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Matolcsy’s 397 billion Forint adjustment package


Columnists wonder whether or not the government’s announcement that it will restructure the 2013 budget in order to save 397 billion Forints means that it has abandoned its previous economic strategy . Left-wing and liberal analysts believe that the government has thereby admitted the failure of its previous earlier policies. A pro-government pundit suggests that it is too early to reach a verdict on the government’s efforts. READ MORE

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Right-wing fears of Socialist influence over National Bank


A pro-government columnist finds it deeply worrying that an advisor to the President of the Hungarian National Bank is a Socialist party member. He believes that “such a conflict of interests” threatens the bank’s independence. READ MORE

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Childbearing: a private or public issue?


A left-wing columnist accuses House Speaker and leading Fidesz politician László Kövér of advocating anti-abortion ideas. A pro-government commentator rejects this interpretation of Köver”s words, and suggests that the speaker actually wanted to highlight the demographic consequences of the declining birth rate. READ MORE

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Slot machines banned


In an unusually swift procedure, Parliament banned slot machines with immediate effect, except for those in casinos. Commentators both on the right and the left agree that it was the right decision, although the price is high: the loss of tens of billions in gambling revenues and tens of thousands of jobs. READ MORE

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Contrasting views on PM Orbán's Turul statue speech


Népszabadság criticizes Prime Minister Orbán for unveiling and praising a Turul-sculpture, which the daily considers a nationalistic symbol. According to a pro-government commentator, that criticism shows that the left cannot tolerate feelings of national belonging. READ MORE

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Debate over anti-Communist heritage


A pro-government commentator marks the foundation of the Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF) 25 years ago, and suggests that throughout that period the centre-right parties have been united by their common anti-Communist stance. A liberal pundit, on the other hand, claims that the liberals were the first to openly criticise Communists and demand democracy. READ MORE

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A judge’s approach to the vandalisation of Horthy’s statue


Right-wing commentators are appalled by the statement of a judge who convicted but at the same time praised a protester for damaging a statue recently erected to Hungary’s interwar ruler. Left-wing analysts welcome the judge’s position and disagree with the Vice President of the Supreme Court, who scolded his colleague for expressing a personal opinion when issuing his verdict. READ MORE

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Consternation over EU Court ruling in Hungary vs Slovakia


A right-wing commentator finds it strange that while the European Court rejected Hungary’s complaint against the Slovak refusal three years ago to let President László Sólyom attend a ceremony on Slovak territory, the European Commission and Parliament do not feel competent in the case of the post war Beneš decrees, which declared Hungarians collectively guilty. READ MORE

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Business commentator sides with angry South Europeans


Hungary’s main business daily carries pungent criticism of the restrictive policies Brussels is imposing on Southern Europe. READ MORE

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Land lease program rigging claims refuted


A pro-government pundit defends a public land lease programme against potentially damaging allegations of tender-rigging. READ MORE

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