A third judicial "murder" (justizmord) within a day! An opposition MP was sentenced today for throwing a smoke causing device…
June 13, 2024 (Beware of the ides of June)
https://24.hu/kultura/2024/10/17/kuria-itelet-lira-foliazas-vesszohiba-kormanyhivatal/
Second absurdity from the "Kuria". The "Kuria" changed the Hungarian language to be able to condemn a bookstore that put…
Ok, that explains something about purse spending (though I fail to see how restaurant prices can drive state-wide inflation) as…
Orban is becoming the Hungarian Caligula. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29703523 The vestiges of press freedom are being eliminated. The Austrian owner of Spar…
At least Erdogan had the Istanbul mayoral race repeated in 2019.
(and his candidate lost again, with a larger margin)
Cowardly Orban does not dare to have a new Budapest election.
Opposition parties, Karacsony should demand NEW ELECTION !!
The Budapest showdown attracts a lot of attention..
Whatever the outcome, people there haven’t changed much and the city moves on as it does – regardless of whatever Fidesz may claim.
It will make a difference in the end. As far as I know, Karcásony made a deal with the EU to receive money, especially for Budapest. I am afraid Fidesz will find ways to spend this money not exactly where it is meant for when Vitézy becomes mayor
A ballot from the Fidesz-ruled district 10.
Mayor Karacsony’s name is also pre-crossed out, although he did not withdraw from the race.
https://telex.hu/belfold/2024/06/12/kobanya-kihuzott-jeloltek-szavazolap
The Forint reached a new height against the € – 395!!!
Makes it more and more attractive for foreigners to buy objects in Hungary …
And generally re Fidesz:
Ist der Ruf erst ruiniert lebt sichs völlig ungeniert!
I am not so sure; last December, even with an already weak Forint, we found some goods were more expensive in HU than in Western Europe.
I was thinking about houses , companies etc, not your daily shopping.
That is really a problem – our neighbours took us to Slovakia again, just across the Danube. There also is my favourite chain from Germany:
Kaufland
which btw belongs to the same company as Lidl.
Hungary will get millions of € from the EU:
https://www.spiegel.de/ausland/europaeischer-gerichtshof-verurteilt-ungarn-zu-200-millionen-euro-zwangsgeld-wegen-asylpolitik
Sorry of course the EU court decided that Hungary will have to pay billions for their inhuman asylum politics.
Spiegel has a “nice” picture of the emperor in their article…
I think they will have to sell the airport to pay this.
Mysteries of the Orbanesque elections.
The vote counters finished counting the Serbian “mail-in” ballots for the European Parliament early afternoon.
By the evening, they still found an extra 543 votes for FiDeSz and 0 for TiSza.
Mostly Serbian “mail-in” votes (people with no address in the European Union)
Fidesz: 51,164 (90,53%)
Tisza: 2,424 ( 4,28%)
MiHazank: 1, 085 ( 1,92%)
https://vtr.valasztas.hu/ep2024/valasztopolgaroknak/szavazasi-informaciok/levelszavazas?tab=results
Mostly Western European “embassy” in-person votes (people with address in Hungary):
Tisza: 8,749 (50,77%)
Fidesz: 3,218 (18,67%)
Momentum: 2 205 (12,79%)
Dog party: 1,584 ( 9.19%)
The “embassy” voters were not allowed to cast votes for the local government election this time.
https://vtr.valasztas.hu/ep2024/valasztopolgaroknak/szavazasi-informaciok/kulkepviseletek-listaja?tab=results
According to this article, Karácsony may have won the election.
Let’s wait and see.
The recount of votes cast for mayoral candidates has come to an end, apparently by a smaller margin, but Gergely Karácsony won (nepszava.hu)
Regardless of election results, the population of Budapest hasn’t changed.so much
They have a record of surviving gracefully and living on.
Momentum actually reached the 5% threshold in the election for the Budapest assembly, but the Orbanesque electoral law punished it and pushed its % down to 4.98%
Analysis by another mathematician:
https://telex.hu/belfold/2024/06/18/momentum-csoka-endre-valasztas-matematika-szazalek-eredmeny-levonas-ervenytelenitett-szavazat
Other quirks in the Orbanesque system:
https://telex.hu/belfold/2024/05/28/valasztasi-rendszer-aranytalansag-kovetkezetlenseg
KDNP have left the European Peoples Party EU parliamentary grouping because they accepted Magyar Péter and his Tisza Party into the group: https://telex.hu/kulfold/2024/06/18/a-kdnp-kilep-az-europai-neppartbol-es-annak-frakciojabol
Good riddance!
