30.10 EU Leaders Dislike Governments Defending National Interests: UK Journalist
MOSCOW, October 30 (RIA Novosti) - European bureaucrats, as well as heads of leading EU countries dislike leaders who consider the national interests of their country to be the immediate priority, John Laughland, a British journalist, told Radio VR, citing the United Kingdom and Hungary as examples.
“There is, of course, a lot of dislike of Viktor Orbán and his party in the European Union – in other EU governments, as well as the EU structures in Brussels. We’ve known for many decades that those structures, the people, who work in them, and other European leaders do not like government leaders or governments, who defend the national interests of their country,” the expert said. “Britain has been unpopular for many decades for precisely this reason. Viktor Orbán has now come under attack for this same reason,” he stressed, adding that the EU does not like the fact that “he tries to do the best for his country.”
The Hungarian government has been recently criticized for its plans to introduce an internet tax. Under the new regulation, internet service providers would have to pay $0.62 per gigabyte of data traffic. The plans caused widespread protests in the country. Tens of thousands took to the streets of Budapest on Tuesday.
“In principle, all taxes are unpopular. What I see in these demonstrations is nothing more than an attempt to mobilize people against Viktor Orbán. The people, who are demonstrating in Budapest, are his political enemies,” Laughland said. The journalist is convinced protesters use the tax as a pretext to rally demonstrations.
Protesters claim that the tax will infringe on the freedom of speech. “There will be no limits on the freedom of speech,” the journalist noted. Protesters “try to present Viktor Orbán as an authoritarian leader, who is clamping down on civil liberties. We’ve heard this story ever since he was elected. The idea that this will somehow affect the freedom of speech is completely ridiculous,” he added.
Laughland contended that the people on the streets hardly represent the majority of the population. “Their problem is that Orbán enjoys substantial support in Hungary, as we know from the recent elections. His party was returned with an absolute majority. These people are marginals. They may not be marginal in Europe. They are of course supported by Europe and America, who, I am sure, would like to get rid of Viktor Orbán, but they are a minority in Hungary.”
Despite tensions between Hungary and the European Union, Laughland doubts the country will leave the bloc either of its own accord, or as a result of being forced to leave by its peers. “Unfortunately, the Hungarian leadership even under Viktor Orbán remains committed to EU membership although it’s pretty unpopular among the Hungarian population. Orbán’s party Fidesz remains a member of the Germany-dominated People’s Party. I don’t think there is any serious talk about withdrawing from either the European Union, or NATO,” the journalist concluded.
