Hungarian Politics

[The Larch]

Feels like in the end Orban will perpetuate himself by forcing liberal Hungarians to emigrate.

I heard something similar a while ago about Poland, how with all the young and educated people that moved away after joining the EU there's no wonder they keep electing retrogrades, what with there only being old people and country bumpkins left in the country.

[Josquius]

Its the situation with rural areas in the US and increasingly in the UK only on a national level.

[Tamas]

With the recent and escalating Russia-friendliness of the government, it was a bit of an interesting question, how they will approach 23rd October, the anniversary of our 1956 revolution against Russian occupation (which of course after initial success was crushed by Russian tanks destroying significant portions of Budapest in early November).

After all, it would be hard to praise the heroes of 1956 without sounding like you think the Ukrainians are right to defend their home.

Seems like they have figured out what to do, in his weekly radio "interview" today, Orban explained that in 1956 we did not fight to defeat the Soviet Union, everyone know that was impossible. We -he said- fought to achieve a cease fire and negotiations.

Which needless to say is bollocks. First of all because when the Soviet reinforcements stormed Budapest on 4th November, their brutality left no doubt that they have zero intention of negotiating with the new regime.

Shameless, really. If we had an actual public discourse still in the country, this could turn ugly for them because the sacral nature of 1956 was key to the post-1988 consensus (rightly so since everyone from nazis to democrats were fighting together against Russians and Quislings) and now putting a "well actually they just kind of wanted to get better terms from the Russians" spin on it would had been an absolute outrage even just 10 yeas ago.

But it will go unchallenged now of course. He might still find an excuse to skip his big 23 October speech though.

[Tamas]

Public education has come so close to collapse that is sparking the largest protests in years. Most schools have been struggling with a chronic lack of teachers because they have abysmal salaries, and heavily increased workload (along with students) plus a centralised system that makes dealing with local challenges impossible. As a typical example, a couple of months ago some people spotted on a job site that a dual-language high school was offering a higher starting salary for cleaners than for a dual-language history teacher.

As a typical showcase of how meek most people are, protests did not really take off until a mass of high-school students started making a stand for their schools and teachers. A handful of teachers tried to "strike" for something like a few hours every week but they and others grew bolder once the students were willing to go into the "front line".

Now it has grown into regular protests not just in Budapest but other cities as well. The state, as it can be expected from a Putinist one, tried to intimidate the protesting teachers into submissions, which so far has only been oil to the fire. They are also trying the rhetoric of "we wanted to spend the EU grants on teachers' salaries but Brussels aren't paying so our hands are tied". Which is of course ridiculous on a number of levels, and I don't think people are buying it.

It's encouraging to see young people (teens, really) organise the loudest and best demonstrations in several years. But we are still facing the problem that it is one particular small demographics trying to make a stand, while the myriad others disadvantaged by the system remain passively on the sidelines. Although I think a few trade unions are trying to rally cross-sectors protests and strike actions since with the recession unfolding the compromise of letting the regime go rampant in exchange of an illusion of stability is falling apart.

A few photos from yesterday:

[Valmy]

Damn. Ah well Hungary clearly cares nothing for its youth, I suppose its no wonder they don't give a shit about schools either.

[Tamas]

Latest government ad campaign "the sanctions by Brussels are ruining us!"

[Valmy]

Well then leave the EU and cease to be ruined.

And leave NATO as well.

We will gladly take Sweden and Finland in exchange for your dumb ass.

[celedhring]

It feels like the Leave Campaign, except that these sods won't leave 

[Zanza]

I hope they escalate it to the point where they actually leave.

[Barrister]

I hope they escalate it to the point where they actually leave.

It's not like Brexit was a great example of what Leaving will do for a country...

Besides - the EU is a very useful foil for Orban.  Why would he ever want to give that up?

[Valmy]

I hope they escalate it to the point where they actually leave.

It's not like Brexit was a great example of what Leaving will do for a country...

Besides - the EU is a very useful foil for Orban.  Why would he ever want to give that up?

And the EU actually benefits Hungary a ton. Orban is full of shit, that's the joke. He doesn't actually oppose the EU or the West at all. He just blusters and blabs and talks to benefit himself politically. Nobody benefits more from the West than Orban.

He is somehow benefitting enormously from the West and western support yet somehow pretending like the West is oppressing him and a shitty country like Russia can somehow benefit Hungary in some way. The reason he is doing this seems to be culture wars to me. He is saying he will crush social movements for LGBT rights and nefarious Jews and immigrants. The West is therefore their tool in that context.

And this guy is who the Tucker Carlsons of the world admire. That says it all to me.

[Zanza]

I hope they escalate it to the point where they actually leave.

It's not like Brexit was a great example of what Leaving will do for a country...

If Huxit would bring Hungary to the same level of political function and accountability as Britain, that would be major progress.

[Tamas]

Allegedly Orban said recently in a closed doors meeting of his primary cohort of lieutenants and media people etc. that he will need to re-evaluate the point of continued EU membership once Hungary becomes a net contributor (which he puts at 2030, and I at 2130).

[Zanza]

Hungary is the second biggest net beneficiary of the EU, after Poland.

[Valmy]

Allegedly Orban said recently in a closed doors meeting of his primary cohort of lieutenants and media people etc. that he will need to re-evaluate the point of continued EU membership once Hungary becomes a net contributor (which he puts at 2030, and I at 2130).

So the plan is to just steal money as long as he can? Well I guess glad to know he doesn't treat foreign tax payers money with any more or less respect he treated yours Tamas.