Of course we can laugh at the people who demonstrated in favor of the huge budget deficit, rising wages, dwindling pensions and the rapidly eroding quality of our living standards. We can also have a laugh at the way how the Ministry of Interior issued a statement that emphasized how the atmosphere of the protest was nothing short of spectacular. It was the biggest ever pro-government demonstration, they said. I wonder what happened to the two million protestors who supposedly gathered to hear Viktor Orbán on Kossuth square back in 2002. The prime minister wanted to test the trust of his followers. He wanted to know whether, in spite of the sorry state of our economy, he still had the support of the people. Apparently the answer is yes, and now he is using this demonstration as a clear message to Brussels that Hungary is not to be pushed around. Fidesz supporters would be well advised to know that, right now, our future is hanging in the balance. We s either we go to the IMF, cap in hand, or we go down. It’s as simple as that. Unfortunately many of the protesters honestly think that Orbán is a national hero defending Hungary from capitalist monsters. With his dilettante economic policy, the prime minister is inflicting huge damage on our country. The opposition should know better and recognize that, without a unified stance, we won’t get anywhere. There is some bad news for those who are eager to see the back of the prime minister. For a start, the present administration has a two-third majority. The newly founded Democratic Coalition is in its inception yet, LMP (Politics Can Be Different) is likely to succumb to internal power struggles, and the socialists are about to find out whether they will stick to their leader or choose a new one in the upcoming party conference. Some critics said Gyurcsány was wrong when he said that Orbán should stay in power. I think that the events on Saturday proved him right. The prime minister is still popular. It is an illusion to think that Fidesz is about to capitulate. It is high time that the opposition acted wisely. When and if we can get the economy back on track, we still need to restore the faith in our democratic institutions. The next few years will be an uphill struggle for the country. It will be a fight for a better life and jobs. The opposition could contribute to this fight as well. Putting aside petty arguments and starting to talk about the future would be a good start.
http://greczy.blog.hu/2012/01/22/uj_tavaszi_seregszemle