If only it was that simple! You have to take some relevant circumstances into account: A Hungarian civil society without…
March 15th, 2023
https://hungarytoday.hu/conservatives-meet-in-brussels-amid-drama-and-intimidation/ Populist Fidesz media are whining about Brussels, the rules and laws so I have one simple question: Why don't…
The Brussels story is all pver the media, everybody is laughing at Farage, Orbán etc. The big questions for me…
Impressing pictures of the Hungarian Holocaust. Not for weak nerves. "Dad saw the huge smoke, the station's inscription: Auschwitz, and…
The police in Brussels, stopped Viktors' right wing conference due to "the possibility of public disorder" Brussels police move to…
Seems that Orbán has a new friend!
In Paris he talked with French president Macron about nuclear energy and the European position on Ukraine – I wonder what he promised.
https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/ausland/viktor-orban-in-paris-atompakt-zwischen-frankreich-und-ungarn-18747947.html
Now let’s wait for information from the Hungarian side.
France has been pro-nuclear energy for decades. Pity for Orbán he went for Rosatom rather than Areva.
France has been all-nuclear since the 50’s.
On the other hand …
Newly-elected Czech President Petr Pavel and Slovak counterpart Zuzana Čaputová said they would travel together to Kyiv in April to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Hungary???
guess where OV will travel to tomorrow…
as “güçlü lider” he’ll represent “Macaristan” [=HU] at the Organization of Turkic States [OTS]
see https://444.hu/2023/03/15/orban-csutortokon-torokorszagba-utazik
check all members and “observer states” of OTS at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organization_of_Turkic_States#Members
Maybe he’s preparing for Hunxit from the bad, bad Brussels and wants to build a new alliance?
If you just replace christianity by another religion you find many parallels – women’s rights, LGBT people etc are treated similarly.
picture from the previous OTC meeting
Question: Which one is truly democratically elected?
Careful selection defines that gallery of borderline/full blown psychopathic power abusers/addicts.
I wonder how long the general Hungarian public will hide behind and submit to the whims of their blatantly hypocritical “Mighty Lidur” before revoking his power of national attorney.
What happened on March 15 yesterday?
https://apnews.com/article/hungary-students-protest-orban-education-1c6c96e81c7bec71cb8e62a3cb0c11b1
So teachers and students demonstrated against the crazy anti-education politics of Fidesz.
While Orbán whined about the bad, bad “Imperialistic” EU.
Why does he not leave and join the Turkish speaking union?
The other EU countries would be really happy!
I noticed on Twitter many people posting or retweeting this picture reminding what the Hungarian people demanded in 1848:
This is still relevant today.
Those demands were at the top of many European popular movements at the time.
Most states and their educated elite (in ignorance) underestimated the capacity of the working class, for developing education and economic cooperation to a level of direct influence – the rest is history – but why didn’t the concept of organisation get a foothold in Hungary?
Could it be the midieval-style Austrian practice of multi-national townships and commerce?
Theestampe „1. We demand the freedom of the press, the abolition of censorship.“ I remember a post by Eva in which Hadházy Ákos participated in the comments section. In Finnish or Danish someone asked if Hadházy is normal (said the translation), I think the question was legitimate. But Ákos did not reply to the commentator but asked Eva to delete the non-English written post, which she did. Why do Hungarians need freedom of the press and abolition of censorship … just to mention it.
And the beat goes on …
https://hungarytoday.hu/opinion-will-hungary-be-invited-to-bidens-2023-summit-for-democracy/
The poor Fidesz apologists at Hungary today are whining:
After years of rapprochement under President Trump, relations between the US and Hungarian governments quickly took a turn for the worse after Biden took the power, who had likened Hungary to “totalitarian regimes”.
and it gets even funnier:
https://hungarytoday.hu/hungary-shows-and-expects-respect-viktor-orban-says/
Hungary is in good company!
The UK’s willingness to clamp down on civic freedoms such as the right to peaceful assembly means it is now classified as “obstructed” – putting it alongside countries such as Poland, South Africa and Hungary.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/mar/16/hostile-authoritarian-uk-downgraded-in-civic-freedoms-index
Hungary is not a part of the current V4 equation.
The Fidesz stances (as responsible Hungarian govt. voices) on Ukraine and Russia have everything to do with it.
Poland, Czechia and Slovakia lead and stand firm on the Ukrainian side, while Hungary (again) missed the starting gun.
Yes, it’s kind of crazy how the distance between the democratic Europe and Hungary gets larger and larger. Hungary is almost back to the level of Turkey which years ago was on a good way, but now?.
Sometimes I wonder whether O1G etc really want to join the Turkish/Eurasian union and make it into an alternative to the EU.
On the other hand they surely know that without money from the EU they cannot guarantee their people’s standard of life.
Just having companies who produce stuff for the EU ans the USA is not enough.
This also reminds me of the times 40 years ago when in East Germany eg a lot of companies produced cheap stuff (electronics, clothes, furniture eg) for West Germany – but the people there could not buy the products of their work!
I’m sure that the constant whining of the Fidesz is irritating for most EU politicians:
We can’t agree to what the bad bad EU does – but we want (and need …( the money from Brussels!
Really crazy.
Today the US banking crisis began to spread to Europe see
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/03/15/svb-banking-credit-suisse-stocks/
Don’t know if this is related but the forint has plummeted in recently days, back to 400 huf = 1 euro after 370 a few days ago…
This article
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/03/15/republican-ukraine-support/ discusses how the leading likely Republican candidates to replace Biden are running on ending military and possibly all economic aid to Ukraine.
Has anyone here seen this site OLKT before?
It has a scathing article on Fidesz honchos flying with their “military planes” all around the world – maybe saving some stuff just in case?
https://olkt.net/oda-viszik-a-penzunket-ahonnan-nincs-kiadatas-mert-ha-borul-a-rendszer-akkor-legyen-mibol-urizalni-tovabb/
An interesting article on how the opposition parties would/should react if they win the Hungarian elections:
https://verfassungsblog.de/how-to-set-aside-hungarian-cardinal-laws/
However I see only one chance for that:
Hungary’s economic situation and isolation in the EU (on which the Fidesz is working very hard) has to reach a level where even the biggest Fidesz fans start thinking about politics.
Over the holiday we had lots of discussions with family and neighbours – nobody there supports Fidesz but everybody knows some people who do, really strange.
And of course these people are whining constantly about the bad, bad EU – wtf doesn’t Hungary leave then?
Everybody (almost …) in the EU would be happy!
Well as the EU is cutting back on cohesion funds your WTF question becomes more relevant.
Fidesz’s political operetta will go on for as many seasons as the Hugarian electorate allows them.
