Hungary’s Afghan Folly?

Hodmezovasarhely delight

Janos Lazar treated us like royalty.

The Western European Union Defence Committee was escorted into Hodmezovasarhely by a phalanx of police vehicles with wailing sirens. In the town square a military band playing the Euro anthem greeted us. Later Janos staged a mini-war for our delectation.

He is both mayor of this delightful city and chairman of Hungary’s Defence Committee. An ambitious 33 years old he concentrates on defence because his city is only a few miles from the Serbian and Romanian borders.

On a previous visit, a Hungarian asked me “How many countries border Hungary? I guessed six. ‘Wrong’ he said,’ It’s just one. Greater Hungary.’  All border countries have ethnic and linguistic Hungarian minorities. There are festering problems of alleged discrimination and alienation in all of them.

Seven conflicts are possible. There are also the dormant Balkan tensions that could spill over the border. These are justifiable reasons for keeping the Hungarian Army battle ready.

The other reason was less persuasive. Janos wants to send Hungarian troops into Southern Afghanistan to replace the Dutch troops. In the public meeting we had in the city hall, I asked whether the Hungarian people were prepared to accept casualties on the scale that we, the Canadians and the Dutch have suffered in Southern Afghanistan.

Janos said they were not. But he has surrendered to the pressure from the USA that says that all NATO countries should devote more spending to Defence. Hungary spends only 1%, half of our spending.

All the better for improving health and education investment in the city where Janos is mayor. I reminded him of our Defence Secretary’s hope when we first invaded Helmand, that, ‘we should be out within three years without a shot being fired.’

The latest British Military assessment is that Janos will be drawing his pension before our and Hungary’s troops retreat from Nato's Vietnam.

Consolidate Victory
There is frantic e-mailing on what the 10p tax rebels should do now.

It’s the greatest victory for a backbench group for at least a decade. Grumbling at the imperfections of the change might snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. The key statement of Alistair Darling was: -

For future years our aim is to continue the same level of support for those on lower incomes and I shall bring forward proposals to do that in the pre-budget report.’

We rebels are likely to produce a supportive statement highlighting our trust in the Government and emphasising the strength of that commitment.

Crewe cut

Bye-elections alter nothing. Their results are never representative of the voters’ views. They have deceived past party leaders into fatal General Election decisions. A poor bye-election result two years before a General Election is of no significance. A Newport bye-election in 1922 was disastrously mis-read by the Prime Minister of the time.

If makes no difference if Labour’s big majority is cut by two. With a poll rating of 24, a loss is possible, perhaps likely. By exaggerating the importance of a defeat, we multiply the damage of any loss to Labour’s morale

Get your retaliation in first Gordon. Concentrate on governing and cut any trips to Crewe.

Missionary work
What am I doing in Hungary when I long to be in Westminster questioning select Committee witness on lobbying? There is no way of questioning by Blackberry – yet.

International work is a big part of the backbencher’s role. I have visited Hungary several times since 1988 and I greatly prize my friendship with poet and filmmaker Gyla Heygi.

In parliament I have acted on behalf of Hungarian minorities in Romania against the sytematazaria of villages. More recently I spoke in Strasbourg in defence of blocked Euro project in a Hungarian village in Romania. It was unfairly obstructed on ethnic grounds.

When I spoke in as ‘Llywydd y Dydd’ in the 1988 Newport eisteddfod, I quoted Hungarian litterateur Istvan Szecheny who answered the question, ‘Where is the nation?” with ‘The nation lives in her language.’
One of the most famous poems in the Hungarian language is ‘The bards of Wales’. It compares the treatment of Wales as a vassal state to England to Hungary’s subjugation by Turkish rule.

Each visit is a rich experience that churns up memories of past friendships in this courageous and generous land. This week’s visit has given me access to the heads of the Hungarian Government. They should know that the UK does not have a single view on current crises. We dissidents on Iraq and Afghanistan have many supporting voices from the 40 countries of the Western European union.