Austrian Elections

Has anyone heard about the scandal and the recently announced new elections in Austria?
https://www.dw.com/cda/en/austrian-v...dal/a-48783968

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Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has accepted the resignation of Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache in the wake of the release of a video showing Strache discussing the possibility of exchanging friendly media coverage for lucrative state business deals.

In a statement delivered from his office at noon, a visibly angry Strache said he was stepping down to protect the work of the government, but added that he had been the victim of illegal entrapment and a concerted "dirty campaign" to discredit him. He also rejected any suggestion he had committed any crimes.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48320983
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...candal-strache

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The country’s chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, announced on Saturday that his centre-right Austrian People’s party (ÖVP) would end its 18-month ruling coalition with the far-right Freedom party (FPÖ) following the emergence of a video, filmed in Ibiza, that appeared to show his deputy, Heinz-Christian Strache, offering lucrative public contracts in exchange for campaign support.

“Enough is enough,” Kurz said as protesters gathered outside his chancellory chanted the Vengaboys’ 1999 hit We’re Going to Ibiza!

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfkyVCMgwVs

There's more context in the links, I just don't want to link entire sources even before we get our upload filters. ;)
Strache basically says the alcohol made him do it, the German Postillon (satirical like the Onion) posted that the white powder was on the table because he was going to bake a cake later on...
https://www.der-postillon.com/2019/05/koks-strache.html (look at the picture)

So, is he being victimized and are the SJWs in his coalition overreacting by calling new elections over such a small drunken mishap? Was there any (attempted) collusion or just macho locker room talk? And is that enough powder for a cake?

Frankly I'm just pleased that this is the threshold for action in the Germanic countries. It gives me hope for the future.

Yes he might have been set up - but he is / was the Vice Chancellor and should be mindful of the office he holds. Yes - how old fashioned that sounds.

~:smoking:

I have never seen alcoholism used as an excuse for something like this.

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Originally Posted by CrossLOPER

I have never seen alcoholism used as an excuse for something like this.

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I guess cocaine wouldn't be a better excuse... :laugh4:

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Originally Posted by rory_20_uk

Frankly I'm just pleased that this is the threshold for action in the Germanic countries. It gives me hope for the future.

Yes he might have been set up - but he is / was the Vice Chancellor and should be mindful of the office he holds. Yes - how old fashioned that sounds.

~:smoking:

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What do you make of the leading Brexiteers' approach to their office? I ask this because you seem so hopeful for the slightest hints of corruption in European countries to be held to account, yet you seem extremely accepting of that and worse levels of corruption in the leading advocates of Brexit.

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Originally Posted by Pannonian

What do you make of the leading Brexiteers' approach to their office? I ask this because you seem so hopeful for the slightest hints of corruption in European countries to be held to account, yet you seem extremely accepting of that and worse levels of corruption in the leading advocates of Brexit.

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At least there is no pretence at neutrality here.

Are you referring to Corbyn, who is an ardent Brexiteer but lacking the morals to explicitly state it?
May, a longtime remainer who is either putting the democratic wishes of the people over her own, or a shameless power hungry politician?

I think as always you are willfully trying to link what I want with those who are proponents of it. It is rather pathetic and very wearisome. I detest Farage. Boris is a typical self serving politician who appears to back Brexit since it might offer the high office he wants.

Can you grasp this beyond your blinkered yearning to expunge on all views that differ to yours?

I remain a strong proponent of the Germanic nations and wish the UK was more like them. Actions such as this to me demonstrate that my admiration is well deserved - since I see little if any evidence of this approach in the UK.

~:smoking:

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Originally Posted by rory_20_uk

At least there is no pretence at neutrality here.

Are you referring to Corbyn, who is an ardent Brexiteer but lacking the morals to explicitly state it?
May, a longtime remainer who is either putting the democratic wishes of the people over her own, or a shameless power hungry politician?

I think as always you are willfully trying to link what I want with those who are proponents of it. It is rather pathetic and very wearisome. I detest Farage. Boris is a typical self serving politician who appears to back Brexit since it might offer the high office he wants.

Can you grasp this beyond your blinkered yearning to expunge on all views that differ to yours?

I remain a strong proponent of the Germanic nations and wish the UK was more like them. Actions such as this to me demonstrate that my admiration is well deserved - since I see little if any evidence of this approach in the UK.

~:smoking:

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I think staying close to Germany and the other EU countries is more effective in getting us to be more like them. The proponents of Brexit have said that they want to move us towards the US and even east Asian model of deregulation. The implementation of Brexit shows that this is the route we will be going. Why do you persist is saying that you admire the former, whilst concretely supporting the latter? If A does what you say you admire, whilst B wants to do the opposite of what you say you admire, shouldn't you be supporting A and opposing B?

I think that, with our mindset, the EU, for all its faults, is the closest model we have towards greening our economy, reducing waste and corruption, and everything else. If we can rely more on our society and politicians to adhere to ideal mores, then Japan may be a better model. But we're not like that, so the EU is the best we have. The faction opposing the EU wants to be like the US. That is what we'll be heading towards once we've cut loose from the EU.

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Originally Posted by Pannonian

Japan may be a better model. But we're not like that, so the EU is the best we have.

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how apposite that you should say this, as the basic premise turns out to be the prime motivator for me to reject ever-closer-union (within the eu):

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I am a negative-liberty classical liberal, believing in:

The market economy rather than social democracy
Taxation to achieve public services rather redistribution
Regulation by demonstrable-harm rather than the precautionary-principle
An activist foreign policy rather than platitudes about soft-power
A majoritarian electoral system with adversarial politics rather than coalitions and consensus politics

EU membership might suit those who take the opposite view, but I see it as a ratchet that ceaslessly works to lever british society from the norms that are my preference.

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The whole Austria saga does remind me of something - when people are caught red handed in these kinds of things, the honorable and required thing to do is to resign. Which, to their credit, they did. FPO could have stayed on and brushed it aside.

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Originally Posted by Husar

I guess cocaine wouldn't be a better excuse... :laugh4:

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Consider the career of Washington DC mayor Marion Barry....