By Matthew Karnitschnig* – POLITICO. A mustachioed Turk, two gilded high-back chairs and a plush sofa. Turns out that’s all it takes to conjure Europe’s ever-elusive cohesion. Turkish president put EU’s fragile psyche on the couch. Turkish leader Recep Tayyip… Continue Reading
Timothy Garton Ash* – The Guardian A planned ‘coronavirus tax’ on revenues and attacks on foreign-owned media threaten to cut away democracy piece by piece Democracy dies in darkness. One of the European Union’s most fragile democracies, Poland, now faces… Continue Reading
By Alf Gunvald Nilsen* – Boston Review Narendra Modi’s government has used lockdown to force further neoliberalization and continue its assault on pro-democracy activists. “From midnight tonight onwards, the entire country, please listen carefully, the entire country shall go under… Continue Reading
By Fábián Tamás – Telex.hu (*) Over the past few weeks, the state of Hungary’s media has become the focus of intense public debate both domestically and across Europe. After the exclusively Fidesz-chaired Media Council revoked the oppositional Klubrádió’s frequency… Continue Reading
By !!444 InsightHungary!!! (*) Hungary and Poland on Thursday launched a challenge with the European Court of Justice over a so-called rule of law mechanism in the European Union’s budget that would link payment of EU funds to upholding of democratic standards.… Continue Reading
Analysis, by Eszter Zalan – EUobserver’ Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orbán on Wednesday (3 March) announced his Fidesz party’s MEPs are leaving their centre-right faction in the European Parliament, marking a major breaking point in the more than two-year-long saga… Continue Reading
By Peter Molnar* – The Nation The government shut down a station that connected many listeners—particularly the elderly—to their country and the world When the faithful listeners to Klubrádió, a talk radio station that has been a beacon of free speech… Continue Reading
Organizations for the defense of freedom of expression, human rights institutions, journalists’ unions and reference media all over the world have shown growing concern about the autocratic decisions of the supposedly democratic governments of Hungary and Poland due to the… Continue Reading
By Justin Spike – !!444!!! InsightHungary!!! (*) As millions of Hungarians struggle with the financial fallout of the coronavirus pandemic and many workers, especially in the tourism and hospitality sectors, complain of little or no help from the government, generous state investments… Continue Reading
By Anis Chowdhury* SYDNEY, Jan 21 2021 (IPS) – Impeachment or no impeachment, Trump is out of the White House. Trump goes with an approval rating of 34%, far behind his predecessor Barack Obama’s 60%. A majority, 54%, said Trump… Continue Reading
Levente Szadai Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán secured his third successive term in the 2018 general election. Now, for the first time since 2010 polls show that the “united opposition” would defeat his party if an election was held today. According… Continue Reading
By George Friedman* – Geopolitical Futures Thoughts in and around geopolitics U.S. President Donald Trump’s supporters and detractors are both obsessed with him. They share the belief that everything that has happened is because of him. His supporters believe his… Continue Reading
Freethoughtblogs* A revolution can be a good thing — after all, this country was founded by one. When that collection of rascals signed the Declaration of Independence, they knew that putting their name on that piece of paper was a deep commitment.… Continue Reading
Editorial The US president is seeking to bring down a system that defeated him This week, Donald Trump will undermine democracy in the US by supporting the claim that Democrat Joe Biden did not fairly win last November’s presidential election.… Continue Reading
By Jessica Corbett – Common Dreams (*) Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is trying to tie the repeal to proposed $2,000 coronavirus relief checks. Digital rights advocates and sex workers are among those speaking out against GOP Senate Majority… Continue Reading
By Sasha Abramsky* – The Nation This egomaniac has zero concern for the unemployed, the cratered businesses, the sick and dying. He’d much rather pardon crooks and undermine democracy Betting that things can’t get worse with Donald Trump has always… Continue Reading
By Kristian Laubjerg* Democracy provides cover for continued exploitation by a handful of oligarchs Our own (USA) government, in alliance with the big corporations and banks, has created an empire that brings servitude, misery, and death to millions of people.… Continue Reading
By David Litt* – The Guardian Trump’s attempt to steal an election didn’t come from nowhere – it was rooted in years of Republican contempt for democracy Joe Biden has won so much that he is, apparently, tired of winning.… Continue Reading
By David Walsh – Euronews The resignation of a scandal-embroiled politician is always going to make political waves and headline news. But what sets the case of Hungarian MEP József Szájer apart is not just the nature of the scandal he… Continue Reading
By Maria Ressa* (Brief intervention at the webinar “From Repression to Resistance: Combatting the Lawfare against Press Freedom,” Manila, Nov 21, 2020) On June 15, 2020, I sat in a decrepit, windowless courtroom and listened to Judge Rainelda Estacio-Montesa deliver… Continue Reading
