Seven of them stood on the bank of the river so that they could cross to the other side and set foot there. Seven, like the bad guys: Gabi, Detti, Andris, Feri, Ági, Geri and Peti. They had a boat, they should have all got in it and rowed to the other side, where the desired power would have been waiting for them if they managed to crush the hated enemy, the usurper of power. The only problem was that they couldn't agree on the seating order, they set different conditions, they had different ideas about the boat, the oar, the world beyond and, of course, about each other. And yet there was the common denominator, the hated enemy ruling over the people and the end on which it would be possible to cling.

The verdict on joint rowing Ildikó Lendvai (years ago). He managed to say that no and no, it is simply impossible to defeat Fidesz, and after two-thirds of the time, the third defeat of 2018 is already looming in the distance. Two solutions could be imagined, declared the iconic figure of the old communists and their successor party.

If Viktor Orbán , they, today's socialists, could imagine a joint government with Fidesz. At that time, Ildikó's party was still the strongest on the left, although they could not find a credible candidate for Prime Minister among them even then. The sudden idea turned to ashes because, in true comradely fashion, he did not count on the fact that Fidesz is not only a loyal party in name, but internal coups cannot be expected there. So the other solution remained, the alliance, since the opposition parties from right to left, back and forth, were united by one thing, namely the replacement of Fidesz and the ousting of Viktor Orbán from power. This was the common opposition minimum, the connecting link.

It is worth taking a look at the poll data from that time. The Democratic Coalition was a three-to-four percent party, Gyurcsány was the most rejected politician, yet three-quarters of the left-wing and liberal voters believed that the DK, together with its party leader, was unavoidable in the opposition coalition. To a lesser extent, 40 percent, the populist right-wingers also thought the same.

Not on a parity basis, but from the right (49 percent) and the left (33 percent), the voters believed that the change of government requires the cooperation of all opposition parties. The form of cooperation was envisioned in a common list or in the nomination of a common candidate for each constituency. At first, the two left-wing parties divided the constituencies equally between them, the MSZP making a big concession to the DK, but then everything turned upside down because the little liberal parties joined the party as well.

The first seemingly real meeting was held three weeks before the elections. The host Gyurcsány did not invite Jobbik. It was all a bit confusing. The patty was dry, Gyurcsány, on the other hand, was quite drunk, his snakes were snaking, and he didn't give anyone any of his whiskey. This led to anger, and no agreement was reached, because the DK did not negotiate with Jobbik, but the LMP would have negotiated with everyone. There, too, they left taps and priests with the will of their voters, i.e. with the cooperation, not caring about anything.

Perhaps this is when the image outlined at the beginning of my article, the Illiberal Memes meme about the impossibility of opposition unity, was born. (Vona) Gabi only with Detti (Szél) and Andris (Fekete-Győr), Detti with everyone, not with (Gyurcsány) Feri, Andris alone or with everyone, (Kunhalmi) Ági and (Kárácsony) Geri only together and not with Gabi, Feri and (Juhász) Peti does not travel with Gabi. Can they survive the elections? said the puzzle.

They couldn't, at least not in a boat. Some swam across, but it exhausted all their strength and they gave up. Some did not survive, neither he nor his party. There are people who have been wandering through the side waters of the boat in the same way since then for good money and are waiting for the promise of the next change of government. Someone rocked the boat, today he is the leader of the new opposition coalition.

Having learned from the mistakes they made, they prepared in time for the 2022 elections. The opposition signed a written agreement, joint demonstrative photos were taken. The ladies lined up behind the candidates in party-colored costumes so that the common people could see how colorful, cheerful and united the group was. When the nomination of candidates started, it turned out that they were playing the same whistle on the voters' will, emotions, and commitment as they did four years earlier.

The good places were divided among themselves, and democracy is played on the rest. Karácsony failed not only his voters, but also the parties that nominated him in exchange for some kind of deal, which will be revealed one day, and gave way to the "integrative" candidate, who makes his decisive decisions underwater, while showering. He is the most likely candidate against Orbán, Péter Márki-Zay , a small-town mayor who has traveled to America, with twenty-two years of leadership experience and no party behind him. He is the common denominator, because he is left-wing based on his social democratic ideas, but Jobbik is closer to him, because he is a true right-wing, Christian father of a large family, and for the Greens, he is also the guarantee of the green program.

The true integrative candidate has become the most divisive so far, and his supposed supporters are lining up behind the tiny Klára Dobrev, who represents left-wing, internationalist values ​​if only out of respect for family tradition. This is completely natural - Dobrev's girlfriend thinks, how could a left-wing person vote for the right?!

Up until now, I thought that the opposition coalition, the primary election, campaign, and voting were the return of the purest democracy to the Hungarian land crumbling under the dictatorship. At least that's how they advertised themselves. Then I hear that the participants of the play are insulting each other, shouting snake and frog at each other, talking about money spent, fraud, treason. And they are telling all Hungarians that they will win next year and there will be a harsh reckoning, prison, all concrete will be broken up, anyone will be removed from their place (in a declarative manner), regardless of constitutionality, law, guarantee of the rule of law . We have a right to it, we are Hungarians too! says the vice president of the Democratic Coalition.

Would this be the common vision that convinces the majority? The National Minimum? The program of the new regime change? Pure moral governance with the brigade led by Gyurcsány–Dobrev?

Why déjà vu?

Author: Irén Rab

The article was originally published in Magyar Hírlap.

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