Austrian Elections & Politics - Version 1.0

[Beezer]

But if we just shut out everyone past a certain amount, those poor people will still have no place to go.

So where would you draw the line? A million or perhaps two? How about doubling Austria's population? Anyway, they have plenty of places to go...it's not like they didn't cross other EU (or safe) countries on their way to Austria.

Exactly. I support the current system which is outfitted to house some 15.000-25.000 asylum seekers, but not the 60.000 that are expected this year without creating problems for municipalities

So let us drown them all in the Mediterranian?

Yes, cause it's a choice between "let them die" and "naturalize them as soon as they set foot on European soil." It's rather simple: What is the best way to stop people from getting onto these boats in the first place? Probably to take action in northern Africa and to have a rather strict immigration policy which means most of these folks (seeing as they are economic migrants) will find themselves back home in no time, €3000 poorer and wiser (presumably they'll pass that information on to potential other migrants).

[Tender Branson]

But if we just shut out everyone past a certain amount, those poor people will still have no place to go.

So where would you draw the line? A million or perhaps two? How about doubling Austria's population? Anyway, they have plenty of places to go...it's not like they didn't cross other EU (or safe) countries on their way to Austria.

Exactly. I support the current system which is outfitted to house some 15.000-25.000 asylum seekers, but not the 60.000 that are expected this year without creating problems for municipalities

So let us drown them all in the Mediterranian?

No, but we need to make sure that they are not leaving Africa and the Middle East in the first place to drown (Australia-style). The current situation of "wide-open barn-doors" just creates an incentive for them ("them" in this case means 80% young males from Africa and Syria/Iraq and Afghanistan) to claim benefits here and pass that information of our generous "welfare state" down to their fellow countrymen. This badly needs to stop. We need to send a message that only those in need (women and children from war areas) are welcome and I advise the 80% of current asylum seekers who are young men to take some responsibility (instead of coming to our "save havens") and start fighting Assad and IS. Otherwise this sh*t will never go away and Syria and Iraq remain doomed. And if they have succeeded, how about trying democracy then for once ?

[Tender Branson]

This is how Styria would currently vote in a federal election (OGM poll for the "Kurier"):

30% FPÖ (compared with 2013 federal election in Styria: +6%)
24% SPÖ (nc)
24% ÖVP (+3%)
13% Greens (+2%)
  5% NEOS (+1%)
  1% TS (-9%)
  3% Others (-3%)

The collapse of Team Stronach and BZÖ means that FPÖ/ÖVP gained most of their former voters.

Do you approve or disapprove of the federal SPÖVP government ?

28-62 disapprove

Do you approve or disapprove of the state SPÖVP government ?

59-31 approve

http://kurier.at/politik/inland/steiermark-umfrage-meinungsforscher-kanzler-bonus-gibt-es-in-der-steiermark-nicht/132.552.046

[Tender Branson]

Does anyone want to make predictions for the Sunday state elections in Styria and Burgenland ?

Here are mine.

Would be cool !

[Cranberry]

My predictions then:

Styria:

SPÖ - 31%
ÖVP - 29%
FPÖ - 23%
Grüne - 7%
KPÖ - 5%
NEOS - 4%
TS - 1%


Burgenland:

SPÖ - 45%
ÖVP - 30%
FPÖ - 15%
Grüne - 5%
NEOS - 3%
LBL/TS - 2%

[Tender Branson]

Polls in Styria and Burgenland are open on Sunday from around 7am to 4pm in both states (each city decides on its own when to open and close, but none will close later than 4pm).

Which means we'll get 1st projections right then.

Burgenland counts postal/absentee votes already on Sunday, which means the final result should be out around 7pm.

Styria will count the postal/absentee votes on Monday (like it is done federally). Which means there will be a preliminary final result around 7pm on Sunday, but without postal votes.

Postal votes skew heavily Green and to lesser extents ÖVP, NEOS and Communist.

FPÖ, SPÖ and Team Stronach underperform among postal voters, which means the count on Monday can still lead to some changes in seats.

[Tender Branson]

If Gov. Hans Niessl (SPÖ) wins an absolute majority on Sunday in Burgenland, he can thank Julia Dujmovits most.

Julia Dujmovits, Olympic snowboarding Gold medal-winner in Sochi, is probably the best-known and well-liked figure in Burgenland next to Niessl himself and she's also on the Governor's own PAC (political action committee):





http://www.bvz.at/nachrichten/bgld/politik-bildung/wahl2015/Niessl-dankte-ueberparteilichem-Personenkomitee;art116424,636525

[Tender Branson]

After a few months with the FPÖ falling back to 3rd place and 24%, new polls now have the FPÖ once again in 1st place, including todays Gallup poll.

