Hungarian Politics

[Tamas]

Orban was talking to a bunch of businessmen.

One of his main sponsors lashed out against his performance, actually, which was somewhat surprising, but I did read speculations that he was losing in the battle of influence between the big guys.

Anyways, Orban said a few things, which I am still researching, because I cannot believe how the opposition press isn't making a huge-ass deal about if true. It's a weird mix of honest and 50s propaganda.

Like, how we must fight to keep up the pace with the other east euros, because if not we will "sink with the declining West".

But the prime part was his surprising philosophical tantrum about Hungary and it's people, as part of his take on cooperation:
Cooperation is key, but "co-operation is not a matter of willingness, it is a matter of strength. There may be countries where this works otherwise, like in Scandinavia, but a half-asian people like us can only work together if there is strength This doesn't rule out discussion and democracy, but a centralized cooperation is necessary".

[Richard Hakluyt]

Learn to ride and shoot the bow Tamas, that way there will be a place for you in the new Hungary 

[Tamas]

Learn to ride and shoot the bow Tamas, that way there will be a place for you in the new Hungary 

I think so too 

[Tamas]

and that comment (which, if you think about it, implied in no indirect manner that Hungarians are inferior to some other european nations and thus incapable of proper democracy, told by the PM) seems to be ignored by the press, AND opposition parties.
So far at least.

This is actually kind of worrying because it supplement the thought growing in my head, that the media and the opposition IS afraid of Orban, for real. They are going through the motions hoping for a miracle in 2014, but they are not willing to take the gloves down and fight for real.

I mean, when the "iconic" arch-evil Socialist PM, Gyurcsany, made a comment half as stupid as this one, it was made to be a meme by FIDESZ immediately.

eg. about 5 years ago a couple of billionaires (FIDESZ sponsors) whined about taxes, and threatened that they will move to their business to Slovakia because of the tax burden here. Gyurcsany said "do you want to go? fine! you  can go. You can leave!". In a matter of day, "you can leave!" had been made into a comment directed at the People of Hungary by FIDESZ, and it is regularly quoted to indicate what an enemy of it's own people Gyurcsany is.

And you see this comment by Orban, which is a rare glimpse into  what demeaning opinion he has of his own supporters (I share his opinion, but that's not the point), and there is... silence.

[Sheilbh]

I was going to say it sounded a bit like you about Hungary

[Tamas]

I was going to say it sounded a bit like you about Hungary

yeah, no doubt I would end up as a Hungarian Pinochet if given a 2/3rd majority here. However, Orban's only relentless ambition is to stay in power. He has no identifiable vision for how the country should look like, except that it is made out of his 10 million peasants, and that if the rhetorics of Horthy and Kadar worked for 60 years, they will serve him good enough as well.

[Martinus]

I was going to say it sounded a bit like you about Hungary

yeah, no doubt I would end up as a Hungarian Pinochet if given a 2/3rd majority here. However, Orban's only relentless ambition is to stay in power. He has no identifiable vision for how the country should look like, except that it is made out of his 10 million peasants, and that if the rhetorics of Horthy and Kadar worked for 60 years, they will serve him good enough as well.

Sounds like Tusk's government, only that Tusk is smarter, so he knows he will not win if he fucks with the financial markets.

[Tamas]

you liked Tusk before 

[Martinus]

I don't much anymore. Unlike more parochial PiS, he is fortunately more pro-European but his government is quite illiberal. It has the highest record in history of the secret services asking for phone records of private individuals (apparently several thousand a day), notoriously blocks public access to government info and has just passed law curtailing freedom of assembly. It is not very ideological but there is this slight Putinesque whiff.

[Martinus]

Btw, as I can't due to being on my iPad - could someone repost this week's The Economist's article on Hungary? I did not realize this is as bad there when it comes to antisemitism. 

[Tamas]

It has an article? Will check it out.

And define "bad". It is Eastern Europe. Both the Eastern and the Europe part comes with a certain level of mandatory jew-hating.

Also, at Poland also failing in building a modern country.

[Martinus]

It has an article? Will check it out.

And define "bad". It is Eastern Europe. Both the Eastern and the Europe part comes with a certain level of mandatory jew-hating.

Also, at Poland also failing in building a modern country.

Well, stuff like websites publishing home addresses of Jewish students who protested against the nazi criminal, so they can be harassed; a MP on the floor of the parliament making speech with the blood libel references; someone leaving pig's offal on the statue of the Swedish guy who helped a lot of Jewish people escape during WW2; a Jobbik politician being kicked out of the party when it was found he had Jewish ancestry; and swastikas being painted on synagogues.

Trust me when I say that while anti-semitism may be happening in Poland and the rest of the region, this shit is bad and not on par with what's happening in Poland at least.

[Tamas]

ah right, I covered the Jobbik guy's story here. It is net positive because it clearly unveils the extent of  Jobbik's rampant racism.

And yes, "kurucinfo", the nazi website regularly posts addresses and phone numbers of people who are Enemies of The People. The website itself, however, fled to a US-based server years ago.

[MadImmortalMan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cey35bBWXls

[Syt]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cey35bBWXls

You might be a dumb redneck bimbo if . . .


Liked his mysogynist comments, though.