Anyone who took that campaign seriously has had plenty of reasons to be disappointed. Most recently, the Sawyer Miller Group got a HUF300m contract from City Hall to do PR work for the fourth metro project. Sawyer Miller is running the re-election campaign for Gábor Demszky, the Free Democrat mayor of Budapest. The whole story seems to be a standard "party-linked" kind of affair. But it's more serious than that.
Left liberals, who otherwise go on about their disinterested lack of bias, are keeping silent on this one. Even if one of them does suggest that something is wrong, they do it far more quietly than is their custom. Of course, that's hardly unusual. If the "enemy" hands out money to his friends, then we get upset, but if "our" friends get the money, then we'll deny it, even if it's all fully documented. If we can no longer deny it, then we start strutting: "Why not? We've worked for it, aren't we in government to reel in the dosh?" Or we can explain that, most regrettably, the state of party finance laws leaves us with no other choice.
The most idiotic of all the recent excuses was that "everything was legal, what's the problem?" People saying this are forgetting that Happy End, a Fidesz-linked company, once also won a legally impeccable public tender for a PR contract.
If I remember correctly, it was this coalition that said that wherever there was a conflict between legality and morality, the latter must always be chosen. In consequence: if somebody took part in a party campaign, they shouldn't get a government contract. If somebody wins a public tender, then they shouldn't be working for a party at the next election. But then comes the customary whinge: "Should you be put at a disadvantage for supporting your favourite party?" Yes: if you're such a great businessman, then make your money in the private sector, don't undermine the credibility of politics.
But let's not be hypocritical. It's no excuse, just an explanation - it's all down to the mess that is party and campaign finance in Hungary. This is the fault of politicians, but also of society, which throws a fit if anyone suggests giving parties government money. And that's how we got into today's situation. Parties have little money, so ideologically friendly businessmen help out in exchange for the odd public contract.