The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Russia’s President Putin. It is about war crimes in Ukraine. Fidesz friend Putin 😀 …
Yes and Zolt went on a rampage over it today. Writing: “ I hereby also issue the arrest warrant against Biden and Zelensky. Because this makes just as much sense as the Hague’s against Putin. However, if I were to arrest the named people, I will explain to Uncle Biden that we do not fart in public places, and also that we do not put our drug-addicted, needlessly existing, idiotic child on the board of directors of the gas industry trust of Ukraine, because then later it will appear that the whore is great Ukraine friendship is nothing but a (expletive deleted) family business (it is).
I will tell Zelike that he must not pretend to be innocent, because he is not innocent. And playing a patriot as a CIA agent is at least as much of a joke as playing the piano with a penis.” (My translation)
Obviously pro-Russian agents in Hungary are unhappy.
The anti EU agents as well. 🙂 Zsolt Bayer – the savior of Hungary and the “white, Christian race” 😀 is plaintiff, judge and executioner in one. A Hungarian high flyer …
Boris Kálnoky the Fidesz apologist tells voices from Prime Minister Orbán’s entourage who introduce laws within two days with “2/3” majority without scruples and claims “Our citizens (Hungarians) don’t like it when you govern past them.” 😀 I have read from Boris already greater crap however the cacophony is his specialty.
Don, thanks!
I had totally forgotten this “Querschwurbler” and the “magazine” tichyseinblick which is full of this kind of constipation theories.
https://www.tichyseinblick.de/kolumnen/aus-aller-welt/ungarn-eu-rechtsstaatlichkeit/
For everybody who can read German and has strong nerves – you’ve been warned!
Boris loves it when he is flattered even if we consider it underground, that’s why the comments suit him.
Note that Boris Kálnoky is a “member of the friendly foreign press”, who the myghti lidur sometimes invite to his “monastry/office”
The group, which was invited end of January, included: Rod Dreher, Sohrab Ahmari, Gladden Pappin, Roland Tichy, Boris Kálnoky, Ralf Schuler, Javier Villamor, and Jorge González-Gallarza Hdez.
details see https://www.thebulwark.com/how-rod-dreher-caused-an-international-scandal-in-eastern-europe/
Actually Rod Dreher had to quickly “update” his article about OV’s friendly press meeting, because he wrote too close to the truth what OV really said… [highly recommend to check the links in the above article]
If there would be real press freedom in Orbanistan, not only friendly press, but also independent press would be regularly invited for such a session…
PS: I wonder who made the pictures in Rod Dreher’s article of that “friendly press” meeting
see https://web.archive.org/web/20230126211121/https:/www.theamericanconservative.com/viktor-orban-we-are-in-a-war-with-russia/ [original article, before the “update”]
also the first one is titled as “screenshot”, which could mean is taken from a video…
–could “friendly press” people keep their mobiles with them?
–and make and keep recordings of what was really said?
“Note that Boris Kálnoky is a “member of the friendly foreign press”, who the myghti lidur sometimes invite to his “monastry/office”” He is head of the Media School at the government-affiliated Mathias Corvinus Collegium in Budapest, MCC for short.
Thanks again for these links – I always thought that Steve Bannon and *ucker Carlson were the most extreme right wingers in the USA, but Dreher???
The connection to the AfD-friendly Tichy is also important.
Let’s see (and be poorly entertained) about what the official oracles of Hungarian media can cook up about this: Trump in panic mode as he braces for likely charges in Stormy Daniels case | Donald Trump | The Guardian
The latest edition of the World Happiness Report with a country ranking was just published and ***drumroll***
Hungary managed to reach place 52
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/happiest-countries-in-the-world
The detailed report can be read here – but it’s more than 100 pages, much too long to read for a Hingarian politician or journalist …
https://happiness-report.s3.amazonaws.com/2023/WHR+23_Ch0.pdf
Well I think this part of the happiness report was likely correct. That the least happy country in the world for 2021 was Afghanistan, coming in at 149th-place.
Being ruled by Orban is preferable to a Taliban dictatorship coupled with starvation. That aspect of the report could be used by Fidesz in its election campaigns. Maybe reduced just to this catchy phrase: Jobb, mint Afganisztán!
March 19,2023: Frontlines at Andiivka and Bakhmut:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Frl2_02XsAIV8aY?format=jpg&name=4096×4096
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FrmBhPXWcAEaNUt?format=jpg&name=4096×4096
March 18: Kremnina
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Frh8dXUXwAAnrb_?format=jpg&name=4096×4096
The Battle for Bakhmut is exhausting both sides. We shall see soon enough if Ukraine can create a full armored division to launch a much anticipated spring or early summer offensive to supposedly drive the Russian back to their international borders.
The Kyiv Independent has raised serious questions about that due to Ukraine throwing reserve units into Bakhmut that were supposedly to be part of the spring offensive.
Even the extremely pro-Ukrainian Washington Post has raised that specter. While Russian losses in the Battle for Bakhmut, particularly for Wagner forces have been huge, more and stories of mass Ukrainian casualties are creeping into the western media.
Having been myself trapped in a surrounded fortified South Vietnamese town for weeks I can testify to how useless one becomes even as survivor and Victor of such combat. Every veteran of the Battle of An Loc including myself has one degree or another of clinically diagnosed PTSD. The South Vietnamese veterans of that Battle have no veterans benefits in either Vietnam or here in the USA if they managed to get here. Several have committed suicide that I know of. When I visited Vietnam I met with a veteran of the North Vietnamese Army who still bore the burns from Napalm who said there have been suicides of North Vietnamese soldiers too but more than that he was not able to talk about.
So this column in Magyar Nemzet today https://magyarnemzet.hu/velemeny/2023/03/oroszorszagot-europaba-vezetjuk was exceptionally long for that paper whose readers want their directives from Fidesz presented concisely. It was written by Zsolt Jeszenszky the son of Géza Jeszenszky, who was Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Antall government between 1990-1994, Hungary’s ambassador to Washington between 1998-2002, and then to Norway and Iceland between 2011-2014.
His family had political roots going back to the 1848 revolution. How Zsolt evolved into yet another journalistic operative of the Orban machine was via his work on a TV talk show Politikai hobbista that eventually aired on Hir Tv.
Zsolt lived in the USA with his family in the strange diplomatic world of Washington DC as an adolescent. He was born in 1972 literally while I was in combat as a young officer in Vietnam during what Amercan’s called North Vietnam’s Easter Offensive and called by the communists Chiến dịch Xuân–Hè 1972 (1972 spring–summer offensive). It was the last victory of significance for South Vietnamese and US forces before the 1975 collapse.
His column is about the fact that Russia has nuclear weapons and it has implications. Here is the crux of his argument via my translation: “But whatever we think of Putin, the Hitler parallels do not stop in the slightest. Not for several reasons. The first reason is that Nazi Germany didn’t have nuclear weapons (nobody did at that time), but today’s Russia does. Many. As a result, whether you like it or not, you can’t beat it.”
Now we do have to give the Fidesz media machine some credit for promoting nuclear Armageddon as a critical reason for Orban’s peace campaign using a columnist whose family was long associated with Hungarian liberalism.
