Orban wants to build ‘illiberal state’ (Hungary)

EU Observer ^ | 28.07.14 @ 17:57 | Honor Mahony

[Olog-hai]

Hungary leader Viktor Orban has said he wants to build an illiberal state based on national foundations, citing Russia and China as examples.

Speaking at a retreat of ethnic Hungarian leaders in Baile Tusnad, Romania, on Saturday (26 July) the right wing leader said that the 2008 financial crisis triggered changes as significant as the two world wars and as those in 1990, the year of transition in Eastern and Central Europe.

The experience of the financial crisis showed that “liberal democratic states cannot remain globally competitive.” […]

"Today, the world tries to understand systems which are not Western, not liberal, maybe not even democracies, yet they are successful," he said, and mentioned Singapore, China, India, Russia and Turkey as examples. …

[Olog-hai]

He is attacking republics too, take note. And in this context, “illiberal” does not mean ”conservative” as understood in the USA.

[cartan]

Yeah, the Hungarians are a bit on the Nazi side of things these days, sadly. Can’t blame him for having a strong dislike for what passes for “liberal democracies” in Europe today, but his ideas don’t look like an improvement.

I wish we had more people like Václav Klaus in Europe, instead.

[Southside_Chicago_Republican]

The last line of the article is interesting.

[x]

That could mean any number of things, some worse than others.

Fareed Zakaria coined the term "illiberal democracy," so maybe he'll explain on his Sunday show.

It doesn't necessarily mean Orban is the new Mussolini.

Singapore, say, isn't a threat to anyone.

But is it really likely that such an "illiberal democracy" could last in the middle of Europe within the EU?

[Olog-hai]

Wny not? The central government of the EU is a pseudodemocracy, with the executive branch holding both executive power and sole legislative initiative (i.e. the Parliament cannot write laws). That’s the kind of governmental situation where “there can be no liberty” as Montesquieu described, with the absence of separation of powers. Perhaps the truth is that Orban is getting his ideas straight from Brussels.

[x]

Maybe, but if the EU is that dedicated to wielding unitary power they won’t be too willing to let the leaders of the member states try to do the same. All the more so, since they are committed to moving in the opposite direction from Orban.

[Olog-hai]

For the time being. The last “beneficial crisis” caused a lot of member states to move in the direction that they currently call “right”, so that must have been intentional. And like I pointed out, they are themselves already authoritarian.