“Everything I say is a lie” has long been a favourite puzzle for philosophy students. But it took a Hungarian politician to turn a logical conundrum into a political strategy. Ferenc Gyurcsány’s admission in 2006 to a closed session of the Hungarian Socialist party that he had “lied morning, noon and night” to win the election, was swiftly leaked. It provoked riots in Hungary.
Amazingly Mr Gyurcsány managed to soldier on as prime minister and only stepped down a couple of months ago. But Hungary, a country of just 10m people, now faces an economic and social crisis so deep that its fate is being watched with interest and alarm from Washington to Brussels.
Read Full Article »