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Hungarian Olive Tree Coalition in the making

Monday, October 10th, 2011

According to a moderate conservative fact-finding journalist, the beleaguered former PM and Socialist Party chairman Ferenc Gyurcsány intends to set up a broad left-wing coalition, with his immediate successor, Gordon Bajnai as PM Viktor Orbán’s challenger. READ MORE

Missing a Hungarian Steve Jobs

Saturday, October 8th, 2011

As the world mourns Steve Jobs, a blog is searching for his Hungarian equivalents and concludes that right now Hungary is not the best place for innovators. READ MORE

Culture is short of money

Friday, October 7th, 2011

A pro-government commentator does not understand why left-wing newspapers which criticise the public service media are getting expensive advertisements from the Media Council, while cultural institutions are short of money. READ MORE

Opposition X-factor wanted

Thursday, October 6th, 2011

The broad Hungarian opposition scene is waiting for a newcomer with the necessary ‘X-factor’ to defeat the governing Fidesz party at the next general elections – writes political analyst Ferenc Kumin. He challenges in his blog a colleague who has spotted possible contenders among the leaders of  last weekend’s anti-government demonstrations. (X-factor is a singers’ contest broadcast by a commercial TV-channel.) READ MORE

Gyurcsány charged: a political or a criminal case?

Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

Commentators are deeply divided over the official charges laid by the public prosecutor against former PM Ferenc Gyurcsány. While left wing Népszabadság believes that PM Viktor Orbán wants to see his political opponent in prison or at least prosecuted, right wing Magyar Nemzet says that Mr Gyurcsány should have tried to clear his name on Monday, instead of making political speeches. READ MORE

Lessons of the D-Day protests

Tuesday, October 4th, 2011

Left-wing commentators believe that last weekend’s demonstrations were just the beginning of a protest season against government policies, while others suggest that the street actions did not even help the opposition parties. READ MORE

Orbán still without a challenger

Monday, October 3rd, 2011

Journalists and political analysts of both leftist and conservative inclinations wonder who might emerge as a rival to Viktor Orbán either as prime minister or as right-wing leader. The centre-right governing coalition is losing support, but the opposition parties have failed so far to increase their own popularity. READ MORE

Budapest vs Brussels over the telecom tax

Saturday, October 1st, 2011

Népszava comments ironically on the government’s reaction to a resolution by the European Commission which found Hungary at fault for imposing a surplus tax on telecoms. Magyar Hírlap, on the other hand, complains that Brussels interferes too much in Hungarian domestic affairs. READ MORE

No growth in sight

Friday, September 30th, 2011

The main pro-government daily is worried about how the public will receive the rigorous fiscal policy that the government has to follow in today’s hostile environment. READ MORE

Gyurcsány’s leap in the dark

Thursday, September 29th, 2011
Népszabadság’s columnist warns the former Socialist premier and party chairman that by “defecting” he might become an undesirable ally for the Socialists and therefore a burden on his new party.
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