Category: Current

The events of history may be preserved by factual information, the interpretations of scholars and the memories of participants, extending the scope of presentations from accurate statements to personal reminiscences. On the 30th anniversary of a remarkable day which is now seen as the first in the series of steps

“In Hungarian memory and in the memory of Americans familiar with Europe’s post-war history, Cardinal József Mindszenty has become the embodiment of not only the friendship between our nations, but also the embodiment of an entire historical era, and the perseverance of Hungarians in the face of some of the

“A neo-Nazi attack against a synagogue in the town of Halle, Eastern Germany, has shaken the Germany psyche. Two views have emerged about this. One is that the country is witnessing the return of rightwing terrorism with roots in Nazi violence of the 1920s and 1930s. The other is that

“Austrian politics over the last six months has been marked by a series of head-scratching twists and turns. An executive summary: September’s snap elections revealed (yet again) clear majority support for the two conservative parties, which had jointly governed until May. Yet six weeks later, we are on the verge

“Australia and Hungary accept this – although unlike Hungary, Australia also has the world’s largest refugee programme, on a per capita basis, and since stopping the illegal migrant boats has actually increased its intake of refugees who come the right way. But most importantly, Australia and Hungary have not allowed

“The recent promotion of the idea that Western societies must permanently downplay and apologise for their Christian culture while promoting that of the incomers has widened the gulf between elite and popular opinion in many Western countries. That has been further exacerbated by the recent promotion by left-leaning Western elites

“In 1960, for instance, eight of the 20 most populous nations were in Europe. Today, just two of the top 20 largest countries are in Europe: they are Russia, that is dropped from the world’s fourth most populous nation to ninth; and Germany, that is dropped from seventh to seventeenth.”

“Regional elections in Saxony and Brandenburg on 1 September illustrated where this will probably lead to: in both states the ruling parties CDU (in Saxony) and SPD (in Brandenburg) lost heavily and are now trying to include the Greens in a larger coalition. This may be exactly what lies ahead

“What is increasingly clear is that the European Parliament’s operation does not deepen but in fact hinders democracy in the EU. In addition, recent changes in the Council, the body representing the member states, do not support the desired creation of democracy but rather undermine it. It is because the

“We should not lose sight of the fact that the UK is here to stay in the immediate neighbourhood of the EU. Whatever development in the next couple of weeks and months will unfold, our old continent needs a strong UK as much as the UK needs a strong EU