Austrian Elections & Politics 4.0

[Tender Branson]

Minister for Health, Beate Hartinger-Klein (FPÖ), presented the government's reform plans for the AUVA (which is the carrier responsible for work-related accidents) today.

Initially, there was speculation that the AUVA would be abolished completely (incl. shutting down their hospitals and reha centers) as part of the bigger healthcare system overhaul.

This won't happen now. The AUVA will cut spending (mostly in administrative areas, a hiring freeze, by a more efficient IT system and by other spending shifts) by 430 Mio. € until the end of 2022. Next year, outlays will be cut by 130 Mio. € (out of a total annual budget of 1.5 Bio €) and then by 100 Mio. € each year.

ÖVP-FPÖ argues that there will be no negatives for patients, as all medical services remain the same and no facilities will be closed. They even argue that care will become better for patients, because of more services being covered because of the administrative spending cuts.

The AUVA will be one of the remaining 5 healthcare carriers after the ÖVP-FPÖ's healthcare system overhaul (currently, there are about 20). The government argues that under their plan, the healthcare system will be able to cut spending by 1 Bio. € annually until 2022 and that the system will become more efficient and sustainable for the future.



The opposition parties oppose the plans, calling it a destruction of the current system which will lead to a huge burden of workload for administrative workers in healthcare and eventually worse care for the average insured person.

There were some strikes today against the reform, by union groups aligned with the SPÖ.

The ÖVP-FPÖ government accuses the SPÖ and opposition of "unnecessary fearmongering".

https://diepresse.com/home/innenpolitik/5479539/AUVA-bleibt-erhalten_FitnessProgramm-gegen-Verwaltungsspeck

[Tender Branson]

Peter Pilz, who split the Greens and entered parliament with his own list last year (while the Greens didn't), announced yesterday during the ORF's "summer interviews" that he'll step down as party leader next week and hand over to Maria Stern.



He was intensely questioned about his sexual misconduct allegations against several women (the cases were recently dropped by the courts) and how it impacted him and his family.

He also said the recent chaos in the party surrounding his comeback was unfortunate, but that the party is now back on track again and will sharpen their profile soon (a new name for the "List Pilz" will be announced in the next 2 months he said).

The party will also run in the EU elections next year.

[Tender Branson]

Today, President Van der Bellen visited a young Afghan refugee with a negative asylum application at his workplace in Upper Austria, a "Spar" supermarket.

There's a recent multipartisan initiative that tries to shield young refugees with a rejected asylum claim from deportation, until they have completed their education or apprenticeship in an Austrian company.

70%+ of Austrian voters (incl. myself) back this initiative, according to two recent polls (incl. half of FPÖ-voters).

The initiative is backed by many Austrian sports- and businesspeople as well.

[Tender Branson]

How come the Asylum seekers who sit in parks all day and spend their big fat worker paid allowances are allowed to stay, but those who get a job are denied...

Yeah, there should be priority in deporting the criminal asylum seekers first - but as we know it's all very hard because the countries of origin won't take them back (many of these so-called criminal "refugees" have even destroyed their papers upon entering the country illegally).

As long as these criminal "refugees" (many of them rapists and killers) are in the country and cannot be deported back, they need to be interned in preventive deportation imprisonment facilities indefinitely - so that they are not a threat for the local population.

Young people and families without a criminal record should be given priority and should be allowed to work and educate themselves as long as they have asylum status here. If their countries of origin get safe again (as is the case in Syria and Iraq right now), their asylum status needs to be revoked (which is increasingly the case right now) and be deported - where they can use their skills from Austria to re-build their wrecked countries.

Thank Goodness, deportations are up by 50% compared with last year already, new asylum claims are down by 50% and the backlog of people receiving state aid is also being reduced month by month.

Just some facts:

In 2015, Austria got 90.000 new asylum requests (in US-terms, that would be 4 million claims) and there were 5.000 deportations that year.

This year, there will be 15.000 new asylum requests and also some 15.000 deportations. So, at least the old stock won't rise any longer.

[Tender Branson]

Russian President Putin will attend the private wedding ceremony of Austria's Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl this Saturday in the Styrian wine country:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/putin-to-attend-austrian-foreign-ministers-wedding/2018/08/15/2c69ba06-a097-11e8-a3dd-2a1991f075d5_story.html

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Why is Strache so unpopular compared to his FPO colleagues?

[windjammer]

Why is Strache so unpopular compared to his FPO colleagues?

Maybe because he's more well-known ?

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Why is Strache so unpopular compared to his FPO colleagues?

Maybe because he's more well-known ?

Can't be that, Hoefer is presumably just as well known and he's quite popular.

[Tender Branson]

Why is Strache so unpopular compared to his FPO colleagues?

Maybe because he's more well-known ?

Can't be that, Hofer is presumably just as well known and he's quite popular.

I think Strache being very unpopular is still the result of his time as opposition leader, when he used to be very aggressive in attacking the government. The FPÖ crowd liked it, but all the other voters prefer a moderate voice such as Hofer over Strache, who says things like "we need to invest more in renewable energy to be 100% green by 2040".

