[spectre] Antw: Re: on Hungary

Fri Apr 13 20:46:33 CEST 2018

Dear all,

for us westerners it is hard, if not impossible to understand the atmosphere that rules in Hungary, and penetrates every day life from work, school, art to friends and family and contaminates these. I saw friendships and families part because of quarrels on political believes.

In my opinion Janos´ link does not so much reflect on the Syria issue, but more on the sad fact, that
government misuses power to establish an „illiberate democracy“ (as Orbán calles it) through silencing other opinions and increasing own power and wealth.

We Easterners imagine, at least we like to believe, that in the western societies, lets stick to the formerly mentioned ones: Germany and UK -  freedom of speech, (nearly) independent media (from right wing to left wing media which can be purchased in the whole country), (nearly) independent jurisdiction, (nearly) independent educationally system (including art academies), (nearly) independent science funding system (including the funding of art), independent, does exist, is accepted, appreciated and lived by a majority of citizens.

This is not the case in Hungary. Andreas is right that people voted for Orbán, doing so the third time. It is true that they want him for leader and a majority does not care about human right and democratic achievements. But it is also true that there is no criticism to be reached if you do not search the depth of the internet. And people do not want to hear about and do not believe in corruption and manipulating public opinion. Orbán sculptures his folk.

My aim with this mail is to try to give you a slight taste of this atmosphere and maybe you get a feeling of it and want to believe that this is the tip of the iceberg.

-
journalists lying to you because Orbán puts them under pressure.
(imagine your journalists producing lies, because the government forces them)

-
out of a number of 5 newspapers in total, one oppositional newspaper (was) ceased away last year from one day to the other (imagine FAZ being shut down in one day)

-
one oppositional newspaper and one independent one ceased away these days.
leaving a total of one oppositional printed newspaper
(imagine two other newspapers shut down, try to imagine the relation to existing newspapers)

-
Members of opposition parties are given 5 minutes TV-time in public TV in 4 years.
(imagine SPD politician Martin Schulz speaking 5 minutes in a total of 4 years in ZDF and ARD together, imagine Nigel Farage having a total speech time of 5 minutes in 4 years in public TV)

-
temporarily settling approximately 10.000 Hungarians from Ukraine to Hungary - for election, guess who they voted for?

-
Orbán gave the right to vote to rumanian citizens of Hungarian descent, guess who they voted for?

- 
Orbán redesigned the electoral districts. Redesigned the system, in this election 48% of the votes was enough for 66% of parliament seats. Even more, votes for a winning mandate, which are over the limit of votes necessary to win this mandate are put to the nationalwide list of the party.

-
people working in „unemployment avoiding programes of the state“ threatened to be kicked out of these programes if not voting for Orbán, allegedly officials are frightened as well

-
In his latest facebook advertising video Orbán disgraces a Constitutional Court judge three times in his presence to have fined him (Orbán had to pay a fine of 350.000 HUF because he campaigned with a video where kindergarden kids appeared) 
(Imagine Theresa May insulting a Constitutional Court judge three times and posting that video on Facebook)

-
Orbáns son in law wins several state tender offers (EU-money), also Orbáns friend from school times, mayor of Orbáns village of birth, Lörinc Mészáros, wins several state tender offers. A former heating contractor is now owner of a bunch of firms, including hotels, farms and media and a billionaire.
In this village of birth, a stadium (soccer) has been built, a soccer academy being funded, small railway and airport have been built.

- 
architects do not participate in tenders anymore, not because the result is pre-decided, but because 
there are no tenders made public.

-
János Lázár (MP, head of the prime ministers office) producing a video in Vienna, taping „dirt, refugees, lack of public safety, and not meeting anyone who speaks German“. Message: This is Hungarys fate, igf you vote for the opposition. Video published on facebook.
(imagine Boris Johnson having himself filmed walking around in Paris and talking about the dirt, refugees, lack of public safety and not meeting anyone who speaks French) 

-
Orbán mentioned in his Good Friday speech a list of 2000 personalities of public life, that need to be "practiced revenge on“, because they are against him. They would be „soldiers of George Soros“ (Soros is believed to manipulate the EU to settle one million migrants a year in the territory of the Union)
A week later these people are listed in the newspaper Heti válasz. 
(Imagine 2000 intellectuals of your country, who are anti-government to be listed in media as „soldiers of Soros“, enemies of the nation)

-
Director of Academy of Hungarian Art „We know there is a variety of art, but now, we only need the folkish/national/völkische one.“ And that is the kind of art which is being financed.
(Imagine Kaspar König to support only völkische Kunst and imagine his power would include the decisions of which art/artist is being financed )

- 
NGOs threatened and shut down.

-
CEU about being shut down soon.

-
Orbán exchanged all school books.
(http://politicalcritique.org/cee/hungary/2017/sexism-and-racism-the-new-hungarian-schoolbooks-teach-everything-you-dont-want-your-child-to-learn/ <http://politicalcritique.org/cee/hungary/2017/sexism-and-racism-the-new-hungarian-schoolbooks-teach-everything-you-dont-want-your-child-to-learn/>)

-
and has a short „answer“ for the reporter of the Economist (two videos of the same scene, 1 min.)
https://444.hu/2018/04/10/a-szerencsetlen-economist-gyakorlatlan-ujsagiroja-azt-hitte-ha-ertelmesen-kerdez-orban-viktor-majd-valaszol-neki <http://politicalcritique.org/cee/hungary/2017/sexism-and-racism-the-new-hungarian-schoolbooks-teach-everything-you-dont-want-your-child-to-learn/>

-
on Russian influence on Hungary 
https://warsawinstitute.org/russian-disinformation-extremism-hungary/ <https://warsawinstitute.org/russian-disinformation-extremism-hungary/>

all in all, Orbáns Hungary has nothing to do with democracy.
And yeah, people like it, but do not know the opposite.

Hope this finds you well,

yours faithfully 

Alex

> Am 13.04.2018 um 13:31 schrieb Andreas Broeckmann <ab at mikro.in-berlin.de>:
> 
> Am 13.04.18 um 12:30 schrieb heath bunting:
>> here is a question
>> 
>> what would the policies of a non-racist, non-corrupt, but non-imperial
>> nation state government in central europe look like: especially concerning
>> the syrian refugee crisis ?
>> 
>> bearing in mind that such a government has to be popular with its citizens
>> and be working for the citizens best interests
> 
> heath, i take it that in your scenario any moral (or ethical) concerns that are not "popular" with "citizens" would rank low?
> 
> how would you define "the citizens best interests"?
> 
> and in that scenario, how would you evaluate those phonecalls dictating to journalists which scare-messages to put in the newspaper (see janos' msg which started this thread)?
> 
> yours faithfully,
> -a
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