A few years ago it probably would have been more accurate to describe Hungary’s latest political star, the current and recently re-elected prime minister, Ferenc Gyurcsány, with the term recently used to describe him in the New Statesman: ‘Tony Blair’s protégé’.
It is no secret that the former Communist Youth League leader turned highly successful businessman turned back to politics in no small part as a consequence of seeing the emergence of New Labour. There could hardly have been a more apt illustration of his admiration for the British progressive model than his decision to publish New Labour’s ideological manifesto, The Third Way, by Tony Giddens.
Gyurcsány’s not only drew inspiration from the Third Way on how to rebrand and reinvent a left-wing party, but he also used the concept of a modern, western-type social democracy to fight against his internal rivals, representing progress and embodying the theme of modernisation in his person.
The political content of the Hungarian prime minister’s views is also close to Blair’s idea. Gyurcsány’s top priority is to harmonise social justice and competitive markets, and he also mentions with innumerable frequency the concept of an opportunity providing state, the goal of creating a strong and open economy, and the need to improve public services. In view of these remarkable similarities, it is no surprise that Blair and Gyurcsány easily found common ground when the British prime minister campaigned for his Hungarian friend before the elections held this April.
In spite of the numerous parallels in their outlook and actions, however, it would be a mistake to consider Gyurcsány as Blair’s unconditional disciple. As Gyurcsány made clear at a conference where he appeared with Giddens last December, he now realises that the Third Way cannot be fully implemented in Hungary.
After four decades of communism, the overwhelming majority of voters still expects the state to defend them from any risks and hardships; thus the main opposition party, the culturally conservative Fidesz, also voices ardently left-wing rhetoric when it comes to economic issues. By adopting the approach of New Labour, the Hungarian Socialists could jeopardise their electoral success, since such an approach would allow Fidesz to expropriate popular leftist economic slogans. Therefore, the greatest challenge for Gyurcsány’s second term is to implement those unpopular measures that lead to a more effective service and opportunity providing state.