Politics

Mihály Varga, luckiest Finance Minister in Central & Eastern Europe.

Luckiest Finance Minister in Central & Eastern Europe – Mihály Varga

Hungary’s economy minister Mihály Varga has been named “Finance Minister of the Year, Central and Eastern Europe 2015” by London-based Euromoney Emerging Markets magazine. Government media in Budapest and the Hungarian Embassy in Washington are praising Mr. Varga and the ruling Fidesz party is elated by Euromoney’s choice. Is this another example of Prime Minister Orbán’s successful economic policy? Many […]

by · October 15, 2015 · Politics
István Ujhelyi. Photo: Facebook.

Hungarian Socialists oppose EU punitive action against Orbán government

The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe are pushing for the European Union to invoke the ominous Article 7 of the Lisbon Treaty against Hungary, but the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) has spoken up strongly in opposition of this initiative. If invoked, Article 7 would temporarily suspend some of the country’s voting rights in the EU, as punishment for […]

by · October 6, 2015 · Politics
Audi Hungaria boss Mr. Rupert Stadler, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and VW boss Mr. Martin Winterkorn at happier times.

Hungary’s government has good reason to be nervous about the VW scandal

About 2 million of the 11 million diesel engines involved in the Volkswagen-Audi emissions scandal were manufactured at the Audi plant in Győr, in western Hungary. Mihály Varga, Hungary’s Minister of Economy, said that his government was already in talks with German car manufacturers to assess the potential impact on Hungary’s economy. (See the Reuters report here.) He has good […]

by · September 30, 2015 · Politics
Pope Francis. Photo: Benhur Arcayan.

Orbán marches to a different drumbeat than Pope Francis

Readers of the Montreal Gazette will likely notice András Göllner’s column in this morning’s paper. The founder of the Canadian Hungarian Democratic Charter explores Pope Francis’ approach to compassion, diversity and inclusion, contrasting this with authoritarian political leaders, most notably Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and Russia’s Vladimir Putin. Prof. Göllner’s piece is worth a read and most certainly worth sharing here […]

by · September 29, 2015 · Politics
Mask of hypocrisy / Moses Foresto.

Shame on the Hungarian “Christian” right!

Many right-wing Hungarians were pedalling the idea during the entire refugee crisis that volunteers were somehow unmoved by the suffering of ethnic Hungarians living in poverty. Well, I was walking along Népszínház Street and Köztársaság Square the other day, and I have to conclude that the Hungarian homeless were better off while there were still refugees. Now all I see […]

by · September 28, 2015 · Politics
The Érpatak model. Photo: Film promotional poster / BIDF

An example of ghettoization in the heart of Europe

On Saturday, I watched the screening of the film The Érpatak Model at the Uránia movie theatre, in Budapest. Until now I assumed that Viktor Orbán’s rotten regime can’t come up with anything new for me. Was I ever wrong! The film depicts how in a community of 1,800 residents, a mayor–who appears to be visibly mentally ill–has essentially become the […]

by · September 28, 2015 · Politics
A refugee at the Röszke border crossing. Photo: Balázs Mohai / MTI.

András Göllner responds to Ambassador Ódor and George Jonas in the National Post

András Göllner published a piece on Hungary’s slow slide into despotism in the National Post, which elicited a response from Hungarian Ambassador Bálint Ódor. Mr. Ódor’s response then led to an op-ed from columnist George Jonas, who agreed with the ambassador and wrote fearfully of the dangers of Europe turning into “Eurabia.” Professor Göllner offered the following response to Mr. […]

by · September 25, 2015 · Politics
Viktor Orbán chats with  the Christian Social Union leadership of Bavaria. CSU politicians have been supportive of Mr. Orbán's tough stance on refugees and critical of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Photo: Viktor Orbán's Facebook page.

Viktor Orbán, the triumphant?

“Not a single refugee will step foot in here. This I can guarantee,” said Robert Kaliňák, Slovakia’s interior minister, on his way home from the EU summit called to deal with the most significant refugee crisis since World War II. Prime Minister Robert Fico’s populist left-wing government is obtaining technology from an American company called Hesco Bastion, which will allow it […]

by · September 24, 2015 · Politics
From page A9 of the National Post (September 23, 2015.)

Responses to Ambassador Ódor’s defence of the Orbán government in the National Post

Canada’s National Post daily newspaper published an op-ed entitled “A Word in Hungary’s Defence,” by Ambassador Bálint Ódor. The Orbán government’s representative in Canada was responding to an earlier piece in the National Post by Professor András Göllner, which highlighted the xenophobia that is a driving force behind the policies of the current regime in Budapest, especially as they relate […]

by · September 23, 2015 · Politics
Faymann, Fico and Sobotka are happier without Orbán.

The end of the Visegrad 4 Group – Orbán is alone

A couple of weeks ago in Prague, the prime ministers of Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic declared that they would oppose the European Commission’s plan to redistribute 120,000 refugees across the European Union. They resolutely rejected the proposed quota system. The Czech Republic hosted the meeting as current president of the Visegrad 4 Group (V4). Polish Prime Minister […]

by · September 23, 2015 · Politics