Hungary
Where does brave, stubborn Hungary stand today?
‘Deplorable,’ wrote the historian Denis Sinor in 1958 about the state of Hungarian historiography in English. ‘Not only are the…
The EU is trying to bring Hungary to heel
If there was a word in Euro-speak for ‘Move on, nothing to see here,’ the EU would undoubtedly have used…
Portrait of the week: Covid fines, cancelled flights and sunflower oil shortages
Home Jonathan Reynolds, Labour’s business spokesman, said that the government should be preparing for energy rationing, but Grant Shapps, the…
Progressives vs populists: Macron, Orban and Europe’s faultline
It’s the progressives vs the populists, Macron vs Orban
How to lose an election
I have remarked here before about our era’s tendency to accept election results if your side wins but to reject…
Viktor Orbán is no friend of the West
Viktor Orbán‘s victory speech in Budapest on Sunday night took a curious turn. Speaking after a fourth landslide win, he…
Why Hungary's opposition failed
Viktor Orbán has now spent a total of 16 years as Hungary’s Prime Minister but he has not lost his hunger…
Why is the EU attacking Poland and Hungary in a crisis?
With Russian bombs harassing Kiev and Kharkiv, the two unsung heroes of Europe have been Poland and Hungary. With very…
Hungary’s ‘patriotic fight’ with the EU: an interview with justice minister Judit Varga
Budapest is racked with tension. As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sends a stream of refugees to Hungary’s eastern border, Viktor…
The crisis in Ukraine is strengthening the EU
The EU has a knack for turning a crisis into an opportunity. The Eurozone crisis led to the centralisation of…
Viktor Orbán has played a perfect game with Putin
On 3 April Hungarians will have their ninth set of free parliamentary elections since the collapse of the communist dictatorship…
The EU is pushing Hungary and Poland to the brink
Storm clouds looming over the EU’s ‘rule of law’ dispute turned a shade darker on Wednesday. The European Court of…
Is Orbán serious about leaving the EU?
First the UK decided to leave the EU. Then in Poland, lawmakers started talking about it. Is Hungary now seriously…
Could Viktor Orbán be a peacemaker in Ukraine?
For a politician whose calling card is the struggle for Hungarian national sovereignty, Viktor Orbán and Vladimir Putin’s press conference…
Viktor Orbán or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Putin
Viktor Orbán first came to prominence when in 1989 he declared on live TV that Hungary must put an end…
Why Viktor Orbán is fighting a war against ‘LGBT ideology’
‘Do you support the unrestricted presentation of sexual media content that influences the development of underage children?’ In a national…
The EU doesn't understand Hungary and Poland
Rather like Germany with its ill-starred ‘Drive to the East’ in the 19th and 20th centuries, one suspects the EU…
Out of nowhere: Viktor Orbán’s new challenger
Will Hungary’s surprise opposition leader out-Orbán Orbán?
How will Europe respond to a wave of Afghan refugees?
On Tuesday, Franek Sterczewski made a break for the border. Wearing a long trench coat and carrying a blue plastic…
Fortress Europe is dreading the Afghan migrant crisis
Fortress Europe is pulling up the drawbridge. The takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban is likely to being about a…
Hungary, Poland and the EU’s ‘diversity’ problem
It is quite something when the self-proclaimed ‘illiberal’ prime minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, reminds Brussels of its liberal principles.…
The strangest landscapes are close to home
This pleasant volume, the author announces in the introduction, is ‘not a nature book, or even a travel book, so…
Viktor Orbán goes to war on the European parliament
‘Times have changed, and whereas thirty years ago we believed Europe was our future, today we understand that we are…
Euros 2021: England are easily the most boring side in the tournament
England 0 Scotland 0 Hungary 1 (Fiola) France 1 (Griezmann) The wonderful Hungarians almost took my mind off England’s lamentable…
Is the EU breaching its UK treaty by failing to protect LGBT rights?
Has the EU Commission lost any sense of moral value? This week, Hungary, an EU member state, voted to impose…
