Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's Speech at the 25th Congress of the Hungarian Civic Union.

Respected Delegates, Dear Friends!

It is with respect that I welcome our guests, and especially those who have arrived from across our borders. Above all else, thank you for you trust; I will do my best to live up to it.

My Dear Friends!

And so we have listened for the hundredth time to the Fidesz campaign song for the first free election in 1990: Listen to your heart! It works. It still works today. Even after twenty-three years it still moves something within us. If there is a single sentence with which to summarise everything that we call Fidesz, with which to summarise everything we have done over the past 25 years and why we have done it, well, then that sentence would go just like that pretty, blonde girl sang it: listen to your heart, you have no other choice. In 1990, this song called on us not to allow others to be our dictators. To not allow others to tell us what we should think and how we should live. To not allow others to determine when and where we can travel, with whom we can meet, what we can watch, what we can listen to and read, or what we can talk about and where.

My Dear Friends!

This song encompassed and revealed one of the important dimensions of life in Hungary at the time. If you want to be happy, you must listen to your heart. In everything. You cannot listen to you heart with relation to your private life and listen to something else instead of your heart in relation to our common lives and our homeland. You cannot listen to you heart in your private life, but ignore the lies, or worse, become part of the lie in public life. For us, this song was the living denial of the fundamental principle of the Kádár system: Don't bother with common issues, don't bother about your homeland's issues, and in return we will let you be happy in your private life. No, dear Friends! In 1990 we were already the guys for whom there could be no private happiness in an unhappy homeland. There can be no personal freedom, if your homeland is in shackles. In essence, what this song meant to us at the time was that our lives, our own personal lives, can only be lived together with Hungary, and if this is how it must be, then we must work together to free it from the greyness, the hopelessness, the dictatorship, from foreign repression and the mire of political dependency and the one-party system. This is what the political language of the time simply called radicalism, radical anti-communism. Like the youth of all eras, perhaps we too can be forgiven for thinking that we had to be the ones to perform all of this, because only we want it strongly enough and so nobody else is capable of it.

My Dear Friends!

Do you still remember how many people wanted to talk us out of it? How many times we heard: you have no chance, there's no point. How many people thought that there was simply no opposite bank, that there would never be a different world here. And then there were those who, although they believed there was an opposite bank somewhere, did not believe that this could be reached within their lifetime. Floundering, making compromises according to the pain threshold of one's conscience, survival, staying afloat. And then there were us, who believed in the existence of the opposite bank and did not let ourselves be talked out of the fact that we would reach it within our own lifetime. And so we pulled the oars as hard as we could; we knew that there would be a different world here and if that world did not want to come into existence of its own accord, then we were prepared to create it ourselves.

Respected Congress, My Dear Friends!

We are all grown up now and we are more sensible. Dawn no longer finds us discussing the important issues of life while sitting on the steps of a closed student club or pub, editing Fidesz leaflets in a room at college, or knocking on the gate of the Rudas baths asking to be let in early. These days our mornings are spent making sandwiches for our children, rushing to kindergarten and school with them and then going about our business. We work by day, tick off things on the to do list in the evening, and then fall asleep sometime during the night in front of the television or with a book in our hands. Much has changed around us, and we have changed in many ways. But some things never change: we still listen to our hearts. We know that a true member of Fidesz has no other choice. And this was the case when we sent home the Russian soldiers. It was true when we did not come to an agreement in the interests of acquiring power with the communists who had morphed into socialists. We could have done so, like the SZDSZ party at the time. We listened to our hearts when we stood up for Hungarians living beyond our borders. And this is what kept us together after our defeat in 2002. This is what gave us strength in 2006, when we did not allow lies to take control of us or the country, not even if we were being doused in them morning, noon and night. Yes, morning, noon and night; Morning, noon and night. Many, a whole country, are still waiting in suspense for the answer to the question: I wonder what he did in the afternoons? And do you remember why we are holding the Congress now, in the autumn? Well, because when the floods arrived in June, we listened to our hearts and postponed it. Because if people are needed at the dykes, then that is where we, the members of Fidesz, belong.

My Dear Friends!

When I undertook the office of Prime Minister in 2010, people were not exactly scrambling for the job. One had already scurried away and left the post in mid-term. His brave successor had to be found with a lasso, and the winner of the long, drawn-out casting soon burdened the people with yet another austerity package, then at the end of his term he left, not just his post, but the country. The left-wing captains all left the ship they had helped run aground so that they could watch the deserted ship sinking at a safe distance from the deck of a luxury yacht. But their interest seems to have increased again these days. Is it perhaps because Hungary is now standing on its own two feet and performing better? Isn't it interesting how the helm is more attractive now that we have set the listing ship upright and renovated it so it is now working again? This is the situation. Hungary is operating well; it is stronger that before and performing better than previously.

My Dear Friends!

