Ten member parties of the conservative European People’s Party are formally demanding that Fidesz, which is presently running a negative ad campaign against fellow Christian Democrat President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and Brussels, be expelled from the European Parliament’s largest faction. At least seven parties from five EU member states must agree to have a member party expelled from the group for the EPP to begin considering the request. As of Monday, parties from Belgium, Bulgaria, Finland, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Sweden have submitted their demand for Fidesz’s explusion and this topic is expected to appear on the agenda of the EPP’s next general meeting, scheduled for 20 March.
Fidesz politician and European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Tibor Navracsics commented on Monday that he faces a conundrum. After all, Mr. Navracsics, a key member of Fidesz, draws a salary from his role as a European Commissioner, sitting on the same Commission that his home party continues to lambaste as being part of a worldwide conspiracy led by George Soros. As a result of the most recent anti-EU campaign, Mr. Navracsics told hvg.hu that he is caught in the crossfire.
Describing his relationship with his fellow commissioners, Mr. Navracsics said: “They see me as the person from that country and from that party.” He no longer feel that he is in a position to be able to serve as mediator between the two sides. “I see no chance of this,” he added.
Mr. Navarcsics’s term as commissioner expires this year and the Orbán government has already determined that it will delegate someone else. It’s fair to say that Mr. Navracsics was among the more moderate voices in Fidesz–but certainly a moderate who proved unwilling to take a principled stand. History is unlikely to remember him fondly.
I think EPP would have a lot more to lose than Fidesz or Hungary. First of all, current polls suggest EPP will shrink from about 220 MPs currently to about 170. Fidesz out would mean a loss of another 12-14 MPs. Socialists will lose another 50 seats or so as well, so two largest factions not looking very good.
It might get a lot worse than that, because some more conservative EPP parties, like France’s or Spain’s or Austria’s components would find it very difficult to continue to remain within an EPP party which will increasingly be seen as yet another liberal-globalist group. Some of them might decide to join Fidesz in the Conservative faction.
EPP would be better off owning up to the damage done by the likes of Junker to the brand and promise people a new direction. If they continue down this path by 2024 they will be far from remaining the largest faction.
Those in Joe’s dispicable poltical circle are still set to be in a minority compared to the left and center right parties combined. His predictions of a sweeping groundspell of far right populism are bunk.
And there is no way EPP is going his direction.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/feb/18/eu-parliaments-centrist-coalition-set-to-lose-majority-poll-finds-european-people-party-socialists-democrats
With the waning of the refuge crisis, the bigoted fuel that powered the rise of the populist far right will soon be spent. Within a decade they will be nothing but a bad memory.
Oh dear! I think we should replace the blonde jokes with jokes about academics, because you seem determined to reinforce just how clueless and out of touch an academic can be, every chance you get.
The populist movements, regardless how you want to characterize them are a result and consequence of the failure of the globalists who control most of our institutions, to deliver for the bulk of Western society. Heard of the yellow vests lately? Since the mid 1990’s when the globalization drive was unleashed, it delivered handsomely for the 1%, allowing a mid-level elite to do alright as well, which is another 20%, while it gradually pounded the 60% middle class into the dust, threatening them with the prospect of increasingly joining the bottom 20%, which has done miserably as well. At least till now Europeans had the prospect of top of the line social mobility, allowing them or their children some hope of joining the 20% at the top, but increasingly the globalists in charge are talking about emulating the US & Canada in importing the mid-level professional elites, mostly from Asia. Once you take that away from the Europeans (hope)…
As for the migrant crisis? You have the impoverished, unstable ME-African continents, with 1.5 billion people and a doubling rate of 35 years or so, pushing on EU’s borders. A few years ago, the Junkers and the Merkels gave the wrong answer to this on-going and permanent crisis. What EU does at the border will remain the issue of the century in EU politics.
Academic jokes anyone?
„Academic jokes anyone?“ The Wall?
I save the Nazi jokes for later.
