Archive for the ‘Donald Trump, USA President’ Category
Hungary – “Defeating Orbán is One Thing – Defeating Orbanism Quite Another”
Donnacha Ó Beacháin discussed the Hungary elections with Flor MacCarthy and
@shonamurray.bsky.social on Oireachtas TV. Defeating Orbán is one thing, dismantling Orbánism quite another Expectations are high and Magyar’s support base is diverse, even contradictory. Managing expectations will be key to avoiding fragmentation
Six lessons from Hungary’s vote and Orbán’s defeat An “illiberal democracy” can be ousted — what India and the world should learn
Link :
Six lessons from Hungary’s vote and Orbán’s defeat
Kavita Krishnan examines the fall of Orbán in greater detail here :
Writing in The Hindu after Viktor Orbán’s 12 April 2026 electoral defeat, Indian Marxist-feminist Kavita Krishnan draws six lessons for an international readership and, above all, for India under Narendra Modi. She argues that illiberal democracies can be ousted at the ballot box; that obituaries for universal democracy are premature; that Ukraine won the Hungarian vote; that regime-change accusations are confessions; that Orbán’s fall is a defeat for Xi Jinping as well as Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu; and that pro-democracy forces must now discard the “West versus rest” map and consolidate their gains across borders. [AN]
Hungarian voters have swept their far-right strongman Viktor Orbán out of office, ending his 16-year run as Prime Minister and electoral autocrat. Here are six lessons the world can take from them.
Read the rest of this entry »Multiple Bullies At Work, Out to Create a “Multipolar World” – Kavita Krishnan
Two interesting articles by Kavita Krishnan are below.
The author explains :
My article in The Hindu on what’s at stake for Ukraine and the world.
Kavita Krishnan
I try to get all my material on Ukraine from the horse’s mouth: I just read Putin, Dugin, Vance, Mearsheimer really thoroughly – and they confirm all that I’m saying, without even bothering to disguise their intent. There can’t be more reliable and irrefutable sources.
The article attached is based on reading Mearsheimer himself saying Putin’s top peace condition is a puppet regime in Kyiv, since liberal democracy in Ukraine is an “existential threat to Russia”.
The second article examines the recent electoral defeat of Viktor Orbán in Hungary
Read the rest of this entry »
Hungary 2026: An Autopsy of Sixteen Years of Illiberalism
A few days before the Hungarian general election held on April 12 2026 the USA Vice president JD Vance flew into Budapest campaigning for the far-right prime minister Viktor Orbán. Vance, a high-profile member of the Catholic Church, picked the wrong place to boost a close ally. The self-described hillbilly bombed in Budapest.
Orbán was also strongly backed by the far-right president of Russia, Vladimir Putin. Hungary joins a growing list of countries where candidates closely aligned with the far-right twins Trump-Putin sink to a humiliating defeat.
Adam Novak explores the issues in the interview below published on the
Europe Solidaire Sans Frontières (ESSF) site:
Link :
Hungary 2026: An Autopsy of Sixteen Years of Illiberalism.
Among the fascinating details in the article below, we highlight two :
For Trump and Vance, it is the loss of the most useful ally within the European Council — the one who blocked collective decisions on Ukraine, including the 90-billion-euro loan to Kyiv that Orbán had vetoed. For Putin, it is the loss of the most accommodating European government on energy and sanctions. For European far-right parties, it is the signal that the model is not election-proof.
Vance delivered a speech on Christ and the Christian foundations of European civilisation before a comparatively secular Hungarian audience. He invoked workers’ rights without saying a word about the tech billionaires enriched under Trump. And he denounced Brussels bureaucrats for “making millions” whilst saying nothing of the oligarchy that Orbán himself built. The electoral effect of the visit is close to zero: Vance is little known in Hungary, and it was not Trump who came.
Hungary 2026: An Autopsy of Sixteen Years of Illiberalism.
After Orbán: Electoral Fractures and the Programmatic Void
The Hungarian legislative elections of 12 April 2026 brought to an end sixteen years of uninterrupted rule by Viktor Orbán. Péter Magyar’s Tisza (Respect and Freedom [Tisztelet és Szabadság]) party won a super-majority of 138 seats out of 199, inflicting on Fidesz a defeat explained by judicial scandals, saturation of the identitarian discourse, a generational fracture, and the concrete effects of the freeze on European funds.
Read the rest of this entry »The Blockade Is the Message
How a Fuel Price Spike Became a Fascist Audition
An effective heavy vehicle blockade campaign brought the 26 county bit of Ireland to a halt in the second week of April 2026.
Parties and individuals based on the left have offered significantly different opinions about these protests.
There is no doubt that far-right organisations are involved. This poses a big problem for all forces on the left – parties, trade unions, social movements that are pro-feminist and anti-racist, and so on.
It is essential to start with concrete analysis. Left-wing actors such as People Before Profit (PBP) say they support the blockaders :
“ There is “no question” that there are far-right people trying to intervene and be present in the protest…So some of these people (the far-right) are present and are trying to shape the protest, but one: the vast majority of people who are participating in the protest have nothing to do with the far right, whatsoever.
