Not least because JD Vance’s show of support for Viktor Orbán appeared to have opposite of desired effect
So much of the news is depressing these days. The ongoing wars in Iran, Lebanon and Ukraine. The cost of living crisis. At times it feels the world has tipped into the surreal. Donald Trump posting photos of himself on his Truth Social account as the Risen Christ. A step too far even for Nigel Farage. To round it off we have the US president picking a fight with the pope. Leo is a terrible man apparently for not endorsing war. Trump has yet to work out that, on the whole, popes are not in favour of illegal wars.
So we should make the best of one of those rare days when we have some news that is unequivocally good. Celebrate the defeat of the authoritarian, hard-right government of Viktor Orbán in Hungary. Well, some of us can at any rate. I’m not sure that many in Reform are feeling so chipper: Farage used to shower Orban with praise at every opportunity.
Mind you, these things need to be kept in perspective. The new prime minister, Péter Magyar, is not a centre-left liberal. He’s firmly on the centre-right. But baby steps and all that. And it did take 16 years to get rid of Orbán. But even so, there is much to enjoy. The €90bn loan from the EU to Ukraine will no longer be blocked. The innermost workings of the European Council will no longer be leaked to Vladimir Putin in real time. And Hungarians will be getting their country back.
