It doesn't seem hard to find a fitting label for the people you mention. How about "Western League For Demolition…
May 15th, 2023
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Maybe he hopes to steal Brussel's cruiser and head out for Atlantis.
I know it is insulting to Asterix the Gaul, but the Viktor thinks he is like Asterix. Viktor Orbán: While…
On several sites, the box of shit for the Hungarian embassy in Warsaw is discussed.
Telex wrote an extensive analysis of the relationship between the regime and Poland.
Telex: Így haragította magára Orbán Viktor a legközelebbi barátait
In english Novák Katalin should have baked cheese sticks.
Together with Muttis dress the cheese sticks make the Ukrainian flag.
Beautiful picture.
The Washington Post last night published a transcript of a May 1 interview with President Zelensky. It is pretty revealing and in it he admits actually Ukrainian casualty figures would not be made public until the war ends and many other things like he could remain in office without elections due to martial law if necessary.
The full transcript can be read at
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/05/13/zelensky-washington-post-interview-transcript/ .
He (Zelensky) is as astute and to the point, as he has been from the beginning of the war. Very conscious of his role as a responsible national leader and international war-diplomat remaining calm (as possible) under fire, inspiring his people to keep up morale and work hard together.
By comparison, that is an extremely different approach from the adversary.
My guess is that Eurofighters and possibly Harriers, will be deployed before the F-16 Falcons, since the green light for that has to come from the European partners GB and France/Germany. These fighter planes are abundant and fully Nato-compliant, and the US could accompany such a decision with arms and pilot/crew training only. Ukraine has developed its small drone technology to a point where practically invisible high altitude surveillance can be integrated with Nato command platforms and tankers, flying in the international outskirts of the scene.
On another topic – This report is highly questionable, to say the least. Vital questions unanswered/ignored, just like the Warren Commission Report on the Kennedy assassination.
Read: The Durham report | CNN Politics
Harriers are hard to fly but the Ukrainians have shown repeatedly they can overcome any hardship. Still I am dubious. French President Macron on the other hand has acknowledged France will train Ukrainian pilots. I assume they could provide older Mirage 2000.
„French President Macron on the other hand has acknowledged France will train Ukrainian pilots.“ Are you sure, in German news Sunak was mentioned who promised training of Ukrainians on Western planes.
https://www.politico.eu/article/macron-france-to-train-ukrainian-fighter-pilots-war-zelenksyy/
No word of providing planes. Yet.
Rutte now also seems to be on board “The UK and the Netherlands want to forge an “international coalition” to supply Ukraine with fighter jets. Until now, NATO partners had refused. Kiev welcomed the initiative.” Then the delivery of aircraft will be only a matter of time.
US signals to allies it won’t block their export of F-16 jets to Ukraine
In today’s (May 18, 2023 at 9:53 a.m. CT) Washington Post we can read this “ Ukraine’s Western allies are at odds over whether to send fighter jets to Ukraine. The United Kingdom is willing to help other countries send the jets and other military equipment as part of a joint effort with the Netherlands, British Defense Minister Ben Wallace said. The United States has so far resisted the push.‘
According to retired U.S. Air Force officers who I read regularly on blogs the US Air Force high command is opposed to providing F16s to Ukraine.
While we provide F16s to many countries these officers imply the nuclear capabilities of the F16 make them uneasy in relationship to Ukraine. This in particular involves the F-16C/D Block 50/52+ which has a bombing range of 546 km loaded with
4 × 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs. It is capable of carrying the B61 nuclear bomb B61 which is of the variable yield (“dial-a-yield” in informal military jargon) design with a yield of 0.3 to 340 kilotons in its various mods.
Russia has according to these officers indicted it would consider providing F16s to Ukraine a red line crossing issue and it would consider use of nuclear weapons against Ukrainian airbases housing these F16s legitimate targets for tactical nuclear strikes. I can verify none of that.
But this is just the opinion of retired officers, isn´t it? This is not the US government’s position.
That reluctance is well in keeping with the German hesitation about the Leopard tanks – An obvious strategy of slowing down escalation.
Different from the tanks, the F-16s were multi-nationally produced, but as with the tanks, the decision to approve end users lies with the original patent holder.
I think a green light for Eurofighter Typhoons, for Ukrainian deployment, would be a starting point in establishing Ukranian air supremacy in the war-zone, everything else is in place and operating. Also, time is needed for supplying next-generation fighters like the F-35, for replacing the F-16s
And why? Because Ukrainian pilot-training and ground facility integration with Nato weapon-platforms is already happening in Europe.
That relieves the US of responsibility for escalating the air part of the conflict and prepares further integration of available aircraft.
The Russians like to think they are fighting against the US, across the oceans, but have no answers to a battle with rest of Europe. It would quickly isolate them and deplete their resources.
That’s why we hear so much nuclear talk from their side (and the few others, who have that capacity).
It was a proper interview from the side of Zelensky, revealing what he wants to make public. Criticizing the journalists for their continuing questions about the leaked documents after telling them in the first answer these things are not helping his people.
He stated the casualty numbers will be made public after the war, and gave the reasons for that, he did not “admit” it.
Article 12 of the Ukrainian martial law says the government cannot be dissolved during martial law. The journalists should have informed themselves before asking this question.
Ukraine: Martial Law Introduced in Response to Russian Invasion | Library of Congress (loc.gov)
I did not like the style of the interview. The journalists “forgot” Ukraine is at war and tried to get information just to make a profit.
I think Zelensky could not refuse this interview because the Washington Post has leaked documents.
The circumstance of the “leaks” – we still don’t know how real they are – gave Zelensky an opportunity to confirm, deny and elaborate on the Ukrainian stance. That purpose, he managed well.
I agree.
Jan I don’t know which of Post interviewers were corporate editors I do know that one of the journalists involved in the interview is fluent in Ukrainian and Russian. The editors were appointed at least indirectly by Jeff Bazos who bought the Post and owns Amazon. He is a profoundly arrogant man.
The issue of Ukrainian casualties raised by the Post is driven by rather fantastical claims of comparative Ukrainian losses to Russian losses made by the Ukrainian general staff.
Reporters from western media often make observations on the slaughter going on near the front. Without question Russian losses have been higher consistently than Ukrainian losses I think.
But Putin’s shift in strategy to a war of attrition is driven by having a larger population base to send into the killing zone.
A retired US General the other day made this astute observation. Putin could lose all Russia’s occupied land in Ukraine and yet continue the war at one level of intensity or another. That would be a terrifying possibility for the West. (See
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/05/15/ukraine-counteroffensive-timing-success/)
If Putin was eliminated by elements in Russia he would most likely be replaced with another greater Russian nationalist with a strategy to rebuild the Russian military and return to war.
Overall Putin is likely correct in believing the USA will not have the will to support the Ukrainian war effort for years through changes in administration. My own experience in the late stages of the Vietnam War give testimony to that as do my own daughter’s experience as an officer in Afghanistan.