Dream on! The right-wing nationalist-populist movement is stalling and in many countries it is in decline. The waning of the refuge crisis has taking the bigoted wind out of their sails. The only EU country that will make significant gains in the EU will be Italy. UKIP is down more than 14% since 2014 and Macron soundly defeated his populist rivals last election. Even in Poland, the Law and Justice party lost big in recent mayoral elections Support for the EU in almost all EU countries has increased in the last decade and populists have lost dozens of seats in the EU to defections (graphs at end of Bloomberg article). Unable to cooperate and present a united front, populists are only set to make modest gains in the EU parliament. The center right to left parties will still have a strong majority. Only 1 in 6 votes are commanded by populists. They remain on the fringe. Once in power populists exhibit just how incompetent they are (Brexit) and within a decade they will just be a bad dream.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2018/12/27/why-will-be-tough-year-populists/?utm_term=.b93f1a935d61
https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2019-european-parliament-populism/
Your politics seeks regressive medieval solutions to the issues of globalism. People are can see that. Your sick side is going to lose.
Oh dear! You think repeating the same discredited argument does help reinforce to it?
No one is saying that anti-establishment will take this election with a majority. There is the very real prospect of a blocking minority.
But think! We are a decade into an economic recovery and the establishment is still set to lose major ground and you got middle class protesting in France (with majority support for their cause) for months now. Now what will happen in 2024 after another brutal global recession? Youth unemployment is still above 20% in a large number of EU countries. EU failed to move investment capital to countries more affected. Euro currency is strangling those very countries.
Joe
“EPP party …will be increasingly seen as yet another liberal-globalist group..”
Just as the windmills were seen as evil giants … although Don Quixote was a very decent fellow of good will …
Your narrative sounds pretty idiotic outside the cave.
Finally, cutting out the rot has been postponed far too long, but it’s better later than never, the new fascist wave has to be confronted and defeated if Europe wants to avoid bigger troubles, memento Munich 38.
Joe the brain washed brain washer …
“I think EPP would have a lot more to lose than Fidesz or Hungary.”
… but EPP is losing because of Fidesz “or Hungary”, hello Joe …
“First of all, current polls suggest EPP will shrink from about 220 MPs currently to about 170.”
… and I hope they shrink to zero with Orban …
“Fidesz out would mean a loss of another 12-14 MPs. Socialists will lose another 50 seats or so as well, so two largest factions not looking very good.”
… while Hungary has lost its freedom … yes Observer is right … “Your narrative sounds pretty idiotic outside the cave.” … you see it or not.
Navracsics may be a moderate, but he is part of the same gang that hijacked the right of the Hungarian people to experience social justice, the rule of law and sustainable economic development. The arguments of the trolls down here, that a majority of the Hungarians who are eligible to vote have elected these fraud artists to Parliament via democratic elections is a diversion. Hungary’s last Nazi party before WWII had roughly a similar share, albeit a minority of public support as Fidesz. During the last free parliamentary elections in Germany, Hitler’s Nazi Party had the single largest share of the votes. That is why the President of Germany at that time appointed him as Chancellor. We know since de Tocqueville, how the tyranny of the majority works. Just look at the “wisdom” of the American electorate, the 60 or so million, that has about as much awareness of the real world as a donkey of the Kentucky Derby. Look closely what a “blond beauty” those voters have produced south of the 49th parallel.
Fidesz is not a democratic party – Hungary is not a democracy. Neither of them has the right to be in the European Union. Maybe if they were sent packing, the Hungarian electorate would come to its senses. But then, it may just turn to Vladimir Putin, another big brother, who’ll stuff their empty pockets full with a bit of loose change. That’s what they did in Horthy’s time, when they leaned on Adolph, and let him march into Hungary without a bullet being fired, without a murmur being raised, as 460,000 Jews were stuffed into cattle-wagons by Hungary’s “guardians of peace”, the dreaded “csendőrség” and sent of to the death camps.
We shall overcome !!!! The day of reckoning is not far off Mr. Orbán !!!!!
“History is unlikely to remember him fondly.” But he is a good example, to everyone, in particular for those who willingly admit be damned for a few Fillers that Hungary is re-governed totalitarian. What then reached him … perhaps only luck.
Chris,
Navracsics was not moderate, only his voice/manner was. He was instrumental in the drafting and introduction of many laws, in the destruction of the Hu democracy and the establishment of orbàn’s fascist regime.
And he was not supposed to serve as any mediator.