After nine years, we have successfully freed the country from the trap of the excessive deficit procedure. We have also freed ourselves from the grip of the IMF. Houdini was an amateur by comparison! They can no longer require austerity measures or any other steps that go against the interests of the country and its people. With huge solidarity and in a heroic struggle we protected the country and the people of Hungary from the most devastating Danube flood in history. We have pushed inflation to an all time low. Prices in Hungary are rising more slowly today than in other countries. We have increased the value of incomes and as such have moved into an era of salary rises. We have protected hundreds of thousands of people through our Jon Protection Action Plan. For the first time in decades, we have significantly decreased public utility charges for Hungarian families, by ten percent. And we have the strength to reduce them by a further 11.1 percent from 1 November. And despite the stubborn nature of the European economic crisis we have succeeded in achieving the growth of the Hungarian economy. We have even managed to achieve a situation in which even those analysts who are usually very negative with relation to Hungary expect a higher level of growth next year then we do ourselves.

My Dear Friends!

I am proud of what we, the Hungarians, have achieved together. I am proud because we have achieved it together and because every honest Hungarian has contributed. And we can be especially proud of the fact that this success didn't just fall into our laps. We have all, each in their own way, worked hard to achieve it. In today's world, and especially in Europe, neither national independence nor independent economic policy can be achieved easily. The equitable distribution of burdens, the reduction of debt, the budget balance, the reduction of utility charges and especially economic growth are not achieved easily. And it was certainly not easy to acquire what we have achieved so far. We had to fight the mistakes of the past and the beneficiaries of the past. We had to fight the European bureaucrats who, despite the crisis, are clinging tooth and nail to a misguided economic policy and to their failed crisis management methods. We have stood our ground against all those who have attempted to prevent our renewal, who tried to tie our hands and put Hungary in shackles. And, My Dear Friends, we have won many important battles. The work we have achieved and the pace of our efforts has affected almost every aspect of life in Hungary. The opposition, unused to such a pace, could only stand by and squawk like vultures, foretelling failure, their rhetoric confined only to saying: you will never succeed. Over the course of three years they have changed from the opposition of the government into the opposition of the country. They did all they could to talk people out of putting new effort into change. They are continuously attempting to make people believe that the work they have performed has been pointless. They want to see and portray an unsuccessful country, and as far as I can see they even want to make Hungary an unsuccessful country. Perhaps their hope is that it will be easier for them to clamber their way back to the helm as a result. In addition to foretelling failure, they have also tried hard to slow down our efforts. They have obstructed, protested and walked out, and then betrayed Hungary everywhere possible claiming to be excluded from public forums.

My Dear Friends!

We have created a work-based society out of a welfare-based society. We took on the arguments, the heated arguments that went with renewal and reorganisation, because for us, the members of Fidesz, the establishment of a work-based economy and society is not just a political and economic duty, but also a moral duty.

Respected Delegates!

All work must be performed by somebody; Seasonal work in the fields, cleaning drains, and the maintenance and upkeep of public spaces too. Our credo is that all work that is performed properly must be acknowledged. Those who have performed the work must be acknowledge and must be respected. And accordingly there is a good reason that labourers, skilled workers, people with university degrees and members of the academy can all be present in our alliance together. This is what makes us a people's party. And this is the set of values and way of thinking that provides the solid foundation onto which we will build the future of both Hungary and our political community in the decades to come.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

It has been a successful three years, but the most difficult is yet to come. It is now time for what is most difficult, in fact extremely difficult, to achieve. We have made it clear that the reduction in public utility charges was not a one-off measure, but that from now on things will be different in Hungary. They will also be different with regard to public utility charges. The order of things will be different. We simply cannot continue to tolerate private monopolies. We cannot continue to tolerate the abuse of dominant positions. Our goal is for work to provide not only a living in Hungary, but to enable people to thrive. Our goal is for Hungarian families to be left with more money in their pockets. It may be true that money cannot buy happiness, but let us give all the people of Hungary the opportunity to find this out for themselves.

My Dear Friends!

We have never been the favourites of the European Union. And we have not been the lieblings of the large, international monopolies either. Another reduction in public utility charges will, however, be the last straw. Let there be no doubt that everyone will line up to attack us: the far-reaching bankers, the greedy multinationals, their servant bureaucrats in Brussels and of course their local retainers. They will all be after us and they will throw everything they have at us. My Dear Friends, we are talking about huge sums of money; hundreds and thousands of billions of forints, huge investments and profits that used to be certain, or at least seemed so. This is such a huge sum, that even they feel it. Even they are hurt by it. Yes, it is these thousands of millions that we want to leave in the pockets of Hungarian families. And our opponents want to give it back to the banks and monopolies. In their eyes this is no longer the unorthodox experiment in economic policy of a restless, Central European mind. This is the uncomfortable, but original, prank of a disobedient Central European country. My Dear Friends, This is a higher division; we are up against the heavyweights. They will stop at nothing to reinstate the status quo, to get back the money that they have lost so far as a result of the reduction in public utility charges, and they will stop at nothing to prevent the continuation of this programme. Think back, it wasn’t that long ago. In 2002 we said that if the left form a government then it will really be international big capital that forms a government, and there will be a huge price to pay for the country and the people of Hungary. And this is exactly what happened. Six brutal austerity packages, twenty-four increases in public utility charges, the taking away of a whole months' pension, the taking away of a whole months' wages and a whole year of childcare support, the abolishing of family tax benefits; this is what the eight years of government by the left cost people. Not to mention putting the country into even more debt, which the people are also forced to pay for. One gets the feeling that the opposition is incapable of understanding that foreign currency loans, public utility charges, wages and unemployment are interwoven issues. These problems appear together for many Hungarian families. Putting foreign currency loans in order, increasing the minimum wage, introducing a family tax allowance for those with low incomes and the Job Protection Action Plan are different fronts of the same war. And we must achieve a breakthrough on all fronts; it is not enough to win the battle on only one. In 2010 we didn't have a strong hinterland. In fact we were facing defeat on all fronts. The situation has since changed. The situation has since changed to our advantage. But, Ladies and Gentlemen, the international situation is once again gathering head. Already, two months prior to the elections, we hear those same people who destroyed the country and pushed it to the edge of bankruptcy in alliance with the banks and monopolists, well, they are once again openly offering an alliance to the banks and multinationals against the people of Hungary. They have already announced that they would introduce a 532 billion forint austerity package. They want to give all of that to the banks and to international big capital. They aren't even bothering to keep it a secret.

