The newest development in the Hungarian political scene is the entire leftist opposition collectively pushing a referendum proposal for maximizing the yearly income of all state-owned companies' employees to the same value as the president's (the country's, not the company's) yearly honorarium.
This wouldn't affect the bottom-rung employees but would be a major ouch to CEOs and the like.
Jobbik is still pondering over whether to support it or not. Momentum, the guys who submitted the referendum that torpedoed Fidesz' Olympic dream, have declared that they won't support it because they want the CEOs in question fired altogether.
Lizard Metabolism
The Supreme Court legislature passed through the Sejm.
- Old judges of the SC can be forcefully retired; the decision is Minister of Justice's and with the President okaying or not okaying the anti-recommendation.
- New judges will be chosen by Sejm, but with a 3/5th of votes rather than the general majority (an update suggested by the President).
- At 8PM (in about 15 minutes from now), the legislation will go into Senate to be reviewed. Once it's inevitably okayed there, it's only a matter of President's signature on the document (notably, he ran away for vacation in Hel (not to mistake with Hell, appropriate as it would be).
Additionally, prices of water and electricity will be now higher; people living in locales that came from Mieszkanie+ ("Apartment Plus", a program to provide the poorest with some living conditions) will be easier to evict.
The opposition is toothless and gormless. I'm sorry to say, but we are losing democratic Poland.
edited 20th Jul '17 10:45:49 AM by FergardStratoavis
How do lizards fly?
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
And to think that the Pi S has only been in power for two years... .
Lizard Metabolism
All this time they've been working to undermine the democratic fundaments of the country. Public media is theirs and Constitutional Tribunal is already immobilized. It helps that the opposition doesn't really offer anything substantial in return, plus they screwed the pooch before with their own hubris.
Plenty of protests all over Poland, but that only amounts to something if they actually stop the President from signing the legislations.
And, of course, this is getting us further in trouble with UE.
edited 20th Jul '17 12:43:38 PM by FergardStratoavis
How do lizards fly?
Beware the Crazy Man.
Poland should be careful not to piss off the West. Not like they have much in the way of friends east to counter with....
Final Fantasy, Foreign Policy, and Bollywood. Helluva combo, that...
They've got their nationalist authoritarian brothers in arms over in Budapest.
Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
Lizard Metabolism
Not really. Orban is smart enough to not stick around to us when it's convenient for him, like when it happened back during the voting for re-election of Donald Tusk as the head of European Council against some last-minute candidate PIS whipped out only to get outvoted 27 to 1.
edited 21st Jul '17 12:58:58 PM by FergardStratoavis
How do lizards fly?
Don't underestimate that man's capability of doing whatever the hell he wants regardless of how many enemies he makes in the process.
You called it, Orban has vowed "solidarity" with Poland over their destruction of the rule of law.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40692318
....Man, crazy world we live in when Western European tanks rolling into certain Eastern European countries might be an improvement.
Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
I doubt that.
Si Vis Pacem, Para Perkele
I know you're joking (or at least I hope so), but if the EU made the same type of mistake as the Soviet Union once didnote , I'd no longer trust the EU on anything. The only time it would be acceptable is if Poland and Hungary invaded nearby countries (which is highly, highly unlikely, because, in the grand scheme of European armed forces, those two countries are nowhere near powerful enough to conduct an invasion of another country).
edited 23rd Jul '17 10:05:56 AM by Quag15
I was joking, unless Poland/Hungary start invading their neighbors (as you said) or begin doing outright genocide/ethnic cleansing/mass murder of dissidents.
Besides, the Heer just isn't what it used to be.
It is also important to remember that both governments enjoy high support from their people. In Poland, there are many young people who support the government.
I wish the EU would act decisive on this issue, but since Orband has promised to veto any sanctions, this seems unlikely.
There are many young people who protest those changes.
I believe that ensuring the people in Poland have access to accurate information (the state television cannot be considered that - they are blatantly a propaganda station now) would be a better idea.
The things Pi S is likely to hit next: opposition parties (Kaczynski just declared he wants to put them in jail), non-government organisations and media.
My prediction of "tyranny or civil war" is likely to be an accurate one. 
Lizard Metabolism
Not enough. PIS enjoys a disproportionately high popularity among the voters. It helps that opposition is, again, not doing much to actually offer better alternatives beyond screaming a lot. Worse, there are no reasonable opposition figures that could actually stand as the "face" of the opposition, and the common man will only begin to rebel against the gov once things start going bad for him. To him things like Constitutional Tribunal or even "courts" are elusive and not really something he has to concern himself with.
Opposition has failed to awake these people into awareness time and again and while I obviously do not want them to give up in their pursuit, they are not doing too hot.
