Mr Orbán said “every single member of the government is innocent, not a single minister’s honour is in doubt, they cannot be associated with such crimes. If someone nonetheless does associate them with such crimes, they have to suffer the consequences, there will be grave consequences.” A fake news story has been built in a complex system – which has yet to be fully explored – that probably involves foreign ties as well, a story claiming that a crime was committed involving paedophilia with elements leading all the way to the government, he said. This is an extremely serious matter because paedophilia is the gravest crime our civilisation knows. “Prison is the only place for paedophiles, there is no death penalty, we can’t quarter them, though that would probably be the optimal solution, but anyway, prison is the place for them.”
He said if someone accuses a person of having committed paedophilia without foundation, without facts, they themselves commit a serious crime. This is a serious crime even when committed against an ordinary member of the public. However, if it is committed against a person with public responsibilities, say, a minister, a police officer, a member of the army or a state official, it is doubly serious, he added.
The Prime Minister said if someone accuses a person of a crime involving paedophilia without facts in order to destroy their job, to discredit the police, to compromise state administration, to topple a minister, or to topple a government, it is a triply grave crime. In this case, hearsay is not a forgivable sin. Gossip is all well and good, but an accusation of the gravest crime is not all well and good, he pointed out.
The Prime Minister also spoke about the fact that there was a legal system that everyone was acquainted with. In this case, the perpetrators, including opposition politicians, knew precisely when they committed these acts that if they do so – meaning that they accuse a person of having committed an act of paedophilia without facts, without factual foundation – they will be punished for this. When they did this, they knew the possible legal consequences, the Prime Minister laid down. He said they knew in advance what to expect.
Regarding the social conclusions, he said everyone must behave decently, it also helps in politics. “You shouldn’t hurt other people, you shouldn’t be aggressive. If you’re about to be overwhelmed with anger – because that happens, we’re all human – you have to count to ten before saying anything, rather than charging forward and besmirching someone’s honour. Punching someone in the stomach causes no joy…,” he said. Politics where, naturally, there are heated debates, is for people who are able to control difficult human situations such as their own anger even in heated debates, he pointed out.
Analysing the causes, he took the view that such a situation usually emerges when there are problems within a civilisation, when the people and also their leaders have the feeling that they are not in control of the situation. Today, the world of Western Europe is in such a situation, the whole Western European economy is struggling, while migration has turned everything upside down. In Europe, the quality of life is deteriorating, and what surrounds us boosts aggression, and this also emerges in politics. At the same time, politicians have a responsibility for making sure that this nervous, aggressive, violent environment that follows from the general state of our continent should not be allowed to sneak into political debates. He suggested to everyone that they think ten times before saying something.
Mr Orbán said at its Wednesday meeting, the government decided to declare Antifa a terrorist organisation. Outlining the plans, he said they will draw up a national list of terrorist organisations against which they will take the most stringent action. He said the government must take the lead in that actions and verbalised violent, illegal intentions cannot be left without legal consequences and punishment.
In answer to the question of whether there is an alternative to Russian energy carriers, Mr Orbán said if Hungary were to suspend the purchase of Russian gas and oil, the Hungarian economy would immediately shrink by 4 per cent and hundreds of thousands of families would find themselves destroyed. In this case, partly, there would be no energy, and what there would be would cost several times more, and Hungarian families would pay hundreds of thousands of forints more.
He stressed that Hungary was a landlocked country, and was therefore unable to ship gas or oil in tankers, it was only possible via pipelines. He added that for the time being, no one was able to show a pipeline through which to supply Hungary, except the ones which were built in the communist times and those that Hungary has developed in the past 10 years in the southerly direction.
The Prime Minister indicated that he had spoken to the US President about this. He told him that a report of the IMF (International Monetary Fund) about the state of the Hungarian economy had concluded that if Hungary were detached from Russian crude oil and natural gas, Hungary’s economic performance would, “within a minute,” drop by 4 per cent. “That’s a disaster. It means that the Hungarian economy would be brought to its knees,” he said.
In answer to the question of whether the US President accepted these arguments, Mr Orbán said America is a large country, while Hungary is smaller, but both countries are sovereign, and “there is no need for either of us to accept the other’s arguments.” “America has its own arguments and interests, and so does Hungary. We have one duty, namely, to express and stand for these arguments and interests clearly. And if we have a good relationship, say, we’re friends, then we listen to them. Then everyone does what they want to,” the Prime Minister said.
He warned that Hungary must not behave as if we were being ordered about from outside, as if we were being told from outside what to do. We listen to everyone in a calm and composed manner, we answer everyone’s questions in a calm and composed manner, and then we do what is best for the Hungarian people, he laid down.