Unfortunately Russia may have to be effectively crushed to end this war for a prolonged period. That could involve a nuclear exchange between NATO and Russia at some point.
Since I am in my 70s likely I may not be here to see the end game.
This article on https://www.reuters.com has an article titled “Kremlin says its spies are watching as CIA urges Russians to get in touch.” Looks very much like the CIA would like to promote a military coup against Putin.
The Reuters story stated: In the video – published on the CIA’s official YouTube channel and the Telegram messaging app, popular in Russia – a male voice reflects on the meaning of heroism and endurance as lone individuals are seen weighing their decisions: a man trudging through snow, a woman staring through a window.
“We are easily swayed by lies. But we do know what our reality is. The reality we live in. And the reality we talk about in whispers,” the voice says.
At the end, a man and a woman are shown in separate scenes with their fingers hovering over mobile phone screens with a link saying “Contact CIA”.
CIA isn’t that a state terrorist organization?
Ukrainian anti-corruption NAZK agency put the Hungarian bank OTP on the list “International sponsors of the war”. Hungary is now blocking a €500 million allocation from the European Peace Facility to Ukraine.
Hungary’s government showing its true colours again – which side are you on boys?
I personally believe that team Orban believes his “peace campaign” has been highly effective against the solidarity movement with Ukraine.
He has nothing politically to worry about from the EU right now and can do what he wants.
There were many lessons Hungary drew from 1956. One was fear of Russia that was combined with the horror Hungary endured in WWII and the Battle for Budapest.
Team Orban does not believe the Russians will be outright defeated by any offensive launched by Ukraine. That a peace deal will eventually happen.
There could be years of war before that happens and massive bloodshed. Orban could be proven wrong and a Russian rout could materialize. My great fear is Putin would use tactical nukes in that situation claiming the Ukrainians are attacking the homeland itself. What that could bring is only contemplated in escalation theory and game theory.
My daughter who is a reserve officer in the Army and now a professor of Agricultural economics at the U of California at Berkeley was an intern at Rand Corp while studying for her PHD.
I do know she was involved in doing estimates on crop destruction based on nuclear war game theory. The details were of course classified.
I’m rather convinced that team Orbán’s efforts are focused on supporting the Russian propaganda and internet war against the US’ democracy and will to support Ukraine, as their first priority. Spreading lies in the EU comes second, though it would probably be their favourite project, since they work at it with such dedication.
Well Trump supporters largely agree with Orban.
You’re probably right that Russia won’t be defeated, but how long Orbán’s friend/ boss Putin can stay in power is unknown at the moment – I think he might be vulnerable
He is very vulnerable, in his malachite tower.
And leaders in such a position, historically, tend to survive much longer than expected.
Differently from Stalin, his declared analysis of Russia vs. the West, based on the capacity for coping with bloodshed and suffering, is seriously challenged by modern technology – suppose he loses significant sattelite coverage – Would China step in? And what would be the cost? Central Asian ground, perhaps? (my guess).
But if old fashioned warfare is the condition, Russia has an impressive track record.
The big unknown factor is how much his non-US adversaries can agree to step up their war-game and excercise control over Russian freedom of movement on the planet.
Alexander Dugin who our old friend Eva did posts about over the years, as crazy as he appears to those of us in the USA has nationalist credentials and with the killing of his daughter most likely by Ukrainian agents he has huge credibility among Russian nationalists.
Last week he put forward (on May 11) a 7-point formula to counter the “enemy counter-offensive”. Dugin advises a general mobilization, including the mobilization of industry and the economy; Immediate internment of the fifth column – the party of betrayal and change of personnel in a number of leading Russian ministries and departments “that made this situation possible” ruthlessly, uncompromisingly and immediately.
He also suggests “doing everything” to avoid the use of NSNW (Non-Strategic Nuclear Weapons) but adds that if other listed actions do not help, then use TNW (Tactical Nuclear Weapons) for limited targets and “be ready to use strategic nuclear weapons”. Believe it or not Dugin’s posts on the use of nukes against Ukraine are more restrained than some out there in the Russian blogosphere. I could provide a like to the Telegram channel this appears on but I think our host doesn’t want posters to do that.
This Dugin guy should not be a topic for us.
Just another fascist who achieved nothing except some talk until now.
Aleksandr Dugin – Wikipedia
Russia is losing a lot of citizens who were forced to be “soldiers”.
I know they have enough citizens to declare to be soldiers, but the question is how many victims it will take until the citizens are refusing to be declared soldiers.
I agree that he shouldn’t be a topic, especially since he fills the role of Putin’s ideologic Rasputin. Strictly relevant in Russia.
deleted becaus of redundancy
For those who can read German:
A preliminary report on the EU team that visited Hungary this week:
https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/europa/eu-haushalt-ausschuss-ungarn-100.html
Monika Hohlmeier, CSU-Politikerin and leader of the team (once a big friend of Fidesz …) said she’s reminded of communist times …
So the comittee says:
No money to Fidesz, Mészáros (he’s mentioned as an example …) and the other corrupt oligarchs which arw blackmailing foreign companies in Hungary – sell to me or you’ll go bankrupt.
The funny side:
The Fideszniks (lead by Navracsics) welcoming the comittee were expecting something completely different – to show them how wonderful Hun democracy is …
https://dailynewshungary.com/eu-funds-has-hungary-managed-to-convince-the-european-parliament/
Another scathing report from South Tyrol (ok, in German) on O1G’s comparison of the EU with Hitler’s plans for Europe:
https://www.stol.it/artikel/politik/orban-vergleicht-eu-mit-hitlers-weltherrschaftsplaenen
That picture of the boss behind bars is kind of funny …
The title of a nemzet article today:
“No matter what he wants, Zelensky will not get F-16 fighter jets”
The last two sentences of the same article:
“The possibility that the U.S. approves the transfer of fighter jets previously purchased from it is not ruled out by Politico. For a country to pass on its F-16s, Washington approval is required.”
(:Hiába akarja, nem kap F-16-os vadászgépeket Zelenszkij (magyarnemzet.hu)
Well it today appears Politico is correct Jan. Contradicting itself the Washington Post today reported: “ Washington’s decision not to block allies from sending F-16s to Ukraine comes after Zelensky’s repeated requests for fighter jets, including from the Netherlands, which has the aircraft. In February, Ukrainian officials said they had made significant progress in persuading Dutch officials to send F-16s, but Washington’s approval is necessary because of third-party transfer agreements associated with the purchase of the U.S.-made jets. The transfer would also require the sign-off of the chairs and ranking minority-party members of relevant U.S. congressional committees.”
Presumably no advanced F16s that are capable of carrying NATO nuclear weapons will be included. How the USA will prevent F16 bombing runs into Russian Federation territory is unclear and its also unclear if the Russians can execute effectively missile attacks on Ukrainian air bases that might provide hangars for them.
