Hungary amends constitution to redefine 'family'

[Suff]

Well that was entirely predictable.

Now time will tell as to whether this turns into an intra EU turf fight or not.

Having just secured their budget and minimal interference from Brussels, they have continued on their quest to redefine the laws of the member state to suit themselves and not to suit Brussels.

I know that the UK press is far more concerned with Covid and whether people will behave themselves at Christmas. But this little item is actually quite important on a global scale.

[Kaz]

Oh the irony of the Hungarian MP who was involved in drafting up this right-wing nonsense being caught at a gay orgy in Brussels recently. It's usually the bigots who shout loudest who have the most to hide, in my opinion.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-55145989

[cromwell]

'The new Hungarian constitution defines family as “based on marriage and the parent-child relation. The mother is a woman, the father a man.”'
Well, I don't object to that, or think that it is extremist. Until very recently this has been the default position since marriage began, and that is an awfully long time since.

Nor do I think that an effective ban on gay adoptions is "a dark day for human rights". What right? If you are a gay man and your partner is gay then it's 99% that you aren't going to have any children. Why should it be a 'right' for you to adopt just because you want to?

Yes, there are other bits of the Hungarian government that I don't like. But the Hungarian people must like it well enough because Orban has won by a landslide three times in a row.
The question is going to boil down to is the EU going to keep on giving money to Hungary and Poland when the national governments of those countries aren't as woke and progressive as the EU would like?
Eventually there will be a showdown I guess.

[Suff]

I don't think there is the slightest thing ironic about a gay person writing a law which says that people in a relationship which cannot produce children cannot be classed as a "family" unit and also that law should set out the boundaries as to what a family unit is.

These standards have been there for thousands of years.

I do not see that this person is simultaneously demanding the right to marry, adopt children and also writing a law which says they cannot. That wouldn't be ironic, that would be hypocritical.

Also I believe that having a gay person reiterate that heterosexual families are the norm, whilst being gay is both a different norm but not the general norm, is correct. If that statement is only made by the heterosexual community, then it is a bit overbearing.

The problem here is that a very tiny slice of our sexual orientation mix has overtaken the entire agenda and managed to get us into a position where the very tip of the tail is holding a machine gun over the rest of the dog.

Perhaps the backlash will push Hungary to seek more self sufficiency, take less "bribe" money and help them stand on their own two feet.

The fact that Orban won with a >60% vote doesn't hurt him either. Apparently the democratic process is OK so long as it does not clash with other, decidedly, undemocratic institutions.

It will bear watching.

[Kaz]

The irony Stuff is that he's supposedly a happily married man, telling others that being gay is wrong - yet he's caught out at a gay orgy! Hypocrite!

[cromwell]

The irony Stuff is that he's supposedly a happily married man, telling others that being gay is wrong - yet he's caught out at a gay orgy! Hypocrite!

Absolutely, but then again an awful lot of politicians are!
John Major going on about Victorian values and back to basics whilst cheating on his wife with Edwina Currie, Jonathan Aitken vowing to fight bent and twisted journalism with the "simple sword of truth" - that was before he got sent to jail - any number of them in the expenses scandal, any number of them denouncing nimbyism whilst practising it themselves, the ones who are fanatical about diversity whilst making sure they stay at a safe distance from any downsides of it - the list is endless.

[Kaz]

There is certainly a lot of hypocrisy in politics, of all colours

[Suff]

The irony Stuff is that he's supposedly a happily married man, telling others that being gay is wrong - yet he's caught out at a gay orgy! Hypocrite!

Yes that's an irony. I suppose some of it depends on whether his wife knows or not.

However the legislation is not really about whether people are gay or not. It is about what constitutes Family and who can claim rights as a family.

Something which is also a real conflict here in the UK where we have decided "family" is two people regardless of sex.

[Kaz]

Well she knows now!

[Suff]

She does indeed..