Migrant quota referendum likened to Brexit vote
February 27th, 2016A leading pro-government pundit describes the referenda to be held in the United Kingdom and in Hungary later this year as parallel challenges to the European élites, in that both aim at bolstering national sovereignty.
On Mozgástér, Tamás Lánczi, a leading analyst at Századvég, the main pro-government think-tank believes the government took a non-negligible risk by proposing a referendum on compulsory European migrant quotas. If turnout is low, this would be a serious blow to its prestige. He is confident, however that people can be mobilized for the referendum, as the migration issue will continue to stir up strong emotions for the rest of the year. The two referenda scheduled for 2016, the one in Great Britain and the one in Hungary have one thing in common, he suggests: both represent a challenge to European élites and signal the end of a drive for a European superstate. It is telling, he concludes, that it took ‘us’ just a few months to move from ‘ever closer union’ to the idea of stronger nation states.
Tags: Brexit, EU, migration, referendum