The latest left-right controversy has been sparked by an initiative of the Parliamentary majority to find ways to sue those politicians responsible for Hungary’s deep indebtedness. Left wing commentators believe that political mistakes cannot be criminalised in a democracy. READ MORE
A moderately conservative opinion page carries an unusually angry commentary on US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Thomas O. Melia’s criticism of the direction public affairs are taking in Hungary.
Commentators on both sides of the political battlefield believe equally that Hungary must learn its lesson from what happened in Oslo on July 22. But they differ on what that lesson should be. READ MORE
A radical right-wing organization has announced that it will stage a protest in the middle of the Sziget (Island) Rock Festival in Budapest in early August. Commentators across the political spectrum find the plan outrageous, while human rights activists defend the right of racist and nationalist groups to protest. READ MORE
Recent public opinion surveys reveal a very low level of trust among Hungarians, both in one another and in public institutions. Sociologists blame the lack of trust on political elites, for failing to promote the basic norms of market capitalism and democracy after the fall of state socialism. Hungarians hate state intervention, but also expect support from the government. READ MORE
PM Orbán Viktor’s speech last Saturday in Transylvania has been harshly criticized by left-wing commentators, most of whom are worried that Orbán is planning to turn Hungary away from the West, in order to strengthen Eastern partnerships. A liberal conservative analyst finds the real problem among left-wing pundits is taking a mistaken quotation for granted without checking the source, and by doing so, distorting Orbán’s message completely. READ MORE
The draft bill just published by the Ministry for National Economy aims to reduce the rights of employees. Employers would, among other changes, find it easier to lay off pregnant women and parents on maternity leave. A prominent right-wing commentator argues that curbing the rights of employees will not strengthen the nation. READ MORE
PM Viktor Orbán suggests that Hungary should focus less on the declining West, where sovereign debts have become unmanageable, and concentrate instead on introducing a labour-based economic model, whilst strengthening ties with Central European countries. Pundits ponder the possible implications of the PM’s new vision. READ MORE
Ex gendarmerie captain Sándor Képíró, 97, was acquitted of the charge of responsibility for the execution of more than 30 Jews and Serbs in Serbia in 1942. Left and right-wing commentators compare this case to earlier trials involving those accused of crimes during the Communist period, and appear to agree that it is almost impossible to administer genuine justice. READ MORE
Magyar Hírlap finds the decision of a US court to allow descendants of Holocaust victims to sue Hungarian State Railways for the plunder of Jewish possessions during World War II outrageous. The right wing commentator thinks that trials of this kind can only play into the hands of anti-Semites. READ MORE