24.hu summarized the growth of the number of Hungarian government officials (threefold) as well as their salaries (fivefold) since 2011, the year Orbán came back to power and promised a small and cheap state. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Corruption is a feature, not a bug
Record high inflation, record weak currency, record high debt, record budget deficit, record election spending
What could possibly go wrong? Continue reading
When being the clean guy is a liability
We now have an anti-corruption candidate against Orbán. But as long as the corrupt ones hold power, being blackmailable is not just a precondition to get ahead – but a necessary asset to stay afloat. And the corrupt ones can be the people as well as the political establishment. Continue reading
Those who worry about bad precedents somehow only worry about future precedents – not past ones
About constitutional changes and holding politicians accountable for theft. Continue reading
Five things that cost less than 7 kilometers of railway tracks by Orbán’s top oligarch
#1 Vienna Hauptbahnhof Continue reading
What is behind Hungary’s biggest ever bond release?
On September 14-15 the Hungarian government took on record debt, issuing an unprecedented amount of FX denominated bonds. Continue reading
Lessons from MO1 to O1G
The 1MDB scandal has rocked Malaysia and impoverished its taxpayers by 4.5 billion dollars. It now has a challenger for the title of “largest kleptocracy case to date”. Continue reading
11 proofs Tucker Carlson doesn’t know who Orbán is
Criticism of Tucker Carlson for sucking up to Orbán has been quick and well-justified. It mostly came along the lines of Carlson sucking up to a dictator – which is correct. But here is the small print, the hilarious details of just how stupid and ignorant he was even about the most basic facts about … Continue reading
3+1 laws that quietly passed in the shadow of the anti-LGBT law
While all attention was on the homophobic law, a few other, concerning pieces have passed hidden in the avalanche of 2/3 legislations yesterday. Continue reading
Orbán’s Bucket List
The true political priorities of 2021. Continue reading
Meanwhile in Budapest 