Hungary’s Magyar Nemzet daily newspaper believes that as Greece shut downs its banking system, introduces financial controls and teeters on the knife edge of default, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras may very definitively turn to Russian President Vladimir Putin for assistance. “Compared to this, Viktor Orbán’s flirtation with Russia will have been nothing at all,” adds Magyar Nemzet, in a clear dig at the Hungarian prime minister and his gravitation towards Moscow and other eastern authoritarian regimes over the past few years. I’ll remind our readers that ever since Magyar Nemzet’s owner, the oligarch Lajos Simicska, had a falling out with his long-time friend Mr. Orbán, resulting in an effective boycott of the country’s second largest daily newspaper by the governing Fidesz party, the once steadfastly pro-government publication now not only publishes critical pieces, but is starting to look and sound like a somewhat more respectable, centre-right news source, rather than just a mouthpiece of the regime.
In its editorial on the crisis in Greece, Magyar Nemzet laments that the end result–especially if the Mediterranean country exits from the euro zone–will be a weakening of the entire European Union the world stage.
“What’s important isn’t Mr. Tsipras’s fate or Chancellor Angela Merkel’s legacy, but rather the future of the EU itself. Greece’s collapse and the failure of the EU to manage the crisis can further deepen the rifts and cracks that already exist, it can increase divisions and embolden eurosceptic populism, which already seems to be in vogue these days. Power plays, hiding behind the guise of national interest in individual member states, will supersede European interests. All of this will undoubtedly lead to Europe’s further marginalization. Perhaps the shock caused by Mr. Tsipras’s announcement [of a snap referendum on bail-out] might even help to stop this,” writes Magyar Nemzet, suggesting that the historic crisis in Greece may serve as a wake-up call within the EU.
The Hungarian daily argued that Mr. Tsipras’s move to call a snap referendum was “morally cynical” in light of the fact that when a Greek predecessor called for the same poll years ago on a tough bail-out package and reforms, Syriza’s leader had voted against it, noting that the government of the day was simply wasting time, and effectively ceding the responsibility to make a difficult decision. But it is the EU that is really at crossroads, according to Magyar Nemzet, and neither option is ideal. On the one hand, the Berlin-led EU could give in to Greek anti-austerity demands, which would then confirm the failure of a crisis management strategy that was based so heavily on austerity. On the other hand, if it sticks to its guns and continues its mantra of managing an economic crisis through steep cuts to public services and welfare programs, both the euro zone and the EU will begin a process of erosion.
A year ago, I couldn’t have imagined Magyar Nemzet crying foul when it came to eurosceptic populism, or worrying about the EU’s position on the world stage, or indeed being concerned about President Putin waiting for the opportunity to offer a “helping hand” to a desperate Greece, the soft underbelly of Europe. I wouldn’t normally focus too much on presenting articles from Magyar Nemzet to our English readers, but this most recent editorial on the crisis in Greece speaks volumes about how the media landscape has transformed, in just a few short months, on the Hungarian right.
