2012-03-16

Colonization: 1956 Soviet Tanks, 2012 Western Banks

Hungarians are stepping up the rhetoric in their battle against EU assaults on national sovereignty. See Hungary Has Sharp Words for EU
"We are going to protect the constitution, which is our security for the future," Mr. Orban said Thursday, to applause. He said Hungary doesn't need the "unsolicited assistance of foreigners wanting to guide our hands."

Mr. Orban's speech offered no detailed, direct comments on the points of contention between Budapest and Brussels. But he did allude to central bank independence, which the EU and IMF have said must be insured before they will start talks on a precautionary loan Hungary wants.

"An independent national bank is not one that is independent from its nation," Mr. Orban said. "An independent national bank is one which protects the national economy from foreign interests."
In previous posts I've covered the radical steps taken by the Hungarian government since it has turned sharply right. There are some undemocratic elements to the government, but at this point, one cannot say the EU has any grounds to accuse the nation of being undemocratic. With puppet governments installed in Greece and Italy and anti-democratic policies standard fare, where democracy is always derisively described as "populism," it is hard sometimes to see where the extremism starts in Hungary.

This is par for the course with social mood. Authoritarianism is more popular and the extreme positions of government during the rising social mood help to mask the extremism of rising politicians. The excessive penalties on Germany during the 1920s made Hitler's nationalism attractive to average Germans. In Europe today, extreme left-wing politics that dominates the media and EU government in Brussels, plus the anti-democratic and authoritarian behavior of the EU, makes Hungary's Orban seem rational at best and at worst, on the same level as those accusing him of a dictatorship. That's not to say he isn't a proto-dictator, but thanks to social mood, we are going to find out. With negative social mood and the current state of the EU, Mr. Orban is in the socionomic sweet spot. He's hitting the right notes politically and power is his to lose. If he's a dictator at heart, he will probably get the chance to act like one as his popularity rises. And if he isn't, the social mood assures that most of the European press will call him one anyway.

H/T:Will Hungary Be The Next Iceland? PM Orban: "Hungarians Will Not Live As Foreigners Dictate"

For previous coverage, click the Hungary tag.

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