Hungarian Politics

[Jacob]

Funny how we are moving back to the old world. I just had the thought of checking the state TV's news show to see how they report this sale - their tone will let me find out if this was in accordance with Orban's plans, or it is a sign of Csanyi abandoning Orban's side.

So which one is it?

[derspiess]

Every time I see "Orban" I think of Oban, which makes me think of scotch

[Tamas]

Funny how we are moving back to the old world. I just had the thought of checking the state TV's news show to see how they report this sale - their tone will let me find out if this was in accordance with Orban's plans, or it is a sign of Csanyi abandoning Orban's side.

So which one is it?

I missed the start, now I don't know if they even covered it. 

[garbon]

Every time I see "Orban" I think of Oban, which makes me think of scotch

I misread it as Orhan.

[Tamas]

holy shit the sport section following the news (which is usually 3 or 4 minutes tops with various short sports news) spent at least 5 minutes on an interview with Orban on the momentous occassion of us winning the 2019 Swiiming WC, and they spent time before and after that on celebrating this glorious event.

FYI, at the end we were only competing with South Korea, because the other applicants, the Great Powers of Azerbaijain and Mexico City (IIRC) stepped back.

[MadImmortalMan]

Every time I see "Orban" I think of Oban, which makes me think of scotch

Me too. But everything makes me think of scotch. Like the fact that I need to pick up some scotch on the way home today. 

[Tamas]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/22/hungary-banker-profile-idUSL6N0FS2ID20130722

OCTOPUS

This year, signs emerged of tension between Csanyi and Orban's administration.

Orban's chief of staff, Janos Lazar, gave two interviews in which he said Csanyi had excessive influence, and likened him to an octopus whose tentacles spread over all aspects of life.

"In a democracy, that amount of economic power poses a serious risk," Lazar told the news website 444.hu last month.

If there was already a rift, Csanyi's decision to sell off his shares last week has probably widened it.

Over the weekend, the online edition of Magyar Nemzet, a paper close to Orban's Fidesz party, reported that the OTP chief was considering resigning due to ill health, and that this was why he sold off some stock.

This was contradicted by OTP's chief press officer, Bence Gaspar, who said Csanyi was in good health, would not resign and had sold the shares to raise cash for his agri-businesses.

Several people close to the OTP chief gave Reuters a detailed account on the state of Csanyi's health, on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media on this subject.

They said Csanyi underwent planned open heart surgery in February to fix a genetic defect in a part of the aorta and a heart valve. After a five-week recuperation he received a clean bill of health from his doctors, these people said, and was back at work.

They said he has thought about resigning the CEO post and remaining chairman in the future, but not any time soon.

The newspaper story may have been a ploy to undermine him, said several observers, though

[Neil]

holy shit the sport section following the news (which is usually 3 or 4 minutes tops with various short sports news) spent at least 5 minutes on an interview with Orban on the momentous occassion of us winning the 2019 Swiiming WC, and they spent time before and after that on celebrating this glorious event.

FYI, at the end we were only competing with South Korea, because the other applicants, the Great Powers of Azerbaijain and Mexico City (IIRC) stepped back.

Still, you can tell that whoever is running the swimming federation is asleep at the wheel.  With the exception of China, countries with fascist governments don't get to host things anymore.

[Tamas]

Asleep? No. Bribed? Most probably.

Orban was there in person when the decision was made. NO WAY he would have taken a chance on that. If he was there, it's because he knew the result in advance.

He has shown unparallelled willingness to "delegate" blame for anything unpopular, and to jump in the spotlight to claim ownership of every success regardless of who worked for it. He would not have risked to stand there while the games are handed to the other country. Impossible.

[The Brain]

Every time I see "Orban" I think of big guns.

[Sheilbh]

Still, you can tell that whoever is running the swimming federation is asleep at the wheel.  With the exception of China, countries with fascist governments don't get to host things anymore.

Winter Games coming up in Russia. World Cups coming to Russia and Qatar.

[Neil]

Still, you can tell that whoever is running the swimming federation is asleep at the wheel.  With the exception of China, countries with fascist governments don't get to host things anymore.

Winter Games coming up in Russia. World Cups coming to Russia and Qatar.

Russia is Russia (and therefore good behavior isn't expected from them), and Qatar is a monarchy.

[alfred russel]

Asleep? No. Bribed? Most probably.

Orban was there in person when the decision was made. NO WAY he would have taken a chance on that. If he was there, it's because he knew the result in advance.

He has shown unparallelled willingness to "delegate" blame for anything unpopular, and to jump in the spotlight to claim ownership of every success regardless of who worked for it. He would not have risked to stand there while the games are handed to the other country. Impossible.

This is actually rather funny. I'm sure the swimming guys couldn't believe someone wanted to bribe them, if that is what happened.

[Syt]

Austrian radio reported on the efforts of Orban to keep Hungarian agricultural land in Hungarian hands. Basically, EU citizens are allowed to buy land anywhere in the EU. New members get a grace period of 10 years, though.

That time is nearly up for Hungary.

They're introducing a law that allows EU citizens to buy land if they can show an agricultural degree that is recognized by Hungary (to be defined) or have worked as self-employed farmer in Hungary for at least three years (which will be nigh impossible for newcomers).

If someone puts up their land for sale, the state gets the option for purchase first. Then the neighbor. Then other farmers in the town. Then farmers in a 20km radius.

The Austrian agricultural envoy to the EU says it may look like it follows the EU regulations, but effectively doesn't. At the same time he pointed at all the Hungarian workers and employees in Austria, asking what it would be like if a Hungarian nurse would only get a work permit, if she could prove three years prior experience as nurse in an Austrian hospital.

[Tamas]

Although I have been living in the UK for over a month now, I just can`t stop reading up on the stuff back home.

Besides the major oligarch of the country seemingly quietly mobilising his resources against the government after getting into a fight over some agricultural lands with Orban`s second in command, everything has been business as usual: a slow slip into mini-Russia.

lol, the recent wedding of Orban`s daughter was hilarious though. His father made it into a tabloid event, and then of course him and his minions were outraged on the "invasion of privacy" when the press found out that there had been extensive road maintenance works done days before the marriage, including the rural road leading to the place where they held the party, which happened to be one of the officially worst-kept roads of the country. Until two days before the wedding, that is, when a horde of workers and machinery descended upon it and fixed it up.

Because you see it had to be a "traditional" village wedding and all. I AM SURE it is just a coincidence that two weeks before the announcement of the wedding and it being a traditional one, Ms. Orban was filmed dancing at a popular festival (on the right of the sandwich I think, other girl is her sister): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZb4CoDPSo8


Anyways, yesterday Chair of Parliament told in an interview that he would like Parliament to grant the possibility for the government to govern by decrees, as all that bill-voting is tedious and "was introduced in fear of dictatorship" but "that danger has passed".