In response to an FT article by Philip Stephens on 13th July 2017, entitled ‘Viktor Orban’s Hungary crosses to Europe’s dark side’ – sub-headed: ‘The campaign against George Soros digs up the demons of anti-Semitism’
It both saddens and angers me that journalists seek to take complex issues down to the level of this article. But, I’m not surprised. I have come to the conclusion that Philip Stephens is little more than a shill for a globalist elite…a mediocre analyst who imagines himself a ‘democrat’ and a ‘liberal’. The guy needs a dictionary.
The comments section of this article was closed at some point during the afternoon, and was replaced by the message: ‘Comments have not been enabled for this article’. My original post disappeared along with the rest. What follows below is a reproduction of sorts.
I suggest you read the article in full, and make up your own mind…something I suspect that both Stephens and Soros would prefer you to leave up to them.
“Strongmen, it seems, stick together. Viktor Orban has stirred the fears of Hungary’s Jewish community with a campaign of vilification directed at George Soros, the billionaire investor and philanthropist. The prime minister’s billboard attack disinters anti-Semitic tropes from the dark side of Europe’s history. Yet the publicly voiced concern of Israel’s ambassador in Budapest has not persuaded Benjamin Netanyahu to cancel a planned visit…
…This is not good enough. European leaders should remind themselves of Article 2 of the EU treaty — the one that says the union is founded “on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities”. Then they should set about upholding these provisions”
– Philip Stephens
Firstly - ‘strongmen’ are clearly not the only people who stick together Mr Stephens – 'elitists' and ‘globalists’ seem to flock just as readily…though as someone who inhabits a world without mirrors, I doubt you have noticed.
Secondly - anyone who has a problem with another human being on the basis of colour, religion or ethnicity is an idiot. Likewise, anyone who seeks to shield themselves from criticism of their actions…on the basis of their colour, religion or ethnicity…is also an idiot. There are idiots of both types everywhere, including I am sure, in Hungary. The media is awash with them. The tabloids tend to play to the former, the so-called 'quality' papers are increasingly riddled with the later. It's ALL crap. These issues are far more complex than that.
Thirdly - Personally, I don’t think the issue that keeps the Hungarian government up at night is the fact that George Soros is ‘Jewish’…I think a much more scary thought for them is the fact that he is ‘George Soros’ – a man with a history of supporting ‘colour’ revolutions and organising rent-a-crowd protests throughout Eastern Europe. Putting myself in their shoes, I think they have looked at what happened in Ukraine and other countries where ‘Open Society’ is active, and have come to the conclusion that Soros wants to get rid of them...and that he has the support, both tangible and tacit, of the EU and the US. Strangely, they are not terribly keen on the idea.
Finally - my own issue with Soros is nothing to do with his ethnicity, his religion, or what colour socks he wears. I don’t care what he has for breakfast and I am not the least bit interested to know what music he’d take to a desert island. What I have a problem with is this: he is a deluded and dangerous fool who thinks he knows how the rest of the world should live their lives…and in an attempt to turn his hubris into reality, has far too many politicians and journalists eating out of his pocket.