The US claims to have reached its limits on production of Patriot anti-aircraft batteries and the advanced newer PAC-3 CRI interceptors that appear to have intercepted Russian hypersonic missiles during their deceleration phase just prior to impact. That have what are called hit-to-kill technology.
A full load of anti-aircraft missiles for each battery costs about $690 million. The US could well be deceptive about the number of Patriot systems and missiles Raytheon can produce.
Of course is Russia were to launch its hypersonic missiles armed with nuclear warheads that are designed to detonate in the air just hitting the Russian missile could result in mass destruction.
The Russians have tested what is called it’s “Tsar Bomba” that can be as large as a 100-megaton yield and still weighs around 5 pounds. Of course not to be outdone US scientists at Livermore Laboratory proposed an insane double-thermonuclear weapon with a 10,000-megaton yield.
When I was assigned to US NATO forces in Germany at the end of 1972 we still had nuclear 155 mm artillery shells in bunkers. Those were supposedly all removed years ago.
Why this direct, if not constant, focus on nuclear?
Again, it looks like the familiar Hungarian door-stop tactic:
Hungary steps up threat to block EU weapons aid for Ukraine | Ukraine | The Guardian
Who says the US must prevent the Ukraine air force to fly over Russian territory? Don´t you think the Ukraine pilots get orders on what to do or not to do? And that one of the orders will be: Don´t fly to Moscow?
This is the commission report from the MEPs who visited Budapest this week.
The Head of the Delegation was M. Hohlmeier (From an expert family in fraud)
As always, the Viktor is blending with new commissions and proposals, but nothing really changes.
Microsoft Word – Closing statment by Head of Delegation Monika Hohlmeier_AM_proofread.docx (europa.eu)
This 24.hu article writes about the experience of Katalin Czech, a Hungarian member of the delegation. As in Wolfis links, the regime representatives were not prepared to answer the only relevant question of how it can be guaranteed that the money from the EU will not disappear in fraudulent projects.
The EU delegation in Hungary was shocked by several things | 24.hu
There is a lot of money at stake, and I wonder if the Viktor can compensate for this with money from elsewhere like China which he has to lend. Contracts concerning these loans are at least secret for 35 years.
Here is a nice list of promises not kept. Maybe lack of money?
Telex: Kinek mit ígért a kormánya: vakcinagyár, szuperkórház? – beruházások, amelyeket ígérnek, de nem készülnek el
They recycle the promises every election. (: Some since 1998.
Telex has more on the problems Hungary has with Poland (or the other way round).
A scathing article describing how O1G is driving Hungary into a corner, worth reading!
https://telex.hu/direkt36/2023/05kalimera/16/how-viktor-orban-angered-his-closest-friends-in-europe
We discussed this already on the fifteenth, Don had a beautiful picture of the Hungarian version of Mutti
Don´s link is worth reading too
Found this interesting; it seems there are more limits to the Unlimited Friendship as China thwarts Russia’s blockading of Ukranian grain
“China Won’t Let Russia Starve the World”.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/05/17/russia-ukraine-grain-deal-china-food-security/
China is filling the vacuum left by Russia. China also wants to continue pushing its Silk Road project. “In his efforts to forge an alternative global order with the help of alliances in the so-called global South, China’s leader Xi Jinping has made further progress. At a summit in the northern Chinese city of Xian on Friday, Xi and the heads of state of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan agreed on far-reaching cooperation.
For example, the six leaders plan to meet every two years in the future as part of a newly established China-Central Asia Mechanism. The next summit is to be held in Kazakhstan in 2025. In addition, China and the five Central Asian states signed a host of bilateral agreements aimed at closer cooperation in the economy, culture, transport and education.” Russia was not invited.
“Hungary releases convicted foreign traffickers from prison” writes Zeit online. At the beginning of this month there were reports that one is trafficked with one to three thousand euros through the Hungarian border for more money even the gate is opened. Ergo Hungarian authorities earn with. Possibly even double if they get money from caught perpetrators for the release. All this is only logical if you know the Fidesz nature. I doubt that only foreign traffickers will be released. No matter the much bigger criminals sit in the government.
Telex ran an interesting article on US native Americans https://telex.hu/eszkombajn/2023/05/17/az-amerikai-oslakos-indianoktol-150-evig-megtagadtak-az-amerikai-allampolgarsagot . My wife as some of you may recall is a registered member of the Seneca tribe of the Iroquois Confederacy or Six Nations as are both of our children and about half of my wife’s family. (Membership in the tribe is not determined by genetic testing but by tradition, enrollment is based on the matrilineal line of descent and not by any degree of Seneca blood. In order for a person to be enrolled with the Seneca Nation, their mother and every mother on the mother’s side must have been an enrolled Seneca.)
I thought the article was so interesting and surprising to see in Telex I translated it and shared it with my wife Judy, who was a native studies major as an undergraduate at the University of North Dakota where we both attended. My wife thought the article was both correct and not correct because of the tribal reservations in the USA which are technically separate nations within the USA.
In an email my wife noted that: “When the United States entered into the First World War in 1917, approximately a third of American Indians weren’t seen as United States citizens. Despite this, they were still plunged into the draft, a decision of the United States Government that resulted in extensive confusion, resentment, and even rebellion in the American Indian community. However ill-received the draft was, roughly 6,500 American Indian men were conscripted and more than 5,000 others enlisted — many likely hoping that their service would equate to U.S. citizenship.”
Most male members members of my wife’s family living on tribal land served in either the US Army or Marine Corp during the Vietnam War. On the Seneca reservation in Salamanca New York there is a Veterans of Foreign Wars organization post with about 179 members. I have attended dinners there celebrating US veterans day and other events.
Numerous members of the tribe were drafted during the Vietnam War in particular, members of the tribe served in the Union Army during the Civil War and one member of the Iroquois Confederacy or Six Nations was a high ranking officer present at the surrender of Confederate General Robert E Lee at Appomattox Court House in Virginia. His name was Ely S. Parker and he was a lieutenant colonel during the American Civil War, General Lee reportedly commented to Col Parker that he was really the only American in the room. Col.Parker reportedly replied to General Lee that after today we are all Americans again. Col Ely S. Parker’s portrait hangs in that VFW post.
Apparently according to my wife some members of the Tribe to this day do not vote in US elections and do not consider themselves as US citizens. She calls them “traditionalists.”
None the less I thought it was good Telex provided to Hungarians some of the complex history of native people in the USA.
By the way the Iroquois Confederacy did not support for the most part the American rebels during the American Revolutionary War. They supported the British government and fought against the American revolutionaries.
George Washington’s Army led an attack on Iroquois towns and farms decimating them. After the Revolutionary war ended numerous tribal lands were confiscated and redistributed to veterans of George Washington’s Army. In the tribal museum in Salamanca New York there is a significant display about that aspect of the American Revolution few US citizens are aware of.
