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Orban's leadership is a complex topic. His party was once the youth center-right opposition that eventually eclipsed all other center-right parties; they proved
by temp-dude-87844 7y ago
Orban's leadership is a complex topic. His party was once the youth center-right opposition that eventually eclipsed all other center-right parties; they proved that it was possible to offer a meaningful alternative to the socialist party and chart a different path. (Corruption and favoritism were issues with both right-wing and left-wing administrations.)
Then, over time, he developed a nuanced view of international power dynamics, and preserving domestic support among key demographics. He set out to solve unemployment, but created a public works programme that arguably keeps rural areas reliant on him. He's pro-EU but skeptical of the multicultural norms western Europe appears to project, right until they too close their borders for migrants. He is eager to strike economic deals with China and Russia, which isn't too unusual for the region (cf. Austria, Slovakia, Serbia), but when he does it, it's understood by supporters and critics alike to be to spite EU leadership and the implied strategic interests of EU and the US.
He's also re-written the country's constitution, weakened the independent judiciary, passed a controversial media law, and cooked up a ridiculous propaganda campaign to demonize a rich philanthropist who supports a western social liberalism worldview instead. His critics see this as another opportunistic power grab; his supporters see it as a necessary step to tackle an unprecedented crisis. The truth may lie close to either extreme, or it may be somewhere in the middle, but he is a polarizing figure, so sources that present a balanced view are difficult to find.
- jacobolus 7y ago> cooked up a ridiculous propaganda campaign to demonize a rich philanthropist A key part of this is preying on and amplifying racism and antisemitism. That Soros is Jewish is essential to the message. Scapegoating outsiders and minority groups by labeling them as threatening / disloyal has been a long been an effective way for would-be dictators to build/consolidate support among a fearful and cowardly populace.
- aries1980 7y ago> A key part of this is preying on and amplifying racism and antisemitism. That Soros is Jewish is essential to the message. I don't know where did you get this from, but the two consultants, who were hired to design the Soros campaign are jews: Arthur Finkelstein and George Birnbaum. Source: https://24.hu/belfold/2019/01/14/soros-gyorgy-fidesz-kampany-arthur-finkelstein-george-birnbaum/ https://24.hu/belfold/2019/01/14/soros-gyorgy-fidesz-kampany... (Hungarian) .
- jacobolus 7y agoHere’s an English language source, https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/hnsgrassegger/george-soros-conspiracy-finkelstein-birnbaum-orban-netanyahu https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/hnsgrassegger/george-so... Why do you think it’s impossible for Jewish political consultants to organize an antisemitic propaganda campaign? To take a US example, Donald Trump’s white supremacist policy advisor and speechwriter Stephen Miller is Jewish.
- aries1980 7y agoI don't think it is impossible, but in such an unlikely case, I'd require direct proof to the antisemitic propaganda from the Hungarian government in relation to the (populist indeed) George Soros campaign.
- tomp 7y agoHe was also one of the first politicians in Europe to close their country's borders, so in the present situation his leadership is, literally, anti-toxic.