Anyway, the only possible face of opposition I can think of at the moment is Robert Biedroń, but I doubt he would be able to actually spark enough support, assuming he would even want to get himself involved into that in the first place.
Has anybody started a hashtag #sickmenofeurope yet? I get the feeling their insecurity could be exploited.
Si Vis Pacem, Para Perkele
Poland’s President Vetoes 2 Laws Limiting Courts’ Independence
Poles had taken to the streets by the tens of thousands over the past week to protest the laws and to call on the president, Andrzej Duda, to veto them.
The European Union, which Poland joined in 2004, had warned Warsaw that adoption of the new laws — which the bloc’s officials said threatened the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law — would draw a sharp rebuke, including potential court action and legal sanctions.
“I feel that the reform in this shape will not increase the sense of security and justice,” Mr. Duda said at a midmorning news conference, just before scheduled meetings with leaders of the Supreme Court and the National Council of the Judiciary, both of which would have been dramatically restructured under the proposed laws.
The laws will be sent back to Parliament, which is expected to write new bills that would meet President’s Duda’s approval. Parliament could also override the president’s veto, though that would require a supermajority of 60 percent — a threshold that the governing Law and Justice Party, which has only a thin majority, could not meet without the support of other parties. Continue reading the main story Related Coverage
Poles Hope to Sway President From Curtailing Court’s Independence JULY 22, 2017 Polish Parliament Approves Law Curtailing Courts’ Independence JULY 21, 2017 In Poland, an Assault on the Courts Provokes Outrage JULY 19, 2017
What was unclear Monday was whether the Law and Justice Party would move the issue off the front burner, at least for the moment, or whether the veto exposed a rift between Mr. Duda and Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of the governing party and the most powerful political figure in the country.
“Poland needs reform of the judiciary,” Mr. Duda said, “but I am a supporter of a wise reform.”
edited 24th Jul '17 2:47:03 AM by DrunkenNordmann
Welcome to Estalia, gentlemen.
Well, that was a pleasant surprise, right?
Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
Oh, bother.
The article also points out that a third law was not vetoed. That one would grant the government more power over regional and local courts. Which is still pretty ominous IMHO.
And for all we know, whatever he does sign might ultimately be worse.
edited 24th Jul '17 2:50:57 AM by M84
Disgusted, but not surprised
Lizard Metabolism
From what I've heard, the third law's veto is still under discussion, though the first two are definitely being vetoed.
From what else I've heard, PIS-aligned right's opinion of our President turned 180; responses wary from "disappointed" to "traitor".
The Prez held a meeting with the heads of Sejm and Senate as well as the Prime Minister. These individuals were then seen scrambling towards Kaczynski's base of operations. People protesting nearby called out "Marionette" and "Traitor".
How do lizards fly?
This is one intense political crisis. Pi S seems to be completely oblivious to what they are doing.
Si Vis Pacem, Para Perkele
Poland eyes demanding WWII reparations from Germany
The Polish parliament’s research office is preparing an analysis of whether Poland can legally make the claim and will have it ready by Aug. 11, said Arkadiusz Mularczyk, a lawmaker with the ruling Law and Justice party who requested the report.
The step comes after Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Poland’s most powerful politician, said the “Polish government is preparing itself for a historical counteroffensive.”
“We are talking here about huge sums, and also about the fact that Germany for many years refused to take responsibility for World War II,” Kaczynski, the leader of the conservative ruling party, told Radio Maryja last week.
There's more in the article, but honestly, I'm just at a loss of words.
edited 2nd Aug '17 10:15:27 AM by DrunkenNordmann
Welcome to Estalia, gentlemen.
Hasn't Germany already paid out significant reparations?
Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
Yes - the Polish government is just engaging in verbal graverobbing again.
Welcome to Estalia, gentlemen.
Frankly, I think we're fast approaching a time when Orban will bail from the covering thing.
I wouldn't say that they took inspiration from anyone really (even if post-communism Poland has always been pro-American, no matter the president); it's just a cheap and dirty way to get things going their way in full. Particularly since the pardoning of Kaminski by the President has been judged unlawful by Supreme Court a few weeks back.
Then there's this book that may or may not be decisive evidence that our Defense Minister is in fact a Russian stooge.
Also, during Trump's visit here, Lech Wałęsa was included among the guests during his little speech, and Lord Dampnut did mention him as one of the people instrumental in the process of Poland gaining its independence. The boos of the hand-picked pro-PIS crowd and the clapping of the opposition mixed together and reportedly left Trump mildly confused.
edited 14th Jul '17 10:30:40 AM by FergardStratoavis
How do lizards fly?