Austrian Elections & Politics 3.0 - Parliamentary Election: Oct. 15

[DavidB.]

Why do all these small parties even try, given that there is a 4% electoral threshold? Especially nonsensical for the Turkish party. It only makes sense to stand in an election if you can realistically get in, like DENK did, but due to the electoral threshold this seems impossible for their Austrian counterparts. They could be much more effective in wielding influence and affecting the policymaking process from within the traditional parties.

[DavidB.]

Kern, Kurz, FPÖ, Greens, NEOS, Van der Bellen and Schwarzenegger are all heavily attacking Trump for pulling out of the Paris climate agreement.

FPÖ? Why? In order to look sensible/responsible? Don't believe they truly support Paris.

[DavidB.]

I hadn't forgotten about that particular aspect of the Austrian/German far right, but for some reason I thought they would care more about countering pollution from the standpoint that it simply harms the pure Austrian land than because of something as abstract and global as climate change -- but I understand how these can easily go hand in hand. Makes sense.

[DavidB.]

Not surprising. Far-left factions hate each other much more than they hate ÖVP or FPÖ.

[DavidB.]

The possibility of ÖVP-NEOS-Greens, however distinct, would be reason enough for me to ultimately vote FPÖ anyway, despite liking Kurz.

[DavidB.]

Still the Kurz bump doesn't seem to be as big as expected in most polls.

[DavidB.]

As far as I know polls showed Kurz in the mid 30s and the other two parties in the mid 20s. Now, Kurz is in the low 30s, the SPÖ in the high 20s and the FPÖ in the mid 20s. That's a difference. If the SPÖ become the largest party, will they get to try and form a government first? If so, it would be quite a gamble for the FPÖ to make these negotiations collapse, as the ÖVP will have an incredibly strong position in ÖVP-FPÖ negotiations.

[DavidB.]

Combating tax evasion of large companies isn't going to raise a billion and a "robot tax" sounds like an incredibly retrograde, luddite policy that will do little to help Austria. Though it's also not as if the ÖVP's reckless cuts are good policy -- but I had hoped for something better on the part of the SPÖ.

How is healthcare organized? How high are co-payments, if any?

[DavidB.]

Austrian students: Lean Green --------> Safe PILZ

[DavidB.]

As you are saying, calling him Kohn was used in the 30s (by Carl Schmitt and others) as a smear to reduce Hans Kelsen onto his Jewishness. This smear was revived in the 60s by the infamous professor Taras Borodajkewycz who remains quite popular in the Austrian far-right academic scene. You can assume that at least some people at the gathering were aware of the Carl Schmitt/Borodajkewycz quote as some kind of running gag.

The thing about these quotes is often that when isolated they can seem accidental and "innocent". But for example Hübner in the same speech also said that chancellor Kern "has excellent links with the freemason scene" and that Austrian freemasonry is "colored neither Protestant nor Catholic but differently". And so on, and so on. Speeches of this type are full of these codes. This is why I often have mixed feelings about the public outcry over single quotes. The risk is that many people might say "ok, that's a weird thing to say. But it could be explained by [whatever]. Isn't it exaggerated to start a witchhunt over two words like this? To hell with the political correctness!"

Thank you for clarifying this. It is most unfortunate that the FPÖ continues to contain these elements.

[DavidB.]

When all is said and done, the FPÖ could end up only barely improving on its 2013 election result.

[DavidB.]

A very interesting experiment. Is Pilz serious about restricting immigration? Any concrete proposals? And how does he think about the EU?

[DavidB.]

So I take it that Pilz does not have any concrete proposals to limit immigration?

[DavidB.]

FPÖ, but I'm enthusiastic about Kurz too.

[DavidB.]

so spo, ovp and fpo all hate eachother but 2 of that 3 party will have to form a coalition. it's gonna be long negotiations, maybe even something like holland.

No, it's not. ÖVP and FPÖ will form a coalition fairly easily if they win a majority.

[DavidB.]

so spo, ovp and fpo all hate eachother but 2 of that 3 party will have to form a coalition. it's gonna be long negotiations, maybe even something like holland.

No, it's not. ÖVP and FPÖ will form a coalition fairly easily if they win a majority.

And then hopefully the FPO will go the same way as last time they went into coalition with the OVP

Could be, but not without setting the agenda on immigration and pulling other parties to the right.

[DavidB.]

I love how right-wing nationalists always start caring about animals when it's about the meat that is only consumed by Muslims and Jews

[DavidB.]

Wahlkabine:
FPÖ 112
FLÖ 92
ÖVP 90
SPÖ -2
NEOS -15
GRÜNE -56
PILZ -85
KPÖ -130

[DavidB.]

Are you going to write in Werner Faymann?

[DavidB.]

I think I like Kurz politically (won't say ideologically because I doubt the guy has one), but he does seem to suffer from Macron syndrome: that third picture, ffs...

[DavidB.]

The FPÖ unexpectedly coming first would only make the FPÖVP coalition formation process more difficult, won't it?

[DavidB.]

So no info whatsoever today before polls close? SAD!

[DavidB.]

Burgenland look to be fully reported the direct vote - SPÖ wins by .15%!

The SPÖ will very likely lose their stronghold state after the postal vote count though ...

To whom?

[DavidB.]

Of 583k Green voters in 2013, 147k voted for the Greens again. 161k went to SPÖ, 84k to the ÖVP (!!), 67k to Pilz and 57k to NEOS.

[DavidB.]

Nothing bad ever happens when you put a xenophobic Austrian in charge, right?

maek u thnk