Austrian Elections & Politics 5.0 (Burgenland state election - January 26)

[LAKISYLVANIA]

this are good news from Austria.

this story is really disgusting.

i hope the people of Austria (and other European countries as well) realize, what kind of people this FPÖ/afd/lega/fn… really are.

It's one case, and those kind of #gates and all are not entirely a far-right phenomen. Centrists can do the same, i mean, and you'll find corrupt and fake politicians in every layer, and on every side of the political spectrum. It's sad, but it's the task to cleanse the world from those swamps as much as possible, at a continuous and rapid rate.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Well, a move I appreciate from Kurz. He seems like a good dude for a center-right politician.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

   Whats frustrating about this is that Kurz seemed pleased with the overall government performance of the OVP FPO coalition, and the collapse was not brought about by unbridgeable differences but rather Strache's stupidity.
    In the coming campaign Kurz will likely defend his record as chancellor, but that record is inextricably tied to the FPO, so the more he praises it, the more he also indirectly praises the FPO to an extent anyway. 
     Under Hofer I would think the FPO would have a good chance of alot of damage control, as he strikes me as one of their more stable leaders. Just how many FPO voters will desert the party? and vote for who, the OVP which just ended the coalition?
    Oh, and what about the direct democracy proposal? Did that ever make it through parliament?

ÖVP-FPÖ only wanted to pass this in parliament at the end of their term, in 2022, according to their coalition contract.

All of this is meaningless now, because ÖVP-NEOS-Greens will likely shelf it (because of the Greens and the ÖVP was also not really a big fan of it either).

Why are the Greens against direct democracy?

because it hurts them, direct democracy often leads to populism and referendums where people reject the establishment.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

My result, but i would vote KPO. Answered on 24 questions, except 2 i didn't understand.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Sollen die verpflichtenden Rundfunkgebühren abgeschafft werden?
Soll der Einsatz staatlicher Überwachungssoftware (Bundestrojaner) für verschlüsselte Nachrichten und Messengerdienste erlaubt sein?

Sollen die Unternehmenssteuern gesenkt werden? -> I voted nein, but why ar ethe leftist parties for?
Soll das Amtsgeheimnis zugunsten eines Informationsfreiheitsgesetzes abgeschafft werden? -> what kind of secrets? I voted no this time
Soll eine verpflichtende Pflegeversicherung eingeführt werden? -> I voted yes, but why do leftist parties vote against?
Sollen allgemeine Studiengebühren eingeführt werden? -> Why do leftist parties vote against. I voted yes, but it's a local measure.
Soll die gemeinsame Schule der 10- bis 14-Jährigen eingeführt werden? -> which system does it have currently



results of this time.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Changed my results considerably.

My answers:

Soll statt der Mindestsicherung ein bedingungsloses Grundeinkommen eingeführt werden? No
Soll die wöchentliche Arbeitszeit bei vollem Lohnausgleich auf 30 Stunden gekürzt werden? Yes
Soll Österreich das EU-Mercosur-Freihandelsabkommen bestätigen? No
Sollen die Unternehmenssteuern gesenkt werden? No
Soll Erben steuerfrei bleiben? No
Soll das gesetzliche Pensionsantrittsalter erhöht werden? No
Soll eine unabhängige Behörde zur Untersuchung von Polizeiübergriffen eingerichtet werden? Yes
Sollen allgemeine Studiengebühren eingeführt werden? No
Soll die gemeinsame Schule der 10- bis 14-Jährigen eingeführt werden? No
Soll eine verpflichtende Mindestquote von 50 % Frauen auf allen KandidatInnenlisten zu Nationalrats- und Landtagswahlen eingeführt werden? No
Soll der Schutz vor Diskriminierung aufgrund der sexuellen Orientierung auch außerhalb der Arbeitswelt gelten? No
Sollen Schwangerschaftsabbrüche von der Krankenkasse übernommen werden? Yes
Sollen Asylwerbende eine Arbeitserlaubnis erhalten? No
Sollen straffällige Personen ohne österreichische Staatsbürgerschaft unabhängig von ihrer bisherigen Aufenthaltsdauer abgeschoben werden? Yes
Soll sich Österreich für eine zivile, EU-finanzierte Seenotrettung einsetzen? No
Soll das Amtsgeheimnis zugunsten eines Informationsfreiheitsgesetzes abgeschafft werden? Yes
Soll das allgemeine Wahlrecht auf Bundesebene auf österreichische StaatsbürgerInnen beschränkt bleiben? Yes
Soll der Rechnungshof alle Parteifinanzen prüfen und Strafen verhängen dürfen? Yes
Sollen die verpflichtenden Rundfunkgebühren abgeschafft werden? Yes
Sollen Internetforen verpflichtet werden die Klarnamen aller NutzerInnen zu erfassen und herauszugeben? No
Soll der Einsatz staatlicher Überwachungssoftware (Bundestrojaner) für verschlüsselte Nachrichten und Messengerdienste erlaubt sein? No
Soll Österreich sich für ein Ende der EU-Sanktionen gegen Russland einsetzen? Yes
Soll eine Impfpflicht für Kinderkrankheiten eingeführt werden? Yes
Soll eine verpflichtende Pflegeversicherung eingeführt werden? No
Soll ein flächendeckendes Pfandsystem für Getränkeverpackungen (Dosen, Plastikflaschen) eingeführt werden? Yes
Soll eine CO2-Steuer eingeführt werden? No

