Diesel would cost 695 forints at an average petrol station if the 615-forint protected price did not exist ❗️ Brutal! Who got what arranged by their government!?😉
This is brutal. I checked a week ago at the same petrol station in Budapest — back then the market price was 6.47. Now it’s 6.95. You would have to pay 6.95 per liter if there were no protected price. But I will only pay 6.15.
And no matter how much the market price skyrockets, no matter how all of Europe is struggling, no matter how Western European drivers are protesting, neither Brussels nor Kyiv is willing to act, and they are not reopening the Druzhba oil pipeline. Meanwhile, Péter Magyar and his friends at Shell are nodding along at home.
1️⃣ “Heroic government vs. expensive market” narrative
(price protection framing / savior narrative)
Excerpt:
“Diesel would cost 695 HUF… but I only pay 615.”
Technique:
➡️ It places two numbers side by side (695 vs. 615)
➡️ It frames the difference as a form of “rescue”
➡️ It does not explain where the 695 figure comes from
Goal:
➡️ To position the government as a protector
➡️ To trigger a simple emotional reaction: “I saved 80 forints”
⚠️ What is omitted:
➡️ The “market price” is not a fixed number; it depends on daily, refining, and logistical factors
➡️ It is not made clear whether this refers to:
a wholesale price?
an import price?
a price at one specific station?
➡️ It does not mention:
refining costs (MOL margin)
taxes (excise duty, VAT)
the actual pricing mechanism
👉 Reality: the final retail price is not a simple “switch”; it is the sum of several factors.
2️⃣ False causal link (Brussels + Kyiv = high prices)
(false cause / scapegoating)
Excerpt:
“neither Brussels nor Kyiv is willing to act”
Technique:
➡️ It links high fuel prices to external actors
➡️ It creates the impression that they directly control the price
Goal:
➡️ To designate an external enemy
➡️ To divert attention away from domestic factors
⚠️ What is omitted:
➡️ The main drivers of fuel prices are:
global oil prices (Brent / Urals)
refining capacity
transport costs
exchange rates
➡️ The EU does not set gas station prices in Hungary
➡️ Ukraine does not regulate Hungarian fuel prices
👉 This is a classic false causal chain.
3️⃣ “There is no alternative except Russian oil” narrative
(false dilemma / dependency framing)
Hidden claim:
➡️ If there is no Druzhba pipeline, everything becomes expensive
➡️ Therefore, only Russian oil is the solution
Technique:
➡️ It suppresses alternatives
➡️ It presents a binary world:
👉 “Russian oil = cheap”
👉 “everything else = expensive”
Goal:
➡️ To normalize dependency
➡️ To legitimize a single strategic direction
⚠️ What is omitted:
➡️ Existing alternatives include:
the Adria pipeline
seaborne imports via Croatia
other types of crude oil (not Urals)
refinery adaptation
➡️ It does not mention that cheapness is often a political concession, not a law of the market
4️⃣ Complete omission of the geopolitical background
(context omission / selective framing)
Completely left out:
➡️ tensions in the Middle East
➡️ global supply problems
➡️ the impact of sanctions
➡️ risks to maritime shipping
Effect:
➡️ The reader is led to feel that
👉 “someone is deliberately refusing to open a tap”
👉 when in reality
➡️ a global, highly complex energy system is at work
5️⃣ Overgeneralization: “all of Europe is suffering”
(overgeneralization / emotional amplification)
Excerpt:
“all of Europe is suffering”
Technique:
➡️ Dramatic exaggeration
➡️ Treats Europe as one uniform bloc
Goal:
➡️ To heighten the sense of crisis
➡️ To reinforce the intended narrative
⚠️ The real problem:
➡️ Across Europe, countries differ in:
taxation
subsidies
price levels
👉 It is not a case of “everyone suffering in the same way.”
6️⃣ Linking in the internal political enemy
(internal enemy framing)
Excerpt:
“Péter Magyar and his friends are nodding along”
Technique:
➡️ It merges external and internal enemies into one narrative
➡️ The opposition is portrayed as passive or collaborative
Goal:
➡️ Political delegitimization
➡️ To suggest: “they will not protect you”
🧠 Overall picture — what is really happening?
This text is a classic propaganda mix.
✔️ What it emphasizes:
“the government protects you”
“external forces are to blame”
“the situation is dramatic”
❌ What it conceals:
the real fuel-pricing mechanism
the global oil market
alternative supply options
refining and logistical constraints
geopolitical complexity
🎯 Brief bottom-line diagnosis
➡️ It is not necessarily a direct lie in every single sentence; it is a distorted frame
➡️ Omitting key information = manipulation
➡️ False simplification: a complex system is reduced to “someone refuses to open the pipeline”