I think this is a good doorstep line but a dangerous direction. First, Hungary is not the Hungarian government. Millions of Hungarians are neutral or hostile to Orban, and creating a situation in which “the liberals” are threatening them with loss of their EU rights twitter.com/vonderburchard…
and finances will not help anyone. Second, don’t threaten what you can’t do. No-one can force Hungary out of the EU, and they won’t leave voluntarily, so this just looks futile. Third, liberal values are also contended within the Benelux (hello FvD, VB etc) and other liberal
countries. It is better to fight for them across Europe rather than othering one or two “backward” countries for their most extreme positions and telling them they have to conform or leave the club. Fourth, human rights are personal rights, not the rights of states.
The battle for them can only be won if we base the argument on the solidarity of *people* across Europe. So, in summary, this is an Orban problem, and a problem of right wing nationalism, not a Hungarian problem or an Eastern problem.
Originally posted as a thread of 4 tweets on Twitter on 24 June 2021. View the original thread.