First appraisals of 2020
Friday, January 1st, 2021Political commentators on both sides of the political divide depict 2020 in dark colours and brace for even tougher clashes next year. READ MORE
Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Right-wing columnist on Navalny poisoning
Wednesday, December 30th, 2020A pro-government commentator doesn’t believe that Russian dissident Alexei Navalny was poisoned by the Russian secret services. READ MORE
A left-liberal take on electoral chances
Tuesday, December 29th, 2020An op-ed article in the nationwide left-wing daily suggests that the opposition should abandon its cosmopolitan rhetoric and produce less compromised leaders to stand a fair chance of defeating Fidesz. READ MORE
Weeklies on rule of law deal
Monday, December 21st, 2020Commentators try to make sense of the agreement reached last week on rule of law conditionality of EU financial transfers to member states which enabled Hungary and Poland to abandon their threat to veto the seven-year Union budget and the Covid recovery scheme. READ MORE
Hungarian paper defends Romanian referee in racism row
Wednesday, December 16th, 2020As the Romanian press praises Magyar Nemzet for taking up the defence of a Romanian referee shamed even by his own government, a conservative analyst is outraged by what he sees as attempts by international bodies at policing national languages. READ MORE
Hungary and Poland refuse to back down
Monday, December 7th, 2020A liberal analyst thinks that Prime Minister Orbán miscalculated his chances of success when he opted for a head-on collision with the most influential European governments over plans to make EU financial transfers conditional on respect for the rule of law. A pro-government commentator, on the other hand, believes that Hungary must defend herself against arbitrary rule by Union bureaucrats. READ MORE
Rule of law controversy drags on
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2020As Prime Minister Orbán and his Polish counterpart say they are waiting for a compromise on the debate over the rule of law conditionality of EU payments, commentators on both sides of the political divide ponder the implications. READ MORE
Government’s elbowroom wears thinner as Biden prepares to take office
Saturday, November 21st, 2020A liberal commentator suggests that Joe Biden’s electoral victory is already changing power relations in Europe – and not in favour of the Hungarian government. READ MORE
Row over electoral law amendments
Saturday, November 14th, 2020A pro-government columnist finds opposition criticism of the amendments proposed to the electoral law groundless and even absurd, arguing that the proposal targeting tiny pseudo-parties. A liberal commentator agrees that the proposed changes are not all unfavourable for the opposition, but nonetheless deems it problematic that the government tables such important policy reforms under the coronavirus emergency. READ MORE
Vienna shooting in the spotlight
Thursday, November 5th, 2020Left-wing commentators warn against racism in the wake of the Islamist terror attack in neighbouring Austria, while a conservative analyst suggests that jihadists are targeting countries that have taken measures against illegal immigration. READ MORE