Hungarian MPs from ruling Fidesz have this week voted to transfer ownership of 11 universities to newly established, so-called “private foundations“. These will be endowed with state assets & headed by allies of PM Viktor Orban 2/
The trustees will be given founders rights, meaning they can appoint their successors. The new structures are also protected in a legal bunker that needs a two-thirds parliamentary majority to change 3/
The Govt says the “reforms” will help remove universities from Govt control & improve educational standards 😂. In reality it will entrench Orban's control, nationalism & clientelism permanently into Hungary's education sector, no matter which Govt comes to power in future ENDS
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So @EmmanuelMacron has announced a 4 stage reopening of France in his interview with the regional press, which has been leaked to Le Point magazine though not published in full until tomorrow 1/6
Tourists with a “health pass”, including a negative test, will be allowed back into France on 9 June. This is part of the third stage 2/6
Other stages are:
Next Monday 3 May (already announced) – the end of the lockdown lite and 10K roaming limit 3/6
Le Monde has a big deep-dive poll of 10K people by Sopra-Steria & Ipsos today on first round of Pres elections – the first of a series over the next year. V good results for Macron – btwn 25 & 29% in first round, depending which of three possible centre-right candidates run 1/3
.@MLP_officiel is 26 - 28%. @xavierbertrand does better than @vpecresse – 16 as against 11% - but there is still no sign of a big bounce for his early declaration. The Left is scattered but totals 30% - higher than in other recent polls. Suggests a single left-wing candidate 2/3
Could hope to challenge Macron & Le Pen for a place in 2nd round but chances of a single left-wing candidate being agreed are close to zero – as Paul Taylor says in Politico. Overall, this is a very encouraging snapshot for Macron but a long way to go.. 3/3
So @MLP_officiel has ostensibly abandoned her 2017 plan to leave the EU/Euro - “Frexit”. But if you go to the official website of her “Rassemblement National“, there's nothing in way of new policies. All the old ideas - & supposedly abandoned program of 2017 - is still there 1/
The referendum on leaving EU is still there. The repudiation of Euro to “re-establish a national currency adapted to our own economy as a tool of competitiveness” is still there. Retirement at 60 is still there. Massive cuts in payroll taxes for small businesses still there 2/
Big, uncosted new investments in R&D are still there. The promise to enormously reduce inheritance taxes is still there. The promise of “re-industrialisation” through massive public investments by a “strategic state” is still there. “Intelligent protectionism” is still there 3/
Lots of media reports that UK & EU are edging closer towards a deal on the Protocol. I'm very sceptical. The gaps between the two remain substantive & substantial; indeed the press reports have been described to me as “surprising“. Short thread 1/
The gaps aren't only on SPS, where there's no meeting of the minds. There's well over 20 substantive issues to resolve & no agreement on whom the onus lies to fix them 2/
The EU wants a “roadmap“ from UK. HMG only agreed to a “work program“. The diff isn't semantics: the first implies all obligations fall on UK; the second it's a joint endeavour. The compromise “road plan” won't resolve this underlying problem 3/
Lots of buzz in Paris/Fr today as @EPhilippe_LH publishes his book on his experiences as PM between May 17 & July 20 under @EmmanuelMacron. Lots already trailed in Fr press & Philippe has been teasingly non-committal about his Pres ambitions. People in Macron land are worried 1/6
Some close to Macron think Philippe may emerge as a rival (despite a gentleman's understanding between the two he won't compete with his former boss). Others think he's being coy to help Macron - subtracting attention from recently launched campaign of @xavierbertrand 2/6
I think Philippe will only run in very specific circumstances (one eg, he could emerge as the figurehead of a “dump Macron” move by establishment worried Le Pen will take second round) 3/6
True, other recent polls show a similar modest fall. And all were taken before last night’s announcement of a “lockdown light” for whole of France. But numbers cd have been much worse - considering severity of new UK-variant driven surge in Covid cases & acute cases in Fr 2/4
Macron is paying, but not paying severely yet, for his decision to reject a third lockdown in late Jan. But a year from elections, he is still better placed than any French President this late in their term - for several decades 3/4