Orbán on European Christian Democrats: "First we become centrists, then liberals and finally left-wingers"

On February 4, an international conference entitled “God, Honor, Country” was held in Rome.

Organized on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of John Paul II, it was devoted, among other things, to the role played by the Polish Pope and American President Ronald Reagan in overthrowing communism. The conference was attended by many famous thinkers, including Yoram Hazony, Rod Dreher, John O’Sullivan and Christopher DeMuth. Ryszard Legutko and Michał Łuczewski were Polish speakers. However, the discussion involving Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán aroused most interest.

Soon we will publish a full record of his Roman speech on the wPolityce.pl portal. Before this happens, however, I would like to draw your attention to the theme of the ideological evolution of European Christian Democrats that he raised. Orbán said, among others:

Look at the European People’s Party. We belong to the EPP. What is happening in the EPP? Our membership is suspended because we are the „black sheep” of the Union, so I can say what I think. The EPP would like to be part of the EU’s power structure at all costs. If the price for this is to give up certain values and compromise with the left, it will do so. And that is how we are losing our identity, little by little. First we become centrists, then liberals and finally left-wingers. It’s happening!

So you have to step up and say: „Listen, we’re falling apart! We’re losing our identity. We no longer know who we are, and the people who vote for us can no longer distinguish us from other parties. What the hell are we doing? What’s the point of being such a politician?

So if we don’t say it and open a new chapter, we’ll keep moving left, in a liberal direction. The media, international pressure, intellectuals, universities - they will be pushing us to give away more and more of our identity and our principles. This is what Conservatives across Europe are now experiencing. This is the situation. I’m trying to carry out a counter-revolution. But I do not have many candidates who would like to work with me. But I hope there will be more soon.

Viktor Orbán is today the only leader of the European People’s Party who dares to speak out about the drift to the left of this formation and also tries to turn it back from this course. In this context, the suspension of Fidesz from the EPP is certainly no accident. The future of the Hungarian Prime Minister’s grouping in the EU configuration will largely depend on how European Christian Democrats will define their identity in the near future.

We already have some clarity on this. At the last meeting of the European People’s Party, Donald Tusk was elected president. After the election, the leader of the EPP fraction in the European Parliament, German CSU politician Manfred Weber said:

Donald Tusk is a symbol of what this grouping is; his task will be to redefine what Christian democracy is in the world today.

What the altar candidates, such as Alcide de Gasperi and Robert Schuman, used to do today falls on Donald Tusk’s shoulders. However, from the statements and actions of the latter, it is already possible to deduce the direction in which the new Christian Democrats will go. It is also a clear sign for Orbán…