At the moment, one cannot complain about the lack of attention being paid to Viktor Orbán’s brazen attempt to establish an undisguised dictatorship where he, as prime minister, can govern by decree without a sunset clause. It seems that this latest provocation moved politicians of the European Union and the United States to raise their voices a little louder than is their usual wont.
Within the European Union are three bodies — the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the European People’s Party — in which politicians, parties, and party groupings are losing their patience with Viktor Orbán. What will come of their frustration is another matter. Earlier cries to put an end to the Hungarian prime minister’s systematic destruction of democracy at home and the havoc he creates in the European Union came to naught. We’ll see what happens this time, even as the pandemic is pushing everything else to the back burner.
Let’s start with the alleged attempt to expel Fidesz from EPP. Index reported yesterday that the chairmen of 13 EPP member parties “with deep roots in our respective countries’ center-right and pro-European traditions” expressed their deep concern over the political developments in Hungary. A facsimile of their letter to Donald Tusk can be seen on the Twitter account of Momentum MEP Anna Donáth. They called for “the expulsion of Fidesz from EPP in accordance with article 9 of the EPP statutes.” They also declared their “support of the European Commission” and called for “joint action by the Member States to address the situation forcefully.” Representatives of center-right parties from Belgium (2), the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, and Sweden (2) signed the letter. Thus, the requisite number of parties from the requisite number of countries are ready to move the expulsion procedure forward.
This document might explain the exchange of letters between Antonio López-Istúriz White, secretary-general of EPP, and Viktor Orbán. The secretary-general apparently sympathizes with Viktor Orbán’s political views and is considered to be a supporter of the Hungarian prime minister within EPP. We don’t have his letter, but Katalin Novák, one of Orbán’s deputies, published Orbán’s reply on Twitter. Here it is.
Budapest 3rd April 2020
Dear Mr. Secretary-General,
Our world is definitely upside down. We, prime ministers and party leaders all around the world are concentrating our energy on making effective and timely decisions in order to save the lives and protect the health and security of our citizens
I can hardly imagine any of us having time for fantasies about the intentions of other countries. This seems to me a costly luxury these days.
With all due respect, I have no time for this! I am ready to discuss any issue once this pandemic is over. Until then, I am devoting all my time exclusively to trying to save the lives of the Hungarian people, and preparing measures for the social and economic recovery of the country, within the scope of our Constitution.
I suggest we all do the same in our respective countries.
Yours sincerely,
ORBÁN Viktor
From the tone of the answer and on the basis of the ideological friendship between Antonio López-Istúriz White and Viktor Orbán, I assume that the EPP secretary-general had warned the Hungarian prime minister of dangers to him emanating from certain circles within EPP. If, however, his letter was supposed to be a friendly gesture and a warning, Viktor Orbán’s answer was a rebuff.
Viktor Orbán also fired off another letter to Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, president of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union, as The Financial Times ascertained. In it, Orbán accused Donald Tusk, president of EPP, of aligning himself “to the rhetoric of the European liberals and left, expressing unfounded concerns about the democratic commitment of some of our parties.” Since Fidesz is currently suspended from EPP, its “capabilities to stop President Tusk from risking the credibility of our political family” is limited. He thus asked Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer “to urge and persuade the President to stop sowing the seeds of division in our political family.” It looks as if Viktor Orbán is ready to retreat neither on his agenda to “reform” the far-too-liberal EPP nor on the issue of his “enabling law.”
Source: Hungary Today
Trouble is also brewing for Orbán in the European Parliament, where the Conference of Presidents discussed the Hungarian political situation. The Conference consists of the president of the parliament, the chairmen of the political groups, and a representative of the non-inscrits (independent members). At the moment, the Conference has 11 members, including the president of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, a member of the group of socialists and democrats. The majority of the chairmen expressed their concern over Hungary’s “enabling law” and asked Sassoli to forward a report on their disquiet to the European Commission. They requested that the procedure provided for in Article 7 of the Treaty of the European Union be opened. If you recall, the Croatian government, which is currently handling the affairs of the Union and which is friendly to the Orbán regime, postponed the discussion of the Article 7 procedure initiated by the European Parliament, based on the Sargentini Report. This time, if the Commission agrees, another Article 7 process would be launched, by the European Commission itself.
Orbán’s position has apparently been greatly weakened by the German government’s change of heart on the question of Hungarian democracy. In the past, the German Christian Democrats always saved Orbán’s skin in the EPP and the EU at large. But now some observers are convinced that Germany played a key role in getting the foreign ministers of 13 countries to stand up against Orbán’s dictatorial tendencies. If the large German Christian Democratic group and Angela Merkel are no longer ready to support him, the chances of Fidesz remaining within the EPP are slim to nonexistent. But from his impertinent letters to important EPP politicians, it looks as if he no longer cares.
