Changes in Europe

The rioting continues in Hungary over the admission by the Socialist PM to a meeting of deputies that they had been lying to the electorate for 17 years in order to get elected. As I read more closely, I found that Mr. Gyurcsany was not the contemptible bastard I thought he was. When interviewed by the BBC about the matter, he elaborated:

“I was speaking about the whole elite. We repeated and repeated that you can be richer, fulfil your dreams, and we can give you happiness and fortune as a gift. This is a real lie. For the last 15 years, none of us were brave enough to initiate deep reform. We wanted to avoid painful measures and always found excuses not to act. That’s the real lie.”

Even if he's just covering tracks, what he says is important. The meaning of the changes in attitude in Eastern Europe, and its implications for Europe as a whole, in discussed in Brussels Journal, and always-interesting site for commentary on European events.

It seems amazing to me to think of riots in Budapest, with people torching cars. I think of it as a peaceful place, with excellent food and architecture. Having written that, even knowing what the 1,000-year history of Hungary is, shows me how easy it is to let temporary, personal events overshadow political reality.