Effectively the solution for Zsolt is for Ukraine to take whatever peace is possible since the alternative is Armageddon. Such a surrender posses no threat at all to the NATO nations. Because according to Zsolt: “It is not at all a direct consequence of coming to terms with Putin that he will then want more and more. And that after Kiev he will take in Budapest, Vienna, Paris, New York. Let’s not be clowns anymore! It can’t handle Ukraine either. He can’t take it in, but he can eat it. And the West is causing this destruction, killing more lives and destroying infrastructures, by supplying weapons and keeping the Ukrainian army on ventilators.”
Possibly coming to terms with Putin could somehow yield Kárpátalja (Transcarpathia) for Hungary as Orban’s famous greater Hungary scarf he wore at a football match between Hungary and Greece in Budapest in November
depicted. Apparently Armageddon has its advantages beyond Krisztus második eljövetele.
By the way I do not exclude the possibility of Putin using nuclear arms at some point in this war, most likely as a last resort if Russian forces are near collapse. But nuclear war will not start with a strategic attack on the west, but rather with tactical nukes of lower yields. It could lead to
Armageddon but most likely not to Kárpátalja visszatérése.
By the way at least this article https://kyivindependent.com/news-feed/russian-media-medvedev-threatens-missile-strike-against-hague indicates some of Putin’s closest friends want to prove me wrong about my belief that if Russia was to use nukes it targets would not initially be NATO countries.
As for Dmitry Medvedev, he has often threatened with the atomic bomb. This also reflects a “desperate” situation in the Kremlin. If Putin cannot win the war conventionally, with nuclear weapons he will lose. Despite all this, you can not surrender to such – the result would be for all of Europe even worse than – that today with the war in Ukraine.
We don’t know what the Russian “leaders” are really thinking but one point is clear:
If they really use an atomic bomb in Ukraine or wherever then that’s a sign that they might use more of them against other countries that don’t accept their hegemony- so the only possible answer is:
Destroy them!
Wolf – Russian media don’t allow personal opinions – censored versions at best.
Talk of “nuking any enimy” is an old, daily feature in Russian media.
The idea of admitting anything contrary to total victory regarding Ukraine, doesn’t exist.
Whatever passes, passes, but all speculations about factual reality are suspended as the evil West is the cause of all evil.
We will never know what russian “leaders” think.
I am not sure what Jeszenszky Zsolt wanted to say, most of it I think is bullshit. The whole writing sounds after reading it like “to pull a nutcase on our side is inconvenient but profitable in some future”. I have understood him so as he writes representative of Orban who is also a nutcase but could bring just as benefits in the distant future and of course if you are friends with Putin you are friends with Orban or with Orban nutcases as like him? Because they are better than Hitler! and that he calls himself – which can not compare with each other. 😀
Perhaps of interest to this forum:
Danish-Swedish far-right leader denied entry to UK to burn Qur’an | The far right | The Guardian
This political, far-right arsonist, has caused trouble and turmoil for years, in western Europe.
He might hope for political sanctuary in Hungary. It would fit the Fidesz bill.
Something humorous, ChatGPT insults Hungary 😀 Zoltán Kovács tries to hit back! 😀
Daniel Freund had the chatbot make a rapsong about Orban’s corruption on Monday.
„He’s been stacking the courts, packing the press
Making sure his critics are silenced, no less
Using public funds to line his own pockets
(…) From football clubs to luxury castles
Orbán’s empire is built on scams and hustles.“
Zoltán Kovács wanted to pay back with a rapsong about Freund.
„Representing the Greens in the Bundestag
Fighting for justice and freedom, he’s got swag
(…) A fighter for democracy, he’s a friend
(…) In the Parliament, his voice won’t bend.“
Zoltán Kovács has certainly not yet figured out how this can be. 😀
It’s quite amazing to read what ChatGPT managed to write both times. Of course Kovács had to dismiss what ChatGPT does and maybe posting the lyrics about Daniel Freund was not the best idea. 😄
Don’t know who/which system is responsible for the stupid mistake, but someone like Kovács should know that Daniel is a member of the European Paliament, not the Bundestag.
OK, you can’t expect too much from Fidesz …
Nato and EU start to ignore the regime.
Eventually. No need for “unity” if one member is sabotaging all decisions other members agree on. They started not to invite the Varganö, the rest will follow.
In the end the regime will only be cited to defend their politics. (:
Két nap alatt kétszer léptek át a magyar ellenálláson az EU-ban és a NATO-ban (444.hu)
You are right more and more often one reads “forget Hungary” “In July 2017, the NATO-Ukraine Commission meets for the last time at ministerial level. Afterwards, Hungary announces that it will block the meetings in the future. NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg now wants to revive the platform – and in an emergency ignore the veto from Budapest.”
It does make you wonder whether there is any advantage for NATO having Hungary among its members – is there any process for excluding members from the organization?
Militarily, it doesn’t bring anything significant to the table, there is the security risk of leaking data to the Russians and then the goverment’s attempts to veto anything and everything…
Thanks for the article Jan, it is pretty clear the EU has totally marginalized Hungary relating to support for Ukraine.
Right now the situation that seems to be evolving is a potential shortage of Ukrainian ground infantry for an offensive against the entrenched regular Russian Army forces not Wagner mercenaries. Ukrainian reserve troops have been sent into Bakhmut repeatedly as soon as they are coming from training in Germany at US bases. Several of the German Leopard tanks have been sighted by commercial satellites in Bakhmut too.
Zelensky has become obsessed with holding Bakhmut and now is claiming it is a strategic death trap for the Russians. Which may be true but the Russians are calling up another 300,000 this summer. Holding entrenched positions doesn’t require highly trained infantry. Basically knowing how to fire a rifle, clear a jam in it, fire a mortar that is aimed by a crew member, or load artillery shells with an officer doing the targeting. Really that is what we US advisers did with largely illiterate South Vietnamese troops back in 1972 to defeat the communist offensive. Once the skilled US advisers, all of us by then spoke functional Vietnamese, were pulled out along with the endless supply of ammo the house of card’s collapsed.
The US CIA director has testified in Congress that Putin’s vision is to fight for multiple years to break the back of Ukraine and force a ceasefire in place with Russia gaining 20% of pre-2014 Ukraine.
Maybe Orban thinks the Russians will give him Transcarpathia once the blood is done being spilled. That would be delusional I think.
The technical term I was taught as a cadet officer is the loss exchange ratio for infantry. That is calculated by the US military watching this war everyday and by the Ukrainians. It is kept secret, the Russians are doing the same.
There are errors always in the calculations, in WW2 the German general staff new the war was lost immediately after D day combined with the loss ratio on the eastern front based on the math and they were right. Of course Hitler would have had them shot for releasing those calculations.