Mr Orbán highlighted that there was a veritable tax revolution under way in Hungary in three to four stages, and it was true that this would leave approximately HUF 4,000 billion with families. Meaning that the government will be HUF 4,000 billion “poorer,” but families will be that much richer and better-off.
He took the view that this was good; the more money is left with families, the better. The opposition parties believe that they should take the money away from the people and businesses, and should then redistribute it to make the world a fairer place as a result. By contrast, “I learnt in school that this leads to bankruptcy, and in the end, everyone will be worse-off,” he observed.
“Our philosophy is,” he said, “that we must guarantee the functioning of certain public services, but as much money should be left with families and businesses as possible because they know what they need much better, rather than someone telling them from the centre and giving them money.” He also said: similarly, the opposition has always believed that we spend too much on culture and sport. But while it is important to live well, we should “also have a beautiful life.” Culture and sports bring beauty into one’s life. Additionally, sport is extremely important because clear expectations regarding performance, discipline, team work and humility are today present most in sports, in the changing room. So, if we want to help parents to be able to raise their children to become decent human beings, we must also support sports.
The Prime Minister added he was shocked to hear that Tisza was considering doing away with the system of sports-related corporation tax grants. This would not affect top athletes, but would affect hundreds of thousands of children, he pointed out.
The Hungarian state supports investments, he stated, mentioning as an example that in Békéscsaba a Singaporean investment worth HUF 280 billion will create 2,500 jobs directly, and through businesses attached to the project, thousands more. The government has provided more than HUF 40 billion in order for this project not to go elsewhere, but to come to Hungary. “Had we followed the logic of Dr Kármán, my former secretary of state, we wouldn’t have provided this grant for the Singaporean company, and consequently, 2,500 jobs wouldn’t have come into being in Békéscsaba.” He observed that he understood “statements, reeking of ‘economist,’ as in what’s good and what’s bad on paper, and in textbooks in general, except these people have never once left their banks and their bank director chairs, they have no idea about the lives of the people who can only buy bread for their families if they have jobs,” and those must be created. Those who say that we should not support businesses, projects, in actual fact, take bread away from the Hungarian people,” he stated. He added: he told this “to Dr Kármán, when he was secretary of state in my government, that he should stop saying things like that because they’re contrary to the best interests of the Hungarian people. This is one of the reasons why we parted ways, this is why he joined Tisza.”
Mr Orbán also spoke about the fact that not only the leaders of Tisza, but also the majority of their voters wanted tax increases and progressive taxation instead of the present flat-rat tax. They even had a vote on this, everyone could see the footage where 80 to 90 per cent said progressive taxation is the way forward.
What is even worse news, in the Prime Minister’s opinion, is that the Tisza Party also wants to transform the system of family support and wants to introduce a property tax. If they introduce it, everyone will be required to submit property declarations, and the state will again monitor the people’s assets. Mr Orbán added that in the event of the introduction of the property tax, they would have to set up a property register which would be regularly controlled, “there will be enrichment investigations galore.”
He also said Buda residents in the thousands will pay hefty taxes on their properties, and there will be serious debates about what is worth how much, and how it will all be. We have already had this in Hungary, he observed, suggesting that taxation should be kept simple and taxes should be kept low.
“We shouldn’t pester the people if we can help it, we shouldn’t invade the privacy of their homes, we shouldn’t demand that they make tax returns, we shouldn’t pester them, shouldn’t investigate where they go on holiday, what cars they drive, we should allow them to work,” Mr Orbán said. Taxation should be simple, we should demand that the people pay those low and simple taxes, and then they can live as they like, he pointed out in summary.
Mr Orbán took the view regarding the fact that the competent committee of the European Parliament recommended to maintain the immunity of President of the Tisza Party Péter Magyar as a Member of the European Parliament that a Hungarian politician that can be blackmailed is a jackpot for Brussels.
Mr Orbán said Brussels has demands that he refuses to fulfil: he refuses to let migrants in, he is not prepared to phase out the taxes on banks and multinationals, and he refuses to surrender the reduction of household energy bills. He says no to changing the system of family support and to sending the money so saved to Ukraine, while he also says no to Hungary becoming involved in the war, he listed.
“I say no to all these things, and I can’t be blackmailed,” he laid down. The Prime Minister highlighted that Brussels needed a leader who would let migrants in, would take Hungary to war, would stand with Ukraine, and would “deal the reduction of household energy bills a heavy blow.”
In summary, he said Brussels needs a leader in Hungary who can be controlled “with a joystick,” meaning someone who can be blackmailed. Péter Magyar can be blackmailed, he is not prosecuted for theft here in Hungary because the Brusselites protect him with his immunity. They want to see him in the prime minister’s seat, and he can then be blackmailed into decisions which are lethal for Hungary, he said, adding that as long as there is a national government, there will be no such decisions.
