Ákos Szilágyi on the dangers of political magicians

The political magician and populist is the focus of an analysis by poet and essayist Ákos Szilágyi in the liberal weekly Élet és Irodalom which alludes to Hungarian head of government Viktor Orbán: "The hero of the populist fairytale has a direct and highly confidential hotline to the heavens. Thanks to his divine contacts he can not only fight evil, solve all the problems and free the people from the bonds of slavery, but also perform true miracles. A victory over the laws of nature is generally considered a miracle. But political miracles take the following form: triumph over the laws of society, the laws of the free market economy, the laws of national budgeting and not least the laws of democracy. ... Laws are irksome obstacles from which the country must be liberated. The performer of miracles must constantly reaffirm his unusual abilities and his charismatic uniqueness by performing new miracles. ... The triumph of this populist fairytale hero is not only unprecedented and remarkable, but also brilliant, radiant and revolutionary, as well as absolute and irreversible."

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