Hungarian Politics

[Sheilbh]

There's that Habsburg who is now Hungary's Ambassador to the Vatican who all the trad accounts online love.

Not sure he'd help out much given he's presumably appointed by Orban

[Valmy]

There's that Habsburg who is now Hungary's Ambassador to the Vatican who all the trad accounts online love.

Not sure he'd help out much given he's presumably appointed by Orban

Wiki says he is 93rd in line to the Hungarian throne. Being such a trad I doubt he would agree to jump 92 people.

[The Larch]

Turns out being an authoritarian monarchist is more fun without a monarch to get in the way.

That was, more or less, Franco's take too. It was sometimes said that during Francoism Spain was a monarchy without a king.

[Tamas]

Turns out being an authoritarian monarchist is more fun without a monarch to get in the way.

That was, more or less, Franco's take too. It was sometimes said that during Francoism Spain was a monarchy without a king.

Can't really beat Hungary under Horthy though, a kingdom without a king, ruled by an admiral without a sea.

[celedhring]

Turns out being an authoritarian monarchist is more fun without a monarch to get in the way.

That was, more or less, Franco's take too. It was sometimes said that during Francoism Spain was a monarchy without a king.

Yeah, he restored Spain as a kingdom but then appointed himself Head of State for life, instead of naming a figurehead king (since at the time the Bourbons considered him basically a squatter and weren't playing ball).

IIRC he reserved himself the power to grant the title of king to anyone he fucking wanted. I know it ultimately was for the better but I'm lowkey disappointed that he went with the easy choice of bringing the Bourbons back instead of being a bit... creative   

[Zanza]

Who were "they" again?

[celedhring]

Progressives, since the USSR was socialist. Duh.

[Tamas]

"they"

And this is the guy who kickstarted his national fame by calling for the Soviet troops to be withdrawn on the massive public event of the re-burial of the 1956 martyrs. But of course, as it turned out later, he was not brave, but just his usual backstabbing self - the decision to withdraw had been made by that time and the communists negotiating with the opposition groups (including Fidesz) revealed this, but they all made an agreement not to make this public until after the re-burial.


Here, a bit of performance by some Poles protesting in front of the Hungarian embassy in Warsaw: trying -and failing- to drag Orban out of Putin's ass:

[Admiral Yi]

Who were "they" again?

Gays and refugees.

[Valmy]

What a charming and fraternal way to invite Poland to jointly conquer Slovakia 

[Syt]

I think these are not the current borders of Hungary on Orbán's scarf.

[Sheilbh]

I love that all the Brussels correspondents are reminiscing about the controversy when Hungary was EuCo President in 2011 and, as is customary, they got to install an artwork in one of the EU buildings in Brussels. Hungary chose a series of carpets with as the centrepiece a carpet of Hungary's pre-Trianon borders.

Somehow still better than when the Czechs commissioned that piece of art for their presidency about various European stereotypes where Bulgaria was represented by a squatting toilet.

[Tonitrus]

I think these are not the current borders of Hungary on Orbán's scarf.

Indeed.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/23/hungary-pm-viktor-orban-scarf-showing-ukraine-territory-hungarian

[Tamas]

Nice troll, he badly needed a fresh fight against "foreign oppression" so this will come handy.

The scarf is unacceptable of course. In general terms I just wish the case of Hungarian minorities could not be so easily dismissed because of irredentists unable to let the bloody borders go.

The Hungarians in Ukraine has been a bit of collateral damage of the war with Russia in the sense that curbing minority rights to contain Russian subversion also meant curbing their rights as well, and there have been some incidents with neo-nazis the last few years (although I think the most severe couple of cases can be traced back to Russian efforts to create unrest).

The Szekelys (big Hungarian enclave deep in the mountains of Transylvania, not a mish-mash of nationalities like the rest of Transylvania) have a very good case for autonomy that has been dismissed for decades.


A personal memory of mine which gave an indication of how it can feel to be a Hungarian minority was in Slovakia around 15-odd years ago. We were driving through with the family, we stopped at a petrol station that was in a village which had its name sign up in both Hungarian and Slovakian (close to the border). So when I entered the shop and didn't know how "good morning" was in Slovakian, I felt a greeting in Hungarian was the second best option, since I am pretty sure the old guy at the counter knew at least THAT much of the language.

Well, he ignored my greeting and my general existence as I made my way to the restroom. When I was leaving, my sister was entering the shop and she opted for an English "good morning" which did get an instant reply from the guy. I have also heard many stories from various acquaintances over the years about the various (usually small) incidents being Hungarian brought them across the borders.


The above is not an excuse for Orban, rather a further criticism, that such asshatery is not helping the rightful case of respecting minority rights. 

[Tamas]

One of the so-called concessions Orban has made to the EU in order to get the grants to keep fueling his little kleptocracy was the creation of the "Integrity Authority" a supposed anti-corruption independent body (whose creation was tasked on the singularly most corrupt lieutenant of Orban). This new authority started working from 19 November, except that nobody is to be found in their offices, which are closed.

After two opposition MPs tried to visit them on two separate occasions finding the offices closed - and then inquired in writing as of where the hell everyone is- they have been told that this is normal as the authority do not accept visitors, any report of suspicion of corruption should be sent to them via letter or email. Obviously that doesn't explain why the offices are deserted, probably the entire "authority" is some secretary somewhere, told to bin any mail coming in to them.

It's just ridiculous, I hope the EU won't fall for this.