Pushes Socialist Party to status of minor party

by Clifford F. Thies

The center-right Civic Party registered an enormous victory in the first round of voting in Hungary, conducted on April 11th. Already assured of an absolute majority in the country's parliament, it is now poised, in the second round, to be held on April 25th, for the two-thirds majority that would be needed to effect fundamental, Constitutional-level change.

In the first round, the Civic Party received 53 percent of the popular vote, as opposed to the Socialists, with 19 percent; the far-right with 17; and, greens with eight. In terms of seats, Civic Party candidates won 206 of the 265 seats decided in the first round. The Socialists, which held 190 seats in the old parliament, won only 28 seats in the first round. Jobbik, the authoritarian, "anti-Semitic" and "anti-Roma" party, which had not formerly been represented in parliament, won 26 seats; and, the greens - the only other party that will be in the next parliament - a mere seven seats. The second round, in which only the Civic Party, the Socialists and Jobbik will be competing, will decide another 121 seats.

From the NY Times, "Hungarian Winner Vows Battle Against the Far Right"

BUDAPEST — Hungary’s incoming prime minister, Viktor Orban, vowed Monday to defend the country from the ascent of a far-right party and its black-clad paramilitary branch, which have railed against the large Roma community and dubbed the Hungarian capital “Jewdapest.”

Mr. Orban, 46, the leader of Fidesz, the party that defeated the incumbent Socialists in first-round parliamentary elections here Sunday, said he was deeply unhappy over the rise of the far-right party, Jobbik, which won 16.7 percent of the vote. It was the best performance by a far-right party in Hungary since the fall of Communism in 1989.

Mr. Orban, who became famous in 1989 when he called for the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Hungary...

Protecting Borders Yes! but not at the expense of Individual Rights

A few comments are in order concerning Jobbik. There are elements of the Jobbik manifesto that are unexceptional. Hungary is, indeed, a homeland country for the Magyar people and, so, needs to stand up for the rights of Hungarians throughout the world and, if necessary, to be a place of refuge for any who find themselves persecuted. We, Republican Libertarians, accept the legitimacy of homelands, whether internal to nations as in the case of tribal reservations within the United States, or coincident with national borders, as in the case of Hungary, but always within the context of individual rights, free trade and open borders.

But, we ask, how can Jobbik issue a manifesto describing Hungary as a homeland for the Magyar people, who - over the centuries - have suffered as minorities in other countries, and not see the need for Israel to be a homeland for the Jews of the world?

Problem with Gypsys? Get rid of the Welfare State

As for Jobbik's anti-Roma, or anti-Gypsy positions, we have some sympathy, but not much. The welfare state practically invites people to adopt life-styles of petty crime, scamming, shiftlessness, and such, especially for this interesting population which has never been very fond of traditional work. One of the reasons we Libertarian Republicans oppose the welfare state is that it inevitably pits people with alternative-lifestyles against those with middle-class values. Inevitably, people will object to "providing" subsidies to those who choose not to work. Inevitably, there will be "individual mandates," as in the Obama health care legislation, and forced labor, as in several of the northern European states. In a socialist country, you are not free to not work.

Sloppy-headed liberals in counties in transition from a free economy with a private charity-provided social safety net to a full-fledged socialist economy can try to fool themselves into believing that they are not on the Road to Serfdom. They can proclaim that their goal is to have both individual freedom and what they describe as a well-developed system of social insurance. But, we notice the reality is different. It involves "do not treat" orders for the aged and the infirm, the use of abortion to restrict procreation by the lower classes, the forced sterilization and removal of lesser persons to labor colonies, and the end of alternative life-styles like that of the Gypsies.

We have a different solution to the Gypsy problem: abolish the welfare state.