Hungarian Politics

[Maladict]

The leaders of 13 EPP member parties have signed a letter requesting Fidesz being kicked out of PPE (it is currently suspended indefinitely for previous transgressions) because of the state of emergency law recently passed in Hungary.

But CDU did not?

Haven't seen a comprehensive list of all the signees.

The French and Germans didn't sign, among others. So much for democratic ideals.

[The Larch]

The leaders of 13 EPP member parties have signed a letter requesting Fidesz being kicked out of PPE (it is currently suspended indefinitely for previous transgressions) because of the state of emergency law recently passed in Hungary.

But CDU did not?

Haven't seen a comprehensive list of all the signees.

The French and Germans didn't sign, among others. So much for democratic ideals.

Neither did the Spanish, that's how it was reported here.

Edit: Found the letter the signees are from Belgium (2 parties), Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia and Sweden (2 parties).

[Syt]

Chancellor Kurz hasn't commented, explaining that he currently has more pressing matters to attend to than the situation in Hungary.

[Sheilbh]

So 13 member states drafted a very anodyne, weak statement about not going too far in overcoming this crisis and maintaining European values while fighting coronavirus. It didn't specifically condemn or even mention Hungary but was apparently the most response we could expect to Europe's newest dictatorship.

Today the Hungarian government also signed the statement

[Tamas]

So 13 member states drafted a very anodyne, weak statement about not going too far in overcoming this crisis and maintaining European values while fighting coronavirus. It didn't specifically condemn or even mention Hungary but was apparently the most response we could expect to Europe's newest dictatorship.

Today the Hungarian government also signed the statement

[HVC]

Today the Hungarian government also signed the statement

Ok, that's a good one

[Valmy]

Today the Hungarian government also signed the statement

Ok, that's a good one

They really have learned much from the Russians.

[Tamas]

So with the national emergency, demonstrations are banned, obvs.

The two leading opposition MPs who actually want to topple the government, organised a "honking" protest as a result. They invited anyone who was driving through one of the bigger roundabouts in Budapest, fairly close to Orban's brand new offices in Buda Castle, to honk their horn in sign of their dissatisfaction.

There was a fair number of police present and they sideline anyone who wonked, took their information and booked them for "using emergency notification (I guess that's the closest mirror translation of the official name of the honk) without justification". Some of the cyclists watching also got police attention.

One of the people interviewed there, some fashion designer guy, actually raised a good point: one of the recent actions that has been really unpopular was the ditching of pretty much anyone out of hospitals who do not have Covid-19, freeing up some 36,000 beds. He raised the point that this is probably so they don't have to spend on emergency extra capacity. While of course the stealing of public and EU funds continues uninterrupted, there's been plenty of recent business news showing Orban's strawman oligarch winning plenty of new concessions from the state.

[PRC]

Tamas, correct me if I'm wrong, but you've been saying this is the direction they've been going in for years now:

https://www.politico.eu/article/hungary-no-longer-a-democracy-report/

Hungary no longer a democracy: report

NGO describes 'a stunning democratic breakdown.'
By LAURENZ GEHRKE   5/6/20, 1:34 PM CET Updated 5/6/20, 9:08 PM CET

Hungary is no longer a democracy, Poland is about to go down the same path, democracy in the Balkans is eroding because of Chinese and Russian influence, and the EU is doing nothing to stop it all, according to the NGO Freedom House's latest Nations in Transit report, out Wednesday.

In the study, which covers 29 countries from Central Europe to Central Asia, the authors describe "a stunning democratic breakdown," saying that there are "fewer democracies in the region today than at any point since the annual report was launched in 1995."

According to the report's methodology, Hungary is now a "hybrid regime," having lost its status as a "semi-consolidated democracy" due to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's continued assaults on the country's democratic institutions.

The adoption of an emergency law that allows the government to rule by decree indefinitely, brought in after the coronavirus pandemic struck, "has further exposed the undemocratic character of Orbán's regime," the authors wrote, adding that "Hungary's decline has been the most precipitous [they have] ever tracked."

Poland isn't far behind, according to the report, which says there have been spectacular attacks on the judiciary by the ruling Law and Justice party.

And Brussels gets much of the blame.

"Neither Poland nor Hungary has faced repercussions for damaging the rule of law at home, and Hungary's ruling Fidesz party has even remained a member of the mainstream European People's Party, the largest grouping in the European Parliament," according to the report, adding that U.S. President Donald Trump has also "failed to stand up for democracy in the region."

In response, Zoltán Kovács, Hungary's secretary of state for international communication and relations, said on Twitter that Freedom House "was once known as the bipartisan human rights organization. With their [George] Soros funding they've declined, becoming the fist of the party that is the Soros network. Anyone who doesn't conform to their liberal view, gets downgraded."

The report also has serious concerns about the Balkans.

"Years of ... strongman tactics employed by Aleksandar Vučić in Serbia and Milo Đukanović in Montenegro have tipped those countries over the edge," it says. "For the first time since 2003, they are no longer categorized as democracies."

The assessment comes on the day of an EU-Balkans summit, which was supposed to be held in Croatia but will now take place over videolink.

The Freedom House report says foreign influence has been a destabilizing factor.

"In addition to Russia's continued malign influence, China has been advancing an ambitious foreign policy in practically all of the region's 29 countries," the authors say.

"Xi Jinping's regime is not so much spreading its own one-party model as it is spreading its influence ... taking advantage of institutional weaknesses, and wedging itself into corrupt political and economic structures."

[Valmy]

Yeah the EU needs to kick those countries out or the whole project will be in serious danger.

So much for "new Europe"

[Tamas]

Yeah it's been obvious we would get here.


That honking protest I wrote about above got repeated a couple of days ago, once again minuscule as before. Most participants instead of honking played loud music/sound effects from their car so the rule on unnecessary use of the car honk wouldn't apply.

Didn't bother the police though. 50 of them got fined for demonstrating during a state of emergency.

[Tamas]

These "honking protests" are a good indication of how the nature and interactions of power remains the same.

2-3 MPs and a few dozen of their supporters circle a big roundabout in city traffic every Monday, and blast loud music from their cars as sign of protest/discontent.

If the powers that be would have left them alone, it would probably have petered out already. I mean who would care? But the police just HAVE to go out in force and fine them, making it a spectacle and an event worth watching.

[Tamas]

[celedhring]

Ah, our far right party has called for similar "car protests" in all Spanish cities, in a couple weeks. I thought the idea was a bit too clever for being theirs.

[The Brain]

Yeah the EU needs to kick those countries out or the whole project will be in serious danger.

So much for "new Europe"

AFAIK there is no mechanism for kicking members out. Much like with your South, we fight with the retards we have and not the retards we wish we had.