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Ákos Kertész seeks asylum in Canada


A left-wing commentator believes that Ákos Kertész, a Hungarian writer who has bitterly criticised Hungary and its right-wing parties, had to leave the country as a result of fierce verbal and physical attacks from the right-wing. He predicts that Kertész’s decision will be celebrated both by the governing centre-right parties and by radical groups. A pro-government commentator regrets Kertész’s decision, and hopes that he will find peace in Canada. READ MORE

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Police brutality footage from 2006


A right-wing columnist wonders why the police investigates journalists who identified the policemen beating up protesters during the 2006 riots, instead of prosecuting the violent perpetrators who, she believes, acted on the orders of Ferenc Gyurcsány’s left-wing government. READ MORE

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Shaking hands with Jobbik


Liberal commentators are divided over the meaning of a handshake with the leader of  Jobbik, and the place of the far right party in the Hungarian political landscape. Most left-leaning intellectuals consider any gesture towards Jobbik unacceptable, while others invoke the fact that Jobbik won a place in Parliament democratically. READ MORE

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EU sanctions can only help keep Orbán in power


A Marxist philosopher believes that the European Commission’s proposal to suspend 495 million Euros in development support simply reinforces PM Viktor Orbán’s power, and will only serve to help Fidesz win the next general elections. READ MORE

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Is Klubrádió winning?


A left wing commentator welcomes a court decision which upholds the validity of a broadcasting license won by the left-wing talk radio, and cautions the Media Authority against filing an appeal. READ MORE

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What does Fidesz want from the state and why?


A centrist analyst believes that Fidesz did not embark on a wholesale overhaul of scores of political institutions in order to put an end to democracy in Hungary, but because the party felt that the institutional environment has always favoured its adversaries. Fidesz decided, therefore, to change that environment. READ MORE

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Right-wing commentator disappointed by Hunvald’s mild sentence


A leading conservative analyst fears that the mild sentence handed down in György Hunvald’s trial is bound to strengthen populist stereotypes according to which the small thieves get caught while the bigger ones get away with their crimes. READ MORE

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The Governor of the Central Bank has offered to give up his salary


Both left and right wing commentators accuse the Governor of Hungary’s Central Bank of waiting too long before making a conciliatory gesture, in a fierce debate with the government over his income. READ MORE

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The long shadow of Communism


Remembering the victims of the Communist past, conservative intellectuals blame left-wing and liberal elites for trying to relativize the crimes of the Communist dictatorships. A liberal commentator, on the other hand, accuses the right-wing government of only symbolically distancing itself from post-Communism. READ MORE

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A leftist take on the looming EU sanctions


Left-wing and liberal analysts blame the government for the European Commission’s threat to withhold hundreds of millions of Euros in subsidies. They suggest that both the government and the public will have to acknowledge the necessity of pro-market reforms. READ MORE

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