I agree with the H. Spectrum point-of-view above.
I’ve also felt this in the past two-three weeks – that Orban is not afraid to insist, even at an apparent political loss.
I think it’s his all-or-nothing, step-by-step fight to establish his own personal kingdom. Either all or nothing. Probably because old-fashioned democratic politics would eventually lead to his own political downfall, and the latter could have fatal consequences for both his financial and personal and power empire so astutely built.
So we might as well consider the above as his tack for the future…
Yes, agreed Andybabe.
Orbán has his sights on the next election, working out how to cheat, so that no matter what happens, he will win.
If he doesn’t, then he will have to skedaddle fast to South America, home to countless Nazis and dictators, so he should feel right at home there.
He longer needs the cash from the EU, so he can be bold as brass and rude as ever. The structural funds intended for hospitals and schools are all safely deposited in his personal offshore accounts, so financially, he has no worries, having been a very successful thief.
But if he doesn’t make it to South America, after losing the election, then he will undoubtedly face jail time.
Orban’s comment about being too busy saving the “lives of Hungarians” does not exactly square with “Hungarian Spectrum’s” excellent coverage this week i.e. his using the enabling act to punish transgendered individuals, theaters etc. Guess the Viktator has a lot of free time!
LOL, what “enabling” act Misi ba’? You’re nuts.
Indeed, he has a lot of free time! He is destroying the last remains of human rights, the remains of local government and of course the remaining free press during a crisis that elsewhere just causes actions in favour of health care. Actions against theatres, transgender or the communal decision about protecting the Városliget or presents to the Schmitt foundation or the catholic church are no means to fight the corona virus, but symptoms of the virus of ideology.
It is just good that the EP, the commission and the EPP does not leave the situation in Hungary uncommented. We are living in a community with common values as defined in Art 2 of the Lisbon treaty. Violation of them mustn’t be left without any reaction.
!!!!!,
Talking about lost marbles…
Orbán or daughter Rachel do have time for fantasies :
At the moment the Enabling Act was passed a new grand “touristic” project was announced to start this year – brace yourselves ! – A CABLE CABIN across the Balaton bay between Balatonfüred and world heritage listed bucolic fu…ing TIHÀNY !!!!
The arrogance, barbarism and cynicism of these Felcsutian upstart bums is beyond belief ….
The project is planned to cost 27 billion Ft, ie. min 50 billion will be blasted at the time of the possibly greatest econ crisis since 1929.
(These bandits should be hanged along the highway …)
https://csodalatosbalaton.hu/hirek/balaton/27-milliardbol-5600-meteres-kabinos-libegot-epitenek-tihany-es-balatonfured-koze/
Eva, Eva, you’re losing your marbles.
An old loonie troll under a new name!
Delete the creature!
The German government lost patience with Orbán as well: “Minister of State for Europe Michael Roth demands financial sanctions against Hungary for disempowering parliament and suspending elections. And new EU instruments to increase their credibility.”
https://www.en24.news/i/2020/04/suspension-of-democracy-michael-roth-criticizes-hungary.html
Thanks to wolfi, yesterday, but it is worth repeating for all to see:
“…showing what goes on in Orbanistan.
Making money out of the corona crisis:
https://english.atlatszo.hu/2020/04/01/while-there-is-a-shortage-cabinet-members-relatives-offer-face-masks-and-disinfectants-for-bulk-sale-in-hungary/
Fidesz profiteers hard at work, trying to hawk their ill-gotten hoardings on the internet.
Well, Mr. Orban, how about a clutch of decrees to punish profiteers with an extended prison sentence? And Prosecutor Polt, how about following up with a real investigation instead of your usual blow-off job? And Zoltan’s Pox, instead of frothing at the mouth about “Witch hunts against Hungary” (we all know who the “witches” are anyway), why not vent your anger on your profiteering fellow Fidesz faithful? You know who they are!
In how many ways was the coronavirus crisis just “made for Fidesz”?
Data about Coronavirus
There’s a good collection about Europe at
https://www.politico.eu/coronavirus-in-europe/
The best one I found for worldwide data is a continuous updated infogram by again politico
Next to the totals per country it also gives case and death rates per million people
and you can sort it for each column of data
https://infogram.com/633de1e6-df9d-4732-b835-41f151fb9a19
hey, now it’s there – I’ve tried this more times after it was not appearing, so excuses if above will appear double or triple
meanwhile I’ve made a flourish chart for Hungary about the virus spreading in the counties
[I’ll update it daily acc.the officially published data]
https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/1799004/
note: will be linked in my name at each future comment
Next step, Hunxit?
