ZSOLT ENYEDI
VALUES, RATIONALITY, EMOTIONS. POLITICAL
PSYCHOLOGY À LA BIBÓ.

The article contains the speech given at the Bibó Award
Ceremony. The speech calls for more systematic studies in the
field of political psychology. It draws attention to the fact that
the role of values and socio-psychological orientations in mass
politics is increasing. It surveys recent findings on Hungarian
political attitudes, with a special emphasis on prejudices,
political tolerance, perception of threat, and ideological values.
One of the most surprising results of the analysed empirical
researches is that values and psychological characteristics
determine the selection of the least-liked target groups, and not
social background. The degree of intolerance depends,
however, on social characteristics (education, income, etc.) and
not on ideological-political affiliation or on the level of
authoritarianism.
Relying on the most recent findings in American socialpsychology,
the article demonstrates that emotions and fear
have a complex, and often positive, relationship to democratic
attitudes and values.

PÉTER HAVAS
THE BRITISH LABOUR PARTY: AFTER THE CHANGES IN
THE STRATEGY RADICAL MODERNISATION OF THE
POLICY AND DECISION MAKING
The starting point of the study is that the generally successful
performance of the British New Labour Government since 1997
is unbreakable from the radical modernisation of the Labour’s
policy and decision making mechanism. The author is giving
description of the „old” Labour policy making that based on the
traditional Labour Party structure and distribution of power
which has been dominated by three relatively autonomous
power centre, the Parliamentary Labour Party, the Annual
Conference and the National Executive Committee. According
to the paper this system highly reflected the democratic nature
of the Labour Party but specially when the Party has governed
the country its internal mechanism was not able properly coordinate
the various components of the Party, the Trade
Unions, the Parliamentary Labour Party and the Constituency
Labour Parties.
The main aim of new policy making that has been approved
by the Conference in 1997 was to secure consensus among the
all components of the Party in particular to prevent discord
between the Government and the Party that in the past often
made critical situations for the governing Labour. The study
than detailed the core of the new system named „Partnership in
Power”: the changing function of the Annual Conference, the
establishment of a new power centre, the National Policy
Forum that became the main factor of policy making in the
Labour Party, as well as the new and more responsible way of
the Party membership involvement to policy and decision
making. The paper’s suggestion is that the new mechanism is
centralised enough in order to secure more effectiveness in
Labour Government as well as in creating modern Labour
Party policy and programmes.

MÁRTON JÁROSI – ANDRÁS KACSÓ
ENERGY POLICY IN EUROPEAN UNION AND
IN HUNGARY
Hungary is one of the newcomer member states of European
Union (EU). The „reunion” of Europe based on the same
spiritual, cultural and economical basis flashed a beam of light
on crucial problems like conflict between common tasks of EU
and national interest of member states. One of them is the
problem of public service obligations especially energy
services, supplies and markets. Authors deal with energy
constrains and chances of EU and they have some reactions for
them. They present results and consequences of deregulation
and liberalisation in electricity supply industry.
There is an analysis on energy policies of Hungarian
governments after early 90-es having a conclusion that they did
not served the interest of Hungary. The next part of article
analyse the state of electricity market and hydrocarbon market
plus circumstances of long distance heat supply in Hungary
looking to the public service obligation like a serious aspect.
The last part of text contains some statements about scope for
action of Hungarian energy policy taking into account
ABSTRACTS 270
membership of EU, privatized assets and liberalised markets.
It urges to create a new energy policy on state level accepted by
national parliament which includes main topics like tasks of
government, role of remained state owned assets and a Middle-
European cooperation with neighbouring countries.

