Meanwhile in Austria

[abaris]

I wanted tio share a scandal rocking the republic for the last few weeks. It seems to make little international headlines, but it shows how corrupt the ruling conservative party has become.

Recovered chats reveal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and Finance Minister Gernot Blümel’s involvement, previously denied, in the appointment of state holding CEO Thomas Schmid.

As part of a long-standing investigation, the WKStA (Public Prosecutor for Financial Crime) recovered old chat messages between top ÖVP officials and ÖBAG director Thomas Schmid from the latter’s phone. Summarized in an 187-page document, the exchange gives an insight into inter-party collusion, which could have serious consequences for those involved.

I want to add, the Finance minister is already under criminal investigation and had his house searched by police forces.

The Tyrolean (Schmid) belongs to Kurz’s inner circle. The former spokesman of ex-finance minister Karl-Heinz Grasser, he has worked in the ministry since 2013, serving first as cabinet chief and then general secretary. When Kurz took the lead of the new ÖVP in 2017, he gave Schmid a plum assignment: converting the ÖBIB from a Limited Liability Company (LLC) to an AG, called Österreischische Beteiligungs AG (Austria Holding PLC or ÖBAG). 

Has to be added, former finance minister Grasser has been recently sentenced to a stretch of 8 years, for embezzling state funds. Revision by the Supreme Court is pending.

Next, Schmid needed a supervisory board that would appoint him to the position. Negotiations got off on a rocky start, as he and Kurz couldn’t agree on the names. Kurz wanted the former German Defense Minister Karl Theodor zu Guttenberg, but Schmid proposed KTM-Chef Stefan Pierer instead. In the end, Kurz prevailed, putting his close friend Gabriela (“Gabi”) Spiegelfeld to assemble the board.  A key fundraiser with a reputation of being a “good lobbyist,” she also co-founded a women’s network with former Greens’ spokeswoman Ewa Glawischnig. Kurz clearly hoped Spiegelfeld would bring women into the ÖBAG clan. Schmid was less keen, commenting, “The women are really annoying. Scheiss quota.” Ultimately, they found a candidate Schmid was happy with – finance expert Susanne Höllinger, whom he described as “compliant,” and “controllable.” 

Schmid also reworked the job description, excising the pre-requisite of “international leadership experience,” which he doesn’t have, helping shield him from competing applicants.

Now, to top it off, investigators found 2500 dickpics on Schmid's work phone. Chancellor Kurz and his entourage of young men are long rumored to be a gay clique. Which wouldn't be worth mentioning under normal circumstances. But as is the case with many conservative parties, the Austrian one is very homophobic and tries to hold up a christian image. The unearthed dickpics already made for a twitter hashtag #beidlgate (beidl = slang for ball sack)

https://metropole.at/ovp-rocked-by-obag-scandal/

[Minimalist]

Ha.

Corrupt politicians?  Are your home grown nazis complaining about "liberal media bias" too?

[Thumpalumpacus]

Another conservative homophobe ... who'd have thought it?

[abaris]

Are your home grown nazis complaining about "liberal media bias" too?

Sure they do.

[Minimalist]

Figures.  They all use the same play book.

[abaris]

New developments in the brewing scandal of the conservative party. Meanwhile the chancellor himself stands accused of perjury in front of a house commitee and a constitutional judge resigned over exchanging messages with a high ranking official, making fun of the justice system. He also stands accused. In his case it's abuse of office.

Austria’s constitutional judge Wolfgang Brandstätter has resigned after it was revealed he had exchanged messages over WhatsApp with the justice ministry’s former department director, Christian Pilnacek, about alleged acts of corruption, as well as a contempt for the rule of law.

https://www.euractiv.com/section/politic...g-scandal/

[abaris]

Interesting election in Graz, the capital of Styria. The communists got 29 percent and are now the strongest faction in the city council. Looks like we got our first communist mayor since 1945.

[Kim]

Interesting election in Graz, the capital of Styria. The communists got 29 percent and are now the strongest faction in the city council. Looks like we got our first communist mayor since 1945.

Wow.
Wait, full on communist or, suspiciously right-wing socialist?

How is the majority of the population reacting to this news, so far?

[abaris]

Wow.    
Wait, full on communist or, suspiciously right-wing socialist?      

How is the majority of the population reacting to this news, so far?  

It's the communist party of Austria. Graz has always been their bastion. In the last elections, five years ago, they had 20 percent. Now they managed to kick the conservative mayor of 18 years out of office.

The party itself is marginal in the general elections, getting one or two percent. But in Graz, they set an example, by going door to door, asking about the needs of the citizens and trying to push for their fulfillment in the city council. What's more, they donate most of their salaries to social causes, which is unheard from from other politicians.

Graz is by no means a small city. It has 291.000 citizens.