No! Hunxit = state bankruptcy + bankruptcy of all gasfitters
If the EU stops giving funds to Hungary, since Orbán already owns the whole HU economy, do you think he’ll bother to stay in the European Union?
Orbán dreams to lead a union of fascist regimes all over Europe, as he claimed before the EP elections last year. And for the propaganda we are getting 24/7 all the bad things resulting of draining the swamp by stopping to fund are way too good for him to leave. And a pretty high part of our GDP is earned by Hungarian migrants in Western Europe, money that is also producing tax income – and don’t expect that only European taxpayer’s money is welcome, ours is just as good. Hunxit would be the very last consequence if it would mean leaving office for remaining in the EU.
No, Germany will be (is) saving Orban’s ass.
Hungary will receive a lot of money (change for Germans but more than enough to keep Orban in power) from the EU and so no need to exit (for the time being).
The biggest question is: will the opposition do and say something finally? Because they are doing nothing despite what some commenters like Ferenc, Stavan or Observer claim. The opposition is completely invisible.
Gabor Bruck (an influential communications person) also asked this question recently on FB, as other did pundits like Tamas Gomperz.
Apparently they also believe, as I do, that this opposition is mute, lame, clueless and lazy.
@#$%^&*&*^%$#@$^&&*
PS: I don’t know what’s going on with the comments, one I posted now 2-times still isn’t showing up [but this one is!]
Look, I wrote this because you think I am an outlier with my views.
Not at all.
Smart people like Bruck (he advised many Hungarians liberals and left-wing politicians though I think he’s not doing this any more for politics) or Gomperz think so too as does Janos Széky (from ÉS).
Try to understand that no average joe voter receives any information about what the opposition does, you don’t see their leaders doing anything remotely resembling something that a leader should be doing and it’s not enough to demand free VAT for facial masks (Momentum demanded this and it indeed became a reality, nice, but one cannot get the attention of the masses with minor policy demands).
Orban is moving forward with constructing stadiums in Budapest and the Liget project when Budapest’s budget will be cut (naturally) severely. Orban is cutting into the opposition’s position (financial and ideological) like knife in the butter. Sees no resistance at all.
Marty! The opposition should resist lower state financing, while FIDESZ is giving its share for health care workers? Wonderful idea, if you want that being used for regime propaganda!
Istvan, they (i) should be demanding more and not just a one off bonus and (ii) in any case they should remind people what Fidesz did (nothing) with health care, they let doctors leave and (iii) the opposition has been saying for long that health care must be solved but Fidesz ignored this and abandoned the people.
There is always a way to attack if you want to do it.
Remember how Obamacare allowed the GOP to make a lame duck out of Obama (with death panels etc.) after 2 years and ensued that Trump was going to win.
The GOP are winning because the Republicans could effectively resist Affordable Care Act (don’t forget the litigation against it still ongoing so that game is still on). It has not been repealed by the Congress but perhaps the SCOTUS will do it for them. I would hate to see that I’m just saying that good politicians could resist something which is actually supported by the majority.
The pros know how to frame and communicate.
This is a profession and let me assure you that the opposition is doing nothing.
Here the “nothing” of the opposition mayors in Budapest:
https://budapest.hu/Lapok/2020/a-kozgyulesi-koalicios-keruleti-polgarmesterek-reagalasa-a-kormany-mai-bejelentesere.aspx
And who knows about this?
A common statement in a press release. Aha.
These things tend to get the attention of the masses. Sure.
This is pseudo activity nobody cares about, and no voters will change their mind.
No voter will pick up his head when doing the Saturday barbecue or washing their 18 year old VW.
From a communication point of view this equals to a big nothing.
Marty, it is everywhere in independent press. Of course you won’t hear about on Kossuth radio. And it is circulating on facebook – of course you should not expect that Orbán would share it.
oh, now just look, “our” M found some, behind whom he thinks he can hide, and meanwhile keep spreading his anti-democratic BS
this is so typical for real Serial Democracy Killers!
or should he still be considered only a potential one…
@Ferenc 10:27 am
I hate to say it but what Marty writes has the ring of hard, bitter truth. We gotta eat it, or change it. What is it to be?
a ring is the outside of a circular surface
if there’s some truth in that outer part, that doesn’t mean that the [bigger] inner part also holds some truth, just could be anything
in M’s case the main content remains anti-democratic BS
@Ferenc, 12:18 pm
I meant “ring” as of a bell. It is a figurative expression referring to the “the sound of”
No, it doesn’t. Please read my comment above.