„A „bevándorlóország” kifejezés elég gyakran kerül elő az utóbbi években a hazai közbeszédben, leginkább olyan kontextusban, hogy Soros György ezt szeretne csinálni Magyarországból, de a Fidesz ezt nem hagyja. …“
To be honest, I was already stuck at immigration country in quotation marks. Well, I thought Zsolt will surely explain it, but then he made a U turn and considered a country to which wise Europeans emmigrated. If that was the quotation marks he simply raped the word. He could just as well have referred to the Hungarian land grab as Hungary has been a “land of immigration” for 1200 years. To the retoric that falls back on the writer I don’t think he is capable of a good contribution about equal treatment.
„… Így tehát előállt az a fura helyzet, hogy a fehér ember elvette az indiánok földjét, saját országot alapított rajta, behurcolt oda egy csomó feketét, meg behívott a világ minden tájáról mindenféle nemzetiségűt, és mindenkinek megadta az állampolgárságot, kivéve azoknak, akik eredetileg ott voltak. …“
I think this paragraph was the intent, but that’s just me.
The many details of the American wars for independence and the (extremely belated but economically pressed by european industrialism) subsequent compliance with international standards of non-colonialism and much later, Lincoln’s Abolition Act, did not include relations to the indigenous population.
Very sad, of course, but entirely American.
Members of this list may find this article about a Russian draft resister’s situation here in Chicago of interest https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/5/19/23703092/immigration-russia-aleksei-eremenko-asylum-seekers-ukraine-war
I get a positive impression of the US immigration authorities, by reading the article, as less bureaucratic and restrictive toward young Russian asylum-seekers, compared to the authorities in the EU.
In part because there are fewer of the Russians seeking asylum here maybe. We do have an obsession about Russian spying and long term infiltration by Putin agents.
The US TV series “The Americans” which was in good part based on reality helped stoke the Russian fears here. More recently we had the Russian SVR operative who infiltrated the Republican Party and the National Rifle Association named Maria Butina. She was traded for an American held by the Russians.
We have a persistent level of paranoia about Russian spying here.
I read the coverage on the student demonstrations over the so called reforms to teaching and police assaults today in Telex and in the Orban media. Is there a reasonable size estimate for the demonstration? Fidesz claims the demonstrations are the work of Momentum, but the Telex report seems to indicate a level of self organization on the part of high school students and teachers.
Though I have been a reader and previous subscriber for some years this is my first comment. I have been familiar with the regular contributors and appreciate them. More so for continuing the community since Éva’s passing. In response to István of Chicago, from my reading of the Népszava report online, the estimate was 8,000. The number was based on where the front of the march was when the last demonstrators left from the start in Kossuth tér.
Istvan there was an answer but now it is gone, gone, jött ment.
I see the situation like this; 8000 students are not demonstrating for the right to education but against the disenfranchisement of teachers which already took place 8 years ago ? and 50% of the teachers vote for Fidesz.
Yes that percentage you use for teachers voting for Fidesz seems reasonable.
Teachers who are older are trapped no matter the rules imposed on them because of the retirement rules. The last time I looked at the data about half of Hungarian teachers are over the age of 50.
The current impact of inflation on their salaries has to be horrendous and I have not discussed this with my relatives who are teachers since inflation has spiked in Hungary.
Younger teachers can bailout and go to the EU, especially if they have good foreign language skills. The USA has teacher shortage issues too especially in urban areas where classroom discipline control is a big issue and somewhat exhausting.
The students demonstrate 50% for Fidesz and 50% against Fidesz one could write in the politicized air of Hungary. Orban said he is broke and has to wait for the money from the new Moscow before he can pay more wages to the teachers. 🙂 Orban was also one of the more difficult to educate and could not be taught anything if he did not want to. … and he never wanted.
The teacher situation will only get worse. While driving my wife’s younger son and I had a discussion on this – he is really afraid of the low knowledge level his daughter (11 years now) will reach in the Hun education system:
Neither history nor science, language or informatics/computers are taught corresponding to the children’s age. They are back one or even two years compared to other countries.
OT re Esztergom:
Our neighbour just told me that minister Pinter was once in the “leadership” of the Esztergom police and well known for cooperating with the local mafia …
I remember the text message from Interior Minister Pinter “We will help you. In any case, stay in your vehicles. If you run out of gas, change to other vehicles! The Minister of Interior.” But there is much more about Pinter such as.
“Can Orbán be blackmailed by Russia? … Specifically, it’s about a video that could prove that Orbán, as well as his current Interior Minister Pintér, may have accepted bribes from intelligence and/or mafia sources and used them to buy Hungarian officials and politicians, and as campaign financing. A German felon wants to know more. The defendants remain silent.”
This news-iten is somewhat surprising.
Not that there is anything surprising about Orbán’s whims, but strained relations with Austria hasn’t seemed to be a priority before. But then again, making headlines in Chinese media might be a priority.
Austria tightens border checks with Hungary after thousands of people smugglers released from jail | South China Morning Post (scmp.com)
Austrians and other EUpoliticians are really angry about this.
And as usual it will hurt the Hun commoners/workers who want to /have to cross the border for work – but O1G doesn’t care. of course
It’s all the EU’s fault!
I didn’t think that Hungary’s image might be getting even worse – but sending thousands of criminals to the other EU countries?
You couldn’t invent this.
https://www.spiegel.de/ausland/ungarn-laesst-schlepper-frei-oesterreich-verstaerkt-grenzkontrollen-a-e6644fe4-ff70-420b-8e15-af6e8e78221c
And Pinter and Szijjarto will complain again – the big bad EU, almost funny!
THOUSANDS of people smugglers released from gaol; presumably the Rendőrség had caught every single one within their jurisdiction. Still, seems an awful lot; is Hungary the new gateway to Europe for illegals?
As a general reminder –
The Hungarian claims to Austro-Hungarian territories, lost after 1920 never achieved international recognition, anywhere. They were also physically denied through war.
And the fact that Hungarian-speaking minorities exist in bordering areas, still doesn’t warrant Hungarian claims of jurisdiction over these foreign provences – outside Hungarian borders,
Fidesz-Hungary completely failed to acknowledge and act according to present legal circumstance, by ignoring EU statutes of regional identity and autonomy, and by claiming national priority.
If there was anything more substancial than mere vote-buying behind Fidesz’s foreign-Hungarian politics, there would have been a public dialogue between the involved states.and there would have been progress for the minorities, not just money and propaganda from Hungary, but something really substantial, like a better standing for the minority
.
The foreign vote-buying, is what the opposition should focus on – and, of course, the fruitless EU politics of Fidesz.
About the war in Ukraine – If shipping 40+year old equipment and of course, training the Ukraininas in proper technical English (in order to understand the operation and maintainance of the gear), never mind the tanks, any qualified mechanic can relate to that. If that is an escalation of the war – Where are we?
