Criticizing the EU is becoming increasingly difficult with online censorship rules, such as the Digital Services Act, as well as member state rules in France and Germany against ‘insulting’ certain politicians.
What could be God’s stance on homosexuality? Why is the anti-abortion stance a minority view in Finland? What is the problem with the integration of non-Christian migrants? We talked to a former Minister of the Interior of Finland at Axioma Center’s conference about the criminal proceedings initiated against her and the status of freedom of religion and freedom of expression in Finland.
‘Imagine if the annulment of a national election result that took place in Romania in 2024 had happened in Hungary…It is not hard to imagine what kind of media coverage it would have gotten had the highest court in Hungary made such a decision…The Western media’s favourite terms, “authoritarian”, “totalitarian”, and “right-wing fascist” would have been used like machine gun fire.’
‘The issue of language doesn’t end with the culture war, it’s relevant across every level of issues and ideological questions.’
Ursula von der Leyen claims only voters decide a nation’s leaders—yet recent EU actions tell a very different story. From Romania’s annulled election to Germany’s institutional crackdown on AfD and France’s judicial assault on Marine Le Pen, the Union shows an increasingly authoritarian instinct that undermines democratic choice.
‘For the Budapest-centric circles I move in, the strategy paper consists mainly of familiar assumptions and positions.’
‘Takaichi stood in front of applauding ministers when she announced her plans to allow workers to work up to 100 overtime hours a month.’
The EU has spent the past decade dismissing Hungary’s warnings about migration and sovereignty. Now Washington under Trump is sounding the same alarm, urging Europe to stop its downward spiral—but Brussels responds with indignation instead of introspection, accelerating its decline.
‘If the countries of Europe truly fear abandonment by the United States, they should first and foremost invest in their own security.’
X is filled with videos of the Budapest Christmas lights, as well as the large outdoor festive market located near St Stephen’s Basilica.
‘The Americans left Somogy county, but they left behind the tradition of American–Hungarian cooperation and friendship—making it possible, perhaps for the first time in Hungary’s history, to host the army of a great power not as occupiers, but as guests.’
‘Unless NATO can produce a credible plan to remain relevant in a world that is changing dramatically—geopolitically and technologically—it risks falling apart under the weight of its own irrelevance.’
During the session on the bill, the National Rally was called the ‘party of the SS’ by one left-wing parliamentarian.
‘Arany’s legacy lives on nationally and internationally as someone who spoke for a nation in a moment of deep peril and despair.’
‘The legacy of Klára Andrássy is one of turning the Andrássy Palace into an open centre of anti-Nazi resistance.’
‘Europeans occasionally refer to the United States as the “Fourth Rome”, yet within American discourse, the designation is simply the “New Rome”, implying direct succession to the Urbs Aeterna.’
‘A D66-led government would most likely eliminate most Dutch resistance, from environmental projects to diplomatic disputes between EU Members and foreign policy.’
‘We are not lovers of liberty in any pure sense whatsoever. The Covid pandemic revealed that we are a nation of tutters, conformists, and curtain twitchers…’
‘If China wants to exert pressure on Japan, this isn’t the way. Ultimately, it has only damaged the reputation and viability of its airlines.’
‘Following an embarrassing spectacle in Ireland that saw nearly 13 per cent of voters cast “spoilt” ballots while an unapologetic leftist cruised to victory in the Irish presidential race, establishment-liberal politicians like Tánaiste [Deputy Prime Minister] Simon Harris exhibited timid initial signs of policy reversal on the immigration issue.’
‘The Russian–Western relationship is basically about geography.’
‘I mean, it doesn’t have Delhi’s “toxic trash mountains”—to cite The Guardian.’
‘The Pope should ensure that the Christians of Lebanon have a united vision for the future of their country, which they can convey to their fellow compatriots from different religious backgrounds.’
‘Some hope that if Reform UK win the next election that the situation will get better. But the reality is that Britain’s problems are structural. The country is in terminal economic decline, and the state is close to bankruptcy.’
‘The so-called “populist wave” is not the enemy of democracy; it is the symptom of liberal democracy’s philosophical exhaustion.’
‘Can I prove it is definitely not the case that Orbán’s allies are weaponizing manicure magazines for election gain? I mean, I guess not. You cannot prove that The Guardian is not secretly staffed by a race of transgender space lizards—but that does not necessarily mean we should be worried about the LGBTQ reptilian menace.’
‘The damage is done. Most viewers will swallow the caricature without a second thought, file ‘Hungary = corrupt chaos’ into their mental map of Europe, and never realize they’ve been fed quiet propaganda dressed as entertainment. Beautiful Budapest didn’t deserve the smear. And the audience didn’t deserve the lie.’
‘Even in 2015, when the PiS government came to power, individuals with communist pedigrees were still numerous within the less visible but essential layers of state administration, the judiciary, the economy, NGOs, and the media. Today these networks are returning…The goal is clear: to maintain control over social and state institutions regardless of electoral outcomes.’
‘“Personnel is policy,” and right now the liberal managers are running the show, even with the New Right in power.’
‘Football would not be the world’s number one sport if it did not carry that unique emotional charge. And often, it is heartbreakingly unfair—for us Hungarians, perhaps more often than for others…We may indeed have to forget about the World Cup for generations…And we will continue to believe that one day Hungary will return to where it belongs: among the greatest football nations of history.’