Paul Murphy TD, People Before Profit, Dublin South-West,
“And two: I really have a strong sense that ordinary working-class people in Dublin, people who live in Dublin South-West that I represent, have a lot of support for these protests,” Murphy said.
The left shouldn’t abandon fuel protesters, Paul Murphy says
The article below, and several other reliable sources, demonstrate that Paul Murphy’s analysis is based on wishful thinking rather than concrete analysis.
The far-right are not “trying to intervene and be present in the protest”. Far-right actors initiated this campaign.
This has serious implications for all forces on the Irish left.
Summing up: socialists have to recognise the hardships caused by high fuel prices (on top of all the other high prices). Blaming the right-wing government is fine. But – an extremely big But :
The Left must pledge : no co-operation with fuel-protester fascists and racists.
The policy of the PBP and others on the left is “support the fuel protests”.
The only way you can implement this policy is practical collaboration with the far-right on the streets and elsewhere. That means putting the lives and welfare of your own members and supporters in danger.
The left can do much better – a useful starting point for for a more progressive policy is here, written by the SIPTU researcher, Michael Taft :
Searching the Evidence – Michael Taft
This immediate problem is down to Trump’s wars in Iran, Lebanon, and other parts of the Middle East.
April 8 2026 – Two week reprieve : USA President Trump Stops Bombing Iran; Straits of Hormuz Re-Opened
Main developments
President Donald Trump said he would “suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks” subject to Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s foreign minister said his country’s armed forces would halt military operations and allow safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz if the US stops its attacks.
Brent crude, the international benchmark, fell 5 per cent, while WTI, the US benchmark, fell 9 per cent.
Pakistan had requested Trump extend his 8pm ET deadline for bombing civilian infrastructure in Iran and asked the Islamic republic to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump had on Tuesday morning escalated his rhetoric against Iran and warned that a “whole civilization will die tonight” if Tehran does not strike a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by his deadline.
The US president had previously warned of major attacks on Iran’s bridges and power plants if Tehran did not agree to his deadline.
Attacks on “objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population” are prohibited under international law. – Source : Financial Times
The U.S. & Israeli War with Iran: What Should Be the Approach of a Principled Socialist Left? – Frieda Afary
Below is the revised text of a presentation by Frieda Afary to the South African organization, Zabalaza for Socialism on March 15, 2026.
Link :
These are key passages :
Globally, the Russian government has gained from this war because the price of oil has increased, and the Trump administration has lifted sanctions on Russia’s sale of oil. Russia has also gained because the anti-missile systems that Ukraine and Europe were buying from the U.S. to help defend Ukraine against Russia’s brutal imperialist invasion of that country are now going to the Middle East. Russia is also helping the Iranian government by sharing secret information about U.S. targets.
Frieda Afary, ESSF, March 15 2026
The Chinese government has also gained from this war, because the U.S. government will pay less attention to the Pacific Region and might even allow China to proceed with its plans to take over Taiwan.
IV. What Can International Progressives Do Now?
Frieda Afary, ESSF, March 15 2026
First: Do anything you can to stop this war. Educate, speak out, protest, put pressure on your government representatives and independent intellectuals. In the case of the United States, public opinion is currently 60% against this war. Most people don’t want to send their children to fight in the Middle East. Half the adult population is opposed to the Trump administration’s attacks on and detention/deportation of innocent immigrants. There is also a great deal of anger about the ways in which mostly wealthy men including Trump, other politicians and even academics have collaborated with and benefited from the late Jeffrey Epstein’s network for trafficking of women and girls for rape and sexual abuse. All of these questions need to be addressed in articulating an anti-war message.
Second: Reach out to progressives in the Middle East or Middle Eastern progressives abroad. Do not limit yourself to talking only about one struggle or one country in the Middle East.
Third: Oppose campism, take a clear stand against all global and regional capitalist-imperialist powers and defend the rights and humanity of the peoples that these powers are oppressing.
Fourth: Address key issues that are holding back our struggles: racial and ethnic discrimination, patriarchy, capitalist exploitation, and capitalist alienation.
Patrick’s Day 2026 in the Washington DC White House – Social Democrats Leader Holly Cairns TD Makes a Terrible Mistake – She should join the boycott
Boycotting the Trump White House’s Patrick’s Day Event in 2026 is a no-brainer for everybody on the left – but Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns TD thinks differently.
Her justification :
Speaking to reporters in Cork this morning ahead of the second day of the Social Democrat’s National Conference, Cairns said “given the height of contentious things coming from the White House at the moment it is perhaps more important than ever to use this unique platform that Ireland has”.
She said Ireland is a small country, but it can be a very influential one.
“We can be a really strong voice for peace. We think Micheál Martin should use this opportunity to use that strong voice to express the will of the Irish people,” said the SocDems leader.
Source – Journal.ie
Most political parties on the Irish left support a boycott of this nauseating event, with good reason.
In 2025, Donald Trump brutally humiliated Dublin government ministers by accepting his bowl of shamrock a few days before March 17 – which was reserved for the far-right racist, the kick-boxer Conor McGregor. See full reports here, and an excellent Dáil statement by Ruth Coppinger TD.