Once again Marty ignores counter-evidence. 1) The most current example. Fidesz tried to overturn the results of the municipal elections by installing a layer of governance between the local opposition leaders and their populace. The opposition was very vocal in expressing their outrage. Fidesz ended up withdrawing that decree. 2) When the Fidesz first introduced the “Enabling Act”, Marty claimed they were silent and not organized in opposition, when in fact they were both vocal and organized. 3) During the last round of municipal elections, Marty claimed that the opposition was unorganized and had little presence, when in fact they had a good presence given the constraints of media ownership and they were very organized, and they ended doing quite well. I could expand this list and it would be quite long. As I have stated before Marty is not a reliable reporter when he makes claims about the opposition. Does the opposition currently have less of presence? Yes, but they have always been handicapped by Fidesz’s overwhelming dominance in ownership and loyalty by the vast majority of the media and now the news is saturated with COVID-19 news that takes up much of the media space. If I give… Read more »
“I could expand this list and it would be quite long”
exactly!
some time ago I started something like that, but stopped with it as pretty fast it became too long…
Without even trying, I had four news items about statements by the opposition pop up on my FB feed in the last 20 minutes.
Including this: https://magyarnarancs.hu/belpol/gyurcsany-szerint-a-kormanyenal-ketszer-nagyobb-gazdasagi-mentocsomag-lenne-szukseg-128485?fbclid=IwAR3nrrvqYgyMcxKIXyMr1k8ch_81JKf2Xk8lokmOtSqaQ-DCu7h9qiAwVOg
And yet another news item in Index where opposition district majors made a joint protest regarding lack of coordination of resources for COVID-19 response.
Yeah, sure the opposition is silent. BS!
https://index.hu/belfold/2020/04/04/koalicios_polgarmesterek_valsagkezeles_kozlemeny_kormany_u/?fbclid=IwAR0YsO1jVa-e1Gwkl6mHlZXeX9XRfRa__H-71v5LqyojtYbZHd4-pK-Qmak
the center of the [Bimbi’s] ring, the heart of M’s matter, is that M wants to silence the opposition
and by keep hammering her/his lies, M hopes that others will ultimately accept those lies as truths
well not by me!
Unfortunately, it is the same old story again. Righteous indignation by the willing. Opposition to it by Orban allies. Noncommittal middle. The lesson the middle simply will not learn is that the EU will simply disintegrate because it will be unsustainable in the minds of most EU citizens that their money is being used, without constraints, to fund the activities of fascist kleptocracies.
Philip Collins in The Times yesterday quoted Michael Ignatieff who asked “do we really want to be a democratic society? Or do we want to recreate all the dreary single-party corrupt kleptocratic Central European mediocrity that has plagued this region in the past? “ it is astonishing that this question needs to be asked and also that as far as the EPP and the EU institutions are concerned the answer is far from clear.
Yeah ..” politicians, parties, and party groupings are losing their patience with Viktor Orbán”….I have heard this spin predicted 1000 times in the past 10 years. Hope dies last but if this is true then their patience is nothing short of infinity as well.
Óvoda, the last 10 years Orbán succeeded to transform Hungary from a well-respected democracy into the untouchable among the EU members. One by one lost confidence. One by one saw what Orbán did to our country. One by one understood that this mustn’t be tolerated. You heard it that often, because again and again someone else lost patience. Even conservatives standing at the edge to the radical right wing are now no longer tolerating Orbán. The remaining fans the Hungarian dictator still has abroad only can be found among fascists and old and new nazis. Funny enough even among those Orbán hates most: Romanians!