Back in the 70’s, I completed a 6-month course (as a qualified military aircraft mechanic) in order to work on the F-16 Falcons.
It wasn’t difficult, but adopting the new standards amounted to a challenge of sorts, as all communication was in tecnical English, and the software innvolved was specifically developed for the USAF, by Honeywell-Bull.
That must be a long-gone obstacle, by now.
So Telex ran this story https://telex.hu/belfold/2023/05/22/fegyverek-gepkarabely-roszke-hatar-alban-ferfi today. It appears that organized criminal groups in Hungary want some serious fire power. Just like in Chicago and many other places. I suspect many more illegal weapons get into Hungary than are even confiscated at the borders.
My guess is the Albanian weapons smugglers had paid off only some of the Hungarian border guards and the shipment was intercepted by guards not receiving bribes.
Fésűkagyló, atommúzeum, Zelenszkij berepülése, beszólás Kínának – így zajlott a japán G7-es csúcs.
According to the telex, it was important to inform about the luxury dinner of the G7 participants. The worst thing was apparently that they talked about China although it was not present. Hungarian relations with China, Karder University sale of the highway, were ignored. The danger that China could follow Russia’s example to take Taiwan and muscle games like militarization of the South China Sea was outside the information sphere. The “use of “economic coercion” against third countries” became “threats of trade boycotts for political reasons.” The source given describes it differently. After all, it is not a lie but only a bending and what does one not do everything to let Orban’s horn blow. Fits very well into the Orban media.
Telling it like “it is”.
The content of your link was meant as a parody.
This is the more thoughtful analysis of the G7
Telex: Zelenszkij kapta a legnagyobb figyelmet, de valójában azt gyúrták össze, mennyire gyalázzák Kínát
On the other hand, the Viktor is having an enjoyable time in Doha.
Telex: Ha szükségetek van a pénzünkre, tanúsítsatok tiszteletet – üzente Orbán az ukránoknak
Home: Orbán: Swedish-Hungarian relations must improve before we vote to join NATO | hvg.hu
Orban: Poor Ukrainians cannot win on the battlefield | 24.hu
Orbán Katarban beszélt arról, hogy Trumppal a veteránok klubját erősítik (444.hu)
🙂 your first link, is there a superlative for the word parod(y)ieier? Very disappointing to read with Orban’s buzzwords “independent” nonsense.
That the West wants to prove that it is better than totalitarian systems is not the focal point under the magnifying glass. Sorry, I stopped after the third paragraph wasted lifetime … because not funny.
Jan to the rest the sheets are Orban’s stage and just as “awakened”.
Sorry to have wasted your time.
No, you didn’t.
I am not by any means a expert on naval issues but it does seem that the South China Sea has been fully militarized for some time.
The USS Connecticut a nuclear powered submarine armed with 50 Tomahawk land attack missile/Harpoon anti-ship missile/Mk 48 guided torpedo was regularly operating in the South China Sea prior to a collision in 2021. So it is obvious the US has nuclear weapons just offshore of China.
The U.S. has sent guided missile destroyers regularly into the Taiwan Strait as have the Chinese for years now. One of my daughter’s college friends is a Chinese American who has been on duty in the US Air Force on a surveillance plane for years now.
It’s a very tense on going situation.
Naval warfare and diplays of power at sea is an old discipline, dating back to the 1400’s in recent history.
The modern powers of the Pacific, hip to that discipline, are the US and China (ex-Japan) and Russia.
The old European naval warriors stay low-key – no big parades – but many smaller exercises in the Atlantic and the European seas.
The showdown in the Pacific, is of course watched by the rest of the world, but ultimately, general seamanship and naval strategic prowess vs. fire power are the deciding factors. More often than not, the better seamen come out victorious, despite being severely out-gunned, because of the difficulties of recognizing a threat at sea.
„Orban Says Ukraine Can’t Win War as He Justifies Veto on Aid
Orban is becoming more and more “reasonable” … Children grow old and die I give nothing.
The communication from Orbán, as the war progresses and Russia
fails to produce results, follows a clear pattern – “Europe must fail” – “Orbán is always right” – “A global conspiracy works against Hungary”.
„Now is the time to massively increase the pressure on the Hungarian government. In the face of the current blockade attitude, there is no longer a future for Hungary in the European Union, writes Christian Moos. …
… In addition, Hungary, together with Turkey, is preventing Sweden from joining NATO. The two authoritarian states have similar motives for their vetoes. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants to force the extradition of alleged terrorists, although from a European perspective these are people who have been recognized as politically persecuted under the rule of law.
Orbán also has problems with the rule of law. His veto is primarily a reaction to Sweden’s clear criticism of domestic political conditions in Hungary. …“
As we know @EEANorwayGrants has frozen payments intended for Hungary and Orban is very vindictive among others.
“… Freedom House, a U.S. government-funded but independently run research organization, pointed out in its report that Hungary’s score has deteriorated more than that of any other country in the region except Russia. The report notes that Hungary is 43% democratic, down from 45% a year earlier.
The report particularly denounces the conduct of the last parliamentary elections, which were marked by “irregularities, misuse of administrative resources and media distortions,” as well as “the Orban regime’s growing intolerance of dissenting voices.” …”
I don’t know where the 43% is supposed to be …
It is obvious the government of Turkey want’s Sweden to turn over some of the leaders of the Kurdish resistance to Turkey where they face potential execution based on convictions by military courts for terrorism. Those courts have quick trials and historically executions by firing squads.
Capital punishment was abolished in Turkey in 2004, and no prisoners have been executed since October 1984. But Erdogan has made arguments to restore the death penalty based on Islamic law repeatedly but has not done it. A 2011 Turkish poll found 65% of people wanted it reinstated for “certain crimes.”
Of course EU membership required no death penalty. But Turkey’s membership to the EU is frozen over Human rights violations.
Swedish Parliamentarian Amineh Kakabaveh would likely be one of those required to be surrendered by Sweden. She actually fought for the peshmerga fighters rebelling against the Islamic regime of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and not on Turkey.
Turkey makes no distinction between the Kurdish groups in Syria and the PKK, or Kurdistan Workers Party, which has led an armed insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984. Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict. The group is considered a terrorist organization in Turkey, Europe and the U.S.
Erdogan said in a recent speech: “In fact, there are terrorists even in this country’s (Sweden) parliament.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants to force the extradition of alleged terrorists, although from a European perspective these are people who have been recognized as politically persecuted under the rule of law. Not everyone is a terrorist just because Erdogan says so. The Kurds in Turkey have been marginalized for a long time. I was there by car thirty years ago. The whole area where Kurds live is peppered with roadblocks.
