Austrian Politics Gets Interesting

Austrian Flag.jpg

According to reports in the Austrian press (Die Presse; Der Standard), the Freiheitliche Partei Ã?Â??’sterreichs (FPÃ?Â??’) has just split, with the loathesome JÃ?Â??Ã?Â?Ã?¶rg Haider, Governor of Carinthia, becoming leader of the new Bündnisses Zukunft Ã?Â??’sterreich (“Alliance for the Future of Austria”). Haider has become famous for his jokes about the Third Reich (ha! ha! what a wit!), for his self-styled “humanitarian” visit with Saddam Hussein to express “the solidarity of the Austrians with the Iraqis,” for his flirtation with National Socialism (I once had a most unpleasant experience when I booked a room in a hotel in Tirol that I only discovered after arriving was owned by one of his enthusiastic supporters, who got drunk and started shouting Nazi slogans and abuse), for his opposition to foreigners, and the like. It will be deeply interesting to see what happens. I hope that this means the end of Haiderism in Austria.

P.S. In addition to his populism, which is usually but not always illiberal, Haider is an enthusiastic supporter of the welfare state. On a visit some years ago to Obergurgl I saw an enormous number of billboards showing a row of naked pink-bottomed (rather “Aryan-looking”) children with the words “Danke, JÃ?Â??Ã?Â?Ã?¶rg. Ihr Kindergeld kommt!” (“Thank you, JÃ?Â??Ã?Â?Ã?¶rg. Your Child Benefit is Coming!”) The reference was to an increase in state support of children — Austrian children, of course.



One Response to “Austrian Politics Gets Interesting”

  1. Nathalie I. Vogel

    After the “ugly American” who, by the way, looks a bit like Michael Moore, and the “loonie American” Bobby Fischer, we move to a really ugly and loonie European, at last! Truer than nature, no need of stereotypes. This man sees enemies everywhere: first of all, the American East Coast. Perhaps you are not aware of this, but in “JÃ?Â??Ã?Â?Ã?¶rg’s world”, the East Coast is owned and ruled only by people of Jewish faith and they have only one agenda: to infiltrate and control world politics. First victim in line: “Austria”. Because if you are out there to conquer the world, you -of course- start in Austria…must be an alphabetic thing.
    In the midst of this conspiracy you will also find the so called “Gutmenschen”, the European Union, the international Left, the corrupt conservatives, The Freemasons, The Belgians, The French, The Brits, the highly threatening Slovenians, and last but not least: the Germans who are not Germanic enough. But Haider is willing to help them: if only they get rid of useless foreigners and become real Germans a g a i n.
    Analyzing JÃ?Â??Ã?Â?Ã?¶rg Haider’s speeches – and I know someone who spent three entire years doing only that – is like entering the no man’s land of logic.
    This man is so dangerously lost…he could be found writing for antiwar.com
    Basic message to his fellow Austrians: All these people want the total destruction of the Republic of Austria and me, J��?���¶rg Haider, the one who is out there to save you. So, since the old party I took over does not obey properly, here is a new one!

    Thanks god, nobody cares…
    NV