If the heads of the EU want to learn something critical that could lend some perspective in how to maneuver in their relationship to one who acts a bit ‘beyond the EU pale’ they could learn alot by going to the szinhaz and take in VO’s favorite film, ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’. Have to say he picked a good one from Sergio Leone. OUATITW is a montage of characters dealing with the raging resentments residing inside characters who are trying to come to terms with an environment that has veered away from a past which was revered with pervasive romanticism. And that environment has turned for various reasons sour and some need to pay for some deeds they did. Mr. Orban for all intents and purposes is on a mission . It is his holy grail. Because of his past, he appears to be now living and wishes his country as well to live in a ‘once upon a time in the West’. He wants to make things ‘right’. And if it will be in a new ‘West’ it will be of his fashioning. Of course there is no violence as such to manage resentments. That is… Read more »
I’m still an optimist so I hope that the CDU will have torely on “real left” partners (not the brain dead SPD …) i e the Greens after the next elections in Germany. And then the populists or rather fascists in the East will feel real pressure. An alternative is of course an economic collapse leading to the destruction of the EU which wouldn’t be too bad for us Germans – but devastating for the Eastern Europe. This year already the missing money from the seasonal workers in Germany will be felt in Poland etc and of course the missing tourists at the Balaton and in Bp. The losers there will be of course the average joes and maybe they’ll think that it’s all the bloody EU’s fault. But if it comes to a Hunxit the damage will be even higher. Hungary is really an insignificant power economically so what will happen when the German car industry shuts down? Just had a nice example early in March when buying a new washing machine, built by LG in Korea of course. The handling instructions were in more than 25 languages! Any ecomomic problems in Hungary and market losses are really insignificant… Read more »
Government minister = spokesman today:
Virus protection fund: 1.8 billion euros (663 billion forints)
source:
from local governments: 34 billion,
from political parties= 50% = 1.2 billion,
These two items will weaken the already weak opposition further.
from banks: 55 billion,
from foreign-owned grocery chains: 36 billion.
These two measures will increase inflation for the populace.
At least today, there were no promises to support the unemployed,
‘there is no reason’, since Orban ‘will create more jobs than are lost’.
Trump-imitator Orban will come out with the ‘most grandiose plan ever’ on Tuesday.
https://444.hu/2020/04/04/a-kormany-a-politikai-partoktol-az-onkormanyzatoktol-a-multiktol-es-a-bankoktol-is-penzt-szed-be-a-vedekezesi-alapba
[Confirmed infected health care workers] / [confirmed infected people] =
85/678 = 12.5%
https://hvg.hu/itthon/20200404_Gulyas_Gergely_Nyolcvanot_egeszsegugyi_dolgozo_lett_koronavirusos
As of April 4, 2020 (morning),
[dead from the virus]/[confirmed infected] =
32/678 = 4.72%
[confirmed infected]/[tests taken] =
678/19424 = 3.49%
Lombardy, Italy (as of April 3, 2020)
[dead from the virus]/[confirmed infected] =
8311/47520 = 17.49%
[confirmed infected]/[tests taken] =
47520/135051 = 35.19%
The French authorities started to add the number of dead due to the virus in nursing homes to those in hospitals two days ago.
Evening of April 3, 2020:
Deceased in hospitals: 5091
Deceased in nursing homes (EHPAD): 1416,
24.76% of the total of 6507.
Tappanch, the government Covid-19 site (https://koronavirus.gov.hu) has not been updating deaths. Can you please share the source you used for your stats? Thanks!
Official data:
confirmed +; dead
2020-03-21 103(+21%); 4(=)
2020-03-22 131(+27%) ; 6(+50%)
2020-03-23 167(+27%) ; 8(+34%)
2020-03-24 187(+12%) ; 9(+13%)
2020-03-25 226(+21%) ; 10(+11%)
2020-03-26 261(+15%) ; 10(=)
2020-03-27 300(+15%) ; 10(=)
2020-03-28 343(+14%) ; 11(+10%)
2020-03-29 408(+19%) ; 13(+18%)
2020-03-30 447(+10%) ; 15(+15%)
2020-03-31 492(+10%) ; 16(+ 7%)
2020-04-01 525(+ 7%); 20(+25%)
2020-04-02 585(+11%) ; 21(+ 5%)
2020-04-03 623(+ 6%) ; 26(+24%)
2020-04-04 678(+ 9%) ; 32(+23%)
latest official data on a non-official website:
http://pandemia.hu/magyarorszag-koronavirus/
Hungary is 34 days behind Lombardy.
See data below.
THANKS!
Comparative by country stats here for cases doubling rate:
https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus#growth-in-covid-19-deaths-by-country
Comparative by country stats here for deaths doubling rate: https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus#growth-in-covid-19-deaths-by-country
“Elhunytak” on https://koronavirus.gov.hu/ includes link to
https://koronavirus.gov.hu/elhunytak
which is a numbered list* of the “elhunytak” with details [private?]
why they don’t simply give the number on their main Corona page and a link under the number [called e.g.”részletek” – details], I can only say “korona franc tudja” [Corona hell knows why]
*but what is then so bloody stupid on this list, is that the date of death is missing and/or grouped by date of publication
progess in time is completely missing [as in all other data given by OV’s special task force]
Counting the death cases is not uniform across Europe. Afaik the Italians place all with the virus (testedpost mortem too) in this category regardless of the immediate cause, e.g. cardiac arrest, stroke, etc.
understand the meaning of “sources”, as given by tappanch above, as:
–reduction in financial support for political parties and local governments
–introduction of extra tax for banks and multinational trade chains
This is so typical [and disgusting] for OV these are multipurpose actions:
–collect money against everything caused by Corona
–weaken and/or put the burden on specific “non-friendlies”
anybody heard/read about similar “Corona related” actions elsewhere on our planet?