KÁLMÁN KULCSÁR
THE NEW POLITICAL SYSTEM AND HUNGARIAN
REALITY
A balance sheet can be drawn up two years after the fourth
national elections in the process of transformation, for a change
of historical validity. One of the main problems: to what extent
is the new political system able to treat the conflicts of society?
Furthermore, to what extent can the problems of political
culture be solved? Could such conditions be necessarily
developed in the process of transformation on which the
democratic setups may be built?
After an analysis of political and social events as well as the
contradictions of ideas and reality, it can be stated: Our
political system – evolved by norms of the first years of the
transition – now really requires modifications. Its operation has
been made difficult by the dual transformation, by changes of
the political and legal system on either hand, and by the
establishment of the building of the market economy on the
other; particularly, if this transformation is constantly
disturbed by the behavior of different, sometimes contradictory
political organizations or actors.
Therefore the Europeanisation of the political structure of
the country, of its ideological and practical components needs
the professionalisation of the political and intellectual elite, and
also a stable civil service. These are the preconditions for
stabilization of a modern Hungary.
Subsequently, our political system, evolved by norms in the
first years of the transition, now really requires modifications.

GÁBOR NAGY
THE LIBERAL AND THE GREEN POLITICAL GROUPS
IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
The author reviews the situation of the green and liberal
fractions in the European Parliament. He writes about the two
political group’s brief history, their ideological commitments,
their statements and reactions on EU policy matters, and about
their 2004 election manifestos. He tries to compare the two
groups on an ideological base, and to place them in the left -
right ideological dimension alongside with the EPP and ESP.
He comes to the conclusion that the green and liberal fractions
are both mixed groups of european parties, with different
ideologies. These alliances might strengthen the groups in the
EP, but will inevitably confuse voters.

TÍMEA OROSZ
CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATS AND SOCIALISTS.
TWO BIG FRACTIONS IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
The European Parliament – similar to the Hungarian
Parliament - is particularly polarized along the right-left
political spectrum. The two main poles of the European politics
are the EPP-ED, the European People’s Party and the PES, the
Party of the European Socialists.
The task of this study is to sketch out the ideological features
of both party groups on the evidence of the political
declarations to the elections of 1999 and 2004 and to analyse the
political fighting and conflicts between them on the base of
political occurrences our days.
Whether the EPP-ED and the PES come into confllict with
each other concerning all the political problems in Europe or
there is a chance and opportunity for compromises and
cooperations? To answer this question, several politological
publications, statements to the press, articles and analyses will
be treated.
Beside the ideological characterisation of a political party is
very important to treat the political realism, the occurrences of
the world policy. Political parties will be featured of their
political strategies and decisions. The electorate votes for a
political party on the evidence of political outcomes and results.
The aim of the European Parliament is the realisation of
democratic principles on the base of the Maastricht Treaty. In
the world policy and in the decision making process have to be
reflected this programme.

ANDRÁS L. PAP
PARLIAMENTARY SALARIES IN EUROPE
The article scrutinizes the question of parliamentary salaries.
The issue of allowances and benefits in legislative assemblies
and political bodies generates a great deal of public discussion
and is often in the focus of media attention. In the context of the
European Union, the unification of MEP allowances has been a
recurring project.
The analysis begins with a historical introduction, showing
that although we tend to see MP salaries as one of the classic
guarantees for independent and professional representation,
historically speaking, that was hardly the case. Following this,
the article provides a comparative assessment of the various
contemporary European models and surveys individual
national practices, with special emphasis on demonstrating the
disparities between old and new EU member states.

DISCOURSE ANALYSIS
The texts are translations of articles from the autumn 2002
issue of European Political Science, a quarterly by the
European Consortium for Political Research. These texts make
up the ”research” section of the issue and focus on a specific
topic: discourse analysis. All authors endeavor to highlight the
recent scientific developments in the field of discourse
analysis; nevertheless, all try to underline a specific subtopic.
Terrell Carver tries to sum up 20th Century philosophical
developments in connection with the changing roles of
„language” and „narrative” in the political discourse.
Jacob Torfing presents us a scheme on the post-structuralist
strand of discourse analysis – centered on meaning -, which can
be associated with the name of Laclau and Mouffe.
Véronique Mottier puts the ways identity (social, political) is
conceived into a historical context; she compares present-day
(discourse analysis-based) views on identities with traditional
ones.
Maarten Hajer introduces the „Argumentative turn” in
discourse analysis and talks about thee way discourse analysis
changed the way researchers are dealing with public policy
questions.
These texts, together with the introduction and the
conclusion, are short „snapshots” of what this fairly new
discipline of political science, „discourse analysis”, stands for.
Moreover, they try to defend, to promote it against the
dominant influence of traditional research.