For many years Sinn Féin mistakenly attended White House Patrick’s Day events, but joined the boycott in 2025.
The SDLP leader Colum Eastwood issued this message in 2024
Labour Party Leader Ivana Bacik TD states :
Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik has said that if US president Donald Trump continues to threaten Europe, then it would not be appropriate for the Taoiseach to visit the White House for St Patrick’s Day.
“If diplomacy this week in Davos, if diplomacy over the coming weeks doesn’t succeed in addressing the appalling threats being made by Trump, then of course Ireland must take its place in solidarity with European leaders who are now calling Trump a bully,” she told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland.
“And we cannot go to Washington with shamrocks certainly in that context, and we cannot allow US planes to use Shannon and, indeed, other European countries which have US bases I am sure are having this very same conversation.
“Because it is unthinkable that a US which is militarily threatening a sovereign state in Europe could be allowed to use European countries as military bases for that.”
Bacik said the US president has “succeeded in normalising the utterly unacceptable”.
“What we’ve seen in the just a year since he took office, we’ve seen a sort of really creeping fascism taking over in the US.”
The Social Democrats need to change tack, and boycott the 2026 Patrick’s Day Trump event in the Washington DC White House.
John Meehan February 8 2026
Petition Link :
Petition – No Shamrocks for Trump – Boycott White House Patrick’s Day 2026
To: All politicians & political parties on the Island of Ireland
No Shamrocks for Trump – Boycott the White House 2026
We are asking politicians & political parties on the Island of Ireland – to boycott The White House on St. Patrick’s Day.
Why is this important?
The genocide in Gaza continues despite a supposed “ceasefire”. International journalists are still not allowed into Gaza or the West Bank because Israel does not want the world to know what it is doing as it tries to exterminate Palestinians.
While the genocide has been livestreamed to the world since October 7 2023, we still do not know how many people have died as a result. We know that at least 70,000 people have been killed by the Israeli army but have no figures for the number who have died because of lack of medicine for chronic conditions like diabetes, epilepsy, heart conditions etc. Nor do we know how many have died of cancer or other curable conditions. Every step of this genocide has been funded and supported by the United States.
Now Trump has launched his Gaza “Board of Peace” and his son-in-law Jared Kushner shared slides at the launch of the “Board of Peace” showing high rise buildings and fancy hotels built on the bones of those killed in the genocide. Netanyahu, who is on this “Board of Peace” was unable to attend the launch as it was in Switzerland where he would be arrested under the International Arrest Warrant issued because of the genocide.
The reasons why Irish politicians and political parties should not pay homage to Trump have multiplied since the start of this year – the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Maduro is just one example.
We call on all political parties on the island of Ireland to listen to the people and not go to Washington on St. Patrick’s Day to shake hands soaked with the blood of Palestinians.
“Puppets on a Kremlin String” – The Marsh Family
The Marsh Family have released many left-wing songs – this one expresses solidarity with Ukraine.
Link :
Marsh Family
On 1 March 2025, the family uploaded “Puppets on a Kremlin String,” about the betrayal of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy by Donald Trump and JD Vance to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, to the tune of Coldplay’s song “Viva La Vida“. The Marshes write, “Our version takes the sense of history, the pain, the trauma, and the notion of world rule, and applies it to the most disgusting media spectacle to date – with already several to choose from – of the new US administration. Like many around the world, as well as disheartened friends in the US, we watched the undignified ambush of Zelensky’s trip to the White House with dismay and pity. It was a very unbecoming sight – just at a human level – even without all the higher stakes, deals, implications, and nightmares unfolding as another win is handed to Putin, and more pressure placed on Ukraine. Like many we are hoping for a miraculous path forward that can somehow turn Trump’s intensity into an outcome that can transform into a lasting peace – but given how misdirected the fury and energy and narrative is at the moment, it’s quite hard to see it turning out other than a quickfire US withdrawal of support. If that happens, we’re in a cowardly new world.”
Donald Trump deploys US diplomats in Paris to threaten magistrate handling a corruption case against fascist politician Marine Le Pen
This story comes from the reliable source Le Monde, and is appearing on the public TV network.
Trump already has serious criminal convictions imposed by USA courts. Are French courts going to issue warrants for the arrest of the US president?
US official lobbied French magistrate over Le Pen’s election ban
The magistrate, Magali Lafourcade, said she was sufficiently concerned by the encounter to notify the foreign ministry.
PARIS — A senior policy adviser from the U.S. State Department asked a French magistrate last year whether she could interveneover the election ban on far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
The previously unreported details of the encounter will refocus attention on U.S. efforts to support the European far right. U.S. President Donald Trump has slammed the electoral ban against Le Pen as an example of using “Lawfare to silence Free Speech.”
French magistrate Magali Lafourcade told POLITICO that she and a colleague held a meeting in May with State Department adviser Samuel Samson, who made headlines last year for proposing the use of American taxpayer funds to support Le Pen.
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Tomás Ó Flatharta 