PS: I don’t know what’s going on with the comments, one I posted now 2-times still isn’t showing up [but this one is!]
DAY 5 OF THE EU’S ONLY “POWER GRAB” DICTATORSHIP!
I was so tired yesterday after a 13 hour volunteer shift at Stroger Hospital here in Chicago that I ate something told my wife I needed a nap and did not wake up until morning. I had to perform resuscitation on a walk-in patient yesterday who collapsed while I was doing an initial intake using a resuscitation bag with a small portable oxygen tank. He lived and went immediately in to the ICU, he was lucky that he had made it as far as he did under his own power. Since I had not performed a resuscitation in a while on a real human, generally my practice classes used a computerized dummy, I have to admit I was very pumped up. Those nurses, doctors, and fire Department EMTs, who are doing multiple resuscitations every day now are almost like machines in their efficiency comparatively. I do not know exactly whom Eva was referencing when she stated “It seems that this latest provocation (imposing open ended emergency powers) moved politicians … the United States to raise their voices a little louder than is their usual wont.” Who ever those politicians in the USA were they had no influence on the US… Read more »
Europeans in general would do well to read this story https://www.propublica.org/article/early-data-shows-african-americans-have-contracted-and-died-of-coronavirus-at-an-alarming-rate about the reality of racism and infection in the USA. I have a hard time believing it will not be the same for the Roma people of Hungary, once or may if the Hungarian public health data becomes available. Because I am volunteering at Chicago’s Stroger Hospital which has an overwhelming African American patient load under normal conditions, the flow of predominantly African American patients is normal. However, yesterday I did interview, a Polish immigrant “suspected undocumented construction worker” who even though he was very sick maintained he was in Chicago visiting relatives, but had been driven from a job site by friends where he “had just been watching.” He is apparently seeking insurance coverage from Narodowy Fundusz Zdrowia, according to a Polish speaking nurse who provided translation for him during the intake. The nurse told me the Polish national insurance will never pay for his care, it’s a game they play with hospitals in the USA, denying coverage to those violating their visas. But the Polish government knows full well these tradesmen are not just visiting their cousins in Chicago to have a few drinks and a good… Read more »
Re:’………. Trump wishes he could have similar powers in place. Then he would be done with the nagging New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, NBC, etc whose reporters and executives could be locked up’.
No doubt. It would make things much easier for him in his ‘aspirations’. He would love the news organizations, minus Fox, to be simply removed from existence.
At this point not sure how the military would react to a potential physical takeover of all media in the US but it would be reassuring that there’s something on the books that those in the Executive could be arrested or a general and a few troops would be ‘on duty’ by the Oval Office’. In the case of the President what he has done to the relationship of the Executive to the media is to be watched very carefully as he has poisoned it egregiously.
Thanks Éva for this. The way I see it, while readers of this blog will be pleased to see stronger words about Orbán’s extraordinary exploitation of the virus crisis, this brings dangers as well as benefits. Orbán will be able to play these supposed enemies of his (in fact just those worried for Hungarian democracy, if that is not now a contradiction in terms), especially if expectations are raised as to what the emergency powers mean. If in the ‘West’ people are expecting the Hungarian government to imprison journalists and opposition politicians, or use powers to terrify citizens, they will probably be left wanting. And I suspect Orbán will be clever enough to ensure that he will be able convincingly to say that Hungary isn’t in fact a dictatorship. For him – as this blog has clearly explained – what matters is keeping up the cleptocracy and expanding control of propaganda to win the 2022 election (ideally with a supermajority to boot). In a few weeks and months, Western observers will, I fear, breathe a sigh of relief that the democratic and political situation in Hungary isn’t in fact as bad as they feared, just as under the veil of… Read more »
Orban and indeed any autocrat will only respond to credible threat of exercising raw power. Putin raises his hand to turn of the tap, he has Orban’s attention. The EU raises the prospect of another lawsuit, Fidesz says bring it on (they are lawyers after all, they love litigation, as a lawyer I know that I love it too, it’s fun).
