Hungarian Politics

[Crazy_Ivan80]

JD Vance blamed the EU of foreign electoral influence in a campaign speech in Hungary. You can't make this shit up.

Too bad there's no journalist who's asking why Vance is interfering

[Valmy]

JD Vance blamed the EU of foreign electoral influence in a campaign speech in Hungary. You can't make this shit up.

Oh? Is JD Vance working for the EU?

[Zanza]

Why is JD Vance in Hungary and more importantly, how can we keep him there?

Putin's inside man is at risk of losing, so I guess JD got orders to support.

[Tamas]

Meanwhile Reuters seen the secret transcript of an Orbán-Putin call from October. In it Orban used a wrongly remembered children's story to compare himself to a mouse who helps the mighty lion and in exchange the lion helps the mouse.

[Jacob]

It is so obvious to me that there is a clear and present danger against democracy, consisting of Putin, Trump, Orban, and a number of anti-democratic oligarchs - as well as the various ideologues and operatives like Miller, Bannon et. al.

I would be supportive of strong action against them, though it seems they have mapped out the weaknesses of our democratic institutions and are exploiting them to full effect.

[Valmy]

This is so absurd. Biden never sent Harris to campaign for fucking Starmer. And this is the America First guy touring the world doing politics for foreign countries while this country is going through a major crisis. Fuck them hillbillies eh Vance?

[Jacob]

I think Vance and Trump and the tech-oligarch truly see themselves as the rulers of the world. The Capitalist International - not based on ideals of liberty, but purely might makes right and might is quantified as money, military power, and social media clout.

[HisMajestyBOB]

It is so obvious to me that there is a clear and present danger against democracy, consisting of Putin, Trump, Orban, and a number of anti-democratic oligarchs - as well as the various ideologues and operatives like Miller, Bannon et. al.

I would be supportive of strong action against them, though it seems they have mapped out the weaknesses of our democratic institutions and are exploiting them to full effect.

Sorry, I don't see action in the future, but I do see more "water under the bridge" and"reset button" though.

[Norgy]

Tamas, how much "democracy" is left in Hungary? Honest question.

Will the votes be tampered with?

I think the situation in Hungary shows how far you can go once you manage to hold both the judiciary and the media hostage.

[Tamas]

Tamas, how much "democracy" is left in Hungary? Honest question.

Will the votes be tampered with?

I think the situation in Hungary shows how far you can go once you manage to hold both the judiciary and the media hostage.

On paper there is a fair amount of democracy left. But Orbán has filled each and every position with his vassals.

Serious tempering with votes on a Country-wide scale would not be possible to pull off in secret. There are volunteers in pretty much all districts acting as vote counters and supervisors.

There are two caveats: one, Fidesz might not need serious tampering to flip the balance. Two, they might get desperate enough to do serious tampering regardless, although I don't expect it so.

In a way it's fascinating,the legalisation of their rule producing a weakness (extremely heavily screwed elections but they still need to be technically free so someone with overwhelming enough support can still tip the scale). It's the 21st century equivalent of happily using a bloodline to justify your rule which is excellent until your opponents gather behind your brother.

[Richard Hakluyt]

Do you still have a vote there Tamas?

[Norgy]

Do you still have a vote there Tamas?

If Hungary allows people in irredentist territory to vote, I believe Tamas would have a vote too.

[Tamas]

Do you still have a vote there Tamas?

I could have had a vote yes if I have registered but I didn't. I would have had to queue up at the London embassy and I have zero confidence that the vote I cast would have been the actual envelope landing in Hungary.

If you are voting from somewhere in the old borders all you have to do is send a letter.

[Sheilbh]

Thanks - I knew there was some rule that made it easier for Hungarians to vote in pre-Trianon Hungary (where they reliably vote for Orban) than for the rest of the Hungarian diaspora (including, eg people who left in the braindrain because of Orban).

[Richard Hakluyt]

Yes, so it is easier for stay-at-home components of the diaspora to vote than the well-educated brain drain people going to places like Germany and the UK.