Hungarian Conservative

Viktor Orbán has a very long record in public life, from his early days as a strong anti-communist freedom fighter, through to his first stint in government, and now to this long and successful tenure as a prime minister. He’s been able to articulate a brand of conservatism that is both economically sensible and culturally conservative and traditionalist.

‘If working people are voting more right: as in Australia in my 2013 election, America in Trump’s 2016 election, Britain in Boris Johnson’s 2019 Brexit election, and here in Hungary for the past decade, that’s because the main party of the right has become more economically pragmatic, more focussed on the social fabric, more targeted towards people’s living standards, and more concerned to uphold its own country’s interests over “global” ones.’

At a press conference ahead of Day 1 of CPAC Hungary 2024, Director General Miklós Szánthó of the Center for Fundamental Rights shared that this year’s conference will be bigger than ever before, as the organizers are expecting a record number of 3,000 attendees, including 500 foreign guests. The event will attract 80 speakers from all six continents.

‘The divisions inside the conservative movement are less over what should be done, and more over how far we might go, and the right answer is always as far as possible. In a democracy, the path to political success is always practical: for us, that means identifying the problems that worry people most and finding credible and pragmatic ways to make change for the better.’

During her visit to Australia, President Novák discussed key demographic issues with former Australian PM Tony Abbott, met with Margaret Elaine Gardner, the Governor of Victoria State, and gave a lecture at the Australian Catholic University in Sydney. She also highlighted her Humanity Tuesdays initiative, which has been endorsed by Elon Musk.

‘What sacrifices would the Australian nation be prepared to make now? I suspect that we will have to make some, more than we have recently had to—sacrifices in treasure, at least, if we are to avoid having to make them in blood. Because dictatorships are on the march, not just here in Europe and in the Middle East, but in East Asia too, and the only way to see off aggressive bullies is to meet them with an equal measure of strength and determination.’

The Third Danube Institute Geopolitical Summit took place last week in the Castle District of Budapest, with such illustrious guests sharing their insights as former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, former Czech President Václav Klaus, Head of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Hungarians Abroad Zsolt Németh, and Lewis Libby, researcher at the Hudson Institute and advisor to former US President George W. Bush.

‘Governments have a duty to their own citizens to maintain the character of the country,’ Tony Abbott, former prime minister of Australia argues. An interview on migration, family policy, foreign relations, and the Russo-Ukrainian war.

The brand new edition of our magazine features articles by Hungarian MP and Fidesz party founder Zsolt Németh, former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, and Uppsala University professor Maria Engström; as well as an interview with N.S. Lyon, a Washington DC-based political analyst and author writing under a pseudonym. You can pick up the latest edition of Hungarian Conservative magazine at your local bookstore or newspaper stand; or, you can subscribe to our quarterly magazine on our website to make sure you never miss an issue.