My Dear Friends!

This is what next years' elections will be about, nothing else. They want to use the elections to turn back the wheel of time, to abolish the bank tax, the tax on monopolies, the cuts in utility charges, and once again give the banks, the speculators and the multinationals a free hand to pillage the country. I can imagine no instrument that we would not be prepared to use to prevent this. They will have no regard for anything or anyone. Their local representatives, who have already been their governors for eight years, have reported for duty. I ask that you never forget that it was the former communists who handed Hungary and the people of Hungary over to the speculators, banks and multinationals. This is the truth of the matter!

My Friends!

They have exchanged their [Russian] padded jackets for suits, but the mentality that lies underneath is the same. There are those who say that calling people communists has no meaning in this day and age, the communists have disappeared by now, and the members of today's MSZP [Hungarian Socialist Party] are younger than we are. This may be true, but I still maintain that where there are dinosaurs, there are also baby dinosaurs. The old ones wore padded jackets; the young ones wear elegant suits; whatever happens to be the international fashion of the day. But the essence doesn't change: it is they, and it is always they, who are ready to once again hand over Hungary to the economic conquistadors.

Respected Congress, My Dear Friends!

No matter how great the resistance, you must know that we are also not entering this battle unprepared. We have assessed the situation and taken stock of our forces. All signs point to the fact that the citizens of Hungary are assembled and the national unity required to successfully win the battle has been established and is intact. The administration is unified, the parliamentary majority is intact. Hungary is now strong enough to embark on a domestic and international struggle of this kind with a good chance of victory. This is a congress after all, the congress of the union, so let us be frank: Hungary will stand its ground! We are not and we will never be the servants of Europe. We are not and will never be the servants of the banks or of the large corporations. We Hungarians are our own masters and we do not want others telling us how to sweep on our own doorsteps. We are happy to be partners and allies to everyone. This is why we have been signing and will continue to conclude strategic cooperation agreements with large, international manufacturing and service companies, with those who respect and appreciate the people of Hungary. With those, and only those, who offer cooperation and mutual advantages instead of wanting to sweep out the till. We believe in competition, in wisely developed markets, in business and in the entrepreneurial spirit. We acknowledge work and we acknowledge performance, but we do not acknowledge greed and unscrupulousness. We acknowledge the modern global economy, and its complicated system of relationships and interactions, but we do not acknowledge the right to colonialism. We will protect the economic independence of Hungary. And we will also protect our latest measure designed to assure the equitable distribution of burdens, the decrease in public utility charges.

My Dear Friends!

I cannot promise you that the battle over the reduction in public utility charges will be the last; we are a people's party after all. But what I do see is that 2014 will be the year of the battle of utility charges. We must do everything we can to win this battle, and we must do exactly what the situation requires. And the situation is such that in the new electoral system, every single vote counts. This is a new system, and we must view it differently. We need every single vote in every single electoral district, whether it looks like we are going to achieve victory there or not. And all available votes must be collected. And this means that everyone must perform all of their duties; both nationally and locally; in their own districts and within their own areas. We cannot lose focus, we cannot relax, we cannot become lazy and we cannot become flippant. We will achieve victory, but we can only achieve victory if we can grow up to the task. I put to you the words of Dénes Kemény, who said: "The edge of the goalpost is always fair, because it allows in the shots of those who have done the most for victory during the week." And this is what will decide things: who has done more to achieve victory. We have been fighting for the independence of our homeland, Hungary, for a quarter of a century. We have achieved great success. We have only to win one more battle, one final battle, the battle for economic independence and economic self-determination. We must simply add the final touch. There are many of us here in this hall, and many more outside it throughout the country, who have invested twenty-five years of their lives in this endeavour. Let us be frank. Those who do not perform their duties properly, those who do not give it their all, who do not do what the situation requires, owe me twenty-five years.

Go Hungary! Go Hungarians!

(Prime Minister’s Office)