Budapest is in the midst of sweltering summer weather and during my stay in the Hungarian capital over the past ten days, I have experienced first-hand tram and metro cars that have interior temperatures topping 35 degrees Celsius. (The M2 and M4 metro lines are air conditioned and the 4-6 tram line is hit or miss, so if you are […]
Here’s the story behind one of the most endearing wine taverns in Budapest. Imre Balázs Molnár is a Hungarian Canadian, born in Montreal, lived in the same Laval suburb that I grew up in, and ended up in Ottawa much like me. As it happens, he was born at Montreal’s St. Mary’s Hospital, and probably around the same year as […]
Fidesz Vice President Szilárd Németh is a fortunate man. According to János Hudák, a municipal politician associated with the Párbeszéd party, Mr. Németh’s private foundation, registered at his home address, will receive 2 billion forints in state subsidies to build a new sports complex, which will become home to the Hungarian Wrestling Academy. Curiously, but in keeping with how things […]
During one of many party forums in Budapest, where National Economy Minister Mihály Varga and National Defence Minister István Simicskó were tasked with explaining the dangers of “the Soros network,” under a screen that read “let’s stand up for Hungary” and an unflattering photo of George Soros, a journalist was assaulted by a local Fidesz politician. Júlia Halász of the […]
Isabelle Poupart, Canada’s ambassador to Hungary, issued what was perhaps the most unequivocal statement yet from the Government of Canada on the Orbán regime’s attacks against academic freedom and its on-going attempt to shut down Central European University. The Budapest regime’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Péter Szijjártó, summoned Ambassador Poupart, asserting that the Canadian diplomat made “false accusations” and adding […]
The Trump campaign’s pro-Russian friends who live in the hills, overlooking the Budapest Bridge Part 2 of a 3 part investigative report by András B. Göllner “There must be some way out of here” said the joker to the thief. “There’s too much confusion, I can’t get no relief. Businessmen, they drink my wine, plowmen dig my earth. None of […]
If students at Budapest’s Ágoston Trefort Secondary School are representative of a new, young generation of educated Hungarians, then that would be very positive news indeed for the future of Hungary. We know, of course, that Trefort is an elite secondary school–almost exclusively for students seeking to attend university. President János Áder visited Trefort to give a talk about environmental issues […]
Fidesz support in a closely watched by-election in the Budapest district of Zugló has collapsed, with the left-wing opposition winning a sweeping victory. Bence Bitskey, the joint candidate for the Democratic Coalition, the Hungarian Socialist Party, the small Dialogue party and a local civic group garnered 790 votes, compared to just 404 for Fidesz. While the left won in this […]
Two municipal by-elections are scheduled for Sunday in Budapest and both could serve as an indication of what impact half a dozen mass protests (each drawing tens of thousands) and the scandal surrounding Central European University have had on voting intentions, less than a year before national elections. Both by-elections are in areas that, in any other country, would likely […]
The contrast between the words uttered by the Hungarian and Canadian prime ministers this Easter could not have been more stark. While Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a Catholic, spoke about how “the Easter story reminds us of the sacrifices made for us, and of the forgiving power of compassion,” as well as called on us to “put into practice what […]
