WCSEuropean Politico-economics QA Mega-thread - Page 1244
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Silvanel
Poland3451 Posts
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Big J
Austria16217 Posts
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Sent.
Poland2707 Posts
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Silvanel
Poland3451 Posts
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Nyxisto
Singapore6119 Posts
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Big J
Austria16217 Posts
Austrian vice-chancellor, head of the nationalist FPÖ party and Johann Gudenus, head of the Viennese FPÖ, have been filmed in 2017 (shortly before the last elections) having a 6 hour meeting with a Russian oligarch. They were promising a sell-out of state contracts to her and selling out the state media ORF to her in exchange for forbidden party financing and a take-over of the largest boulevard paper "Krone" through her which should then push the FPÖ. Journalists have been called "the biggest whores of the planet" by Strache in that meeting and much more. It is pointed out by the oligarch multiple times that the money is black money. Also it is said that there were lines of coke on the table. (rumors of Strache taking coke have been around for years) Thing is, the Russian oligarch was a trap. This thing is blowing up hugely at the moment in the media. The government and the parties have hardly commented it so far, but all of the government seems to be in office at this hour (22:18) in Austria. This is serious. Personal expectation (unless something turns out to be completely different): The conservative ÖVP will end the coalition with the FPÖ and call for new elections and win them by a landslide. The FPÖ will lose the EU election and the national re-election big time. Edit: Chancellor Kurz has commented "he knows what to do now" and will make a statement tomorrow. | ||
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TheDwf
France19680 Posts
On May 18 2019 05:16 Big J wrote: According to German media and a published video by the German "Süddeutsche Zeitung": Austrian vice-chancellor, head of the nationalist FPÖ party and Johann Gudenus, head of the Viennese FPÖ, have been filmed in 2017 (shortly before the last elections) having a 6 hour meeting with a Russian oligarch. They were promising a sell-out of state contracts to her and selling out the state media ORF to her in exchange for forbidden party financing and a take-over of the largest boulevard paper "Krone" through her which should then push the FPÖ. Journalists have been called "the biggest whores of the planet" by Strache in that meeting and much more. It is pointed out by the oligarch multiple times that the money is black money. Also it is said that there were lines of coke on the table. (rumors of Strache taking coke have been around for years) Thing is, the Russian oligarch was a trap. This thing is blowing up hugely at the moment in the media. The government and the parties have hardly commented it so far, but all of the government seems to be in office at this hour (22:18) in Austria. This is serious. Personal expectation (unless something turns out to be completely different): The conservative ÖVP will end the coalition with the FPÖ and call for new elections and win them by a landslide. The FPÖ will lose the EU election and the national re-election big time. Edit: Chancellor Kurz has commented "he knows what to do now" and will make a statement tomorrow. Hahaha, just read that in the French press... The far-right scum never fails to deliver... Keep us informed on the next developments if you can, this should be fun...  | ||
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Big J
Austria16217 Posts
Maybe not calling out all of the top bourgeoisie's involvements with conservative/liberal/nationalist parties and governments at once might have been a clever move. No?  Obviously everyone that was named here as some form of FPÖ/ÖVP donor by Strache has immidiately denied that claim. | ||
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TheDwf
France19680 Posts
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Big J
Austria16217 Posts
As I see it there are three options then: a) Norbert Hofer or Herbert Kickl take over the FPÖ vice chancellorship and Kurz declares it is Strache's personal problem b) Option a), but the FPÖ has to make incredible concessions to stay in power c) Kurz simply disbands the coalition tomorrow. Since I personally believe that the timing of the leak, possibly even the set up of Strache itself, is the conservatives' doing, my guess is with c). Kurz now holds all the cards. He has a government that is quite popular. He has pushed through work time reforms and surveillance programs that would not have been possible with the social-democrats (his only alternative). He is not interested in selling out the state media ORF or direct democracy - things that have been on the agenda for the end of the legislative period. And most of all, he is going to win a re-election big time. The FPÖ will be in shambles, their voters demobilized or vote for Kurz who is already leading all the polls by a big margin, possibly then taking over 40%. He can pretty much set up a coalition of his liking, going into negotiations with either the social-democrats, the neoliberals+the greens (or possibly only one of them depending on the numbers) or another government with a much weaker FPÖ. So I believe disbanding the coalition is the smart move from the outside and Kurz is a smart player. But the inside look is always different. We'll see. | ||
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Biff The Understudy
France6367 Posts
About the austrian far right, considering how little influence the knowledge that the front national sold its support to crimean annexation to Russia has had, and the way the public has reacted to Trump and his team trying to conspire with the russians, I wouldn’t be too quick to burry them. | ||
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Big J
Austria16217 Posts
12:15: Strache declares his resignation as vice chancellor and head of the FPÖ. Wants the coalition to continue. Lots of talk about how this is a political assassination attempt and only resigns to give the enemies of the coalition no ammo. Says that this is clearly an action of a secret service. Norbert Hofer will take over the party. still waiting on Kurz also the second FPÖ person in the video, Johann Gudenus, has stepped back still waiting on Kurz | ||
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TheDwf
France19680 Posts
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Big J
Austria16217 Posts
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TheDwf
France19680 Posts
On May 18 2019 20:25 Big J wrote: FPÖ frontrunner Vilimsky canceled. That's all I have read on that topic. Apparently the guy who replaces him in Milan would be Georg Mayer. | ||
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Big J
Austria16217 Posts
still waiting on Kurz meanwhile in front of the chancellor office there is an ongoing demonstration that journalists believe could escalate if Kurz doesn't call for new elections Since in the video Strache talks about giving infrastructure offers away and cutting off STRABAG, an enterprise led by an outspoken neoliberal supporter and donor and open enemy of the FPÖ Hans-Peter Haselsteiner, STRABAG has announced to challenge all public bids it has lost in this legislative period. Also the social-democrats, in the person of former defense minister, an SPÖ right-wing hardliner, which is in a regional coalition with the FPÖ in the state "Burgenland", has given an interview questioning this regional coalition. | ||
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TheDwf
France19680 Posts
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Big J
Austria16217 Posts
On May 18 2019 21:43 TheDwf wrote: Strache blamed the service secrets for this trap, who was in charge of them when the events happened in 2017? Conservatives had the Interior back then? He didn't say which secret service he blamed. I think the correct translation of the wording he used was "a secret service attack" (German: "ein geheimdienstlicher Angriff") against his person. It's just crude far-right polemia. They blamed the Israelian mossad for the death of Jörg Haider (driving at an alcohol level of 1.8 surely wasn't the cause of his car accident). But yes, the security services are mostly in the hand of conservative officials, although the social-democrats held the position of defense minister for some time. | ||
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Big J
Austria16217 Posts
Lots of rumors are running rampant. It is said that Kurz asked the FPÖ to continue the coalition, but the interior ministor Herbert Kickl has to go and has to be replaced with a conservative. The FPÖ is said to have rejected that claim. Then it was said that Kurz didn't want to go to the press at all anymore today. But given the heated demonstration in front of the chancellor office his party has told him that this is a no-go. It seems like time is suddenly running against Kurz in the public debate. Journalists, conservatives and demonstrants are becoming increasingly nervous that Kurz has missed his timing to withdraw from the coalition with his head up. Current information for a press conference: 19:45, so three hours from now. | ||
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Lemartes
Austria49 Posts
EDIT: Also funny that for once the Krone newspaper distances itself from the FPÖ (they always say they are independent but their news cycle favours them most of the time) and the commenters on their website (mostly right-wing, anti-immigration and very christian) are riling up against the newspaper. So what will they end up reading? Have they lost their voice? | ||
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