Recently in the spotlight

Two Erzsébet vouchers totalling 4,000 forints (C$18) specifically designated to purchase food.

Can Hungarian voters be bought for just $45?

The Orbán government is giving Hungary’s 2.7 million pensioners a Christmas gift in the form of vouchers worth 10,000 forints (C$45). The vouchers, called Erzsébet utalvány and named after the thirteenth century Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, can be used to pay for food, goods and services at thousands of restaurants and shops in Hungary and at some domestic hotels and […]

by · December 18, 2016 · Politics
Horthy plaque in Budapest XVI District.  Dozens of Horthy memorabilia were installed.

75 years ago Miklós Horthy declared war on the US, today he is revered in Budapest

On December 12, 1941, just days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Admiral Miklós Horthy’s Hungary declared war on the United States. His Prime Minister was László Bárdossy who was executed as a war criminal in 1946. Relations between anti-American Imperial Japan and pro-Hitler Hungary were warm and friendly and the Japanese frequently praised Horthy. (See rare Japanese newsreel […]

by · December 14, 2016 · Focus
Sebastian Kurz (left) with Péter Szijjártó (right). Photo: MTI.

Hungary passionately defends Turkey in EU, despite human rights violations

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó is at odds with his Austrian counterpart, Sebastian Kurz, over whether the European Union should suspend all accession negotiations with Turkey, due to troubling human rights violations, especially since July’s failed coup. The Orbán government has been a staunch supporter of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Turkey, and Hungarian foreign policy in general has been pro-expansion […]

by · December 13, 2016 · East
RMDSZ billboard in Nagyvárad (Oradea).

Romania’s elections: Hungarian party beats expectations, while Social Democrats score major victory

Romania’s Social Democratic Party (Partidul Social Democrat, PSD) won in a landslide in Sunday’s legislative elections, garnering 45.44% of the vote–far ahead of the National Liberal Party (Partidul Național Liberal, PNL) at just 20%. The Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (Romániai Magyar Demokrata Szövetség – RMDSZ) came in at fourth place with 6.25% of the vote, sending 16 representatives […]

by · December 12, 2016 · East
The Atlantic Council’s map of Putin friendly political parties in Europe.

Orbán’s Hungary – The Kremlin’s Trojan Horse

In an interesting turn in the saga of the 2016 US presidential election, President Barack Obama has requested an intelligence report on suspected hacking that took place before the election. The CIA believes that Russia intervened to help Donald Trump win and Obama has ordered the intelligence agencies to review cyberattacks and other foreign intervention. Email accounts of Democratic National […]

by · December 11, 2016 · Politics
The 120-meter skyscraper approved for the banks of the Danube. Photo> BudaPart.hu.

Controversial Budapest skyscraper approved by Fidesz with no consultation

Budapest’s historic skyline is about to change dramatically, with the Fidesz-controlled General Assembly of the Hungarian capital approving a 120-meter high skyscraper, even though all opposition parties expressed concern about the lack of consultation and the lack of time to review the plans before the motion was rushed through council. The Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) suggested that investors close to […]

by · December 7, 2016 · Politics
Hungarian teachers protest the Orbán government's education policies in Budapest earlier this year. The banner reads: I would teach. The future of our children is at stake." Photo: Népszava

Shambolic public education in Hungary — PISA survey paints grim picture

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released the most recent Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results, showing a dramatic decline in the scores of Hungarian teenagers and an especially grim picture of just how poorly children from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds fare at school. Every three years, PISA assesses the scholastic performance of 15 year old students in […]

by · December 6, 2016 · Focus
Mária Schmidt. Photo: MTI

Hungary loses yet another independent publication – Government historian buys weekly paper

One of Hungary’s national political weekly magazines, Figyelő, was bought by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s former adviser and government historian Mária Schmidt on Monday. While Ms. Schmidt promises to keep publishing the weekly, it is all but certain that the publication’s critical, independent voice will be gone. Figyelő will almost certainly follow the fate of the online publication Origo, or […]

by · December 5, 2016 · Politics
My hovercraft is full of eels

My hovercraft is full of eels

A couple of weeks ago the British Academy of Film and Television Arts announced that Terry Jones, who is best known for his part in the sketch comedy group Monty Python, has been diagnosed with a rare form of dementia. Primary Progressive Aphasia is a devastating disease, a rare neurological disorder that affects a person’s ability to communicate. Jones is […]

by · December 4, 2016 · Culture
Michael Aarenau. Photo: Ottawa Jewish Bulletin.

A short reflection on “Jewish victimhood” and Canadian university life

Ottawa-based columnist Michael Aarenau published an op-ed piece in the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin biweekly newspaper entitled “Campus Life: Bonding over Jewish victimhood” on November 9, 2016 in which he wrote: “Many of us seem to view any and all demonstrations against Israel as anti-Semitic. While there’s no doubt in my mind that a lot of the criticism against Israel is rooted […]

by · December 1, 2016 · Antisemitism