A conservative columnist blames the exclusion of the Roma on what he calls “the culture of poverty” rather than on discrimination by the majority. His left-wing counterpart finds it peculiar that the Right would expect those living in deprivation and exclusion to fight prejudice. READ MORE
An economist warns that Jobbik is the only political party that has managed to raise the real problems most poor people face in their day to day lives, although it has not offered any viable solutions. The government is trying to get rid of a flawed model of economic development, he believes, but the Left mistakenly interprets that effort as a drive to restore Communism. READ MORE
Left-wing columnists accuse the government of ignoring growing poverty. Their pro-government counterpart believes that the opposition is trying to politically exploit the poor, having done nothing to improve their lot while they were in government. READ MORE
Right-wing commentators contend that PM Orbán’s vision is closer to social democratic ideals than the policies of past socialist-liberal governments. Left-wing pundits, on the other hand, accuse Fidesz of favoring the rich instead of supporting those in need. READ MORE
A pro-government columnist pondering the latest opinion poll on public trust contends that the Orbán government has restored some of the authority democratic institutions lost under past left-wing governments. Another conservative pundit accuses the left of alarmism which strengthens negative attitudes in the country. READ MORE
Left-wing columnists accuse the government of weakening solidarity and sweeping problems under the carpet, as the Budapest Assembly passed a decree banning people from living on the street in certain areas. Conservative commentators contend that there are enough places in shelters for the homeless, thus the Fidesz-led council is right to ban anti-social homeless people from specific busy downtown areas. READ MORE
Addressing both liberal and conservative critics of last week’s Horthy commemoration, Gáspár Miklós Tamás, a well-known leftist philosopher ridicules those who confine their criticism of the interwar era to anti-Semitism alone. READ MORE
Following the passing by Parliament of a new regulation allowing local councils to ban sleeping rough in certain streets and areas, a liberal commentator accuses the government of criminalizing homelessness. A centrist columnist finds the new rules unenforceable. READ MORE