Austrian Elections & Politics - Version 1.0

[Filuwaúrdjan]

'Grunë' is a most excellent error that I am surprisingly pleased with

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Sort of thing that can happen if there's a big scandal of this sort. Only start to worry if the numbers last.

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They've always been weak in Vorarlberg; even during the Kreisky era they didn't poll much more than a third of the vote there.

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Generally, some reformists in countries with full PR tend to support FPTP arguing that the latter provides some kind of 'direct representation' of voters with greater accountability than people elected on a list, especially closed lists.

That was the argument in Italy in the 90s as well.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

That and the fact that people outside Austria have actually heard of Vienna. Probably most people from elsewhere in Europe think that Salzburg is Austria's second largest city...

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Linz is probably not well known either.

If it is known at all it is due to its association with a notably unpleasant man with a toothbrush moustache...

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Does it mean (roughly) belongs in? I suspect so, and that would be alarming given the poll results.

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It means roughly if the people think that Islam is a part of what is Austria; so not that they believe there should be no Muslims in Austria, but rather that they believe Islam is not a "real" part of Austria.

There's a difference? As soon as we start to define who is and who is not a 'real citizen' then we enter dangerous territory.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Broadly speaking both traditional government parties could do with a spell in opposition.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I'm pretty sure it's impossible mathematically to extract the OVP from government (barring some sort of Tangentopoli event)

Quite probably. But this does not change the fact that opposition would do it the world of good. Particularly as the protest parties would clearly suck balls at governing.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Well the big issue in Austrian politics is that it's a bit of an old boys network isn't it? Much more so than most other countries. I mean (and this is just one observation out of many) the ÖVP have been in government since 1987 even though many of the governments have been very different. And of course the old boys network also tends to heavily favour the interests of (for instance) pensioners and other designated interest groups. That's why you have such ridiculously high levels of support for blatant protest parties, most of which are clearly not well suited to running anything more complex than the old proverbial whelk stall.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

A Greens-NEOS coalition would indeed be excellent news... for SPÖVP.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Immagine you were a young Eritrean or Somali.

You have paid 5.000€ to get to Europe.
You survived the Sahara.
You escaped Bedouin slave-hunters.
You were trapped into a Turkish mini-bus together with 40 others for two days.
You crossed the Aegaean Sea in an over-crowded rubber boat and saw people drowning.
You walked on the railroad tracks through Macedonia and you were robbed by other refugees.

And now you are on the Serbian-Hungarian border. There is a fence. You won't succeed in getting over the border the first time you try it. You try again. And again. Then you succeed.

In Hungary you have to hide from far-right militias. You want to go to the West, Austria, Germany, Sweden, France, UK, something like that.
You try to cross the border. The first time you get caught and sent back to Hungary. You try again. And again. The worst case is getting caught and sent back, you have nothing to lose. Finally you succeed.

send the buggers back imo enoch was rite

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Yes, the 'first victim' myth has had some unpleasant consequences hasn't it?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Mostly they could just do with a stint in opposition (nationally), even a fairly short one.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I don't know. Other parties becoming even more unpopular doesn't make the SPÖ's unpopularity go away, especially because I don't know if they have any leadership material that's better.

Well no (they have a lot of long term work to do, though are theoretically in a better position on that front and their frenemies in the ÖVP), but the structurally strongest of a bunch of equally unpopular parties is always in the best position. The key point being equally unpopular.

But yes, Austrian politics is in a state of quiet crisis. Unpopular parties-of-power and a bunch of protest parties (most of which are manifestly unfit to run anything more complex than a cake shop. If that) and nothing else.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Hey, it might even work. Voters are strange things.

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How very dare they!

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Because Hitler came from the area probably.

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Irrespective of all the other issues at hand, it is good to see a competent big city administration re-elected.

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And also for the Borough Councils: