Hungarian Politics

[HVC]

Finally the true fans of van gogh are free to come out and be themselves

[Duque de Bragança]

It's time for the annual Hungarian conservative far-right mass gathering in Transylvania, where traditionally Orban does a speech with something outrageous enough to dominate public discourse for the rest of the year so he can go back to stealing.

Couple of other speakers from this year's event (the second one is actually a Brit):

Groupies. 

[Tamas]

With absolutely no announcement (some journos spotted it among the public finances data published) the government took a 1 billion euros loan from China back in April, for an undisclosed purpose and on undisclosed terms.

This, for me, is one more proof that Orban is running a very classic feudalistic regime, where he is a king maintains loyalty and thus control by a steady stream of perks and gifts for which he needs money. To make things worse the regime and apparatus he has built he built it to the scale of the unprecedently massive incoming EU grants over the past 14 years. Both his vassals and because of that the country as a whole need these recurring injections for the house of cards not to collapse.

Instead of reform he will just turn toward China and Russia to keep going.

[Valmy]

This, for me, is one more proof that Orban is running a very classic feudalistic regime, where he is a king maintains loyalty and thus control by a steady stream of perks and gifts for which he needs money. To make things worse the regime and apparatus he has built he built it to the scale of the unprecedently massive incoming EU grants over the past 14 years. Both his vassals and because of that the country as a whole need these recurring injections for the house of cards not to collapse.

Instead of reform he will just turn toward China and Russia to keep going.

That is basically how the Communist regime ran in Hungary right? It needed constant perks and cash to bribe the leaders, though there was also a big stick waiting as well.

[Tamas]

This, for me, is one more proof that Orban is running a very classic feudalistic regime, where he is a king maintains loyalty and thus control by a steady stream of perks and gifts for which he needs money. To make things worse the regime and apparatus he has built he built it to the scale of the unprecedently massive incoming EU grants over the past 14 years. Both his vassals and because of that the country as a whole need these recurring injections for the house of cards not to collapse.

Instead of reform he will just turn toward China and Russia to keep going.

That is basically how the Communist regime ran in Hungary right? It needed constant perks and cash to bribe the leaders, though there was also a big stick waiting as well.

Yes although it was more about bribing the populace, giving them relative security and welfare (probably not looking from Western Europe, but defo looking from most of the rest of the Warsaw Pact).

[Tamas]

In the meantime I wish Orban's "traditional values" fans abroad would be aware that Hungary is nearing a demographic catastrophe, there has never been so few births since statistics started. In just the last 6 months, 25 000 more people died than were born.

Meanwhile there has been serious talk about using soldiers to fill up the emptying ranks of school teachers and lately even hospital employees.


Orban's whole reign is an abject failure, hidden only by the vast amounts of foreign money pouring in, plus overwhelming propaganda. Actually Valmy's comparison to Kadar-era communist Hungary is very apt.

[Josquius]

This, for me, is one more proof that Orban is running a very classic feudalistic regime, where he is a king maintains loyalty and thus control by a steady stream of perks and gifts for which he needs money. To make things worse the regime and apparatus he has built he built it to the scale of the unprecedently massive incoming EU grants over the past 14 years. Both his vassals and because of that the country as a whole need these recurring injections for the house of cards not to collapse.

Instead of reform he will just turn toward China and Russia to keep going.

That is basically how the Communist regime ran in Hungary right? It needed constant perks and cash to bribe the leaders, though there was also a big stick waiting as well.

Yes although it was more about bribing the populace, giving them relative security and welfare (probably not looking from Western Europe, but defo looking from most of the rest of the Warsaw Pact).

Where did Hungary rank on this?
As I understand it the top 3 were East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia (maybe in reverse order there?). Then Hungary?

[Duque de Bragança]

Yugoslavia was non-aligned so best of both worlds, in a way.
East Germany was way too repressive to be among the best. Czechoslovakia's short experience with reforms ended in 1968.
Hungary, all other things being equal, was the happiest barrack in the communist block. Not in 1956, of course.

[Tamas]

Yeah comparing to yugoslavia isn't fair they had access to western goods. You could *gasp* buy coca cola there as I remember.

[Sheilbh]

Something for this thread or EU thread. But read a bit in Forbes on national security concerns in the rest of the Schengen area after Hungary's extending guest worker "national cards" to Russians and Belarussians from July.

[HVC]

Build a wall!

Didn't hungary also block (or threaten to block) EU reimbursements to countries aiding  Ukraine unless the EU strong arms Ukraine into letting oil through again?

[Tamas]

Something for this thread or EU thread. But read a bit in Forbes on national security concerns in the rest of the Schengen area after Hungary's extending guest worker "national cards" to Russians and Belarussians from July.

Yeah that's potentially huge.

[Sheilbh]

Yeah. I sort of think we should be trying to encourage a brain drain from Russia. But a guest worker route into Schengen feels far more like it's be helpful for intelligence operatives.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

Yeah. I sort of think we should be trying to encourage a brain drain from Russia. But a guest worker route into Schengen feels far more like it's be helpful for intelligence operatives.

Related, in the papers yesterday: Belgium is building windpower at sea. Strategic and critical infrastructure... and the companies doing so are employing Russians. Our internal security has said that this is not that smart an idea...

Edit: windflower... stupid autocorrect

[Tamas]

So the Ukrainian transit blockade of Lukoil oil. No Hungary won't look to transfer through Croatia instead because they are not a reliable transit country. Instead they are looking into, together with Slovakia, reducing the amount of electricity sold to Ukraine.

Mindblowing. With Russia through thick and thin.