[LAKISYLVANIA]

If I'm not mistaken Styria is the only province in Austria where the KPO has seats. Could this be the start of them becoming some Austrian equivalent of the Linke party and eventually getting seats in the nationalrat?

I hope so, i really admire them.

Also, why were the Young Greens expelled from the Greens and now part of KPO?

[LAKISYLVANIA]

The SPÖ is firing more than 25% of their party workforce and aides by Dec. 31 right after Christmas.

They also have 15 million € in debt.

The SPÖs vice general secretary also quit today out of solidarity with the party workers/aides.

https://orf.at/stories/3145499

This will go really well with the voters ... firing people during the Christmas holidays.

I believe KPO will grow. The PVDA-PTB were also a local phenomen in Belgium, until they grew election after election and are now a major player in Wallonia.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

The SPÖ is firing more than 25% of their party workforce and aides by Dec. 31 right after Christmas.

They also have 15 million € in debt.

The SPÖs vice general secretary also quit today out of solidarity with the party workers/aides.

https://orf.at/stories/3145499

This will go really well with the voters ... firing people during the Christmas holidays.

What a mess. Will the SPÖ follow the SPD's downfall? It's sad how social democratic parties are in decline almost everywhere.

What do they have to offer?
Their handling of crime and immigration leaves questions over to interpretation
they're not left-wing enough and too liberal to actually represent working class people
they're not right-wing enough to win back voters who are concerned about economy and balanced budgets

We need a renewed democratic left with tough immigration stances and with progressive, socialist and environmental policies. They're bleeding to the far-right because of immigration, crime and naive proposals. They need to pretend that they care over us, that they represent poorer classes. What they need is several rounds of opposition, rebuilding, fresh faces and a strong message for the country and the working class. Returning to their roots pre-1980's.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

What SPO needs to do is move left on all issues, except social issues, immigration and crime. The social liberals needs to be expelled and go into NEOS or whatever or start their own social liberal party. And than possibly form a coalition with other left-wing or anti-immigration parties, and oppose neoliberalism for once and for all. They'll take a ton of voters back from FPO and OVP, i swear. Currently OVP has a charismatic young leader who shifted to the right, so it will be hard to win votes back, as good times arise for OVP. But SPO needs to re-invent themselves. There are other parties that will cover the pro-EU, pro-immigration, pro-liberal side like Green. Green can even afford to move a bit to the right to cover the vacuum of social liberals, while the KPO needs to present themselves as a valuable working class alternative who's also pro-immigration but staunchly anti-capitalism, and aiming for Vienna and Styria elections and put all their resources there. Aim for the youth. Be harshly pro-environmental and take inspiration from other far-left parties in Europe, like my party or French and Spanish parties and Corbyn's party.

