Thread by @Mij_Europe

Within a few years of Viktor Orban's election victory in 2010, such was the contempt he paid to democratic norms in parliament, that Hungarian opposition figures routinely referred to the country as Absurdistan. It has only got worse since then 1/

abouthungary.hu/speeches-and-r…

Take this bizarre latest missive which went on line yesterday as part of Orban's “Samizdat” entreaties. It is, purportedly, Orban's assessment of Merkel's time as CX. When she leaves “a piece of the life of Central Europe” will go with her. “We understood her, she understood us”

“For years, Merkel and I had to endure together the hardships of being in opposition”. But soon both were in power, and then “We managed the financial crisis in 2010, we were partners in the fight to keep the European Union together, and together we watched helplessly.. 3/

..and without recourse the European tragedy of the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war.” Er,… where to start with this? Merkel & Orban sorted out the financial crisis? The Chancellor & Hungarian PM “fought” to keep EU together 4/

Is this the same EU that, according to Orban, is akin to rule from the former Soviet Union? The Russian-Ukrainian war is the one that Orban has never publicly criticised his friend Putin for initiating? 5/

Orban continues: “The loyal and disciplined Germans, the rebellious and reckless Hungarians, stood together for a common goal: a Europe in which all nations can feel at home” 6/

Orban, never one for using 10 words when 100 can be squeezed in, gushes on, because in 2015, the “migratory invasion” causes a “a rupture”, an “open fracture” that cripples “the athlete's movement” for life (the athlete, I suppose/assume, is Europe, or possibly the EU) 7/

The Hungarian PM then meanders through another 270 words to ponder Merkel's legacy, which boils down to a Europe containing non-European, non-Christians being unacceptable to “we Hungarians” 8/

And then - his one hard conclusion: “Restoring European cooperation will require superhuman efforts in the post-Merkel era” 9/

Indeed - as long as Orban is allowed to usurp European values with his mendacious rhetoric while embezzling EU taxpayers' money, this is one of his pearls of wisdom upon which we wholeheartedly can agree ENDS