule of law on the covid recovery funds because I think that it is different. Like the government or not, Hungary were in the club and were hit by the pandemic so should get that in my view.

[Tamas]

The mayor of Budapest requested (under the Hungarian version of the freedom of information act basically, giving public access to publicly funded stuff) the documents which prompted the decision of giving the properties meant for affordable student accommodations to the Chinese Fudan university instead.

And he, indeed, received them:

[Valmy]

Even though I cannot read or understand Hungarian at all I still learned as much from that document as the mayor of Budapest.

[Josquius]

Seriously though. Wtf?

[Tamas]

A couple of days ago 3 men tried to forcefully break into a Budapest flat late at night, because the residents put a rainbow flag on their balcony. The gay couple renting the place and the 3 years old child of one of them were at home.

They called the police and the attackers gave up minutes before the police arrived. They did leave some anti-LMBTQ stickers on their door though.

The police refused to log the case (not sure how you call that in English) saying there was no property or personal damage done. According to the victims the police officers were kind and helpful, but suggested they remove the flag and not showcase it again, to avoid such future incidents. Allegedly they mentioned "there's this new law, you probably heard about it".