June 19th, 2012

Politics and finance change Budapest’s cultural face

Excerpt Via france24.com/AFP 

Fidesz is striving to bring all areas of public life under the control of people who share their vision of Hungary, one that emphasises national pride and patriotism but is also often hostile to foreign influence, members of Budapest’s art scene said.

“Whatever strengthens the principles of conservative politics gets the money and is strongly controlled and centralised. And whatever does not serve those ideas is left to wither and die,” said Szabo.

Supporters of the government meanwhile say it is only right that most of the available funds be channelled towards distinctively Hungarian arts projects.

“We now have to reinterpret our tasks, the interests of our community, of the nation and of the capital’s inhabitants,” a spokesman from the Budapest mayor’s office said in an emailed statement to AFP.

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  • Bowen

    Unfortunately, this is true and becoming increasingly evident. The number of people – talented, intelligent people – who are seeking employment abroad or with multinationals is growing. Because they simply can’t thrive unless they have good government connections or toe the party line.

    And no, it’s not just escaping to the ‘West’. Even Romania and Slovakia seem to present better opportunities these days for ambitious Hungarians.

    • Leto. مؤدّب

      “And no, it’s not just escaping to the ‘West’. Even Romania and Slovakia seem to present better opportunities these days for ambitious Hungarians.”

      LOL :D :D

      Ever thought of emigrating to, say, Craiova? ;)

      • Bowen

        No I haven’t, but I know some Hungarian Transylvanians who say they can find much better opportunities back in Transylvania than here (in their chosen professions of engineering and architecture, because the attitude is different there. They don’t need Fidesz connections just to get a decent job or contract.

  • Daniel

    I absolutely love what Fidesz is doing in this matter. Reinvigorating pride and national-conciousness is exactly what Hungary needs right now. I am a happy man when I see the leader of Hungary claiming that he wants to refocus the interests of the Nation towards patriotism, and a community-oriented way of life.
    Eljen a Magyar!

    • Cnut

      Unfortunately Fidesz’ economic policies are just making Hungary poorer. This means Slovakians and Romanians and Austrians and other investors are buying up real estate and assets, because right now Hungarians can’t afford to pay the same amount.

      Young people are leaving, or want to leave, because they want to get a decent job.

      And this trend will continue and get worse. This is the end result of Fidesz’ policies.

      Unfortunately, Fidesz are just making Hungary weaker.

      • Steve

        Budapest would be a wonderful city if we could get rid of the haters like Leto.

    • Igazi Magyar

      I’m all for reinvigorating national price and national-consciousness. And the first step to restore Hungary would be to get rid of Orban.

    • Paul

      @ Leto

      Lots of support for you from the lunatic fringe. I do not think you can be happy with this. Maybe I am wrong though. I can tell you that a FIDESZ JOBBIK coalition will of course not be tolerated within the EU. Democracy Yes…..Neo Nazis not. By 99 percent. Type Elie Wiesel Hungary and you will see a storm of publications. Hungary gets very, very isolated.

  • Curious George

    Reinvigorating pride and national-conciousness is exactly what Hungary needs right now.

    Yes, falling standards in education, healthcare, quality of life and corruption are not important for Hungarians. Only other countries should be plagued with these. Hungarians can be proud third world citizens like North Koreans and a few other countries.

  • get real

    Talking about opportunities, Bucharest is the second city
    after Budapest with the largest number of Magyars!

    That can tell you how much the Magyars are discriminated in Romania!!

    Only shovins and jerks like Leto ,can’t swallow that!

  • true democracy

    Steve, for your info Leto is a patriot!

    You are a brainwashed liberal globalist and a hater of democracy. If Hungary adopted liberal values and gave up its soveignty I guarantee Hungary would not be in the news today. Those in power will try to crush any country that doesn’t play by their rules.

    Don’t forget when the liberal corrupt globalist Gyurcsany government was in power for eight years ,Hungary was hardly on the radar and all was well. I rest my case!