In very broad terms, the failure to take Stalingrad, conceded in the early months of ’43, is generally considered the moral turning point for the German general staff. But, through purges and arbitrary changes in command, Hitler and Co. managed to weave a fabric of successes during retreat, until the full collapse of the south-eastern front 6 months later, where they lost secure supply-lines, after which the German army relied in part on chance air-drops and bartering with local officials in present (still occupied but rapidly dwindling) Ukraine, trading prisoners for food, fuel and transportation. The remains of 2nd Hungarian Army made it home during this phase. D-Day was the final nail in the coffin.
HISTORY IN IMAGES: Pictures Of War, History , WW2: The Eastern Front WW2: In Maps (Color) (historyimages.blogspot.com)
Istvan, I am not a military strategist at all.
In this war, I assume, Ukraine gets proper advice from the USA military. I know it is just an assumption, but I think Zelenski listens carefully to the advice, and acts most of the time according to the advice.
Actually Zelensky
told the CIA they
were wrong about a full scale Russian invasion and did not mobilize until after it happened . Russian incompetence saved the day along with incredible heroism by the Ukrainian Army.
Zelensky recently purged an officer for admitting to the media high casualties the Ukrainians were taking at Bakhmut see https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/03/16/ukraine-commander-demoted-interview-pessimism/
Like most people put in big leadership positions Zelensky often takes advice and often rejects it.
Zelensky was clearly right not to get out of Kyiv on day one of the invasion based on US intelligence that Russian commandos were coming to kill him and some of his own security people were Russian agents. He survived and it was inspiring for the country.
But the basic intel was correct and even a childhood friend he had put in charge of intelligence is now in jail charged with
treason. Zelensky is a complex man.
I think this article about the very start of the war is excellent https://globalnews.ca/news/9491396/ukraine-hostomel-battle-antonov-airport/amp/
I think Orbán overreacted during the election campaign in ’22, and later went all in on protecting his bets on Russian victory, perhaps hoping to minimalize losses – Who knows?
As the situation progresses, he stands to lose everything by burning bridges to the official partners.
A complex role in a complex situation, ranging from national focus-figure to US-backed, Zionist agent.
Not easy shoes to fill.
“HVG” celebrates a success in the fight for a free press in Hungary. The independent medium got it right in court that the government may not withhold decisions from it
…
According to the magazine, between the change of government in 2010 and April 2022, the government made a total of 1,836 political decisions that were hidden from the public. In response to questions, officials have always answered the same: The decisions would not be public for ten years from their effective date because they were considered “preparatory material.” … ”
“Preparatory material” = Kingdom of Orban?
Orban has a lot of brave lickspittles, but they are afraid of the publication of their “work”. 😀
US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said this morning when asked by CNN’s Christiane Amanpour whether Kyiv was spending too much time in the fight for Bakhmut: “Here we are on the 21st of March and Bakhmut still has not fallen to the Russians. So the Ukrainians are prioritizing this fight — the Russians have clearly prioritized this fight, and what we’re going do is stay focused on making sure that President Zelensky has what he needs, wherever he chooses to fight. That means intelligence. That means support. That means weapons. That means capabilities. That’s what we’re going to be focused on.”
Kirby then revealed that apparently US intelligence believes Putin would “try to mount another offensive and maybe along many different vectors. We have got to make sure that we are doing everything we can to make sure Ukraine is ready for that.”
Apparently this new Putin offensive would occur prior to any Ukrainian spring offensive against Russian forces, built largely around the more powerful and more advanced systems Western countries have agreed to send, including tanks and other armored vehicles. This CNN interview was widely reported in Ukraine today.
The (by now) pro arm wrestling match between Russia and Ukraine is a great source of income for news media. Sponsors collect full bonuses.
The report about Hungary’s human rights practices is causing the same reactions as always. The nicest one is always the respect factor. The regime is asking for respect without earning it. But it seems to work in the Hungarian society.
Hungary – United States Department of State
Mr. Szijjártó freaked out at the State Department in Washington, and according to the US ambassador he is doing it just like the Russians (nepszava.hu)
(1) Ambassador David Pressman on Twitter: “Sounds familiar. https://t.co/aI45f8a0qo” / Twitter
BTW, the report is worth reading, it is a nice reminder for what is fundamentally wrong in Magyar Orszag.
Wrong or just the usual BS, intended for Hungarian govt media?
The Hungarian side-show doesn’t have a following outside Hungary, but they make the occasional headline (for lack of real news).
In the introduction of the report, it says:
“Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: actions that aimed to interfere with or diminish the independence of the judiciary; serious restrictions on freedom of expression and media, including censorship and content restrictions at the public service media broadcaster; political intimidation of and legal restrictions on civil society organizations, as well as criminal and financial penalties for migration-related work of nongovernmental organizations; exposure of asylum seekers to risk of refoulement; corrupt use of state power to grant privileges to certain economic actors; and threats of violence and harassment by extremists targeting Roma and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex persons.”
Then followed by detailed explanations.
The propaganda media is not defending the regime with a detailed rebuttal, but just writes that some lies are written, and Hungary is under attack again and not respected.
For me, it seems, that the EU politicians and some journalists of the foreign press are following the propaganda media. They seem increasingly aware of what it is doing to the Hungarians. The isolation of Hungary for example is discussed in various media abroad. Until now the regime only answers to “friendly” media, can they keep that up?
“The regime is asking for respect without earning it.”
… because not giving respect to others, like… [just pick a name not financially connected to the myghti lidur]
But even outside myghti lidur, the ability to criticize runs to zero. I only have to remind you of the “united” opposition, all lone warriors and everyone is the best.
Not too much OT – seems Hungary is getting more and more isolated!
William, Prince of Wales, visited Poland to acknowledge how they help Ukraine. Not only Warsaw but also a defence base less than an hour’s drive from Ukraine.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/mar/22/prince-of-wales-visits-british-and-polish-troops-near-ukraine-border
Even US president candidate Ron deSantis changed his opinion on the war.
last week he talked about this “territorial conflict” which the USA shouldn’t care about but after being critized for this he now says Putin is a war criminal who has to be held accountable for the invasion of Ukraine.
Totally OT but ypical.
The largest LGBTQ conference organised by the OUT and EQUAL group will be held this autumn by Disney in Florida.
Some supporters:
Apple, Uber, Bank of Americ, IBM,McDonalds, Walmart, Google, Visa …
Wonder how deSatan will react?
Florida’s governor DeSantis is now supporting the ICC case against Putin, but it is far from clear if he supports the US war for “as long as it takes” with all its costs.
See https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/03/23/desantis-putin-ukraine-war-piers-morgan/ Governor DeSantis is well aware he can’t win the Republican primary if he supports the current level of US funding for it. The backlash against spending the massive money on the Ukrainian war is real and not limited to hardcore Trump supporters.
There is a historic faction in the Republican Party that wants to destroy Russia as a global military power. The Ukrainian war presents a unique opportunity for that possibility.
The primary global concern among Republicans and retired US military officers is China (I guess that includes myself.)
