A Post-'Socialist' May Day in Magyarország

international | anti-capitalism | news report

Friday May 04, 2007 15:45

by redjade

{Magyarország means Hungary in Hungarian}

MSZP supporting retirees

May Day in post-'socialist' Hungary is an odd thing for me. It's not riots in the streets (the right wingers in Budapest did that last autumn), and its not the ritualised Union banner parades that you see in Dublin and its not 'Loyalty Day' as it is practiced in the birthplace of May Day, America.

Here in Hungary it is a family event in the largest park of Budapest, Városliget, with carnival rides and balloons, cotton candy and other typically sugary sweets that Hungarians love to eat. Politics are almost non-existent - an annoying distraction from a sunny day, actually.

Along with the Leftist meaning of May Day, the first of May is also the anniversary of Hungary's entry into the European Union. The EU festivities were at least about something concrete and real, more than any of the other politics of that day.

The ruling Socialist Party (MSZP), the children of the old commie regime but today both Neo-Liberal and Neo-Con, held a huge 'rally' in Városliget - I say 'rally' because it was really a massive nostalgia evoking event complete with commie era musicians singing serenading 70 year old women on stage Don Ho style.

This event was a massive sea of gray hair. Almost entirely 50+ unless the attending grandparents brought along their grandchildren for the sunny day.

And this is the base voter demographic for the MSZP - retirees. And they rely on the MSZP to not slash their pensions. And in exchange, the MSZP does not slash their pensions - except that, this too is about to change.

The MSZP Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany made an appearance and among other things said 'They can never take this day away from us.'* - which led me to wonder who exactly is 'they' and who exactly is 'us'. Especially since I doubt 90% of the crowd around me will even be alive in 20 years!

Since the riots last autumn the Socialists have been cutting funding for mass transit, closing hospitals, closing schools, privatising community centres and raising fees on everything imaginable. The Right wing, led by the Fidesz Party, has actively opposed the socialist attacks on all of the above.

In Hungary much of what is 'left' elsewhere is 'right' and what is 'right' is 'left'. (not entirely, of course - if you go further to the right you will find more and more anti-semitism and racist gypsy bashing)

Since moving here, never has the oft repeated August Bebel quote 'Anti-Semitism is the socialism of fools.' made more sense to me - except, one would be a fool to be a socialist, as well.

There are some small groups that are what I would call 'Left' - but they are for the most part small, ineffectual and absurdly cling to some odd hope that Lenin could be rehabilitated in a society and culture that was cruelly tortured by Leninists.

For example, the EU level proposal to ban the Red Star with the Nazi Swastika would have a lot of support here. The two symbols are seen as one and the same because Hungary had once been allied with and occupied by the politics of each symbol.

So today in Hungary, May Day is a nice four day weekend to enjoy cotton candy with your grandchild - and keep the politics out of it, please.

August Bebel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Bebel

Loyalty Day
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loyalty_Day

MSZP - Magyar Szocialista Párt
http://www.mszp.hu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_Socialist_Party

Fidesz
http://www.fidesz.hu/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fidesz_–_Hungarian_Civic_Union

Don Ho
http://www.donho.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Ho

* paraphrased quote of Ferenc Gyurcsany.