In his opening address at CPAC Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán presented the global right with what he called the “antidote to progressive dominance”.
The global right can be victorious against the progressive hegemony so long as it acts sensibly and puts in the work to win the culture war – this was the message Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán gave to attendees with his opening address at CPAC Hungary on Thursday, launching the event which represents the first time that the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) has ventured beyond America.
According to a report by Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet, Orbán presented the crowd with what he called the “antidote to progressive dominance” that he believed would help the right worldwide to achieve power.
Although noting that there are no “miracle weapons” that will end the culture war, the Prime Minister said that the Right could gain significant ground by cultivating its own media and political class, while staying away from fringe conspiracy theories and the extremes of politics.
“We can only portray the madness of the progressive left if there is media to help with that,” he said, whiling praising U.S. television host Tucker Carlson — who will address the conference by video call tomorrow — for his work in taking leftists to task over their actions.
He also said that conservatives would do well to focus on solid economic and foreign policy platforms which put the interest of the nation and her people first, emphasising that a “Hungary First, America First” approach will win over voters when presented correctly.
“When we came to power, we decided that we should only do economic policies that would benefit the majority of the electorate,” Orbán said, noting that even those who don’t vote for him end up gaining from his rule, which he argues help explain his 12 years of electoral success.
The Hungarian leader also told those attending that it was important to “have faith”, claiming that those who lack belief in a higher power will inevitably lose control of their own.
“If one does not believe that one day [he] will have to answer for his deeds before the Lord God… he [feels he] can do anything that is in his power,” he warned.
Lastly, the conservative politician said that he wanted to see the right work towards building long-standing institutions that will stand the test of time, noting that politicians “come and go, but institutions stay with us for generations”.
Orbán’s address at the conference is the first of a series of speeches and panels which will occur at the event in Budapest over the coming days, with conservative figures such as American pundit Candace Owens, Brexit leader Nigel Farage, and Fox commentator Tucker Carlson all listed as being scheduled to speak to attendees.
Considering the star-studded line-up, the event has drawn considerable ire from the left, with many outlets publishing articles denouncing Orbán as an “autocratic” leader who presides over an “illiberal democracy” and expressing dismay that the right in America has found the man increasingly admirable for his work.
A number of articles have also attacked Orbán on his strong record on border control, a position the Prime Minister himself defended on Thursday, having also told those gathered that the right worldwide must begin acting “according to our own rules” and not bow to solutions found on the left.
“[W]e decided to stop the migration and build the wall on the southern border because the Hungarian people said they did not want illegal immigrants,” he told CPAC Hungary, couching his immigration policies firmly in terms of the will of his country’s people.
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