Austrian Elections & Politics 4.0

[Tender Branson]

Only 4 hours left for Kern as Chancellor.

Then Kurz will officially become the youngest head of government on the planet.

http://orf.at/m/stories/2419233/2419235

[Tender Branson]

First demonstrations by leftist have started for the inauguration in less than 2 hours.

But only some 5.000 will show up, compared with 200.000 during the 2000 inauguration.

[Omega21]

ÖVP-FPÖ are cracking down much harder against illegal (economic) migrants:

* Similar to Denmark, the cash that these immigrants/asylum seekers have with them when entering the country will be confiscated and used to pay for their housing.

* Also, their cell phones will be confiscated to see which migration routes they took, if they have radical Islamist content on their phones such as beheadings, torture etc.

* If migrants entering the country turn out to have destroyed their passports to hide or fake their identity (many Arab/African men who came in the past years claimed to be 11 years, but had full-grown beards ... ), their asylum claim will be automatically rejected and the people deported.

So no significant change of immigration policy in Austria either. Never really even looked like the FPÖ pushed for something radical. It does not make a whole lot of sense to talk a lot about illegal migration, when everybody in the World still has the right to go to Austria and apply for asylum. Even if the asylum application is rejected, these people are very hard to deport.

The Danish proposal about valuables is just another symbolic effort with very little effect in reality. In the year since it was approved, it has been used 4 times to confiscate a total amount of 117.000 DKK (16.000 euro). I'm guessing that amount does not pay housing for very many people in many months, neither in Denmark nor Austria. The proposal might have a very marginal role in the considered "attractiveness" of Austria as a place to apply for asylum in, but since EU-countries does not want to make significantly tighter immigration policies, they love these symbolic tough policies so soon most countries will copy each other there. Also, the most decisive thing is probably still where there are many immigrants already, since people go where their family and friends have already gone, so there's a path dependency which means Austria, having taken a lot of migrants, will probably continue to get a quite high share of them.

True, but the symbolism (coupled with better enforcement/cuts in welfare money and more deportations) will work wonders and will very likely keep many potential economic migrants from the Middle East and Africa away. If people who are already here tell their relatives etc. abroad that policies are going to be significantly tougher in the next years, many people on the move there will likely opt for other countries who have a weaker policy on economic migrants instead.

Sad to see the criminalization of migration in another country.

"criminalization of migration"

LOL.

It's an act of self-defense against a political caste that has acted extremely naive over the recent years when it comes to culture-hostile mass immigration.

A small level of immigration is nothing bad, but it needs to be controlled and it needs to come from culture-similar areas and not backwards regions such as AfPak, Somalia and elsewhere.

If you allow such a policy, you will only import anti-semitism, religious extremism, misogyny and generally failed, illiterate people from the poorest regions that you simply cannot integrate into our labour market and society without also burdening the hard-working local population.

ok, well that is still criminalizing migration, even if you have a reason for it or if you support it. You can say that the Austrian government is criminalizing migration is "an act of self-defense" but I don't see how you can say that they are not criminalizing migration. I do not support it, so I am sad.

Are you an immigrant in Austria? I'm guessing that you're not. Well I am, and your statement can't be further from the truth.

[Tender Branson]

Kurz & his cabinet are officially in charge now:

[rob in cal]

  I find it very interesting that the protests are so muted.  Perhaps some of it is because the coalition talks were run very professionally and the coalition document seems pretty mainstream?
  Biggest disappointment to me is the huge 14% signature requirement for an initiative to get put on the ballot for a referendum.  This seems pretty high to me.

[Tender Branson]

Pictures from ÖVP-FPÖ Inauguration Day:





























Chancellor handover:





Finance Ministry handover:



Cabinet group photo:

[TheSaint250]

I would really love to see pictures of Hofer and VdB, if you have them

[Tender Branson]

I would really love to see pictures of Hofer and VdB, if you have them

Here you go:





And some with Strache:





All pictures are here:

http://www.bundespraesident.at/newsdetail/artikel/ernennung-und-angelobung-der-neuen-bundesregierung-und-staatssekretaere

[TheSaint250]

Thanks

[Tender Branson]

I love this sign by a counter-protester:



"To(o) short it comes ... the education."

("Kurz" means "short" in English.)

[Omega21]

You left out the best picture

This one basically summarizes the whole election:

[Tender Branson]

I say we need to wait and see what this government accomplishes ...

It's bound to the Court system anyway and to EU and human rights rules, so the overblown reactions that you see from foreign news media today are ridiculous IMO.

