It is predictable given the scary, winking at fascism, government in Hungary at the moment … but Hungary’s efforts to constitutionally ban gay marriage still feel like a time warp.

This is precisely the sort of thing that EU membership is supposed to effectively ban. And it is also precisely the sort of active discrimination that allowed Judge Vaughn Walker in California to rule Proposition 8 unconstitutional.

So how did this happen?  Two years ago, under a social democratic government it was a different story. Then the government actually contemplated full marriage equality. In the end they stepped back  and offered only a limited, yet still formal, relationship recognition, much like the French PACS system. (For example recognised rights include: hospital visitation, access to medical information, right to make decision about the deceased partners’ funeral, widow’s pension, immigration rights).

According to polls there is 60% support for these rights, while only 30-35% support full equality. The only attempt to introduce a marriage equality law was defeated in 2002 without debate.

The new right-wing Government led by Viktor Orban swept into power this year with huge majorities. By commanding more than two-thirds of the votes in Parliament they are effectively able to change the constitution at will.   So they is exactly what they have done: strip the constitutional court of most of its powers to rule on tax and state budget issues; order the media to censor converage of certain topics like sex and alcohol, and appoint important officials for exceptionally long nine0year terms.

Now it is the turn of women and the gays, with anti-abortion and anti-gay marriage articles forseen to be added to the Constitution.

This could turn out to be very embarrassing for the European Union – their rotating presidency is passing to the Hungarians in four weeks time.  Watch out for some fights.