DeSantis will eventually focus on China as the real threat to US global power. DeSantis will liked steal the evangelical vote from Trump using Trump’s immorality. DeSantis is extremely anti-LBTQ and opposed to any expressions of Black nationalism.
By the way even if Trump is convicted of a felony under the US Constitution he is not ineligible to serve as US President.
The U.S. Constitution upholds the principle that US voters decide who shall represent them, and its qualifications are limited to natural-born citizenship, age (35 by Inauguration Day) and residency in the United States (14 years).
Convicted felons have run for president in the past. Lyndon LaRouche was convicted in 1988 of tax and mail fraud conspiracy and ran for president multiple times between 1976 and 2004.
Eugene Debs was convicted of violating the Espionage Act of 1917 for an anti-war speech, then ran for president under the Socialist Party banner from a federal prison in Alabama in 1920. Debs’ supporters handed out campaign buttons for “Prisoner 9653.”
We may see DeSantis modify his position on the war in Ukraine numerous times leading up to the 2024 primary elections leading to the Republican National convention.
Hungary’s unothodox economic policy = failure in every area
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/16310161/2-17032023-AP-EN.pdf
“Orbán sets aside €12.5M for Hungarian universities hit by EU’s Horizon Europe funding freeze”
Thanks for this link. €12,5M doesn´t seem a lot for me. And the students who want to apply for studies abroad are not addressed.
12.5 million euros is really not much, that is probably only a temporary amount. „Important to note that only public interest trusts established on the basis of the Hungarian Act IX of 2021 and entities maintained by them are concerned by the Council measures.“
The problem is that they don’t really understand what Erasmus and Horizon are for. They are not only about undertaking visits to other countries and conducting research programmes. They are also,crucially, about collaboration, solidarity and ideas of a ‘greater good’, notions that sadly appear quite alien to the Fidesz worldview. Even if young people are funded to travel abroad, unless they are part of the organised programmes, the value will be greatly diminished. And, as someone pointed out earlier, even if there is funding from domestic sources will there be others who want to partner with Hungarian institutions and researchers? It isn’t the EU that is damaging Hungarian young people’s opportunities but the Hungarian government’s absurd policies.
I completely agree with you. The gentlemen doctors and professors who have voted for the political indoctrination by a trust in universities have also proven their foresight to the tip of the nose at most. Research is completely irrelevant there, unless they are researching bacteria Budapestis in the sewage of a major city. 🙂
Orban Opens New Front in Clash Over Hungary’s 18% Interest Rate
The regime starts to threaten GPs and Pediatric doctors who do not sign a contract with the ambulance service.
This article is a nice overview how the regime can take away responsibilities and power from a long existing well-respected organization. The reason is obvious, the lack of medical doctors caused by the declining number of Hungarian medical students, and the emigration of those who are ready makes it necessary to hide the problem by a decision within three days by the brave men and women in the parliament.
The destruction of the medical chamber
“We are not defenders of the castle in Eger. I am sorry. I screwed up” – The government started punishing non-signing GPs (szabadeuropa.hu)
https://telex.hu/kulfold/2023/03/23/sved-miniszterelnok-nato-csatlakozas-svedorszag-jovahagyas-ratifikacio
Hungary’s government playing games with NATO now – time to kick us out of the organization?
Swedish PM is waiting for an explanation from Orbán as to why the Parliament is only voting on Finland’s accession (and not Sweden’s) at the end of March
There is as far as I know not a provision for expelling a NATO member nation. See https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1172788/nato-chief-rules-out-system-for-expelling-members/#
So this morning in the USA we had this news : Ukraine needs $411 billion for reconstruction efforts, according to a new estimate from the World Bank on Thursday. Direct damage in the country exceeds $135 billion, the joint study by the Ukrainian government, the European Commission and the United Nations found.
To be honest given the vast ecological crisis here in the USA we will likely not be able to rescue in a big way Ukraine. Eventually our own problems will outweigh the issues in Central Europe and the EU wool have to carry the vast tab for rebuilding Ukraine.
I doubt the French workers on strike over the forced increase to their retirement age will want France for example to help restore Ukraine either. It’s really overwhelming and the war and it’s destruction is far from over.
„$411 billion for reconstruction efforts“ that is cheap for the reconstruction of a country. In the banking crisis, Germany alone saved the poor banks with 480 billion euros. I’d rather my tax money went to Ukraine than be stolen by Hungarians.
That is encouraging because the EU could have to absorb those level of costs. Since there is no reason to believe the war and Russian attacks will not continue for several more years the costs will rise.
That’s an argument from fear.
True I am fearful
of Putin’s ability to play the role of Stalin. Who like North Vietnam’s General Võ Nguyên Giáp who I had to face sent thousands to their deaths without wincing.
Looking at the date of the interview with Stoltenberg – Nov. 30. 2021 – It’s interesting to see that Hungary had been blocking high-level talks with Ukraine over “the rights of the Hungarian minority”.
Considering the events over the next few months and later, it’s awfully tempting to assume that Hungary followed directions from Moscow, because those talks could have convinced Ukrainian forces and officials to better prepare for the Russian invasion.
Orbán’s initial reactions to the invasion could well be interpreted as confidence in a job well done (he skipped directly to the “peace” phase, as if it was expected in a short time) by delaying top-level preparation and subsequently expecting a swift and victorious “Special Operation”, also all the following ad hoc measures of the Hungarian crisis-handling indicated short term thinking.
In contrast, all other European countries reacted with preparations for a long conflict,without a visible horizon.
If Orban was given the heads up on a Russian invasion and did not inform the CIA he would indeed needed to worry about US meddling in Hungarian affairs.
If he was given a clear signal that the invasion was coming being the clever operator he is he might have used his own intelligence people to back channel at least part of that information to the CIA I would bet. Clearly the CIA knew the invasion was coming weeks before it happened. President Zelensky refused completely to believe it but his own military did and reinforced defenses outside Antonov Airport outside of Kyiv which still was taken by the Russians but then taken back (See Stijn Mitzer; Joost Oliemans 13 April 2022″Destination Disaster: Russia’s Failure At Hostomel Airport”. Oryx)
Fidesz is going crazy re Ukraine – but also re Finland and Sweden joining NATO.
https://dailynewshungary.com/minister-ukraines-approach-towards-the-eu-and-nato-only-possible-with-hungarys-consent/
They are thinking to rule the Democratic world – and at the same time whining about the money that they don’t get.
We’re only in it (the EU) for the money!
It’s almost funny:
Now they are whining too about the cheap grain from Ukraine – while at the same time prices in Hungary have risen almost 100%.
My wife and our neighbours have taken to buying flour whenever they go to a store/supermaret – if it’s available at all.
Will the Co’s start whining when their myghti lidur some day in a bad mood will cancel the next day?
