Stories about Hungary from September, 2006
Hungary: Traffic Jam Protest
Paul of Further Ramblings of a N.Irish Magyar warns of possible traffic jams – albeit “peaceful and civilized” – in Budapest.
Hungary: Candidate Withdraws From Local Election
Pestiside.hu writes about the upcoming local election and one of the candidates who decided not to run: a “Roma eccentric […] whose key election promise was to build a condom factory.”
Hungary: Economic Problems
Edward of A Fistful of Euros writes that the Hungarian prime minister “is now in a double bind”: “If he goes through with a hard set of reforms the Hungarian economy will shrink […] and his government will tremble, while if he doesn’t reform as stated […] then the economy...
Hungary: More Boring Than Canada
Pestiside.hu observes that Hungary is more boring than Canada.
Hungary: Violence Subsides
Paul of Further Ramblings of a N.Irish Magyar writes that “from Wednesday onwards, the amount of violence has drastically decreased. […] Now, of course, that could be simply because of the fact that most of the original ringleaders are now in custody….or because the outbreaks are now considered embarrassing and...
Hungary: Budapest's “Watergate”
As the first week of the Budapest protests ends and what seems to be “the Watergate case of Hungary” hasn't been resolved, Henrik of Hungarian Accent writes about “the violence, the lies, the media and the path ahead.”
Hungary: “Budapest '06 vs. '56”
Amid the continuing protests in Budapest, Pestiside.hu is trying to help foreign reporters covering the situation: “So as a public service to these naive hacks and their even more clueless editors back home, below is a handy guide to the similarities and differences between '56 and '06.”
Hungary: Rally Not Cancelled Amid Unrest
As the demonstrations in Budapest continue, Paul of Further Ramblings of a N.Irish Magyar isn't too hopeful about the opposition's populist leader: “On the other hand, maybe he'll use the occasion to tell, not only his supporters, but also the brain-dead thugs that democracy (i.e. the ballot box and parliament)...
Hungary: Critical Mass Bike Ride Cancelled
Paul of Further Ramblings of a N.Irish Magyar writes that this year's Critical Mass bike ride has been cancelled in Budapest because of the riots: “Understandably, the organisers have now decided it prudent not to have thousands of cyclists on the streets stretching police resources at the present time; I...
Hungary: Mid-Week Briefing
Pestiside.hu posts a Mid-Week Briefing: “As thing currently stand, we are going to treat the whole “Uprising '06” for what we think it is: a colorful little street carnival staged for the benefit of bored right-wing nudniks, self-important politicians (including some as or more dishonest than our current BSing PM),...
Hungary: PM's Lies and Riots in Budapest
Several weeks after the general election in April, Hungarian prime minister Ferenc Gyurcsany said this at a closed meeting with members of his parliamentary faction: I almost died when I had to pretend for one and a half years as if we were governing. Instead we lied in the morning,...
Croatia: Visit to Split
Paul of Further Ramblings of a N.Irish Magyar posts eight notes and recommendations from his trip to Split, Croatia: “5. Tourists are Tolerated … rather than appreciated.”
Hungary: Devaluation
Doug Muir of A Fistful of Euros writes that the Hungarian currency, forint, “lost about 10% of its value in a month,” so it's a good time to travel to Hungary now – because everything is “about 7% cheaper.”
Europe: Free Movement of Labor
Further Ramblings of a N.Irish Magyar writes on the free movement of labor and the backlash against East European migrant workers in Western Europe.