OVP moved a bit to the right which was exactly what they had to do, keep their traditional base but win some voters BACK from FPO (which was done due to Kurz's popularity and the FPO scandal), the FPO needs to move left a bit and present themselves as a democratic party, expel corrupt and controversial politicians. NEOS probably has two choices, jump into the social liberal vacuum if social democrat parties finally understand what they have to do, or jump in the conservative liberal vacuum, trying to win votes back from OVP which is now very hard to do but what they have to do if they grow and if SPO keeps positioning them as well.

And Peter Pilz needs to become part of a far-left coalition between JETZT and KPO.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

The SPÖ is firing more than 25% of their party workforce and aides by Dec. 31 right after Christmas.

They also have 15 million € in debt.

The SPÖs vice general secretary also quit today out of solidarity with the party workers/aides.

https://orf.at/stories/3145499

This will go really well with the voters ... firing people during the Christmas holidays.

What a mess. Will the SPÖ follow the SPD's downfall? It's sad how social democratic parties are in decline almost everywhere.

I'm going to ignore the ideological opinion of Laki above me, and just say Wow.

Be a bit more respectful. You'll see in 20 years from now, that something will change, because the far-right isn't going to win 40% of the vote in Europe, social democratic parties are not doomed to be extinct, but if they continue to be like naive as this and trust on a base full of pensioners and social liberals, they're going to be extinct, but Greens are eating them right now, both in Germany and Austria and almost everywhere else in Europe, except for those exceptions. They're bleeding on all sides, their left (Green), the liberal side (Neos), the center (OVP) and the anti-immigration left-wingers (FPO). One left-wing party needs to become tough on immigration, like Barack Obama was tough, but he didn't tell anyone. Because the left is never going to win 50% if they all stay pro-immigration and naive.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

And also, immigration is a huge problem and threat. In Belgium i've talked with multiple people, and i'm sure 75% has a more right-wing opinion on immigration than me. You have a huge problem if only 2% of the 18-29 year olds support you, while almost all of your support is from life-long voters, immigrants and pensioners. In Belgium, the conservative nationalists and the far-right party could have had a monopoly in Flanders, while in 2003 the social democrats were almost the biggest, while winning hugely in Wallonia.

I'm just concerned about the left's demise, and no... i'm not a social democrat but they are a natural ally of us, and more importantly were freedom fighters a long time back, but their neoliberal and pro-immigration policies have hurt them a lot. I want a left that's on our side, that opposes the neoliberal establishment and evolves into a more outspoken opinion on immigration that isn't plain naive, because we have problems with immigration. It's as simple as it is. In Belgium, they had to clean the entire party with new fresh faces, because the older ones were compared with oyster, wine and caviar socialists, and you heard only about them in a number of corruption scandals, mostly against the working class, like that huge homelessness scandal were funds for homelessness care institutions went more to the socialists their pockets theirselves than to the ones who need it.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

My point wasn't aimed at you, it was confronting the point in general. But since you took it up, I will leave the fact that migrants, at least in Vienna, voted overwhelmingly for the SPO/Greens. It's this vote that makes Vienna a reliable anchor for the SPO to hold down the conservatism of the rest of the country.

Not 50% of the country are immigrants, immigrants will start their own party like they've done in the Netherlands and tried to do in Belgium (Democratic Socialist Appel, DENK, ISLAM (which is pro-sharia party which hold seats in some Brussels periphere city councils), Be.one, MRP (Multicultural Right's Party) and the right-wing VMC (Flemish Multicultural Collective)

And if 50% of immigrants were to win this country, than our culture & tradition is gone. Also the other leftist parties, you say yourselves Green / SPO is going to pick up the immigrants, and we don't need to go far-right on immigration, just center-right to right-wing with a tough immigration policy, but correctly done.

And yes i feel threatened by the immigrant parties, especially parties like VMC and ISLAM. A pro-sharia law party should be banned, period.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

All good and well, but how will the left ever come back to power than?

[LAKISYLVANIA]

They have lost 15% or more to the FPÖ or AfD for good. That train has long left the station, their supporters are so die-hard and anti-Social(ist) and conspiracy theorist that nobody can win them back.

That's not true, or do you think 15% is anti-socialist, die hard AfD'er and conspiracy theorists? Like Omega21 said, the only thing that keeps them from growing is to moderate their stances and expel people like Bjorn out of their party.