EU fund freeze lifted
Wednesday, September 11th, 2013A pro-government commentator believes that the government has won an important battle against the European Commission which tried to punish Hungary by suspending EU funds. READ MORE
Author Archive
Utility tariff cuts as campaign tools
Tuesday, September 10th, 2013Commenting on the government’s plan to transform the energy and utility providers into non-profit services, a left-wing and a centrist columnist accuse the government of welfare populism. A right-wing pundit, on the other hand, believes that the Socialists want to increase their popularity by creating a fully welfare dependent constituency. READ MORE
Romania 3, Hungary 0 – the political overtones
Monday, September 9th, 2013A pro-government paper criticizes The New York Times for overemphasizing the tension caused by extremist Hungarian fans, or ultras, without reporting on similar incidents on the Romanian side. The leading left-wing Hungarian daily reminds readers that no one outside Hungary expected the national team to win and the government was rather late in warning Hungarian fans to abstain from wrongdoing. A transborder Hungarian writer describes how harmful the ultra’s behaviour will be for Hungarians in Transylvania. READ MORE
Opposition negotiations: is there a place for Gyurcsány?
Monday, September 9th, 2013A liberal commentator argues that the Socialists, after coming to an agreement with Gordon Bajnai, are much less eager to grant Gyurcsány the positions he has asked for, while a conservative columnist points out that even if opposition forces come to an agreement regarding their candidate for PM, they still have no political programme for the voters. An independent centrist analyst says that despite naive hopes to the contrary, new faces are unlikely to emerge on the Hungarian political scene in the near future and the political elite is here to stay. READ MORE
Government plans to convert forex debt, cut utility tariffs
Saturday, September 7th, 2013A centrist-liberal commentator accuses the government of hindering economic growth in an effort to increase its popularity before next year’s election. Another determined critic of the government thinks the scheme will work because it meets well established public expectations. READ MORE
Pro-government columnists call for more patience towards school reforms
Friday, September 6th, 2013A pro-government weekly finds the criticism directed at the new school reforms hasty and harsh, while another commentator acknowledges teachers’ need for higher salaries but says liberal critics misrepresent the reforms and foster hysteria. READ MORE
The pitfalls of forex-based mortgages
Thursday, September 5th, 2013A liberal analyst says the greatest problem Fidesz faces in the upcoming campaign is how to handle hundreds of thousands of voters with forex mortgages who can no longer be won over with expressions of sympathy and solidarity. A left-leaning commentator disagrees and foresees further verbal manoeuvring to appease angry mortgage holders. READ MORE
Mounting tensions on the left after local by-election victory
Wednesday, September 4th, 2013A pro-Gyurcsány commentator accuses opposition forces of excluding his party from the alliance, while a pro-government daily claims Gordon Bajnai’s plan is to embrace Gyurcsány once he becomes prime minister. READ MORE
First day at school: education policy under fire
Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013Liberal critics of different hues accuse the government of authoritarianism and incompetence, for its overhaul of public education READ MORE
Opposition electoral pact under scrutiny
Monday, September 2nd, 2013Left-wing commentators hope the agreement will put an end to destructive rivalry within the Left; liberal pundits are sceptical; professional analysts think Bajnai must now prove his ability to attract undecided voters if he wants the alliance to have a chance, while pro-government columnists are divided on whether or not the government can now lean back and consider next year’s election a mere formality. READ MORE