    • Curious George

      Steve, for your info Leto is a patriot!

      And, you, are a true mu-Magyar dud!

      • Leto. مؤدّب

        And you’re a monkey from the jungle who can type on a keyboard!

    • Paul

      “I rest my case!”….rest in peace!

  • Cnut

    “Don’t forget when the liberal corrupt globalist Gyurcsany government was in power for eight years ,Hungary was hardly on the radar and all was well. I rest my case!”

    Thanks, true democracy, for that little argument for Gyurcsány. :-) Normally you guys seem to be against him. But you are right, his government was much more competent than the Fidesz regime.

  • true democracy

    Yeah you cnut! He was really competant. He stole the country’s wealth and on top of it gave it a massive debt.

    • Leto. مؤدّب

      That’s exactly what these rotten postcommie bastards consider as competence. After all they are not for Hungary. They are against.

    • Cnut

      I feel sorry for the army of Fidesz lawyers looking through all the contracts and documents and bank accounts trying to find something, anything to charge Gyurcsány with. After two years they haven’t been able to find a thing.

      As for the debt, when Gyurcsány wanted to cut costs and introduce reforms to save money, Fidesz voted against every suggestions, organised protests against them and even orgnised referendums against them and screamed about how austerity was not necessary. Fidesz are just as responsible for that debt post 2006.

      An I’m not a fan of Feri. He was just obviously a much better prime minister in a much better government than Orbán. But that is not saying much.

      • Leto. مؤدّب

        As far as the debt is concerned, we all know (you included) that Gyurcsány lied day and night about that, too, in order to win the 2006 elections. In the meantime they endebted the country to the eye. They also carefully timed the repayment of that 25 billion EUR IMF loan between 2010 and 2014, knowing for sure that will have to be repaid by the Orbán government.
        This is what a rotten postcommie like you considers “obviously better prime minister and a much better government than Orbán”.

        The impudence of these rotten postcommie bastards is limitless indeed.

        • Cnut

          I remember the 2006 election. I remember the financial figures were available for all to see. I remember Gyurcsány not making many promises, because as he said he didn’t want to make irresponsible promises. I remember Orbán running around the country making huge expensive promises even I (as just a guy who read the financial part of the newspaper) knew he could never keep. I had no interest in politics then (MSZP is very uninspiring), but I knew who was the more honest candidate then.

          Have a look at the 2006 debate (I’m sure it’s on youtube), and then with what you know today, think to yourself: who was lying.

          As you may be aware, Orbán and Matolcsy are lying morning, noon and night now – especially about the state of the economy.

          Ironically, Gyurcsány’s Őszödi speech was probably the most honest speech in Hungarian politics since the change of system. If only Orbán was capable of such honesty.

          • Leto. مؤدّب

            @postcommie bastard:

            Jesus, what a shameless liar you are… :D :D

            Only one thing: Spanish EU Commissioner Joaquin Almunia personally arranged that Gyurcsány’s rejected EU convergence plan could be resubmitted only after the 2006 elections. ‘cos that would have revealed the passed budget had nothing to do with reality, you know.

            Somehow Gyurcsány thought it was a clever thing to reveal the real situation to the electorate by leaking out his “truth speech” (like your rotten lot often calls the Őszöd speech, that is when Gyurcsány admitted to his gang they had lied day and night and they had done nothing at all, apart from taking out loans).
            Well, he was mistaken since it wasn’t a too clever idea from their point of view. :D

          • Cnut

            You act like it was some kind of big special Hungarian conspiracy to delay the conversion program until after the election, when it is relatively common for delays, and often it is in fact encouraged to delay these things until after election campaigns. Campaigns are not the time for responsible economic decisions (around the world).

            I said Gyurcsány’s Őszödi speech was probably the most honest speech in Hungarian politics since the change of system. Politically, it was one of the most stupid.

            Orbán knows to just keep shovelling us manure.

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