Left and right both accuse each other of appropriating and falsifying the message of the 1956 revolution. Right-wing pundits call for historical justice, while left-wing commentators think the government is abusing the anniversary to vilify the opposition. READ MORE
Magyar Hírlap welcomes the idea of putting one time communist human rights offenders in the dock. Fidesz is planning to incorporate in Hungarian criminal law an international agreement according to which crimes against humanity are not be subject to a statute of limitations. READ MORE
Left wing columnists are united in condemning a decision by the mayor of Budapest to appoint actor György Dörner as head of Új Színház (New Theater). They focus on what they regard as the low professional level of Mr Dörner’s application, and his political support of the extreme right. A popular right wing journalist counters that the attack is due to Mr Dörner’s political beliefs rather than his professional standard. READ MORE
A conservative economist and a right-wing commentator both suggest that next year’s budget cuts and tax increases are the consequence of unforeseen global economic factors. The draft of next year’s budget anticipates slower growth and contains further cuts in expenditures. READ MORE
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
Népszabadság believes the report submitted by the Prime Minister to Parliament on the conduct of the police force during the 2006 riots is part of a witch-hunt. The right-wing dailies demand a judicial inquiry into former Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány’s responsibility for the “acts of terror” unleashed by police commanders against peaceful citizens. READ MORE
In a commentary which borders on the offensive, Magyar Hírlap compares the government’s economic policies to those of its left-wing predecessors. READ MORE
The Socialist party is wrong to concentrate on its own political infighting instead of attacking the government’s economic policy – left and right wing newspapers agree. Népszabadság believes the Gyurcsány saga plays into the hands of Fidesz, while according to Magyar Nemzet, Ferenc Gyurcsány and his followers have decided to split the Socialist Party, because they cannot take it over. READ MORE
The main left wing papers and even a right wing daily contend that the government’s plan to introduce a levy on average and above-average incomes to compensate lower wage earners, amounts to abandoning its flat tax policy.
Commenting on the main figures of next year’s budget, Népszabadság pokes fun at the government’s assurances that no restrictions are being imposed. A right wing commentator fears that the rigorous fiscal policy outlined by the Minister of the Economy will prove costly in terms of voters’ support. READ MORE