Those at the top make it work for themselves

Weak consolation for the SPÖ of Andreas Babler. There is a party that is even further below its national election result from last year than they are: the ÖVP. According to the APA election trend, the SPÖ would currently lose three percentage points, but the ÖVP would lose a good six and a half percentage points.

No wonder: The People's Party delivers one scandal after another, all of which the FPÖ benefits from. It confirms what Herbert Kickl says. While inflation is affecting many citizens, the economy is struggling, and unemployment is rising, they are shamelessly looking out for themselves.

August Wöginger has to answer in court for the accusation of being involved in cronyism. Yes, he admits to having helped ensure that a party colleague of his – and not a better-qualified candidate – became the head of a tax office in Upper Austria, but he doesn't find it serious enough to face consequences and resign; and his federal party chairman, Chancellor Christian Stocker, fully supports him.

Signal to the public: "Those at the top only care about their own well-being." As Kickl always claims. The former ÖVP Chamber of Commerce President Harald Mahrer also wanted to look out for himself with his people. So much for wage restraint, as is demanded of ordinary people, whether in retail or the metal industry. While Mahrer recently earned 28,500 euros a month, chamber employees were supposed to receive a salary increase of 4.2 percent. 

In the end, it was 2.1 percent, Mahrer had to leave without knowing why: In his resignation statement, he portrayed himself solely as a victim of malicious campaigns, instead of acknowledging: "Okay, I understand that I have a lot of misconduct to answer for here, that this is an imposition for people who don't earn 2000 euros and are struggling more than ever to make ends meet." 

Wöginger, Mahrer – but the ÖVP still hasn't understood: With the tolerance of the SPÖ-led city of Vienna, they are now also confronted with the fact that their former city party chairman Manfred Juraczka moved to the management of the Vienna Business Agency; that he was hired there without a public tender. 

It is unspeakable. Especially if he is as good as they say, they should not have shied away from a comparison with other candidates; they could have been convinced that this would only prove that he is truly the best man. 

But cronyism is allowed as always, which acts as a confirmation of Herbert Kickl's talk of "system parties." Better for him and his party: In such an environment, it is no longer even noticeable that they also look out for themselves "in the system": That in Vienna, for example, they are happy to appoint three non-executive city councilors (each 11,318.40 euros per month), instead of doing what they would have to do if they were serious about what Kickl says: Demand and apply on a parliamentary level that these positions, which only cost money, are finally abolished.

Johannes Huber runs the blog dieSubstanz.at – Analyses and Backgrounds on Politics

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.