Austrian Elections & Politics - Version 1.0

[EPG]

Wow, that would be a big change to Mariahilfer Straße.

"Among the residents who ticked answer A, 9,459 persons (55.9 percent) are in favour of through traffic, and 7,453 persons (44.1 percent) are against it."

What does that mean, if the measures include a ban on cars?

[EPG]

Wow, that's a really strange set of percentages to me. I always thought of the Austrian party system as very class-based - so how do both the Greens and FPOE perform better than SPOE in Vorarlberg (let alone the NEOS figures)? Thanks.

[EPG]

Irish trades unions demanded income tax cuts in the 1980s during similar circumstances (i.e. high taxes, incomes stagnant for a long time, conditional on social partnership).

[EPG]

Austria has learned from other European governments, who have to bear the entire burden of bank debt. Trichet isn't around any more to threaten them with a "bomb".

[EPG]

A possible self-strengthening cycle:
overseas voters feel insecure and believe they suffer from anti-Turkish sentiment; Erdogan argues with European politicians to appeal to nationalist Turks who still vote even while in another country; the majority communities in those countries criticise Erdogan (not just about integration but also his Putinista policies); etcetera.

It's hard to see how he loses from this, except that Germany and Austria are obviously less friendly to him for doing this, but as long as he has the USA, he doesn't need Europe. As for the Turks in Austria, they're voters. Beyond that he doesn't care.

[EPG]

In fact, there are several countries where the police are paid to keep the peace at special events like sports matches, though I don't know if Austria is one.

[EPG]

Here is an article about fees for policing large events in Ireland:

Actually, I can't post the link. Google "Gardaí raised €5m through policing of events since start of 2012".

As I said, I don't know if this applies in Austria, too.

[EPG]

Also, the fact that the poll offers no presidential candidate from the liberal NEOS means basically all NEOS-voters are currently backing the Green Van der Bellen (remember that NEOS-voters are mostly former Green- and ÖVP-voters, but Pröll is definitely too authoritarian and conservative for them, while Van der Bellen pretty much fits the typical NEOS-voter).

If NEOS would present its own candidate, SPÖ and Greens would definitely switch places.

Does this mean that, without NEOS, the SPÖ would be in a much worse relative position today compared to ÖVP/FPÖ/Greens?

[EPG]

I suppose I really meant whether the SPÖ would do worse on the federal/state chamber levels.

[EPG]

I am being very inarticulate! I am not explaining myself very well.

I think you are correct and the effect of having no NEOS would be to increase the ÖVP and Green vote more than the SPÖ.

It also seems from the presidential poll that social class doesn't matter in those elections.

[EPG]

Most other Western European countries.

Is this a live issue at all in Austria?

[EPG]

These right-wing parties mostly have younger or at least middle-aged electorates, including in Sweden/France (though not the UK), which probably reflects a lack of entrenched voting habits more than policy disagreements between age groups. I think, unlike in Sweden/France, the FPÖ is a longer-lived party, a major party in percentage terms, which has been in the federal/national government, and which is less stigmatised as a result, and easier to poll.

[EPG]

It's a tough one. The main pool of NEOS-considerers seems to be the voters who defected from ÖVP to NEOS and back to ÖVP again.

[EPG]

So, it looks like the ÖVP just needed to change their leader to whack NEOS and the small right-wingers.

[EPG]

What will happen if the states or the central government don't obey to that European overreach and abuse of power?

You mean the treaty Austria agreed to?

The Commission will tut and do nothing, as with France and Italy this year, unless it decides it is time for another small country to be cast to the wolves.

[EPG]

Mandatory swimming lessons! Amazing.

[EPG]

15% for a Green Party is pretty good. Those sorts of parties have a very natural ceiling to their potential (unless in very peculiar situations like baden wurttemberg)

Class profile matters a lot in determining votes for the big Austrian parties. SPÖ and FPÖ often do well in the same areas, as do ÖVP and Greens in (urban) areas.