COVID-19 has fundamentally altered the logic of Austrian politics as refugees and the question of Islam in Austrian society have become largely irrelevant. Austrians like to think of their country as an “Insel der Seligen” – an island of the blessed. The notion has a long genealogy, usually attributed to a visit by Pope Paul… Continue reading “How COVID-19 deflated the Austrian populist radical right”
A new coalition agreement in Austria highlights how bigoted, far-right policies are being embraced by mainstream political parties in Europe. The results of the elections to the European Parliament in May 2019 have caused great concern in the various national governments of EU member states as well as in the European organizations: Although expected by opinion-makers and… Continue reading “The Normalization Of Far-Right Populism In Europe”
Even such huge scandals which lead to the dissolution of a government, resignation of a Vice-Chancellor and the disclosure of massive corruption, might conclude with more of the same. On 17 May 2019, at precisely 6pm, the German weekly Der Spiegeland the German broadsheet Die Süddeutsche Zeitung as well as the Austrian weekly Der Falter published a seven-minute video showing the… Continue reading “Austria’s Smoking Gun: Strache, “Ibiza-Gate”, and “Saint” Sebastian”
In today’s CARR insights blog, Senior Fellow Professor Ruth Wodak is interviewed by the Another Europe podcast team – looking at Britain’s relationship with Europe. As the extension is granted, but with no end in sight to the parliamentary deadlock, Co-host Luke Cooper is joined by Ruth Wodak, distinguished emeritus professor at the University of… Continue reading “Britain Alone: The self-inflicted darkest hour”
Such proposals and appeals have not been seen or heard in Vienna and Austria since Nazi times. Every day, we are confronted with new provocations by the Austrian government which would have been deemed unimaginable just a few years ago: For example, the suggestion by the Austrian minister of Interior Affairs, Herbert Kickl of the radical… Continue reading “Contesting liberal democracy using the racialisation of space”
The FPÖ is successfully tilling the field for a radical right turn of Austria, and it seems unlikely that the party will be manipulated into moderation again by the conservative ÖVP. One year has passed since Austrians, for the second time this century, witnessed the inauguration of ministers from the populist radical right Freedom Party… Continue reading “Back with a vengeance? One year with the radical right in government in Austria”
What does the rise of a radical-right party like the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) have to do with anti-discrimination policy in Europe? In the year 2000, after the FPÖ became part of the government in Austria, the EU passed the Racial Equality Directive (RED) as a response to the party’s anti-immigrant position. In 2015, I… Continue reading “Legislating Equality: Anti-Discrimination Policy in Europe”
The Austrian Habsburg Empire was famous for its motto: ‘not to lead wars but instead, to marry [and to colonize more territories]’; frequently repeated in Latin, bella gerant alii, tu felix Austria, nube! Austrian politicians seem to have recently remembered this strategy for expansion and have decided to stage their weddings in a similar fashion. Of course, everyone… Continue reading “The EU’s Putin Wannabes”
On 28 June 2018, the prime ministers of the EU 27 member-states met in Brussels to discuss the most important current global and transnational challenges. The agenda, it seems however, focused overwhelmingly upon one issue: how to protect the EU from refugees and asylum seekers; that is, how to (re-)build “Fortress Europe”, one in which… Continue reading “The Revival of Numbers and Lists in Radical Right Politics”
This CARR Insight blog addresses the obvious shift to the right in the Austrian party landscape, and the acceptance of formerly taboo subjects and expressions in mainstream discourse. I refer to the latter as “normalization”. Such normalization goes hand in hand with a certain “shamelessness”: the limits of the sayable are shifting regarding both… Continue reading ““Driving on the Right” – The Austrian Case”