Hungarian Politics podcast – Őszöd speech 10 years later

This week on the Hungarian Politics podcast, we commemorate the 10-year anniversary of Socialist Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány’s delivery of the infamous “Őszöd speech” to…

The post Hungarian Politics podcast – Őszöd speech 10 years later first appeared on Hungarian Politics.

This week on the Hungarian Politics podcast, we commemorate the 10-year anniversary of Socialist Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány’s delivery of the infamous “Őszöd speech” to his fellow party members, following their successful re-election in 2006.

Veteran foreign correspondent Kester Eddy

Longtime journalist and observer of political affairs Kester Eddy joins us to talk about the long shadow that the Őszöd speech has had over Hungarian politics during the past decade and its devastating effect on the Hungarian left wing. He also gives us his opinion on the political future of Ferenc Gyurcsány, who is still active in politics.

Politico Europe reporter Tara Palmeri

In the second half of the program, we are joined by Tara Palmeri, a journalist and columnist for Politico Europe. We discuss an article that Palmeri wrote on May 13, “‘Hungarian? Who, me?’: Confessions of Brussels Pariahs”. Palmeri’s article examines the difficulties that Hungary and its bureaucrats face in implementing the country’s interests in Brussels, primarily due to antipathy in the EU towards the current Hungarian government’s policies and positions.

Palmeri tells us about the background to this story, whether some EU members privately support the Hungarian position even though they may publicly lambast it, and finally offers some advice on how Hungary can improve its standing in Brussels. She also comments on the official Hungarian government’s response to the article by spokesperson Zoltán Kovács.

You can follow Tara Palmeri on Twitter @tarapalmeri.

Listen to the show in the player at the top of this post, or download the file to your local drive. Thanks for listening!

The post Hungarian Politics podcast – Őszöd speech 10 years later first appeared on Hungarian Politics.