Appeasement never works, never did, never will.
This is a dead end street and we have seen time and again that it leads nowhere.
It’s high time to get tough with corrupt autocrats.
Today’s Dr. Cecília Müller bit of wisdom from the Operational Group’s press conference. According to Magyar Nemzet Dr Müller was asked, “How many confirmed infections are expected in the coming months? The chief medical officer said, there are estimation methods that approximate reality well and even project the number of cases almost per capita, but don’t want to get into number competitions. The number of patients will increase significantly. The distribution is even, but we are facing mass illness.” In other words Dr. Müller does not want to reveal to the Hungarian people what the current SIR model used by the Hungarian government itself of for the spread of Covid-19 in Hungary reveals. In fact by so stating she have just made it illegal under the new Fidesz law for any news service in Hungary to publish any data on what differential equation based models may project for the days to come in Hungary.
Lombardy, population 10 million
2020.03.01
Deceased: 31
Intensive care: 106
Confirmed infected: 984
Hungary, population 9.7 million
2020.04.04
Deceased: 32
Intensive care: ???
Confirmed infected: 678
Lombardy,
2020.04.03
Deceased: 8311
Intensive care: 1381
Confirmed infected: 47520
Prediction, without any differential equation with dubious parameters:
Hungary in a month
2020.05.03
Deceased: 8000-10000
Too tired tonight to answer longer but I suspect that the Hungarian government doesn’t want to reveal the real numbers.
probably it’s even worse:
they don’t know, don’t want to know and “play the ostrich”
note: playing ostrich is the worst strategy in the case of an epidemic
Mayors of 14 opposition districts of Budapest protest Orban’s plan to take away a large part of their income.
https://444.hu/2020/04/04/kozos-kozlemenyben-ertetlenkednek-budapest-ellenzeki-polgarmesterei-a-kormany-megszorito-csomagja-miatt
Re: the bucking duos Turk and Orban..
That meeting up there with Turk and Orban shows there’s absolutely ‘nothing’ on the table. Not even a measly bottle of water to quench a thirst. Guess they don’t even realize they are not in ‘Europe’ as such but somewhere else say like a quicksanded Sahara.
And their camels wait outside to get to a desperate oasis. At this time if the illiberal states keep on with the shenanigans Europe could really use what can be called a ‘Lawrence’ of Europe. 😎
wrfree, surely you meant Tusk?
Now if he were Poland’s leader …
A little piece of good news:
The daily increase of the deceased people in Italy,
% from the previous day:
03.27: +11.9%
03.28: + 9.7%
03.29: + 7.5%
03.30: + 7.5%
03.31: + 7.2%
04.01: + 5.8%
04.02: + 5.8%
04.03: + 5.5%
04.04: + 4.6%
Predictions:
1. Plateau could be reached around April 15, at 500 daily deaths.
2. Hope: Epidemic, first round, is over by May 20 in Italy
3. Hope: Epidemic, first round, is over by July 1 in Hungary
@tappanch, 12:39 pm
“Plateau could be reached around April 15, at 500 daily deaths.”
What “plateau” do you refer to? Do you mean there will continue to be about 500 deaths/ day for the foreseeable future? Please explain.
One would expect surely a decline in deaths (lagging ~10 days behind new infections) until the pandemic can be declared “over”. Or am I too optimistic?
So in the middle of a global pandemic, with about 10,000 people dying each day, about 75% of them dying in the Western World, Eva wants to call for ideological jihad against Hungary to be carried out by the same Western World which is failing its citizens every day? Perhaps not such a bad idea. It would serve to at least partially distract the sheep from the massive failure of their own society. Can’t even provide them with some face masks. US is accused of piracy over their diverting tactics that are victimizing fellow Western allies. Eva’s government initially lied to them, telling them that face masks are not necessary, just so they can hide the fact that the sheeple cannot be provided with such goods. It turns out we became of so advanced and enlightened that we cannot even produce such things for ourselves anymore. So bring on the crucification of Orban and Hungary with him!
huh? “crucification of Orban”
no the devil is never crucified…
@Ferenc, 2:19 pm
“Crucification”? Sure, why not. Don’t you know the old story about the guy with the hammer saying, “Eh up mate, cross yer feet over will ya, I’ve only got one nail left.”?
“no the devil is never crucified…” – Let’s try!
