Hungary seen as an island of ‘normality’
Monday, July 26th, 2021Conservative commentators accuse the ‘West’ and ‘Brussels’ of attacking Hungary in order to punish it for defending traditional Christian and European values. READ MORE
Archive for the ‘Magyar Demokrata’ Category
Weeklies on conflicts with the EU
Monday, July 19th, 2021The weeklies are sharply divided on the issues which pit the Hungarian government against the European Commission, but all consider these controversies serious and lasting. READ MORE
Weeklies on new divergences between The EU and Hungary
Monday, July 5th, 2021Opposition-leaning weeklies ponder whether the row between most European governments and Hungary’s leaders over sexual education might ultimately lead to Hungary leaving the European Union, while pro-government outlets praise the Hungarian government for defending traditional values.
Football seen as politics by other means
Monday, June 28th, 2021Commentators right across the political spectrum interpret the Hungarian team’s unexpected success and tragic exit from the European Football Championship as a political allegory. READ MORE
Weeklies divided on taking the knee at Euro 2020
Monday, June 21st, 2021None of the print weeklies support the practice of kneeling down on the pitch in sign of protest against racism nor do any of them approve of Hungarian fans who booed the Irish side when they were taking the knee before a preparatory match for the European championship. On the other hand, they strongly disagree on whether such gestures should be banned from sports events. READ MORE
Pope’s visit to Budapest
Thursday, June 10th, 2021A pro-government columnist thinks that Pope Francis plans to avoid meeting Hungarian government politicians in order to punish them for defending Christianity – by keeping migrants out of the country. A left-wing commentator accuses the government of using Christianity to promote its own political agenda.
Government side campaign puts Gyurcsány in its centre
Monday, May 31st, 2021Pro-government commentators claim in unison that the opposition is the ideological heir of the 2006 ‘Őszöd speech’ and ensuing police violence. They also insist that the opposition is still led by former PM Gyucsány from behind the scenes. A left-wing author dismisses that as pure propaganda. READ MORE
High stakes in next year’s election
Monday, May 17th, 2021A liberal columnist suggests that if they win in 2022, the opposition parties should not bother too much about rule of law constraints, and could imprison government oligarchs and distribute their wealth among Hungarians, just as the Communists did in 1945. A conservative commentator fears that such threats cannot be taken lightly, and likens the opposition to Nazi and Communist murderers. READ MORE
Diplomatic row between Hungary and Germany over the sacking of a coach
Monday, April 12th, 2021he German Foreign Ministry has rejected Hungarian protests against the sacking of a Hungarian football coach in Berlin. Commentators’ opinions diverge on the rights and wrongs, but even opposition leaning columnists tend to believe that firing the coach was a disproportionate punishment. READ MORE
Plans to start reopening Hungary
Monday, April 5th, 2021As Prime Minister Orbán announces plans to gradually reopen the country, including schools, as soon as 2.5 million Hungarians have received their first coronavirus vaccination, a fierce and partisan dispute over the government’s strategy to contain the pandemic rolls on. READ MORE