Hungarian Politics

[Zanza]

Who wants to colonize Hungary?

[Razgovory]

Nice of them to hold up signs in English.  What's the deal with the ages of the EU, IMF, US and Hungary?

[Ideologue]

Hungary is more decrepit and senile than the U.S.

[Jaron]

I'm not sure I could consider Hungary an uninterrupted state with a millennial history in clear conscience. I believe it would be more accurate to say Hungary is  94 years old.

[Syt]

Who wants to colonize Hungary?

The EU.

[Syt]

I'm not sure I could consider Hungary an uninterrupted state with a millennial history in clear conscience. I believe it would be more accurate to say Hungary is  94 years old.

I would at the very least start after the reconquista by the Habsburgs.

[Tamas]

To ease myself on the "government zombies went to the street in considerably greater numbers than the opposition did two weeks ago", here is picture from Budapest, 1st of May celebrations, 1957:

[Martinus]

Who wants to colonize Hungary?

The EU.

The EU is really scrapping at the bottom of the barrel, isn't it?

[Tamas]

Not sure how widespread this is, but due to high taxes we have had these cafeteria bonuses employers can give out. Important to our present story are the meal vouchers. On a limited amount, they come with reduced taxes on them.

Personally, I find the whole concept an abomination - make due with tax levels which does not necessitate these stuff. But anyway.

The present government will, from this year, only give tax bonus on electronic "voucher" cards, not the paper-based ones which have been widespread. Nice? Not quite so, first of all because the main bonus comes from implementing a state-licensed voucher card. Plus, read on.

-There has been only one such card-based system in the country, used by OTP, the biggest Hungarian bank. It's owner is one of the closest allies of Orban, one of the two well-known "oligarch" backers of him (beside MOL, our oil company). So they gave a very nice jumpstart in this newly created market for the pals

-where else do their friends have significant business interest? Hungarian supermarket/shop chains. So, the state agency responsible for integrating applicant businesses into the card-system refuses to negotiate with foreign shop chains, and the small local business can only get the green light for it if they join through a Hungarian chain's infrastructure, ie. succumbing to it.

[Ideologue]

Who wants to colonize Hungary?

The EU.

The EU is really scrapping at the bottom of the barrel, isn't it?

Germany needs a buffer zone between it and the Soviet Union.

[The Larch]

Hey Tamas, why did you keep this from us? 

http://esbalogh.typepad.com/hungarianspectrum/2011/11/horror-fourteen-pictures-to-accompany-the-new-hungarian-basic-laws.html

Horror: Fourteen pictures to accompany the new Hungarian Basic Laws

The Orbán government's first dabbling in art ended in ridicule. That was during the first "reign" of Viktor Orbán. His much admired "historian," István Nemeskürty, apparently ordered a very large canvas depicting the members of the Orbán-Torgyán government together with important symbols of that period. At the end the government refused to pay for it. One ought to take a second look at this "masterpiece" to appreciate the second attempt of Viktor Orbán and his friends to make themselves immortal.

Well, one laughing stock wasn't enough. Ten years later, the second Orbán government ordered fifteen new "masterpieces" to the tune of 1.6 million forints apiece to illustrate the history of Hungary between 1867, the date of the Compromise, and today. At present they are being kept in the National Széchenyi Library protected by armed guards. I don't think that anyone would like to steal them. Maybe the government is afraid of defacement.

[Tamas]

I thought I posted it

[The Larch]

I thought I posted it

We would have remembered something as corny and eye-bleeding as that.  A couple of them are legitimate, but others are...well...how to say it...

[Iormlund]

I love the first one. It even has one of my favorite memes, the facepalm.

[Tamas]

I love the first one. It even has one of my favorite memes, the facepalm.

The whole thing just oozes the style, rethoric, and talent of the current regime.