December 9th, 2016
A liberal analyst writes that the Left is failing to react to a new series of welfare measures introduced by the government. The main problem, he suggests, is the lack of an overall message.
In Magyar Narancs, Bálint Madlovics enumerates a series of recent welfare measures by the government, including pension hikes, wage hikes and tax cuts and interprets them as elements of a long term ‘populist’ campaign by the governing forces in preparation for the next parliamentary elections, due in eighteen months’ time. He deems it natural that the Left finds it difficult to either oppose or support such measures, and therefore appears helpless face to face with the government’s welfare campaign. He believes, however, that the Left’s main problem is the lack of a clear identity and a clear worldview that might serve as a context for criticising popular government measures without losing credibility. Building such a communication environment is a long term job, he warns, but that is the only way the Left can become a match for PM Viktor Orbán.
Tags: Left, pensions, wages, welfare