It’s funny in a way – searching for “KDNP leave EPP” I found links to several O1G mouthpieces.
I can’t count how often I read “Soros”, “Global elites”, war mongering etc.
All this from friends of peace – which really means friends of Putin.
If Fidesz stays in power much longer Hungary will be totally isolated in the EU – maybe even forced to leave?
Stuttgart expects Prime minister Orbán tomorrow afternoon and also betwen 15 000 and 30 000 fans for the match at 6 pm.
https://www.tagblatt.de/Nachrichten/Kretschmann-erwartet-von-Viktor-Orban-Rede-ueber-Fussball-631545.html
2500 police will check them – most of the fans will be viewing the game in the city.
https://www.tagblatt.de/Nachrichten/Grossaufgebot-soll-bei-Ungarn-Spiel-fuer-Sicherheit-sorgen-631522.html
I’m not shure that the German police would consider Orbán’s presence a serious security risk.
But they will probably scrutinize the (drunk) Hungarian fans for nazi expressions.
Michael, you’re right of course!
The Schwab prime minister Kretschmann (a Green btw …) already asked Orbán to talk about football.
Orbán might also meet chancellor Scholz at the game – and he’ll be back in Stuttgart on Sunday for Hungary’s next match against Scotland.
Will he spend the days inbetween with us Schwabs, maybe visiting the German Emperors’ castle Hohenzollern and the Black Forst?
Or th company headquarters of Mercedes, Bosch, Porsche or Boss – to get new clothes?
Actual consumption of households in the EU countries:
Hungary is dead last now.
https://www.portfolio.hu/gazdasag/20240619/bulgaria-is-elozott-magyarorszag-az-utolso-helyre-csuszott-vissza-az-unios-fogyasztasi-rangsorban-693441
But Meszaros’ luxury yacht, the “Golden Rose” is in Nice today:
https://www.vesselfinder.com/?imo=9914565
Orban and his defense minister went to see a soccer game in Stuttgart on two separate military planes
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1027412228747071&set=a.443185493836417
Hungary is #54 out of 67 countries in a competitiveness ranking, between Turkey and Botswana.
#1 Singapore
#2 Switzerland
#3 Denmark
[…]
#12 USA
[…]
#29 Czechia
#41 Poland
#50 Romania
[…]
#54 Hungary
#58 Bulgaria
#59 Slovakia
[…]
#66 Argentina
#67 Venezuela
https://www.imd.org/centers/wcc/world-competitiveness-center/rankings/world-competitiveness-ranking/rankings/wcr-rankings/#_tab_Rank
Interesting article on Hungarian football and politics on the BBC for once: https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cekk4zp5rg8o
REUTERS this morning ran an article with this title: “EU can avoid Hungary block on Russian asset plan for Ukraine, Borrell says.”
The article states: “Borrell said EU officials had now found a way to approve the measures without needing the consent of any member country that abstained from the original decision.”
“We have a legal procedure in order to avoid any kind of blockage,” Borrell said before a meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers in Luxembourg. In particular this likely impacts the ability for the Russian oligarchy and state owned Rosatom to complete the Paks nuclear power plant, awarded to the Russians nine years ago and remains not near completion.
Hungary last month modified its agreement with Rosatom to include a project management company supposedly to speed it up, though according to Reuters they have given few details about their plans. But this article from Telex (https://telex.hu/direkt36/2024/05/08/orban-blocked-the-idea-that-could-have-pushed-russia-out-of-hungarys-nuclear-plant-expansion) may provide some insights into this saga.
Maybe the “project management company” will be under the control of Mészáros Viktor Orbán’s childhood friend who started out as a pipe-fitter and within a couple of years miraculously he became one of Hungary’s richest men. At least then Orban might realize some cash for himself out of this failing project.. Pipe-fitters are clearly qualified to help with the construction of nuclear reactors, so why not?