[Tender Branson]

The backwards FPÖ strikes again ...

After the Austrian Railway presented their new poster campaign for their discount card, an FPÖ-politician posted the following picture on Facebook and commented it with:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Other users also posted really nasty comments below his post.



https://kurier.at/politik/inland/fpoe-lokalpolitiker-schimpft-ueber-neger-und-schwuchteln-in-oebb-werbung/400091174

[Tender Branson]

Putin to attend Austrian foreign minister’s wedding

The wedding tomorrow + Putin's presence there is creating a big controversy here right now.

Not only will the security for Putin cost taxpayers 1 Mio. € (Kneissl has said she'll pay for it), but it's also crazy that an Austrian Foreign Minister would invite someone like Putin to her wedding and he accepts it.

SPÖ, NEOS, LiPi and Greens call it "highly irritating" and a "provocation" that Kneissl would invite the autocratic Putin to her wedding because "this is exactly what Putin wants: a charme offensive to gain support in Austria and Western Europe". The Greens even called for her resignation.

https://derstandard.at/2000085513791/SPOe-sieht-in-Putin-Besuch-bei-Kneissl-Hochzeit-Provokation

You must be logged in to read this quote.

https://www.rt.com/news/436165-putin-austria-minister-wedding

[Tender Branson]

It seems another couple might have to call off their wedding tomorrow in the area, because of the Putin visit to Foreign Minister Kneissl's wedding ... ("No-Fly/Drone"-zone, roads are closed, SWAT teams everywhere, tight ID checks etc.)

https://www.oe24.at/oesterreich/politik/Wegen-Kneissl-muss-anderes-Paar-um-Trauung-bangen/345169309

Oh man, I think this episode might hurt the FPÖ in the next polls ...

[Tender Branson]

On top of all, Putin will bring a 50-member Don Cossack Choir with him today as a wedding gift for Foreign Minister Kneissl:

http://www.salzburg24.at/putin-bringt-eigenen-chor-mit-zur-kneissl-hochzeit/5328509

This is surreal.

[Tender Branson]

Austria's "replacement royal wedding" currently under way ...

Putin has already landed with his choir in Graz (in an additional 2nd plane !) and is on the way to the wedding, which will start in an hour.

Not only Putin is coming, but the OPEC-leader as well + Kurz, Strache, Hofer and other cabinet members.

Ö24 of course has a live broadcast, lol:



http://www.oe24.at/tv

[Tender Branson]

Wedding pictures incl. Putin dancing with the bride, Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl:

[Tender Branson]

Wow, big news out of Vienna:

There's a new liberal NEOS-leader there, Christoph Wiederkehr, who said today that NEOS would back and vote for an FPÖVP-appointed independent candidate as mayor of Vienna after the 2019/2020 state election. He said, an independent mayor is definitely preferable to another "red" mayor from the SPÖ. The SPÖ always was in charge of Vienna since WW2 (and before).



https://derstandard.at/2000085591860/Neos-koennen-sich-Buergermeisterwahl-mit-OeVP-und-FPOe-vorstellen

[Tender Branson]

The Vienna Greens are electing a new party leader soon, ahead of the 2019/2020 state election there.

There will be 2 weeks for candidates to declare, starting on Monday.

Current party leader Maria Vassilakou (for 14 years now) is still considering her options - but it is unlikely that she'll run for another term.

Today, Peter Kraus (speaker for the LGBT branch in the party) was the first to declare his candidacy online on his website.



https://www.peter-kraus.at/darum-kandidiere-ich

He also has a very interesting US-style launch video called "We are the ones we've been waiting for."

https://kurier.at/chronik/wien/wiener-gruene-kraus-tritt-fuer-vassilakou-nachfolge-an/400093694

[Tender Branson]

Today is the day of women in Austrian politics:

* in ca. 3 hours, the second of five "summer interviews" with party leaders will take place on the public broadcaster ORF. This time, the new NEOS-leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger will be interviewed. Just today, she has defended comments from the new Vienna NEOS leader (see above) about working together with the ÖVP and FPÖ to elect a new independent mayor in Vienna for the first time. Obviously without any formal coalition agreement with the ÖVP and FPÖ. Vienna's mayor is elected by the city council, which means theoretically an Independent could be elected - but there could still be just an ÖVP-FPÖ minority government, tolerated by NEOS. There's still a long way to go until the next elections and based on the NEOS threat, it's probably more likely again that the SPÖ waits until 2020 (the regular date), instead of calling snap elections in 2019.

https://derstandard.at/2000085687412/Nach-pinken-Vorstoss-zu-Wiener-Buergermeisterwahl-Meinl-Reisinger-haelt-zuNeos

* and for the "List Pilz", the party leadership has just started their meeting to elect a new party leader: Maria Stern (their speaker for women's issues). The party commitee will also debate a new name for the list and several other topics. While Stern will be elected new party leader today, it is unlikely that they will already settle on a new name for the list as well.

https://derstandard.at/2000085695132/Weichenstellung-bei-Liste-Pilz

[Tender Branson]

Maria Stern was elected new party leader of the "List Pilz" by an unanimous vote in the party committee meeting.