[Kim]

Does it feel like they will keep up the momentum and push their policies to the rest of the country?

[abaris]

Does it feel like they will keep up the momentum and push their policies to the rest of the country?

Probably not. They haven't got the funds and the people to mount a national campaign. Elke Kahr, who's the frontwoman of the communists in Graz, is a one off, but in a long tradition dating back to 1992 when they first made it into the city council under Kahr's predecessor. They set an example there, by actually listening to the people and by demonstrating, that social politics aren't just a lip service. A council member in Graz earns about 5000 Euros and they donate what's over 1900 for social purposes.

[Kim]

I wish our officials would listen to the people - disregard party affiliation and actually listen to the needs that people discuss and generally agree on. It's a serious problem here and most people end up voting against what they are actually in favor of because they are so caught up in party politics.

I just need to face the fact that I'll have to move if I want to live differently.

[Minimalist]

Wow.    
Wait, full on communist or, suspiciously right-wing socialist?      

How is the majority of the population reacting to this news, so far?  

It's the communist party of Austria. Graz has always been their bastion. In the last elections, five years ago, they had 20 percent. Now they managed to kick the conservative mayor of 18 years out of office.

The party itself is marginal in the general elections, getting one or two percent. But in Graz, they set an example, by going door to door, asking about the needs of the citizens and trying to push for their fulfillment in the city council. What's more, they donate most of their salaries to social causes, which is unheard from from other politicians.

Graz is by no means a small city. It has 291.000 citizens.

They sound much nicer than our republiKKKunts!

[Antonio]

capitalism without functioning checks and balances is pretty bad

[Minimalist]

capitalism without functioning checks and balances is pretty bad pretty much fascism.

FTFY.

[abaris]

I wish our officials would listen to the people - disregard party affiliation and actually listen to the needs that people discuss and generally agree on.  It's a serious problem here and most people end up voting against what they are actually in favor of because they are so caught up in party politics.  

I just need to face the fact  that I'll have to move if I want to live differently.  

The communists of Graz are a one off. All the other parties don't go among the public and they keep their salaries to themselves. The success of the communists just shows how rotten the overall political system already is.

[abaris]

Here's an english article by one of our dailies, detailing the resons for the communist success.

https://www.derstandard.at/story/2000129...eled-their

Conservative columnists have a field day, this last week. Warning against the red scare and handing out unsolicited history lessons about communist crimes. According to them, one gets the feeling as if the country was headed towards doomsday.

[abaris]

New development concerning the ruling conservatives. Chancellor Kurz is now suspected of perjury, embezzlement and of aiding and abetting corruption. House searches at the chancellery, the headquarters of the conservative party and at the headquarters of a tabloid are in progress.

https://latestpagenews.com/news/austrias...rzs-party/

I hope, this time it sticks.

[Deesse23]

[Minimalist]

That didn't take long.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/09/world...signs.html

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz Resigns

After insisting he would remain in office amid a criminal investigation, Sebastian Kurz announced he would step aside to resolve a government crisis.

[Mr Greene]

Austria's Kurz announces resignation amid corruption investigation

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said Saturday that he plans to step down in an effort to defuse a government crisis triggered by prosecutors' announcement that he is a target of a corruption investigation.


Kurz, 35, said he has proposed that Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg be his replacement. Kurz himself plans to become the head of his Austrian People's Party's parliamentary group.
Kurz's party had closed ranks behind him after the prosecutors' announcement on Wednesday. But its junior coalition partner, the Greens, said Friday that Kurz couldn't remain as chancellor and demanded that his party nominate an “irreproachable person” to replace him.
Opposition leaders had called for Kurz to go and planned to bring a no-confidence motion against him to parliament on Tuesday.

[abaris]

That didn't take long.

Yeah, but it's a makebelief resignation. He steps aside, hands the chancellory over to one of his closest allies and takes the parliamentary position of club secretary, which is the most powerful position in any party. What's more, by taking a seat in parliament, he gains immunity. Prosecutors are no longer allowed to investigate him, unless the parliament revokes his immunity. Which is likely, far as I understand the situation.

Government may still fall, if the Green party removes their support from the coalition.

[Bucky Ball]

I just don't get any of this. I thought Austrians were so happy and did nothing but yodel and sing and wander and skip all day.
They did nice job putting my piano together.

[abaris]

State elections in Salzburg.

The far right and the communists are the big winners. The communists were able to win 11 percent on the state level and are, for the first time in postwar history, represented in a state parliament. With over 20 percent in the state capital of Salzburg, they came in second after the Conservatives. After Graz, theoretically, Salzburg could be the second state capital with a communist mayor, if the trend continues.

The Conservatives lost 7 percent, while the far right gained 7 percent. That shows again, that today's conservatives and the far right are borderline indistinguishable in their politics.