The new ‘opposition control authority’ finally set up its website’ having received billions of forints of taxpayers’ money.
https://24.hu/belfold/2024/06/25/szuverenitasvedelmi-hivatal-honlap-adatok-atlathatosag-naih-vezetok/
They have analyzed Karacsony’s supporters:
https://szuverenitasvedelmihivatal.hu/dokumentumok/Dokumentum_2.pdf
That is almost all they did in the last 6 months (26 employees at the end of March)
https://szuverenitasvedelmihivatal.hu/dokumentumaink/
Top salary:
Ft 7.7 million = $21,400 a month = $257,000 a year for doing NOTHING.
June 27, 2024
“The United States is deeply concerned by the Hungarian government’s implementation of the “Defense of National Sovereignty Act,” including this week’s draconian actions by the recently established “Sovereignty Protection Office” to target the operations of civil society and independent media organizations.
The Hungarian government’s attempt to harass, intimidate, and punish independent organizations runs counter to the principles of democratic governance rooted in the rule of law. This law places no limit on this entity’s ability to target the human rights and fundamental freedoms of its own citizens and puts at risk any country, business entity, or individual that chooses to engage with them. ”
https://www.state.gov/hungarys-implementation-of-the-defense-of-national-sovereignty-act
The first targets of the new ““Sovereignty Protection Office” is Transparency International & atlatszo.hu
The portal just discovered a 5.4 billion forint support to the foreign minister’s foundation, from unknown sources.
https://atlatszo.hu/kozugy/2024/06/28/tavaly-54-milliard-tamogatast-kapott-a-szijjarto-emberei-altal-vezetett-alapitvany/
Because the EU banned three Russian media (RIA Novosti, Izvestia and Rossiyskaya Gazeta) as of June 25, Russia banned 81 European internet websites.
record holder, France with nine media
Hungary:
only 444.hu
International:
politico.eu, politico.com
rsf.org (reporters without borders)
euobserver.com
Full list:
https://mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1959391/
Hate —-> love ranking by the number of banned websites
9: France
4: Greece, Spain, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Portugal, Finland,
3: Germany, Ireland, Cyprus, Lithuania, Netherlands, Romania, Estonia,
2: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czechia, Sweden,
1: Hungary
Orban is Putin’s Liebling, the loved one.
Macron is not loved before the June 30th election.
If Le Pen wins plurality, this can change.
Correction:
0: Croatia, Luxembourg
So my theory is overturned. Croatia is a bigger Liebling.
Many, western news agencies now have their Russian bureaus in Latvia due to fear of arrest of their reporters since the arrest of Evan Gershkovich of the Wall Street Journal.
To be honest all of their contacts within Russia are drying up because Russians know all contacts with Western reporters can result in being charged with spying and even using a proxy server to circumvent bans on websites can result in being arrested.
Putin has restored parts of Stalin’s terror which he is an admirer of.
Rather OT but funny in a way:
In 1993 a German bank built a skyscraoer in Frankfurt/Main (Germany’s banking center) which they called
Trianon Tower
They sold it later and it ended up in tne hands of some South Koreans.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trianon_(Frankfurt_am_Main)
Seems they went bankrupt so maybe Mészaros could buy it cheap and use it?
Or Fidesz could use it as their German office?
German office and piggy bank.
Hungary is vetoing again an EU measure against Rusia – who would have thunk?
https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/06/26/hungary-blocks-joint-eu-statement-denouncing-russias-media-ban
Whenever Fideszniks say: We want peace!
What they really mean is:
We want Putin!
But as I had hoped the extreme right wingers in the EU cannot agree on basic ideas so instead of having a strong right group in the European Parliament we might get a collection of even more groups, ID, ECR, Souverenists and who knows …
How far is Hungary from introducing euro ?
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/other-publications/convergence/pdf/ecb.cr202406~475c2172bc.en.pdf
Very far ….
Who could replace Biden to run against Trump?
Le Pen wants to take away president Macron’s powers as the army chief in case her Bardella becomes the new prime minister after the snap elections in France.
“Armed forces chief, for the president, is an honorary title as it’s the prime minister who controls the purse strings,”, she said.
This is bad news for Ukraine.
Trump and Le Pen warm Putin’s heart.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce7812ej0k1o
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6355802183112
“At Toretsk axis clashes today near Toretsk, Pivnichne, Zalizne, Druzhba, New York , – General Staff of Armed Forces of Ukraine reports”
https://liveuamap.com/?zoom=11&ll=48.36957,37.88615
It was also obvious last night from Trump’s response to questions about peace agreements relating to Ukraine. That he will force Ukraine to cede occupied territory to Russia and block Ukraine from joining NATO as part of a peace deal.
