Politics

American concern about Hungary’s downward democratic trajectory

American concern about Hungary’s downward democratic trajectory

The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is concerned about “Hungary’s downward democratic trajectory” and issued the following letter about Viktor Orbán’s upcoming visit to the White House. Four US Senators, among them ranking member Robert Menendez signed the letter. Not too long ago, in 2012 Senator Menendez actually praised Hungary’s democracy and politicians of the Orbán government, among […]

by · May 12, 2019 · Politics
Andrew Neil (left) interviews Ben Shapiro (right) on the BBC...and Mr. Shapiro walks out minutes after this exchange.

What Ben Shapiro’s frenzied reaction to a BBC interview tells us about political tribalism

Historians will credit Prime Minister Viktor Orbán with having been ahead of his time on the nature of political discourse and on the populist transformation of what was once called conservatism. Mr. Orbán has avoided all debates with his political opponents since 2006 and finessed the tribal approach to politics that was only adopted by others in North America and […]

by · May 11, 2019 · Politics
Europe is here. Poster from 1 May 2004.

Hungary snubbed on fifteenth anniversary of EU membership

It’s May Day in Hungary — a national holiday where major political parties hold picnics and rallies, Budapest’s Városliget (City Park) fills with families, games for children, barbecues and vendors, and the almost moribund Munkáspárt, the hard-line successor of the country’s pre-1989 Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party, shows signs of life by marching on Andrássy út and serving zsíróskenyér (bread with […]

by · May 1, 2019 · Politics
Mr. Davis listens to Mr. Ódor. (Photo: Don Davis/Facebook)

New Democratic Party MP Don Davies has “great meeting” with Orbán regime representatives

Our publication has been critical in the past of close contacts and friendly relationships between the prior Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and representatives of Hungary’s Orbán regime. The Hungarian Free Press, its contributors and many of its readers have on numerous occasions informed different layers of the Canadian political establishment of the systemic rule of law violations […]

by · April 18, 2019 · Politics
Another selfie

Who’s Meshuga? Arnold Schwarzenegger and Viktor Orbán – best buddies

Last December in the Polish city of Katowice, Arnold Schwarzenegger gave a brief speech about climate change. In his speech Arnold called President Trump meshuga. The Yiddish word means crazy and the audience responded with applause. Arnold grew up in Graz, Austria as a son of a one-time Nazi party-member policeman. I don’t think that he heard much Yiddish at […]

by · April 5, 2019 · Politics
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (left) and Minister of Innovation and Technology László Palkovics.

Minister László Palkovics shouldn’t get an opportunity to speak at UC Berkeley

László Palkovics, Hungary’s Minister of Innovation and Technology, will speak at the University of California at Berkeley on Thursday, April 4. The title of his presentation is “Hungary as a European Hub for Autonomous Vehicle Design and Validation” Mr. Palkovics has been invited by the Department of Mechanical Engineering and is hosted by Professor Francesco Borrelli. Mr. Palkovics is a […]

by · March 25, 2019 · Politics
Photo credit: Alexandros Michailidis

European People’s Party finally suspends Fidesz from its ranks

Despite Viktor Orbán’s half-hearted letters of apology to members of the European People’s about his most recent anti-Soros, anti-Juncker and anti-migrant campaigns, an expression of regret for employing the term “useful idiots” when referring to his Christian Democratic partners in the EU and a pledge to stop harassing Central European University, the EPP appears to have had enough and has […]

by · March 20, 2019 · Politics
Theresa May walking in the rain after church.

Brexit and why I still admire British political culture

Britain’s Attorney General Geoffrey Cox, a Tory politician appointed by the current prime minister, advised that Theresa May’s last ditch efforts to secure legally binding reassurances for her Brexit deal around the controversial backstop clause fell short of guaranteeing that the United Kingdom could unilaterally withdraw itself from a situation that would see Northern Ireland unified indefinitely with the Republic of […]

by · March 12, 2019 · Politics
Viktor Orbán (25 February 2019). Photo: Facebook.

Fidesz unlikely to agree to European People’s Party demands

Manfred Weber, leader of the European People’s Party (EPP) parliamentary faction has issued three demands of Fidesz if it is to be permitted to remain a member of the largest caucus in the European Parliament. Hungary’s ruling party, after launching yet another anti-Soros, anti-Brussels and now also anti-Jean Claude Juncker campaign, must: stop this campaign, apologize to the member parties […]

by · March 6, 2019 · Politics
Ten conservative allies demand Fidesz be expelled from European People’s Party

Ten conservative allies demand Fidesz be expelled from European People’s Party

Ten member parties of the conservative European People’s Party are formally demanding that Fidesz, which is presently running a negative ad campaign against fellow Christian Democrat President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and Brussels, be expelled from the European Parliament’s largest faction. At least seven parties from five EU member states must agree to have a member party expelled from the […]

by · March 4, 2019 · Politics