Liberal pundits criticize both Right and Left for not confronting policies which they see as targeting the Roma who live in poverty. A Minister is criticized for his “unfortunate” statement on the Roma Holocaust. A Dutch-Hungarian psychologist calls for the publication of Hungarian crime statistics by ethnicity. READ MORE
Left-wing commentators are deeply divided about the candidacy of Albert Pásztor for the mayoral seat of Miskolc. Some condemn what they see as the arrogance of Budapest-based intellectuals for trying to meddle in the internal affairs of the city, while others deem the nomination of a law and order candidate by the Left unacceptable. READ MORE
Columnists wonder whether it is acceptable and reasonable for the Left to support as a candidate for mayor of Miskolc a former police chief known for his highly controversial statements about Roma crime. READ MORE
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
A political analyst commenting on the latest polls contends that far-right Jobbik has increased its support as a result of its more moderate image. A left-wing columnist accuses Fidesz of legitimizing Jobbik’s racist language and thereby strengthening the radical right-wing party. Another left-wing commentator is intrigued by the propensity among left-wing voters to feel nostalgic about the Kádár era. READ MORE
Is Jobbik a post-fascist movement or a fringe protest party? Does it pursue a racist and neo-Nazi ideology? How radical is its agenda? Is it comparable to far-right populist parties in Western Europe? In VS, a new centrist online media outlet, popular intellectuals and pundits discuss Jobbik’s ideology and its electoral prospects in a comparative perspective. READ MORE
A left-wing daily believes the new Roma party will eat into the constituency of the opposition, while a Roma politician maintains in a pro-government weekly that the Roma should change themselves, to change their plight. READ MORE
Pundits across the political spectrum believe that Colleen Bradley Bell, the new US Ambassador to Hungary will form a rather dim picture of Hungary and its government if she gathers information from the US press before taking up her post. READ MORE
Left-wing commentators accuse the local council of playing to the anti-Roma gallery, as the capacity of roadside water pumps was reduced in Ózd, a rust-belt city in northern Hungary during the hottest days of summer. The main pro-government daily believes the left-wing opposition has used the case to launch a coordinated political campaign. READ MORE