Tomorrow is Cancelled – Holnap Törölve
The current slaughter taking place in Bakhmut is being discussed by the Kyiv Independent every day in a more a more critical way. This article today reminds me of An Loc Vietnam in 1972 https://kyivindependent.com/national/i-work-then-i-cry-exhausted-medics-near-bakhmut-fight-for-every-life .
Like some US and South Vietnamese forces did to the communists, the Ukrainians are shooting some Russian POWs. But the Russians are shooting more Ukrainians most likely see https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/03/24/ukraine-pow-russia-war-united-nations/945a12ec-ca49-11ed-9cc5-a58a4f6d84cd_story.html.
Of course developing PTSD makes it more likely to commit war crimes according to what I have read.
I was horrified by South Vietnamese troops finishing off significantly wounded communist soldiers. What they called “kết thúc” what in Europe is sometimes called the coup de grâce. The older French educated South Vietnamese officers did use the term coup de grâce. Two of the commanding officers went to École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr were the motto is Ils s’instruisent pour vaincre (They study to vanquish).
One of my own recurring nightmares that I still have from the Battle of An Loc is related to attempting to stop such killings and honestly failing to do so.
War, whether just or unjust is always horrible – I’m so happy that I managed to avoid it, working in civil defense, just in case.
My father rose under Hitler from a sergeant to captain before he got severely wounded ( and got the Knight’s Cross …). He didn’t tell me much – but it was enough. In HS I described a few things – horrible!
I wonder how many Russian agents like this couple live in Hungary – taking advantage of Schengen:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/24/suspected-russian-spies-trial-slovenia
I also wonder how much money Putin spends here …
Similarities in this and previous spy cases, see linked article, are that all supposedly came from South America and emigrated to non-latin speaking European countries.
Wonder which kind of Russian spies are send into Italy, Spain, Portugal, France [and Romania] i.e.latin speaking Europe.
That’s right, several cases have turned up.
Here are a couple more:
Socialite, Widow, Jeweller, Spy: How a GRU Agent Charmed Her Way Into NATO Circles in Italy – bellingcat
Moscow’s Mule: How Russia Rewrote a Narcotics Case to Get its Spy Back – bellingcat
This Sunday an interesting article was published in Népszava.
It reveals again how the Viktor is surviving on propaganda.
Hatred, or Viktor Orbán, the best student (nepszava.hu)
Thanks for a very good article!
So OV’s “enemies” are Migrants, Liberals, Genders and Pedofils; i.e.the myghti lidur seems only be able to fight against minorities.
How can the ol’ myghti lidur’s illegitimate rule be ended?
When all “minorities” stick together against it, and note that in this case not only members of those “minorities” [or by OV imagined enemies] should stand together, but all opposing the “we’re only in it for the money” [thanks wolfi… and Zappa] policies and join a movement for true respect for each and everybody respecting others!
Article from early March: Russia Is Wasting Tons Of Ammo Blowing Up Inflatable Decoys In Ukraine
The best method against the myghti lidur’s rule might be producing “Inflatable Decoys” for OV to “fight” against, and then after a while showing that the ol’ myghti lidur was just fighting “air”
You have an idea for a strategy of stress through uncertaincy!
Of course, stressing the control-confident system with persistently repeated rumors and strategically launched counter-conspiracy theories takes up valuable rescources in the propaganda industry.
For instance, a fabricated social-media campaign, using daily facts as evidence of Fidesz being pushed further into corners of conflict with Hungary’s official and elected partners, by Russian pressure and growing dependance on Russian demands and needs, Lukashenko-style.
With persistence, it will make a growing number of people doubt if Fidesz control anything but their own pockets, and it will make more Hungarians doubt where that leaves their country, economically.
Fear and other instincts Hungarian “teachers” want for their children.
An article on this from 2012 “As Infantile as Dangerous: What a Children’s Book from Today’s Hungary Connects to Orbán’s Blood-and-Soil Speech.
In “I need to know because I am a Hungarian child,” the authors transfigure and bend Hungarian history and stir up fears and resentment in even the youngest children.Sinister revanchism and nationalism are packaged as bedtime stories, Horthy is celebrated as the greatest hero in history, and the next generation is introduced to a national theology that is continued in school. The work is not an exception, but an expression of the new mainstream, in a country whose head of government meanwhile spreads Herrenmenschen slogans.”
With Hungarian “independent” media it is always the same they describe a symptom the cause remains untouched. One could come across pure stupidity.
Was für eine Geschichte. Danke für den link.
On several occasions I saw the “Zeitgeist” described in the article. Very often it is excused as tradition. Which in a way is true of course if you look at these terrible opinions that are kept alive over generations. But they mean the “innocent” tradition. Like not cheering with beer because one and a half centuries ago some Habsburg officers cheered with beer while executing Hungarian patriots. The church bells ringing every day at noon to remember the victory over the Turks in 1456. And there is much more of this. (Was their last victory isn´t it?) The tragic is, it always has to do with fighting enemies, it always should let you remember that there will be a time of revenge.
No self-reflection whatsoever.
Self-Reflection … well sometimes an unpleasant thing to grow … nope, “then everything they believed 1000, 120, 80, 60 years would only be faith?” 😀 The reality speaks for itself.
My Esztergom extended family that is obsessed with Austro-Hungarian Empire Genealogy claims the last clear victory of Hungarian commanded forces may have been against the Italians at the onset of WWI. It was strange but it involved a secret treaty called Treaty of London where the Italians were promised Italian territorial expansion against the Empire.
The Italians suddenly attacked and what came to be called Third Battle of the Isonzo that was fought from 18 October through 4 November 1915
Hungarian troops as part of the Empire’s forces won a clear and very bloody victory.
One of my great uncles died in that Battle where the Italians had 67,000 casualties and the Empire 41,800 casualties. My great uncle was an officer in the Austro-Hungarian 58th division and also a Count from what are called “comital families”from the Hungarian half of Austria-Hungary according to the 8th Law of 1886. He died on or near Mount Sabotino.
I visited a peace park near there that honors the forgotten war dead from both Austro-Hungary and Italy. It is sort of a tragic place to visit, but very beautiful too.
Interesting story.
Actually it’s the first time I hear of a clear WW1 victory by (joint) Hungarian commanded forces. I never heard of such from the many anecdotes and accounts told by the military branch of my Hungarian family.
Oddly, they too were (are) obsessed with ancestry and genealogy, but an uncle of mine, who went to the trouble of searching archives for years, wasn’t able to confirm the victorious stories, but he did establish a large number of recorded, interesting facts previously untold.
Well I never have researched what historian declared the 3rd battle of Isonzo a clear victory for the Empire. But for sure there were plenty of dead over 12 Battles fought near the Soča river
or Isonzo river depending on your nationality.
One of the difficulties of researching the Hungarian archives, is the practice of using Latin in official documents, prior to 1920.
Meaning, unless you are fairly fluid in Huggarian bureaucratic Latin, you can’t really read the documents.
