Joerg Haider in historical perspective
Date: Mon, 07 Feb 2000 14:41:18 PST
From: Nickolas Katsakis nick_katsakis@hotmail.com
I must agree with Tobias K Vogel when he says that the current trends in Austrian politics are in large part a response to the cronyism of the old SPOe-OeVP government. The Austrians with whom I have spoken have said as much. This is not a uniquely Austrian experience, nor does it mean that Austria has suddenly embraced it fascist past. Instead, I think that there is general discontent with the "good old boys" network characteristic of the old government. After all, in the mid 1990s, the Communist party won approximately 10% of the vote in Styria because of discontent with the Socialist Party.
Nick Katsakis