SPÖVP got a small bounce after their tax cut plan was announced (which starts on Jan. 1, 2016) - but this bounce has since faded. The FPÖ in 1st place again is understandable too, because of the recent massive asylum-seeker influx into Austria. In the last week, the average number of daily asylum applications hit 330. That would mean 120.000 asylum seekers this year if this pace keeps up. (Sweden took up 80.000 last year and that was already huge).

[Tender Branson]

Re: above post ...

Austria's newest and modern deportation center is going into full operation already on Monday, June 1, by executive order of Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP) - instead of July 1, due to the recent influx of many (economic) asylum seekers.

Economic asylum seekers (not those in need from war areas), will now be deported.

To me, the new deportation center looks more like a hotel - but whatever ...

  

  

[Hydera]

Re: above post ...

Austria's newest and modern deportation center is going into full operation already on Monday, June 1, by executive order of Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP) - instead of July 1, due to the recent influx of many (economic) asylum seekers.

Economic asylum seekers (not those in need from war areas), will now be deported.

To me, the new deportation center looks more like a hotel - but whatever ...

  

  

Its like a friggin ski resort...

jesus maybe i should stay illegally in austria just to get a free hotel....

[Cranberry]

Should they be accommodated in mountain wood cabins?

It's a new building. Obviously it will look nice and modern, if not, I wouldn't hire that contractor another time ...

[Sol]

Why does Austria need a new deportation facility--why can't it just create a path to citizenship?

[Tender Branson]

Why does Austria need a new deportation facility--why can't it just create a path to citizenship?

Why do you assume there's not both ?

In fact, it's not much different than in the US: There are deportation centers, which are deporting the illegals and (in the case of Austria and other European countries) economic asylum seekers who are only coming here for economic reasons (such as Kosovo-Albanians) and take away the spots for people who are really in need.

Those people definitely have to be deported.

On the other hand, you can apply for citizenship after 10 years of residence here and no criminal record.

There's also a fast-track system after 6 years, if you also have a job and work as a volunteer for example at the firebrigade/red cross/care etc.

After all, what we need are skilled immigrants from all over the planet who are filling the gaps in the economy that Austrians cannot fill.

But not tons of unskilled asylum seekers from Africa and the Middle-East that no employer will ever hire ... no matter how many naive left-leftist dreamers would like to continue letting them in.

[Tender Branson]

The polls for the state elections today in Steiermark and Burgenland are now open !

Polls close at 4pm local time.

I'll post 1st projections then.

[Cranberry]

Tender, please don't get offended, but that last sentence could have straight up come out of the FPÖ-programme... You even translated Linkslinker into English, voilà, FPÖ-rhetoric step 1...

[Tender Branson]

Tender, please don't get offended, but that last sentence could have straight up come out of the FPÖ-programme... You even translated Linkslinker into English, voilà, FPÖ-rhetoric step 1...

Oh come on ... please do not put me into the FPÖ-corner for voicing opinions that are common sense and which are mainstream with centrist parties all over the Western world (=> look what I posted: "skilled immigrants" yes, "mass immigration" no).

The FPÖ goes far beyond that and are not indisposed to violence, which I'd never be ...

But it's sad that you get attacked these days for voicing moderate, common-sense policies like this ... really sad.

Apparently, only the opinion of the naive counts anymore ...

[Cranberry]

Tender, please don't get offended, but that last sentence could have straight up come out of the FPÖ-programme... You even translated Linkslinker into English, voilà, FPÖ-rhetoric step 1...

Oh come on ... please do not put me into the FPÖ-corner for voicing opinions that are common sense and which are mainstream with centrist parties all over the Western world (=> look what I posted: "skilled immigrants" yes, "mass immigration" no).

The FPÖ goes far beyond that and are not indisposed to violence, which I'd never be ...

But it's sad that you get attacked these days for voicing moderate, common-sense policies like this ... really sad.

Apparently, only the opinion of the naive counts anymore ...

That wasn't directed to your whole post, rather your last sentence... Maybe it's just me, but I have never heard something on the likes of "left-leftist" or "tons of unskilled asylum seekers" from moderate politicians, quite often however out of the mouths of a certain HC Strache...

[Tender Branson]

Tender, please don't get offended, but that last sentence could have straight up come out of the FPÖ-programme... You even translated Linkslinker into English, voilà, FPÖ-rhetoric step 1...

Oh come on ... please do not put me into the FPÖ-corner for voicing opinions that are common sense and which are mainstream with centrist parties all over the Western world (=> look what I posted: "skilled immigrants" yes, "mass immigration" no).

The FPÖ goes far beyond that and are not indisposed to violence, which I'd never be ...

But it's sad that you get attacked these days for voicing moderate, common-sense policies like this ... really sad.

