10–12 thousand new potholes formed over the winter.
The condition of Budapest’s roads has never been this bad: everywhere you look, you see cars with flat tires and drivers swearing inside their vehicles.
This problem has become so severe because over the past six years Gergely Karácsony has brutally neglected road maintenance. As a result, severe frosts were free to wreak havoc on already damaged road surfaces.
The money was squandered on cronies, 51 billion forints were poured into Rákosrendező, while there are fewer potholes in Donbas than in Budapest.
Today, together with Anna Szepesfalvy, we personally inspected György Street in the 16th district, after Mayor Péter Kovács sent a letter to both me and Mayor Gergely Karácsony. In his letter, he demands immediate action from the city, because residents can no longer move through the street at all—yet the capital city completely ignores its mandatory responsibilities.
This is what it looks like when the mayor of Budapest and the Tisza Party, which provides his majority, fail to do their job.
This morning, I myself also received a letter from Péter Kovács, Mayor of Budapest’s 16th district. I am not the only addressee; Mayor Gergely Karácsony is included as well. Mayor Kovács writes that immediate intervention is required on György Street, which is a city-managed road where a bus line also operates—and this is clearly visible from the road’s condition.
He also states that the city should not merely replace the wearing course here, but should carry out a full, comprehensive renovation of the entire road. It is obvious that the road is already in such poor condition that traffic calming has effectively been achieved in Budapest—just not necessarily in the way the mayor intended, since cars can only pass through at a very slow speed.
Extreme cold has obviously contributed to the current state of Budapest’s roads, but the main reason is that in recent years the mayor has not exactly excelled in road renovations—especially when it comes to the outer districts. Very little has happened here over the past years, and Budapest residents are forced to crawl along this road every single day, whether on buses or in cars.
In recent days, I’ve also received many phone calls from suburban mayors who have raised the possibility that if the capital city is this incapable of fulfilling its own duties—failing both in snow removal and road maintenance—then they might even be willing to take over certain major roads themselves, together with the necessary funding. If the mayor won’t do it, then perhaps the districts would do it instead.
🔴 1️⃣ “I also received a letter” – the illusion of inclusion
Technique: personal authentication
👉 The phrase “I also received one this morning” suggests that:
- she is just one among many,
- she is a mediator between power and the people.
📌 In reality:
this is not about decision-making, but about introducing a political narrative.
🔴 2️⃣ A real problem → shifting political responsibility
Fact: the road is in poor condition
Distortion: a single person is made responsible:
Karácsony Gergely
👉 Classic scapegoating:
- no budgetary data
- no analysis of renovation plans
- no clarification of legal or administrative competences
📌 The problem is real, but the causal chain is not proven.
🔴 3️⃣ Cynical “humor” – twisting traffic calming
“traffic calming has been achieved, just not the way…”
Technique: mockery + framing
👉 The goal:
- to make the mayor look ridiculous,
- to drag a policy discussion onto an emotional level.
This is not an argument, but a rhetorical punch.
🔴 4️⃣ Weather as a pseudo-mitigating factor
“the extreme cold also contributed…”
Trick: apparent balance
👉 It sounds objective, but immediately snaps back:
“but mainly the issue is that…”
📌 This is the classic “I admit it, but…” propaganda move.
🔴 5️⃣ “Suburbs vs. city center” – victim narrative
Technique: territorial division
👉 Message:
- the suburbs are neglected,
- the leadership doesn’t care about them.
📌 No data on:
- which roads
- how much money
- in what order
Just emotional manipulation.
🔴 6️⃣ Phone-calling mayors – unverifiable authority
“I received a lot of phone calls…”
Technique: authority laundering
👉 No one is named, no evidence is provided, yet:
- “many people say so”
- “others see it this way too”
📌 This is the legitimization of hearsay in political speech.
🔴 7️⃣ “If they don’t do it, we will”
Core frame: incompetence + savior role
👉 Message:
- the city leadership is incapable,
- “we” would be more effective.
📌 Not explained legally or financially — only hinted at.
🧠 Overall picture – what’s the core trick?
This text:
- does not present solutions,
- does not argue with numbers,
- does not clarify levels of responsibility.
👉 Instead, it:
✔️ uses a real problem
✔️ pushes it into an emotional frame
✔️ pins it on a single political actor
✔️ portrays its own side as “capable of action”