Public buildings and roads are in a very bad condition even for Turkish conditions. The whole area has been neglected for decades, Kurds are excluded. I see no terrorism in it to defend themselves. For Erdogan, one is already a terrorist if one is of a different opinion and says that loudly.
The “good news” is that now everybody in the EU knows that Turkey is not a democracy – just like Orbanistan.
So whatever happens, especially when some Hungarian will be “boss” of the EU next years, we know that this is just a passing problem and we know how to react:
Higher pressure on Fidesz and its oligarchs, maybe then Hungarians will realise what their future is.
Actually a lot of Hungarians like my wife’s family and all our neighbours eg know this but somewhere there is still a “silent majority” of Hungarians.
But at least some of them will soon realise that they can’t expect anything from the EU as long as Fidesz is still in power.
Has anybody read something about the border checks after that scandalous setting free of all those “immigrantmovers”?
In our village there is one of them who wasn’t sent to jail because he is Hungarian and really good friends with the local corrupt police – unbelievable.
Maybe it takes some dead migrants again for people to wake up but as I see the majority of Hnus they wouldn’t care at all if another truckload of migrants dies in a truck.
Wolfi the Washington Post’s news brief today on the war in Ukraine noted that “Ukraine’s interior minister said the country is preparing legislation to punish Ukrainian men eligible for military service who have left the country illegally.”
We do not know how many of those men there are internationally. But in Hungary all Ukrainian Hungarian speaking men who my cousins in Esztergom say “úszta a Tiszát” are given by law dual nationality status. Which gives them entitlement to jobs in the EU.
Ukraine by law opposes this Hungarian practice but it’s pretty complex (see https://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/analyses/2022-01-13/ukrainian-hungarian-dispute-over-dual-citizenship).
I have seen Ukrainian speaking draft age men with their families in Chicago’s Ukrainian village (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_Village,_Chicago) that does not necessarily mean they are evading the draft and hiding out in Chicago.
But I have close friend who is a Polish speaking construction contractor in Chicago who has told me there were skilled Ukrainian tradesmen working without what are called “green cards” in Chicago. He claims never to have hired one.
Given the slaughter at Bakhmut I am sure many young Ukrainian men consider getting out of the country.
I was too much the anticommunist during the Vietnam war to have considered doing that. But there were some friends from high school who crossed the border into Canada to avoid the draft.
This was especially the situation after the Tet offensive when young men realized their chances of survival in combat were not always so good. The US lost thousands in the fighting and I attended funeral’s for several older brothers of friends in Chicago back then. Of course that did not deter me, until l was actually in combat myself. Then I wondered if the draft evaders weren’t right, but l never admitted those thoughts for years.
Interesting, Istvan!
But shouldn’t we compare the US “draft dodgers” with the Russians who do not want to fight for Putin?
Unlike Ukraine the USA never was attacked in the Vietnam war.
So imho it was a totally different situation – fighting for a foreign country (especially since South Vietnam couldn’t be called democeratic) like the Wagner group does right now – or defending your country which is being attacked and invaded.
Of course if those young Hungarian Ukrainians don’t feel as Unkrainians we can’t forbid them to flee to Hungary – but then they give up all rightrs as Ukrainian citizens.
“”Like electing the schoolyard bully as principal“” 😀
From July to December 2024, Hungary is scheduled to take over the rotating presidency of the EU Council. The regime in Budapest will then be responsible for coordinating and advancing the political work of the Union, mediating in disputes and seeking compromises! That’s where the headline …
Does Szijjarto really believe these claims?
The lesson learnt from Hungary’s successful epidemic management was that taking geopolitical issues into consideration would have resulted in many more victims.
dailynewshungary.com https://dailynewshungary.com/hungary-preparing-for-another-health-crisis/
Orbaistan’s Covid death rate was among the highest worldwide – yeah, that’s success!
wolfi what could be “geopolitical issues” in this context I have no idea what he means. The conquest of Greater Hungary?
Sounds like Szijjártó turning hip to Trump/Putin/Xi buzzword lingo on international matters – Like Orbáns retro-globe, only newer.
Every sentence he said was a lie.
Do you remember the new vaccine factory that should be ready by now? Not one stone on the other yet.
The scientific testing of the Chinese stuff: 2 million Serbs got the vaccine, and nobody died from it.
The ventilators are now all rotting away in the storage. The paperwork about the contracts was just destroyed last week.
And with almost the highest number of deaths per million citizens, he is telling this in front of the WHO general assembly. One can´t make it up, a complete embarrassment.
Interesting take on Covid politics in Hungary
https://brill.com/view/journals/popu/5/2/article-p157_3.xml
I think much more interesting is that it works. You just need a large percentage of uneducated people. Such doctors and professors who submit to it. They can use besides the fear of fours also the oppression of minorities of any kind and skin color and religion for populism. Quite old are book burnings ala DeSantis who also hates “woke” which obviously means decency. These are tools from the fascism toolbox.
Yes… I think that’s the point isn’t it?
To above average Covid dead yes.
The price of Orban power and Peoples impotence.
The lesson of Hungary’s successful alcohol management was that consideration of geopolitical issues would have resulted in many more casualties.
Thanks, Don!
Ah, now I understand why our street corner is overflowing with beer cans and those little plastic pálinka bottles!
Street corner world champion.
Peace in Ukraine – the Russian way:
Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev, a senior ally of President Vladimir Putin, says the conflict in Ukraine could last for decades and that negotiations with Ukraine are impossible as long as Ukraine’s Western-backed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in power. “This conflict will last for a very long time. For decades, probably. This is a new reality,” Medvedev was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies. He said Russia could not trust any truce with the current rulers of Kyiv as the conflict would simply erupt again and so the very nature of the current government of Ukraine would have to be destroyed.
And then he said peace could be reached by dividing up Ukraine between Russia and some NATO countries – ain’t that what Fidesz wants?
https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Ukraine-war/Ukraine-war-Free-to-read/Ukraine-latest-Medvedev-says-conflict-may-last-for-decades
It’s all over the German media too
In a strange way Wolfi this might be good news. Medvedev has made statements effectively arguing that Putin should unleash tactical nukes on Ukrainian military targets to force a quick end to the war.
Clearly this statement seems to indicate he is supporting a total war of attrition lasting years against Ukraine rather than trying to force a surrender of Ukraine with nukes.
You all may recall I posted a summary of Dugin’s statement last week calling for a larger Russian mobilization, full scale war against the spring offensive, mass arrests in Russia of pro-western elements that Jan thought was inappropriate for this site.
Others seemed to agree with Jan, but it’s unfortunately the reality of that war that Putin started by invading right now we are seeing these type of statements being made by Russian nationalists.
There is also a debate going on here in the USA over whether Ukraine gave US Armored Personnel Carriers to the anti-Putin Russian forces that attacked in Russia. President Biden had stipulated to Zelensky that US materials not be used for attacks into Russia itself.