It was also agreed that a PR agency will be hired, to work out a new name for the list.

It seems the worst is now over for the "List Pilz", after the recent months were a total catastrophe.

https://kurier.at/politik/inland/liste-pilz-maria-stern-wurde-zur-neuen-parteichefin-gewaehlt/400095005

[Tender Branson]

The ÖVP-FPÖ government went back to work today at a cabinet council meeting, after a few weeks of summer break.

They agreed on a 2.6% pension increase for next year (baseline inflation for the past year was 2%). The opposition (SPÖ etc.) was in favour of a higher increase of 3-4%, arguing that daily grocery prices rose by 4% over the past year. ÖVP-FPÖ shot back, saying that under SPÖ leadership in previous years pensions were increased below inflation rates (that is of course true, but only because there was a recession. ÖVP-FPÖ are just benefitting from the good economy right now).

https://derstandard.at/2000085846442/Welcome-back-zum-Ministerrat

The FPÖ-led Defense Ministry will get an additional 400 Mio. € budget for next year to procure 3 more US-made Black Hawk helicopters and 12 Airbus helicopters. The helicopters are battle-tested, in the sense that they have been a great help in times of natural disasters.

https://derstandard.at/2000085789414/Regierung-beschliesst-Kauf-von-15-Heeres-Helikoptern

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Norbert Hofer (FPÖ) has outlined plans under which drivers can turn right when there's a red traffic light at a crossing (something that is already allowed in the US for example). The plans (which should increase the flow of traffic) will be tested next year in Linz.

https://derstandard.at/2000085728332/Regierung-macht-Weg-frei-fuer-Rechtsabbiegen-bei-Rot

[Tender Branson]

First poll after the Putin visit at Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl's wedding shows the FPÖ dropping a bit, but not by a lot:



"Is it good or bad for Austria's image abroad if someone like Putin is invited to a wedding by the FM ?"



33% Good (especially FPÖ-voters say it's good for our image abroad)
31% Bad
36% Don't care/Neutral/Undecided

PS: Kneissl's net favourability only dropped by 2% compared with the last poll.

https://www.oe24.at/oesterreich/politik/1-Umfrage-Kneissl-spaltet-das-Land/345931295

[EPG]

Pretty clearly, Austrians on net approve of what is happening. It's not as controversial as it seemed. European solidarity is seen as optional. Eventually, though, this a la carte approach to the EU ends with a referendum.

[Tender Branson]

Pretty clearly, Austrians on net approve of what is happening. It's not as controversial as it seemed. European solidarity is seen as optional. Eventually, though, this a la carte approach to the EU ends with a referendum.

That's not true:

Austrians, in the middle or at the heart of Europe, always were bridge-builders between Western and Eastern Europe (but also see both sides sceptical, because of their flaws). And the EU and Russia have many flaws. So, it is not surprising that about 1/3 are OK with Putin meddling here, 1/3 opposed and 1/3 not giving a damn. But that still doesn't change the fact that Austrians clearly favour to remain in the EU by a wide margin. Besides, there won't be a referendum on leaving the EU here. Also, European solidarity is not seen as "optional". The current government's position (and also that of the general population) is that you can only have a functioning, stable EU if there's a strong border on the South and South-East. Only if culture-hostile, criminal economic "refugees" are being kept out and only those who are really in need are allowed in. But it has to be us who choose them, not the smugglers.

[Tender Branson]

The following anti-semitic attack ad by the Greens (!) pretty much shows the terrible state of the Green-ish party spectrum in Austria right now:



As I have posted above, the Vienna-Greens (and also the federal Greens) are electing new leaders in the fall and recently started looking for candidates.

The picture on the right shows Spaltpilz Peter, who destroyed the Greens last year by creating his own list (which entered parliament instead of them, but later imploded himself).

With this picture, they were calling for a candidate with "integrity" and not someone who "splits" and "divides".

Problem: the ad is similar to ads used by the Nazis in the Stürmer propaganda newspaper.

The Greens probably didn't know that when they posted it, but it was still a huge mistake. They removed the ad immediately.

Really no surprise that both parties are not getting more than 2-3% right now ...

(That's actually somewhat a shame, because the Austrian Greens have gone from one of Europe's most successful not long ago to Jill Stein joke levels, when in fact there are numerous important issues that they could focus on right now: such as climate change, the increasing plastic garbage batches in the oceans, soil pollution via Monsanto-produced pesticides and exploding cancer/deformity cases among newborn for example in rural Argentina and the massive decline of the biosphere around the world. But they are simply too inept and incompetent right now).

As a former Green, that hurts a bit.

[Tender Branson]

Just before the new kindergarten and school year starts, ÖVP-FPÖ (Kurz & Strache) visited a kindergarten recently, where they promised more money for free day care for kindergarten kids, more money for early language and integration training for small migrant kids and a headscarf ban which will start with the new school year.