Here’s a small but probably accurate and typical for the time, recount of how a Hungarian-led artillery unit deployed a (even by modern standards) heavy Skoda artillery-piece in the central square of Lucinico.
I’ve tried to imagine what went through the minds of the people who lived there, as blocks were levelled in minutes.
If you don’t read Italian, google-translate works well.
Alba di fuoco a Lucinico – Isonzo (isonzo-grs.it)
Rather OT:
Before 1989 I would not visit the “Communist” Eastern Europe except Yugoslavia and I often passed through the Isonzo valley on my way to the coast.
We sometimes didn’t make it to our campsite in one day then we tried to at least get to Yugoslavia (now Slovenia) to stay overnight because it was much cheaper than Italy and people were also very friendly.
Btw the first time I thought about this crazy war was when I read Hemingway’s book describing it – really moving story.
A farewell to arms.
And now the good news:
As far as I can tell and experienced people in that “Three country corner” (ITaly, Austria and Slovenia) have no problems with their neighbours, they usually speak several languages and use the language that they think corresponds to you.
Sometimes it’s funny:
I’m a typical blond German of course and my wife is usually addressed in Italian …
I have been in that region a couple of times, back in the 70’s when transfering rental cars back to their home garage (over the mountains), when they were due for service, but stuck elsewhere, was a good and cheap way to travel. You payed for the gasoline and kept reasonable mileage. Sometimes the cars suffered from previous abusive drivers/poor maintenance, but generally it was a safe way to travel.
The food was extraordinarily good and people were very friendly.
Typical Hungarian?
BME was the best among the Hungarian universities in the QS Ranking of five areas of science. Uniquely in Hungary, BME was listed among the world’s best universities in engineering, sciences and economics alike.Source:
https://dailynewshungary.com/british-qs-listed-hungarian-university-among-the-worlds-best/
Now if you look at the facts:
Szeged university is in the range 551 – 560, all other Hungarian universities missed the first 650 places in the ranking.
Great, isn’t it?
We had a similar discussion some time ago on HS.
Hungarian education is really going down the drain!
In reference to the insane 12 Battles fought in the Alps by the Italians and armies of the Empire during WWI discussed below. It make me wonder if the current never ending fight between Russians and Ukrainians for Bakhmut isn’t equally insane.
One day possibly there will be a peace park situated in Bakhmut and visitors will say how crazy was that!
An enormous peace park would be an appropriate closure.
Especially since Russia officially maintains that the current battles are the result of “unresolved” national issues inherent in Trianon and the subsequent German-led “corrective” campaigns of ’41 through ’44, perpetuated by Ukrainian “Nazi” forces today.
The catalogue of atrocities performed in the region during the period, could symbolically be represented by Bakhmut.
That is a sickening picture of everything Europe has worked to get away from during the last 70 years.
I’m hoping for that too!
As Michael writes it’s crazy that some people can’t get adjusted to peace after all those centuries of war in Europe.
“Great Germany” immediately calls up fascism/Nazism – but greater Hungary is worse???
Hungary is the only EU country not to be invited to US President Joe Biden’s second Summit for Democracy, organised from March 28-30.
Nice, isn’t it?
Funny to see Hungary sounding so pissed (or pretending to be) when they keep attacking the US.
This article today is pretty critical of the conference https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/03/29/summit-for-democracy-biden-critics/
Here is one quote from the article “ in private, some U.S. officials and many foreign policy experts in Washington roll their eyes over the whole affair. Critics see the event as an inconsequential talk shop or an unwelcome showcase into the inconsistency of U.S. foreign policy on the world stage, as Washington goes to bat for human rights in some contexts and looks the other way in others. Participation in the summit doesn’t necessarily come with any obligations, nor are there any genuine mechanisms to hold participant countries to certain commitments or standards surrounding their democracies.”
This part mentions Hungary: “ The United States, out of principle, did not invite Turkey or Hungary to this week’s summit, a mark of how it views both countries’ democratic decline in recent years. But then there’s the awkward case of Israel, long hailed by Washington as a beacon of democracy in the Middle East, but which has been in global headlines for the crisis that sees it lurching down the Hungarian path.”
Finally we can read this: “The summit for democracy is a bad idea that [won’t] go away,” tweeted Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations. “Beyond the awkward ‘whom to invite’ issue, American democracy is hardly a model for others. Plus we need non-democracies to help us in the world, from sanctioning Russia to slowing climate change.”
I think the Washington Post reads a little too much into this video event, or intentionally misread the signals Biden sends, and they probably don’t like to see a US presidency hosting a “World” event without the usual, global top brass in the front line.
Biden will be hosting a panel-debate together with Zelinsky, the president of Niger, Mohammed Bazoum, Pres, of Equador, Guillermo Lasso, pres. of Malawi, Lazarus Chakwera, Moldovan president, Maia Sandu, Pres. of Panama, Laurentino Cortizo Cohen, and Slovakian presidenr, Zuzana Caputova.
I think it’s fair to assume that none of these people, including Biden, are inclined to lend their ears to formal readings by the likes of overexposed pocket dictators such as Erdogan, Netanyahu and Orbán.
Hungary must be proud:
“Israel lurching down the Hungarian path”
This is crazy, but I hope the little green men appreciate the message.
Az űrbe lövi a Vatikán Ferenc pápa üzenetét (444.hu)
Are these guy that ignorant or even crazy?
Orbán held talks with Vladimir Orlic, the president of Serbia’s National Assembly, in his office on Monday.
dailynewshungary.com https://dailynewshungary.com/president-of-serbias-national-assembly-orlic-held-talks-in-budapest/
Shouldn’t Orlic know that the EU does not want/does not need another enemy like Hungary in its ranks? Everybody “in Brussels” knows what that would mean.
So why should the EU take in Serbia when for them the same saying goes:
We’re only in it for the money!
PS:
Has there been any reaction in Hungary re the uninviting of Hungary to Biden’s Democracy Summit?
Must be great to be the only one in the EU!
Speaking of democracy in action Chicago my home town is going through it now with our current Mayoral election. It pits a Black progressive and supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement against a Greek American supporter of a stronger police force in Chicago. The issue of crime and violence in Chicago is without question a huge issue here as I have commented on over the years on this site and Eva’s old site.
My guess is I am the only member of Saint Steven King of Hungary Roman Catholic Church in Chicago supporting the Black guy. I believe Paul Vallas, the Greek American guy, is delusional in thinking have additional police will solve our crime and murder problems.
Even though Brandon Johnson, the Black progressive is talking about poverty as a root of our crime problem, I honestly don’t believe he can begin to address that problem. I am still voting for him nonetheless because his social policy approach is more rational than implementing a police state. No matter who is elected I am pretty sure I will still be periodically carrying my concealed handgun that I am legally licensed to have as will be my wife.
Imagine walking your dog in Budapest later in the evening and putting on your shoulder holster with your 45 cal semiautomatic to do so. It is truly crazy here.