Medvedev made his comments in Vietnam. Which has a position like Hungary’s on Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. This essay about the Vietnamese position is worth looking at https://thediplomat.com/2023/02/why-vietnams-un-abstention-on-ukraine-was-a-rational-move/
I suppose you are aware of Medvedev’s status of Trump+++, shameless, vodka-slugging big mouth, in Russian media.
He transioned from official politics to show-business, with success.
Yes there are many drunken leaders in Russia.
A good number in the USA too. Apparently the Speaker of the Texas Assembly was so drunk last week he might be impeached by his fellow Republicans.
Undeniably, there are still public leaders around who represent older virtues, from times where a leader was often chosen for his ability to hold his liqueur.
When I read accounts about what happened in the Texan Government, I get the impression that a Republican politician, Ken Paxton, to be exact, facing impeachment for corruption and abuse of power, launched accusatiations against the functioning AG, about drunkenness.
Appearantly, those accusations are not recognized by any Texan representatives, and have not resulted in any votes for punishing such alleged behavior.
I am seeing many reports that the Serbian Army is mobilizing near the border with Kosovo with the possibility of a full scale invasion of northern Kosovo. The Serbian government is claiming the Albanians are carrying out atrocities against Serbs.
Nato, which has some 3,700 peacekeeping troops in Kosovo has not yet fully deployed them to northern Kosovo to try and preserve peace. However, European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo does have police units deployed.
Teargas and shooting reported in the town of Zvečan, inhabited by a majority of Serbs, as they oppose the new elected non-Serb mayors in the four northern municipalities of Kosovo. This was voting in four municipalities had been boycotted by the majority-Serb residents who had sought more autonomy and representation and regarded the votes as an Albanian attempt to seize the Serbian municipalities.
Russian TV which I get with closed caption is clearly claiming Albanians are attacking Serbs and videos with automatic gunfire ringing in the town of Zvečan are being shown. Is this on TV in Hungary?
This article gives an update on the situation in Kosovo
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/05/27/kosovo-serbia-vucic-kurti-clashes/cb7378aa-fc7a-11ed-bafc-bf50205661da_story.html
NATO and the USA are asking Kosovo paramilitary forces to be withdrawn from the majority Serbian towns were there was fighting yesterday.
This is a more local view on the matter:
US Blames Kosovo for Violence in North as Disputed Mayors Enter Offices | Balkan Insight
and which side is Hungary on? 😉
https://telex.hu/kulfold/2023/05/26/szijjarto-peter-szerbia-bekemenet-aleksandar-vucic-koszovo
Hungarian history is “burned in” in kindergarten. Not the result of a lost war no not that in the Greater Hungary foreign minorities were not heard no as an innocent Hungary lost in the Treaty of Trianon specified areas
depending on minority compositionto riparian states. Since then Hungary goes the way of failure but …… it shall become great again. I imagine what the failures will make of Great Hungary. Well I think what they do today. They are looking for other failures. Hungary openly supports the Serb secessionists in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The result is a preview for Hungary’s future.
Hungary FM Péter Szijjártó has released a statement regarding the clashes without mentioning that it was Serbian protesters whose attack resulted in 20 injured Hungarian peacekeepers in Kosovo. Szijjártó spoke at Vucic’s protest a couple days ago in Belgrade…
“… The EU Parliament wants to prevent Hungary from taking over the Council presidency in 2024. The reason for this is “legal misconduct” on the part of the Orban government.
Hungary sees itself unfairly pilloried. Justice Minister Judit Varga even senses an “anti-Hungarian initiative” in the European Parliament. The reason for the uproar in Budapest is a planned vote among MEPs on whether Hungary should be allowed to take over the EU presidency on July 1, 2024.
The so-called resolution was submitted by the largest groups in the Parliament, the conservative EPP group, the social democratic S&D, the liberal Renew Europe group, the Greens and the left. …”
There are further thoughts to let the Orban regime run into the void. If Orban’s fight against the EU continues, in 10 years Hungary will be much further down than it is today, and national pride can grow a bit more.
I still remember how angry I was that EPP didn’t throw out Fidesz and CSU “clerical fascists” were best friends with O1g and his honchos. But as we say in German:
Der Krug geht so lange zum Brunnen bis er bricht …
The image of Hungary or rather Fidesz in the EU and generally worlwide has reached a new low. So maybe it’s really high time they went – Huxit and a new union with Serbia, Turkey (depending on the results of today’s election), and of course China and Russia?
Why is the MPSZ still in the EPP, I look sharply to the CSU. Hungary is a looming example.
who is the MPSZ?
Good question I meant KDNP thank you.
„Ungváry on Budaházy’s clemency: we see the Russian model being implemented with all its moral and security consequences …
… According to Krisztián Ungváry, the “explanation” for what has just happened in the Budaházy case is the following: the Russian model of outsourcing state violence to terrorist or semi-terrorist groups,
“here we see this Russian model being implemented with all its moral and security consequences, and it is good for everyone to be aware of this”.
…“ Interesting article for those who do not know where the journey goes.
How crazy can you get?
The first people to congratulate Turkish Erdogan:
Now were waiting for the next …
https://www.spiegel.de/ausland/viktor-orban-die-taliban-und-katars-emir-gratulieren-recep-tayyip-erdogan-a-5c1c2da4-35be-4fe3-ad39-69f23fbd7fd6
https://twitter.com/PM_ViktorOrban/status/1662860463921590274?cxt=HHwWhMCz8YOy1ZMuAAAA
Just in case we needed confirmation the victory was indeed questionable, Orbán confirms it by saying the opposite.
I agree, but I don’t think Orban understands that.
Belarussian opposition:
“Lukashenko after a meeting with Putin behind closed doors, was urgently taken to the Central Clinical Hospital of Moscow, where he is currently staying.”
“The best specialists were sent to return him from a condition assessed by doctors as critical.”
https://www.newsweek.com/lukashenko-hospital-after-meeting-putin-opposition-leader-says-1803064
Rhetorical question who will be successor, the same question arises for Orban …
The Lukashenko question will be settled by Putin, who will settle the Orban question.
Apparently, Lukashenko still has some life left in him. Perhaps Orbán eyes a solution to his current problems?
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko offers nuclear weapons to nations willing ‘to join the Union State of Russia and Belarus’ | CNN
Iran and the Taliban will be delighted.
Turkish election.
Domestic votes:
Erdogan 51.9%
Kilichdarson: 48.1%
Fewer people voted for “Kilichdarson” in the Kurdish areas than in the first round, because he has ratcheted up Turkish nationalist rhetoric.
https://secim2023.hurriyet.com.tr/28-mayis-2023-secimleri/secim-sonuclari/
https://www.dailysabah.com/elections/may-28-2023-presidential-election-results/
Putin permitted Erdogan to pay for some of the oil shipments after the election, so Erdogan could be generous with money before the vote.
Leader of the EPP Manfred Weber now says Turkey should not join the EU.
