Hungary
When I visited Hungary in the summer I had a few informal chats with locals. The first chap was very proud of his country and his catholicism — to him Hungary was very important and, unlike many English patriots, EU membership was not incompatible with that. This man was extremely angry that the country now had a socialist government. In fact he spat the word "socialist".
The other lady was keen on the new Prime Minister and saw the new government as an opportunity to improve the economy and protect the less well-off. That 98% of business was now done by private companies wasn't good news to this lady.
Hungary's current strife is caused by these bitter differences of opinion. In the UK we have different opinions in the different parties but aside from the extremists (Galloway, Livingstone, Griffin) most politicians can be tolerated by most of the people.
I commented, upon my return, that Hungary was primed and ready for an economic boom. Its people are incredibly hard-working and if it can avoid socialism in the long-term it will be a great place to invest. I really expect a boom.
But these protests do not bode well. Please Hungarians, don't ruin your economic chances!
The other lady was keen on the new Prime Minister and saw the new government as an opportunity to improve the economy and protect the less well-off. That 98% of business was now done by private companies wasn't good news to this lady.
Hungary's current strife is caused by these bitter differences of opinion. In the UK we have different opinions in the different parties but aside from the extremists (Galloway, Livingstone, Griffin) most politicians can be tolerated by most of the people.
I commented, upon my return, that Hungary was primed and ready for an economic boom. Its people are incredibly hard-working and if it can avoid socialism in the long-term it will be a great place to invest. I really expect a boom.
But these protests do not bode well. Please Hungarians, don't ruin your economic chances!