Hungary in the news - via HVG
Median - plummeting approval ratingson Jun 04, 2008 via HVG Hungarians want to see early elections, though a full fifth of them would not trouble to vote. A Median survey conducted for HVG in May sets new records.See details
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Interview with Peter Mihalyion Jun 04, 2008 via HVG The economist Peter Mihalyi has called for "drastic, shocking" reforms in his new book. Why is the Hungarian Economy Poorly? calls for reform of the family support system and discusses the problems facing very small companies.See details
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Obama's warning to Orbanon May 26, 2008 via HVG There's a problem when most voters think the problems can be solved without making any sacrifices or anybody resigning. Obama's supporters have a quasi-religious faith in him. In Hungary, too, people place unrealistic hopes in the politicians of the future. The problem is not with people thinking their idol is a messiah. The problem comes when the messiah himself starts to believe it.See details
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Will a Kadar-era military judge become the president of the court?on May 20, 2008 via HVG A former military judge of the Kadar regime may become president of the supreme court if a successor to Zoltan Lomnici is not elected next month. Colonel Kaposvari found Gabor Rimner and his associates guilty of spying in 1981. Another document shows that he was unwilling to overturn the conviction of another person convicted of spying. The cases of Hungarians who acted as informants for western countries against the Soviet occupier have still not been satisfactorily resolved.See details
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Istvan Stumpf: "The last nail in the republic's coffin"on May 20, 2008 via HVG The government is headed for a slow and painful death - and the only hope is that the government will refrain from using the national development plan to buy the votes it needs to survive, says Istvan Stumpf. Only government with broad support can hope to lift the country out of its crisis, says the former chancery minister.See details
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Scandal at the Hungarian Red Crosson May 19, 2008 via HVG A Hungarian Red Cross director appointed to put the organisation in order had only just been hired when she was summarily dismissed,apparently because he was uncovering earlier management failings at the organisation.See details
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Hungary asks US to help clamp down on far-right - paperon Apr 17, 2008 via HVG Hungary has asked the United States to help investigate far-right activities in the country, according to unnamed sources cited by business weekly HVG.See details
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Tamas Suchman on Gyurcsany and the Free Democratson Apr 16, 2008 via HVG It is rumoured that the Socialist MP Tamas Suchman has called for early elections and the dismissal of Ferenc Gyurcsany, the prime minister. He denies the claims. His view is that minority government can only work if the Socialist Party manages to cooperate effectively with the Free Democrats, whom he regards as its only possible partner.See details
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Reform phobia - the legacy of consumer socialismon Apr 16, 2008 via HVG Society has trouble accepting that the Hungarian economy as it is currently performing cannot sustain the existing social security structures. The free-lunch social security system appears to be falling apart - regardless of whether the population realises this.See details
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Preparing for minority governmenton Apr 16, 2008 via HVG Every party is convinced it will gain from the collapse of the coalition. Meanwhile, half the country wants to see early elections.See details
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Free advertising for Tomcaton Apr 13, 2008 via HVG A functioning state and its media does not capitulate to a media hacker whose main aim is to get into the news at all costs and spend as much time as possible on the TV screens. Legislators and government should deal with extreme right wingers and anti-semitic groups in a similar fashion. It's possible to set the limits of free speech and free assembly in a way that stops these groups targeting minorities, whether they be Jews, gypsies or gays.See details
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Arpad Kovacs: Reform is not the same as experimentationon Apr 13, 2008 via HVG We spent some Ft1,500bn on economic development every year, but it's not doing us much good. And with economic uncertainty driving up the cost of credit, the burden is set to grow by several hundred million more. We spoke to Arpad Kovacs, president of the State Audit Office (ASZ) about the difficult economic climate and what may still be to come.See details
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Whose going to make Hungarians swallow the bitter pill?on Apr 11, 2008 via HVG The sociologist Tibor Dessewffy, director of the Socialist-linked Demos think tank, denies he is Gyurcsany's adviser, but admits that the two are close. He was surprised by the outcome of the referendum and thinks it too early to identify the consequences. He is certain that whichever political camp reaches power will have to force enormous sacrifices on Hungarian society - and the population is still not ready for this.See details
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The reformist intellectuals and the liberal lefton Apr 11, 2008 via HVG There were shades of Orwell when a group of Hungarian intellectuals released an open letter supporting Ferenc Gyurcsany and coalition government. In Orwell's most famous novel, war is waging on a distant front, but at home, every last person is solidly behind the battle.See details
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Jozsef Sipos: a new direction after a major political defeaton Apr 10, 2008 via HVG The historian Jozsef Sipos, a social policy researcher for the Socialist Party, is one of the few party members who has condemned Ferenc Gyurcsany's strategy from the very beginning. Gyurcsany's approach failed on 9 March. We asked him what the Socialists can do in this situation.See details
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Panel estates as protected monuments?on Apr 10, 2008 via HVG Post-1945 architecture in Hungary is endangered, because public opinion does not yet value the buildings of the period. Public taste may change, but by then it could be too late.See details
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The road to hell: ?Suicide is cowardice?on Mar 26, 2008 via HVG Hungary is still among the world's leaders in suicide rates. We come fifth among the countries of the former eastern bloc. Death by hanging, poison or suffocation: increasingly, the victims are children. We spoke to specialists about the reasons behind these alarming statistics and about ways to address the situation.See details
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"Revolutionaries" with no stomach for the fighton Mar 18, 2008 via HVG Gyorgy Budahazy is always there at gatherings of the extreme right. In radical circles, his name is almost a brand, one that signifies "resistance". This is remarkable, since though the former restaurant proprietor is happy to urge his followers into battle, he never has confrontations with the police.See details
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15 March as celebrated by the radical nationalistson Mar 18, 2008 via HVG Various nationalist parties and movements held rallies around Budapest on 15 March. Some speeches were entertaining, others bigoted and aggressive. Antisemitism was pervasive.See details
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Tamas Barta - victim of a drugs ring?on Feb 19, 2008 via HVG It was 26 years ago that Tamas Barta, singer-guitarist in the band Locomotiv GT, died in Los Angeles. Many consider him to be the greatest ever Hungarian guitarist. He died from a bullet to his head under circumstances that remain a mystery.See details
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