Maybe a new kind of partnership – but only if they accept Sweden in NATO.
https://www.spiegel.de/ausland/wahl-in-der-tuerkei-manfred-weber-fordert-abbruch-des-eu-beitrittsprozesses-nach-sieg-von-recep-tayyip-erdogan-a-e2617a21-841c-4fd4-8d01-141afe95cd98
I think Spigel are out on a mission of a conservative (slight) populist sort.
Turkey has pressed for EU membership for as long I can remember, but never fully tried to comply with the legal terms of such a move.
Either Weber or Spiegel, or both, abuse the EU-Turkey theme as a cover for talking about NATO (Orbán does the same).
Manfred Weber is CSU and one of the worst German politicians.
Don, I know of course – I used to call Weber a clerical fascist (like many of the old CSU leaders).
My point is that even Weber etc are distancing themselves from Turkey.
What’s kind of crazy:
More than two thirds of Turkish voters living in Germany voted for Erdogan!
On the other hand we have Turkish Green politicians like Cem Özdemir and Aras Muhterem (a Turkish woman who is president of the local Schwab parliament !!!) who are areal progressive – if only more were like them …
They do not have to endure the “gangsterism” in Turkey because they are financially independent. Just like the German Reichsbürger who spend a gentleman here in Hungary and find everything great.
Among Russian immigrants living in New York City Putin’s war is not publicly supported s at all now. See https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/mar/11/soviet-refugees-brighton-beach-little-odesa-new-york-russia-ukraine-solidarity.
There are possibly 600,000 Russian speakers in NYC including some gangsters.
Most of the Russian immigrants in NYC are well educated with many secular Jews, and understand the political situation of the new Cold War with Russia.
However, there was for years support for Putin bringing order to the chaos in Russia in the Brighton Beach Russian community and there were articles about it in The NY Times.
I think it’s like the American Hungarian community now laying low about Orban and Ukraine.
The US American Hungarian Federation desperately wants to endorse Orban’s fake peace proposals for Ukraine that would allow the Russian occupation of parts of Ukraine to continue indefinitely, and ran this signed article http://americanhungarianfederation.org/20230127.html written by Louis S. Segesvary, Ph.D. is a retired US career Foreign Service Officer basically supporting Orban’s peace plan without ever mentioning his name.
Louis wrote it on 01.27.2023. Since when has Orban been playing the peace genre since his State of the Union, in February? Maybe Orban has read Louis.
S. Segesvary, Ph.D., is a retired foreign service officer who specialized in the Latin American and Sub-Saharan African regions. I even found his doctoral thesis on German University of Trier. „DEUTSCHE SIEDLER, KULTURTRÄGER UND DEUTSCHES GEDANKENGUT IN GUATEMALA“
Whois Louis.
It seems that Biden (again) told Erdogan where the cabinet stands.
Biden says he and Erdogan talked about F-16s, Sweden’s NATO bid (rappler.com)
From NZZ (German) about gamble away the future.
“… Things could be clearly stated: Viktor Orbán’s Hungary does not represent any kind of democratic-political problem child, nor is it comparable to the case of Poland. Democracy appears so fragile that even a change of government is unlikely to bring a fundamental correction. Hungary testifies a comprehensive decline and the rapid squandering of a unique capital. …” I am afraid so too.
This Telex article about Hungarian peace keeping troops in Kosovo is worth reading https://telex.hu/kulfold/2023/05/30/szerbia-koszovo-magyar-katonak-sebesules-kfor-bekefenntartok .
Interesting yes, but for whom?
The Telex historical account is not exactly kosher to actual events.
Tito died in 1980 and the first calls for independence came from Slovenia and Croatia, in ’91.
After that, Bosnia chimed in and then the shit hit the fan. Serbia panicked and tried to save face by committing local genocide on the Bosniaks.
They’ve maintained a false narrative of Kosovo having self-destructed throughout.
https://magyarnemzet.hu/kulfold/2023/05/tovabbra-is-szerbek-szazai-tuntetnek-koszovo-eszaki-reszen This article did not specifically mention Hungarian troop assigned to NATO being involved in riot control actions which the Telex article did.
I bet Americans will hear a lot more about this, in the following months. Guess why!
Tara Reade, who accused Joe Biden of sexual assault, defects to Russia | US news | The Guardian
An articulate opinion about Orban, his gang, and the current majority of the Hungarian society.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0NCx09t0-0
There is no need for Parliament, there is no need for debate…..
MAGA fans of Orban, adore your guy:
Orban just raised the tax on interest and investment income
from 15% to 28% in a decree.
His fake reason: Ukraine.
Real reason:
#1 the budget is collapsing
#2 people will move their money from the banks to the tax-exempt Hungarian government bonds.
Source:
page 3544 of the Magyar Közlöny 2023. évi 79. szám
https://www.portfolio.hu/befektetes/20230531/uj-adot-vezet-be-a-kormany-a-megtakaritasokra-618678
Gross debt of the Hungarian central government
in 10^12 forints:
2023.04.30: 47.60533,
a 11.02% 1-year increase,
a 28.55% 2-year increase,
a 53.93% 3-year increase
Source:
https://akk.hu/statisztika/allamadossag-finanszirozas
It seems that his friends and family took out their dividends just in time before the new decree:
father:
2 billion forints:
https://hvg.hu/kkv/20230531_Orban_Gyozo_eves_beszamolo
a propaganda distributor (all of his profit came from public money):
9.8 billion
https://hvg.hu/kkv/20230531_plakat_new_land_media_kormanypropaganda_beszamolo
his “friend-in-rope”:
25.8 billion
https://hvg.hu/ingatlan/20230531_market_epito_beszamolo
etc:
Orban’s “friend-in-rope” took out an extra
10 billion as well from his casino oligopoly.
(In Orbanistan, the boss appointed the casino owners)
https://hvg.hu/kkv/20230531_Habony_5_milliardos_Garancsi_10_milliardos_osztalekot_tehet_zsebre_a_kaszinobizniszbol
Mracle !!
A company of Orban’s son-in-law created a profit of 1 billion forints from zero income.
https://hvg.hu/ingatlan/20230531_Tiborcz_Istvan_ibc_beszamolo
In a way that’s good news – they are becoming afraid that the good times must come to an end?
If this ever happens of course there will be laws and courts to look after the horrible corruption in Hungary.
And if anyone still needed proof that Hungary is no longer a democracy these machinations are enough.
We’re only in it for the money!
page 3549:
Bond and stock funds are forced to invest 95% of their new assets and keep 20% of their liquid assets in Hungarian government bonds.
https://www.portfolio.hu/befektetes/20230531/varatlan-es-kotelezo-lepessel-terel-brutalis-osszegeket-a-kormany-az-allampapirokba-618688
Orban also modified something in the secret Russian-Hungarian atomic power plant agreement.
page 3550