“.. ideological jihad against Hungary to be carried out by the same Western World which is failing its citizens every day”
It won’t happen. Pipe dreams…It did not happen back then in the early 2010s when it would have been much easier and it would have carried moral-political weight. Today is next to impossible. The cultural-ideological momentum has swung toward Orban’s views.
“With its talk of freedom and choice liberalism was in practice the experiment of dissolving traditional sources of social cohesion and political legitimacy and replacing them with the promise of rising material living standards. This has now run its course”
https://www.newstatesman.com/america/2020/04/why-crisis-turning-point-history
ovoda, you’re funny1
What do you think of this?
Charles Gati, a professor at Johns Hopkins University and a former friend of the Hungarian prime minister, told me in 2019 (during reporting for my book on Soros) that Orbán’s “number-one motivating factor is to show his father he is a big deal.” To do that, he needs to be bigger and more powerful than urbane liberals – “slick city boys who knew languages,” as Gati put it. The means “to that end is the mafia state,” he told me then.
https://www.newstatesman.com/world/europe/2020/03/how-viktor-orb-n-used-coronavirus-crisis-hand-himself-unlimited-power
Team Ovidiu from Moscow calling. Today with a non-existing, nonsense kind of thing like “cultural-ideological momentum” swinging from here to there.
Óvoda, back to kindergarten with your childish ideas! The world was never that much against the ideology of Orbán as today. Of course Orbán never was going that far before as well. Cohesion is just growing when the ideological pressure is as tight as it is today.
Zolidiot, we all know that you don’t know anything about Hungary and what’s going on here right now – an d are not interested in Hungary at all, so f*ck off!
A “nice” example of the reality in Orbanistan:
https://english.atlatszo.hu/2020/04/01/while-there-is-a-shortage-cabinet-members-relatives-offer-face-masks-and-disinfectants-for-bulk-sale-in-hungary/
Any comment on this?
No Zoliboy, this is about something else. This is to prevent that the Viktor who has been stealing money from his people since elected in office, has destroyed people who do not agree with him is now on this moment killing democracy gripping unlimited power to hide his crimes from the past which will cost a tremendous number of lives can get away with this for an unlimited period of time.
Migrant Zoltán, there is a jihad happening in Hungary right now: Against the Hungarian people! We are loosing our last pieces of freedom and in the civilised world this got response. But you don’t care about Hungary, you life save as a colonist in Canada. We in Hungary do care!
One wonders how the hoarder and government profiteer Daniel Vasvári is feeling tonight, as health care workers go without the gear he has for sale for personal profit, risking their lives in the process. Good one Daniel!
Anyway we can all sleep soundly knowing that the Thief-in-Chief is going to come up with a decree to put him away for a few years (Oh no, that treat is only reserved for critics of the government.)
Sorry about that.
For those who don’t understand to who/what Bimbi is referring:
Hadházy Ákos’ FB post [in Hungarian]: https://www.facebook.com/hadhazyakos/posts/2594868167290677
atlatszo [full article in Hungarian]: https://blog.atlatszo.hu/2020/03/maszkokat-es-fertotlenitot-kinalnak-eladasra-nagy-tetelben-szabo-tunde-allamtitkar-rokonsagaban/
atlatszo [summary in English]: https://english.atlatszo.hu/2020/04/01/while-there-is-a-shortage-cabinet-members-relatives-offer-face-masks-and-disinfectants-for-bulk-sale-in-hungary/
the culprit’s own instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrvdaniel/
“If the large German Christian Democratic group and Angela Merkel are no longer ready to support him” I don’t know where this pie in the sky is coming from. At the last Pan European picnic, at this year’s meeting in Berlin, Angela Merkel categorically and unequivocally endorsed Viktor Orbán, saying that he is following the same path as Germany. I will not splice in here the English and Hungarian references that provide empirically verifiable evidence for this to conserve space, and will add only one comment. Orbán knows full well what is the priority of the German political establishment: The safeguarding of the German propertied classes’ investments and fortunes inside and outside of Germany. Orbán isn’t Tsipras. He inserted Hungary in the universal capitalist supply chain (working men and women be damned) and his secure as a bun in the oven in Frau Merkel’s capitalist kitchen. Ha offered the same deal to all the corrupt leaders in the East. He’s got all the bases covered and is laughing all the way to the bank. He is, tonbe sure, somewhat uneasy about what this Covid-19 may do with the minds of working men and women in Hungary. He is far more… Read more »
Even the right edge of German Christian Democrats that for a long time was admiring Orbán is starting to turn against him. If you understand German:
https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/ausland/ungarn-muss-orban-den-franz-josef-strauss-preis-zurueckgeben-16708564.html