English version

TGM's view of the Charter and our editor's response

Gaspar Miklos Tamas (TGM) defends the Hungarian Democratic Charter in an e-mail to hvg.hu. He claims an article in last week's issue of HVG attacked the charter unfairly. Below, we publish TGM's article and a response by Richard Hirschler, the editor of hvg.hu.

idő 2008. szeptember 25., csütörtök, 16:25

The government of experts trap

The promise of a government of experts is a trap twice over. It's a trap for voters, and it's a trap for the Free Democrats and the Socialists, the former coalition partners.

szerző hvg.hu idő 2008. szeptember 22., hétfő, 17:00

Laszlo Lengyel: We Need a Convincing Government, a Convincing Prime Minister

Gabor Fodor and the Free Democrats rejected the Gyurcsany package. They were right in grasping that only one sentence of this programme needed to be taken seriously: "If Parliament does not accept this programme, I will resign." The Socialist Party's leaders have now either to support Gyurcsany and his package, or they have to persuade Gyurcsany to resign from the prime minister ship, remaining party leader until the next congress. The second course of events is in the country's interest: a convincing government with a convincing prime minister.

szerző hvg.hu idő 2008. szeptember 11., csütörtök, 16:06

Prospects for a Budapest Olympics

Budapest has the necessary qualities to win the right to host the Olympics, but the city - and the country - could not hold the Games in the condition they are in today, according to a study by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC). We spoke to the president of the Budapest Olympic Movement (BOM) and a sport economist.

szerző hvg.hu idő 2008. szeptember 01., hétfő, 14:21

How does Solyom spend his days?

He receives credentials from five new ambasssadors, gives a speech at the House of Terror Museum and then attends a concert at the Czech Centre to commemorate the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia. That was how Laszlo Solyom spent 21 August 2008 - an average day. hvg.hu spent a day with the president.

szerző hvg.hu idő 2008. augusztus 28., csütörtök, 15:02

The Gyongyos Tyre Factory

Apollo Tyres's decision to can its proposed investment in Gyongyos has created two losers: the company itself and the local authority. In the absence of an impact study, it is impossible to say if there was anything to the environmental concerns that were floated.

szerző hvg.hu idő 2008. augusztus 22., péntek, 14:44

"What do they want? Gas or independence from Russia?"

Recently, negotiations began between the EU and Russia on a new strategic cooperation agreement. The 54-year-old Vladimir Chizhov, Russia's ambassador to the EU, is reluctant to overdramatise the energy policy questions that are at the centre of the discussions.

szerző HVG idő 2008. augusztus 12., kedd, 13:56

"For as long as people have looked to the skies, the red star has been their hope"

Given the symbol's history in Hungary, it would be hard to claim that the red star is - as the Strasbourg court has ruled - a symbol with "many layers of meaning".

szerző hvg.hu idő 2008. július 31., csütörtök, 16:35

Let us be exploited!

It's better for someone to be seriously ill in the family than for a household to go without a regular income, say the poor in Hungary. Employment rates in Hungary are far lower than in western Europe, and fraud is rife. The Hungarian labour market is unable to assimilate the under-educated - and the black economy does not need them either. But social scientists say it does not need to be like this.

szerző hvg.hu idő 2008. július 24., csütörtök, 12:02

After the pogrom

Let's get something straight. On Saturday, a qualitatively new situation emerged in Hungary. The extreme Right targeted lives. The horde wanted to kill.

szerző Nagy Gergely (hvg.hu) idő 2008. július 23., szerda, 14:10

The story of my departure - a gay priest's confession

He served as a provincial Catholic priest for almost a decade. When he realised he was gay, he abandoned his vocation and became a social worker in a homelessness hostel. He continues to serve, acknowledging his sexuality, but no longer within the Church. He spoke to hvg.hu on condition of anonymity.

szerző hvg.hu idő 2008. július 17., csütörtök, 14:42

Kuruc.info - the Hungarist pirate portal is offline

The global Zionist conspiracy has scored a new victory, at least according to kuruc.info, the ultra-right-wing, anti-semitic and racist website. Its writers are outraged that their news portal has been banned by a US hosting company.

idő 2008. július 10., csütörtök, 11:50

Jozsef Graf: "I don't have a faction"

The minister for agriculture and regional development still does not want to be prime minister. He thinks a minority government can work. Food prices can be brought under control by increasing production, but he is prepared to "negotiate" about a Fidesz proposal to cut VAT on food.

szerző hvg.hu idő 2008. július 07., hétfő, 16:47

Orban as a successor to Imredy and Gombos?

Sandor Revesz is perhaps the first left-wing columnist to attempt to define "political correctness" in today's Hungarian media. But the day after his article on the issue was published, Revesz's own paper, Nepszabadsag, published a piece which contradicts his definition of "contemporary Hungarian PC." The article in question was Jozsef Debreczeni's on "Horthy and Orban."

idő 2008. június 24., kedd, 14:40

"The most important thing is that there be gas in the pipe"

It is the common interest of gas-importing Europeans and the gas exporters of the Caspian region that the Nabucco pipeline should break Gazprom's monopoly, according to Steven Mann, who has been tasked by the American government with persuading the various sides to work more closely together.

idő 2008. június 17., kedd, 10:51

Tolgyessy on Fodor's Free Democrats and Orban's proposals

Fodor is not the man to bring about serious reforms within the Free Democrats, and the Socialists will continue to govern with outside support. Orban's leaked remarks should have been the perfect opportunity for an open dialogue over the country's most serious problems. The Socialists missed this opportunity, it would seem, remaining that lies and campaign slogans will continue to dominate. Peter Tolgyessy spoke to hvg.hu.

szerző Hirschler Richárd (hvg.hu) idő 2008. június 16., hétfő, 12:23

Interview with Peter Mihalyi

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.

szerző Kovács Andrea (hvg.hu) idő 2008. június 04., szerda, 16:34

Median - plummeting approval ratings

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.

idő 2008. június 04., szerda, 16:12

Obama's warning to Orban

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.

szerző hvg.hu idő 2008. május 26., hétfő, 11:12

Istvan Stumpf: "The last nail in the republic's coffin"

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.

szerző Hirschler Richárd (hvg.hu) idő 2008. május 20., kedd, 13:33