In fact, this new government is a breath of fresh air in the eyes of most Austrians - except of course the leftist waterhead that is Vienna.

[Tender Branson]

The Israeli right-wing government will apparently semi-boycott the new Austrian right-wing government:

They are planning to only talk to (or invite) ÖVP cabinet members, but neglecting the FPÖ-members (incl. the FPÖ-appointed, but independent Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl - who actually grew up and studied in Israel and Jordan).

[Tender Branson]

Kurz/Strache apparently want to pass a double-budget for 2018-19 early next year as their first steps, then pass the 1500€/year child-tax-credit and initiate the first step of a general tax cut for workers, worth some 2 Bio. € (with more gradual tax relief for employees later on).

[TheSaint250]

Already sounds more productive than our government

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

The new Chancellor of Austria:

[rob in cal]

   I like how the swearing in ceremony helped breakdown some stereotypes.  Its the old guy whose on the left, and the younger politicians, many of whom look very telegenic and presentable, who represent a government on the right.

[DavidB.]

The Israeli right-wing government will apparently semi-boycott the new Austrian right-wing government:

They are planning to only talk to (or invite) ÖVP cabinet members, but neglecting the FPÖ-members (incl. the FPÖ-appointed, but independent Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl - who actually grew up and studied in Israel and Jordan).

Bizarre and brainless move towards one of the most pro-Israeli governments in the EU.

[rob in cal]

  The Israeli move is extra unusual in that PM Netanyahu recently praised the Hungarian government for its opposition to non-European immigration, and I believe it was Strache who said that if Europe retains its ethnic, religious, cultural heritage, that that is a good thing for Israel.

[Hnv1]

The Israeli right-wing government will apparently semi-boycott the new Austrian right-wing government:

They are planning to only talk to (or invite) ÖVP cabinet members, but neglecting the FPÖ-members (incl. the FPÖ-appointed, but independent Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl - who actually grew up and studied in Israel and Jordan).

It's not an ideological move. Frau Kneissl had the audacity to criticize Bibi and his personal defects from his brother's death in the past. That's an intensive soft spot for him.

[Tender Branson]

Today, the first cabinet council meeting took place, followed by a press statement with Kurz, Strache and the new, future press speaker Peter Launsky (who introduced the foreign media in English, which is no problem for him considering he's a long-term diplomat at the UN and elsewhere).



In the cabinet meeting, ÖVP-FPÖ already passed some first measures:

* A first tax reduction of 300€ per year for small-income earners up to 2000€ per month, by reducing the unemployment insurance payments that every employer has to pay as part of incidental wage costs. This was something that the SPÖ has always pushed for. It will take effect with July 1, 2018. I think this is possible, because unemployment is generally falling right now - which means less money needs to be spent on training for unemployed, therefore it was possible to relieve the low-income workers via lower wage costs.

* Funding and construction of a memorial in Belarus near Minsk (@ Maly Trostinec), where 10.000 Austrian Jews were killed during WW2, with Kurz and Strache saying that Austria has a clear responsibility of the crimes committed there.

* A 150.000€ donation to refugees in Jordan, especially to help women and children who have been the victims of sexual abuse.

* The cabinet will head into a work retreat after the Christmas Holidays and spend a week or so planning their next moves.

http://orf.at/stories/2419437/2419436

[Tender Branson]

Internal SPÖ-poll (Jaksch & Partner) for the April 22 state election here in Salzburg:

34% ÖVP
24% FPÖ
23% SPÖ
10% Greens
  8% NEOS
  1% FPS
  1% SBG

https://www.sn.at/salzburg/politik/umfrage-vier-monate-vor-der-landtagswahl-oevp-voran-fpoe-zweite-21939088

[Tender Branson]

Martin Engelberg, a Jewish MP for Kurz's ÖVP, says the following:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.829818

[Tender Branson]

The SPÖ, recently in a soul-searching process, has hired Georg Brockmeyer (42) from Lower Saxony (SPD) as their new communications, campaign and PR chief.



Brockmeyer was responsible for the SPD's only state election win this year in Germany and the re-election of PM Weil (both are pictured above). Kern badly wanted him for the SPÖ.

The SPÖ's new general secretary will be Max Lercher (31):



http://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/spd-und-die-vertane-chance-um-georg-brockmeyer-der-morbus-berlin/20750244.html

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

On a serious note I hope FPÖ would eventually evolve back into what it was when in coalition with Kreisky, but "I believe when I see".