Apparently, only the opinion of the naive counts anymore ...

That wasn't directed to your whole post, rather your last sentence... Maybe it's just me, but I have never heard something on the likes of "left-leftist" or "tons of unskilled asylum seekers" from moderate politicians, quite often however out of the mouths of a certain HC Strache...

Don't worry, that's just me. I sometimes use tough words to make some point.

In fact, I use things like "tons of ..." all the time. Moderate politicians are unlikely to use it though, because they are trained to death not to use "politically incorrect" or insensitive words in public that could cost them votes. That's why.

But the "left-leftists" shouldn't complain too much, because they themselves use tough words on people too all the time who are not sharing their opinion ...

Using some words that are similar to what Strache uses, doesn't make me an FPÖ-voter (LOL) or supporter ...

[Cranberry]

Tender, please don't get offended, but that last sentence could have straight up come out of the FPÖ-programme... You even translated Linkslinker into English, voilà, FPÖ-rhetoric step 1...

Oh come on ... please do not put me into the FPÖ-corner for voicing opinions that are common sense and which are mainstream with centrist parties all over the Western world (=> look what I posted: "skilled immigrants" yes, "mass immigration" no).

The FPÖ goes far beyond that and are not indisposed to violence, which I'd never be ...

But it's sad that you get attacked these days for voicing moderate, common-sense policies like this ... really sad.

Apparently, only the opinion of the naive counts anymore ...

That wasn't directed to your whole post, rather your last sentence... Maybe it's just me, but I have never heard something on the likes of "left-leftist" or "tons of unskilled asylum seekers" from moderate politicians, quite often however out of the mouths of a certain HC Strache...

Don't worry, that's just me. I sometimes use tough words to make some point.

In fact, I use things like "tons of ..." all the time. Moderate politicians are unlikely to use it though, because they are trained to death not to use "politically incorrect" or insensitive words in public that could cost them votes. That's why.

But the "left-leftists" shouldn't complain too much, because they themselves use tough words on people too all the time who are not sharing their opinion ...

Using some words that are similar to what Strache uses, doesn't make me an FPÖ-voter (LOL) or supporter ...

I never claimed that you were supporting the FPÖ. The point remains that you are using their rhethoric.

[Tender Branson]

Tender, please don't get offended, but that last sentence could have straight up come out of the FPÖ-programme... You even translated Linkslinker into English, voilà, FPÖ-rhetoric step 1...

Oh come on ... please do not put me into the FPÖ-corner for voicing opinions that are common sense and which are mainstream with centrist parties all over the Western world (=> look what I posted: "skilled immigrants" yes, "mass immigration" no).

The FPÖ goes far beyond that and are not indisposed to violence, which I'd never be ...

But it's sad that you get attacked these days for voicing moderate, common-sense policies like this ... really sad.

Apparently, only the opinion of the naive counts anymore ...

That wasn't directed to your whole post, rather your last sentence... Maybe it's just me, but I have never heard something on the likes of "left-leftist" or "tons of unskilled asylum seekers" from moderate politicians, quite often however out of the mouths of a certain HC Strache...

Don't worry, that's just me. I sometimes use tough words to make some point.

In fact, I use things like "tons of ..." all the time. Moderate politicians are unlikely to use it though, because they are trained to death not to use "politically incorrect" or insensitive words in public that could cost them votes. That's why.

But the "left-leftists" shouldn't complain too much, because they themselves use tough words on people too all the time who are not sharing their opinion ...

Using some words that are similar to what Strache uses, doesn't make me an FPÖ-voter (LOL) or supporter ...

I never claimed that you were supporting the FPÖ. The point remains that you are using their rhethoric.

Ok ... but how else should I refer to "tons of unskilled asylum seekers" or "left-leftists" ?

"... hundred thousands of Notreisende and persecuted who lack the proper education they deserve" ?

"extreme far-far-left wingers" ?

Sry, but I'm not a big fan of that modern cotton-wool ball euphemism ...

[Tender Branson]

Turnout in Styria until noon roughly the same as 5 years ago, says the Kleine Zeitung:

~70%

[Tender Branson]

Burgenland

Gov. Niessl's wife apparently wants to stuff their family dog into the ballot box instead of her envelope:

[Beezer]

I never claimed that you were supporting the FPÖ. The point remains that you are using their rhethoric.

Instead of getting hung up on whether somebody uses FPÖ rhetoric you ought to debate the merits of their arguments. Tender is right when he says that most of the economic migrants crossing the Med will in all likelihood not contribute anything to society.

[Tender Branson]

Polls close in 1.5 hours and from what I've read on Twitter, get ready for a major earthquake in Styria ...

[Tender Branson]

Take the Twitter rumours with a grain of salt, but from what I have seen there Styria is turning from



into



today.