Is Hungary a free country?

[Lemminkäinen]

What hell is going on in EU? I have seen statistics telling that the Hungary is almost a dictatorship and Soros a left-winger millionaire , a knight of freedom. We have here at Apricity Forum many Hungarians, so I appriciate your freedom of speech. Tell me is there any truth. EU claims that Hungary is a backwater of Europe which needs to be punished of the lack of freedom. A study funded by the known west-winger capitalist (lol) tells that Hungary is the freest country in Europe. Today EU is full of political shit and people don't trust in media like they did two decades ago.

https://abouthungary.hu/blog/brace-y...ree-as-germany

[Lemminkäinen]

I clarify my point. It was not to attack on Hungary, rather to point out how turbulent the political atmospehe in Europe is now. Two countries today act like only they can speak on behalf of the whole Europe. I miss UK and the old diversity. What ever the democratic situation is in Hungary is in a big view a small question compared to the bad development in the EU. Today news tells that France got angry because the submarine deal with Australia failed. It is of course bad news for France, but it was arrogant to tell that "EU lost the deal", as they told. Noone other than France would have seen that money, so the dublicity was obvious. Then let's talk about Russian gaz and Germany. Some countries have taken a role to be EU, speaking arrogant shit to us. I am not against EU I defend it.

[Blondie]

This thread would be much better in the Magyarország topic.
If someone thinks Hungary isn't free, pls write some reason/argument and i will answer only with pure facts and original sources

[Östsvensk]

If I understand correctly, Orban has pushed for a reform to ban communists and this has been widely criticized. Even Jimmie Åkesson of the Sweden Democrats did so.

https://twitter.com/strandhall/statu...47917357535235

Translation: "We are not immune to the development we see in other countries. Grading people after gender, skin colour, background..."

According to Annika Strandhäll, encouraging Hungarians to have more children as a solution to low birth rates instead of promoting immigration is fascism.

[Dunai]

Hungary has the facade of a free country, but the democratic institutions have been so skewed in Orbán's favor (controlling public media, gerrymandered voting districts, having party loyalists at the head of almost every public institution) that it's very-very difficult to defeat him in democratic elections, but not impossible. It is definitely not yet as "unfree" as Russia, but if he wins next year once again who knows, we might become a new Russia.

[Lemminkäinen]

This thread would be much better in the Magyarország topic.
If someone thinks Hungary isn't free, pls write some reason/argument and i will answer only with pure facts and original sources

It was a provocation, but might have caused some refusal.

[Blondie]

Hungary has the facade of a free country, but the democratic institutions have been so skewed in Orbán's favor (controlling public media, gerrymandered voting districts, having party loyalists at the head of almost every public institution) that it's very-very difficult to defeat him in democratic elections, but not impossible. It is definitely not yet as "unfree" as Russia, but if he wins next year once again who knows, we might become a new Russia.

1, controlling public media
And do you think the public media is not government-oriented in other countries? Before 2010 the public media was totally leftist, now conservative, it's not a new thing.

2, gerrymandered voting districts
In the 90' years the leftist Horn government eliminated the two-round election system in Hungary, which was very anti democratic. Now this new system is more oppositional oriented in the reality because it pressurise the opposition parties to work together against Orbán.

3, having party loyalists at the head of almost every public institution
You can see it everywhere not only in Hungary. This is problem, but if Hungary isn't democratic because of it, then democracy doesn't exist in the world.

[Lemminkäinen]

If I understand correctly, Orban has pushed for a reform to ban communists and this has been widely criticized. Even Jimmie Åkesson of the Sweden Democrats did so.

https://twitter.com/strandhall/statu...47917357535235

Translation: "We are not immune to the development we see in other countries. Grading people after gender, skin colour, background..."

According to Annika Strandhäll, encouraging Hungarians to have more children as a solution to low birth rates instead of promoting immigration is fascism.

He is right, but on national level the EU has failed to develop good.

[Lemminkäinen]

1, controlling public media
And do you think the public media is not government-oriented in other countries? Before 2010 the public media was totally leftist, now conservative, it's not a new thing.

2, gerrymandered voting districts
In the 90' years the leftist Horn government eliminated the two-round election system in Hungary, which was very anti democratic. Now this new system is more oppositional oriented in the reality because it pressurise the opposition parties to work together against Orbán.

3, having party loyalists at the head of almost every public institution
You can see it everywhere not only in Hungary. This is problem, but if Hungary isn't democratic because of it, then democracy doesn't exist in the world.

The media is not in western countries controlled by governments or government oriented, but it is not free in a sense of classic liberal ideas. The reason is that like-minded hire each other to press houses.

[Blondie]

The media is not in western countries controlled by governments or government oriented, but it is not free in a sense of classic liberal ideas. The reason is that like-minded hire each other to press houses.

Where? It's in Germany for example, what is the leader dcountry of EU. The german public media isn't free.