Putin would accept that I suspect to give his troops a breather.
He will then invade again probably within two years and finish the job. Putin will create some type of provocation that Trump would see as the fault of Ukraine. Maybe Orban would be allowed to move the Hungarian Army into Transcarpathia to protect Hungarians too.
If Trump wins and weakens or rather destroys NATO then the plans for an EU military might get more intense,
They have already been discussed but most people probably saw them as redundant – we have NATO!
But if that changes …
Trump would support that and of course not provide any money either.
Well I don’t disagree after last night he needs to go. If any of you suffered through the entire 90 minutes of the so called debate like I did with Judy on our 60 inch TV, it was obvious both Trump and Biden were intellectually impaired.
The Democrats can’t stick in VP Harris her polling numbers for like ability are horrible see https://www.politico.com/news/2024/06/12/kamala-harris-favorability-poll-00162093 .
Are there any potential alternative candidates who are popular – Pete Buttigieg for example?
Right now no one.
The chateau of Geszt has been renovated and handed over to the Calvinist church.
https://444.hu/2024/06/03/a-zsirbegyujtok-szetcsesztek-lazar-janos-megcsinalta
Endre Ady (June 9, 1912)
“Minden a Sorsé, szeressétek,
Őt is, a vad, geszti bolondot,
A gyujtogató, csóvás embert,
Úrnak, magyarnak egyként rongyot.
Mert ő is az Idők kiküldöttje
S gyujtogat, hogy hadd hamvadjon össze
Hunnia úri trágyadombja,
Ez a világnak nem közösse.”
The fool of Geszt = Istvan Tisza
https://magyar-irodalom.elte.hu/sulinet/igyjo/setup/portrek/ady/rohforr.htm
If Trump wins the elections what will Europe do?
Would this mean the end of NATO as we know it?
The EU however is still in a good position imho, Orban has no chance and the large majority including even Meloni and LePen are not Putin lovers. It will be interesting to see the new party landscape. As I thought the extreme right wing will not agree on a common program, too many differences among them, so we might get one more parliamentary group on the right wing – or even two, if the AfD gets enough parties together …
And one good news:
Hungary’s vetos have made it clear to the EU that it would be suicidal to let more sh*thole states like Serbia or Georgia join.
A really good article describing the situation of the EU parties on the extreme right – they obviously exist everywhere:
https://www.eunews.it/en/2024/06/24/the-far-right-in-the-eu-parliament-in-turmoil-afd-tries-to-lead-a-new-group-with-those-excluded/
Loonies and fascists unite!
The NY Times editorial Board wants Biden to get out of the race. They clearly are questioning his mental competence. Biden is still trying to rally his party behind him, he is again using a teleprompter to read all his speeches. Which is probably a good idea.
The consensus is that based on the existing Democratic Party rules his formally committed delegates will have to vote to nominate him at the Convention in August here in Chicago.
The only out is if he backs out or has a stroke or something. Right now Biden wants to go down with the ship.
Good luck to all of you in Europe dealing with Putin. Trump will clearly adopt an isolationist stand if elected towards Europe all out military will focus on China more than likely.
This poll yesterday shows the crisis Biden faces https://www.axios.com/2024/06/29/biden-democrat-candidate-replacement-poll
The Republican Speaker of the US House of Representatives also is openly talking about invoking the 25th amendment to have Biden removed from his office due to mental incompetence and replaced by VP Harris. See https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/speaker-johnson-cabinet-should-consider-removing-biden-through-25th-amendment/ar-BB1p5dIZ
It is right now very unlikely to happen.
A very interesting article describing the very limited power of the Hungarian EU presidency, also showing the positive effects these 6 months might have.
Patriots for Putin!
That’s the name of the new party/group for the EU parliament that Orbàn just announced – the FPÖ (fascist Austrian party) cooperates.
https://dailynewshungary.com/breaking-pm-orban-founded-new-european-party/
Sorry, of course the official title is patriozs for europe
Maybe that might be a good topic for this site?
It looks like specific party politics, but in reality, we are dealing with general dismay about the times we live in.
Things like, “Why are so many far-out strangers trying to settle here?” And “How should we relate to that?”