Donning a gun isn’t included in any civil routine anywhere in Europe, unless you plan to take part in serious crime or Civil Guard exercise. It carries risks that will impact the rest of your life negatively.
Hunters and members of shooting clubs can own guns, and are subject to strict regulations about storing the guns, when, where and how to shoot, including ammunition.
Once police find arms and/or ammunition, whether legally possesed or otherwise, at the wrong place and time, you are in the “black book” for good and will inevitably draw a short straw when faced with legal decisions that require a benefit of doubt, just like a previously convicted drunk driver.
Is there a homelesness-situation in Chicago?
Still ugly things can happen …
Did you read about the young man in Hamburg who left Jehova’s witnesses (aka LSD I believe), became a member of a shooting club, had legal guns and then went back and shot and killed seven of his former “brothers”?
The police had even paid him a visit after an anonymous letter but found everything ok, the guns were in a safe.
You mean LDS / Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints but these are the Mormons, not the Jehovah’s Witnesses, not exactly the same thing.
Sorry for the mistake!
Of course it was JW.
Yes we have many homeless encampments in city parks in Chicago and others in city shelters that are less than secure from crime themselves.
Some people who are homeless actually work but can’t afford rent. Not all of them are addicted to drugs or chronic alcoholics.
In many ways Chicago has many of the attributes of violent places in Mexico were they do have strict formal gun laws that are ignored by drug cartels and kidnapping crews. At least Chicago does not have many street kidnappings as yet.
That sounds like a societal problem.
I assume it developed over a long time.
Most, if not all, countries have a degree of homelessness and relate to it in different ways. In Hungary, for instance, society in general agrees that when Roma and the other very poor have a roof over their heads and are given one meal a day, that’s as far as society should stretch its will to help these people. A permanent subculture of poverty, appears to be perfectly acceptable, there.
Fidesz is so proud!
According to IMF data, Hungary is still ahead of Croatia in terms of GDP per capita. This picture is not that obviously bleak if we compare Hungary with the six non-EU member Balkan countries (Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo, and northern Macedonia). Belarus, Moldova, and now more than ever Russia and Ukraine are still lagging behind Hungary.
dailynewshungary.com https://dailynewshungary.com/hungarian-economy-eu-and-rest-of-the-world/
However – from the same source:
If we compare Hungary with other EU member states (plus EFTA members and the UK), in terms of average net wages, Hungary is only staying ahead of Romania and Bulgaria.
So now we know which countries Hungary wants to be compared with …
This article from 2017 shows Orbán claiming that Hungary is catching up with and will overtake Austria by 2030… 😉 https://budapestbeacon.com/orban-fidesz-can-stay-power-hungary-will-overtake-austria-2030/
To your link to dailynewshungary “… The other group of countries with clearly better economic performance are the highly industrialised Far Eastern countries of Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan,… ” Wtf is industrialised. 🙂
A little further then “…they spend a larger percentage of GDP on education and healthcare compared to Hungary.” These flat propaganda leaflets are somehow funny and sad at the same time.
Another EP delegation is coming to Hungary again to check if there is corruption here. (:
Another EP delegation is coming to Hungary to examine the use of EU funds (nepszava.hu)
It seems, that the delegation will be led by Monika Hohlmeier a member of the EP for the CSU. She is the daughter of Franz Josef Strauß, and was banned to the EP because of some nasty things she did.
Monika Hohlmeier – Wikipedia
One can only wonder.
They go to Budapest to look for corruption, possibly in a casket?, … the CSU daughter of the corrupt Franz Josef Strauß … 😀 .
I wonder if Mrs Hohlmeier might have something to say on this:
https://www.spiegel.de/international/business/mafia-methods-viktor-orban-ups-the-pressure-on-german-companies-to-leave-hungary-a-cf38f4d2-1576-4f55-896a-b65f19542f43
It’s a detailed article with many concrete examples on how Fidesz treats foreign companies.
Orbán’s illiberal democracy is becoming a danger to a growing number of German companies. For years, many of them thought that the prime minister’s attack on the judiciary, science and the media had nothing to do with them.
And the beat goes on …
Well, she is mentioned in the article naming the Viktor a thief. It is the old story here, first they come to destroy others like institutions, justice, education, small businesses, and they all felt safe, feeling too big to attack. But the Viktor will come for them too, just to get his circle rich. Whenever this will be over, the people won´t see one cent beck from the stolen money. For the German “big players” I don´t feel sorry.
Jan, it’s not the Big Players like VW or Mercedes which are attacked by the Hun government – they knew and still know what to expect from the country and can handle it.
It’s smaller companies which thought Hungary might be a good place to invest.
Something similar already happened more than 20 years ago:
Near the Balaton (Zala county where I had my holiday house) several textile companies I knew came to Hungary because wages were much lower than in Germany,
But after the year 2000 they changed, some produced in Romania for a time and now all their production is in Asia. We know how the living and working conditions are there – that would have been to much even for a poor Hungarian village.
Wolfi, if the Viktor can, the “big players” turn will come too.
If you search for “Hohlmeier corruption” you will find a lot. The CSU has a long tradition of corruption, just like the Strauss family.
Checked Hohlmeier’s voting about Sargentini’s 2018 Art.7 against HU report.
Well guess what, she voted AGAINST the report*, i.e.accordig her there’s no serious problem concerning Democracy and Rule of Law in Hungary under the myghti lidur’s yoke.
*note on 2018.Sep.12 the report was voted with 448 in favour and only against 197
details see https://judithsargentini.nl/the-hungary-report/
A bit after the Sargentini vote I started an email exchange with a CSU member of the EP, because I was quite upset about an interview with the Süddeutscher Zeitung he gave. In his answer He wrote that he had the Viktor under “kritische Beobachtung”, So I confronted him with the voting, and asked if this is what he calls critical observation. He wrote me that it was an order from Seehofer himself, to vote against the Sargentini report. I still have contact with him, and he changed his opinion.
A funny story was during the price cap for petrol, when the foreigners had to pay more. The EPP was protesting against this unjustified “discrimination”. Then I confronted him with several CSU ministers of traffic in Germany who wanted to introduce tolls only for foreigners. The Lawsuit against one of these ministers was still going on at that time. He never answered that one email.
Don’t even mention Seehofer!
The ugliest “Christian” politician I have ever known since Strauß, against whom we faught 60 years ago – in the end successfully.
In case you don’t now:
Seehofer fought extremely against same sex marriage, especially their chance to adopt children – because a child needs a mother and a father.
But he also impregnated a CDU assistant in Berlin (returning to his wife every weekend) whose daughter will see her father only on tv.
And he was alos one of those who made that Bavarian law that every public office (including schools etc) must prominently display a cross at the entrance!
Oh those abominable clerical fascists – detested them since I was 6 years old …
About the subject “How Viktor Orbán bullies German companies out of the country” and Nomen est Omen Hohlmeier is also called. Has BMW complained because Hohlmeier is coming?
I have not seen wolfis contribution.