Joerg Haider in historical perspective
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2000 10:44:12 -0500
From: Gabor Vermes vermes@andromeda.rutgers.edu
The New York Times reported on February 14 that "Austria called Europe's
bluff," as the EU's verbal barrage is being bested by Haider, a master of
media manipulation. He can now wrap himself in the mantle of the wronged
leader, victimized by outsiders, eager to subvert the democratic process
in Austria.
Though Haider is apparently winning this battle, he is bound to lose the
war. The European Union is much more successful in penalizing governments
that ac- tually go against common interests and shared values. Many people
in those countries are like the French petit bourgeosie in the 1920's,
who, as the saying goes, had their heart on the Left and their pocketbooks
on the Right, so they voted for the Right at the ballot box. The same
principle in reverse can be applied to voters in countries under EU
ostracism. There, even many right- leaning voters tend to vote for
centrist or even leftist parties for the sake of their countries'
"liberation" from outcast status. This happened in Slovakia, and more
recently in Croatia.
Haider may swagger and brag, but his future in power is questionable,
unless he abandons his party's platform, in which case, he would be in
trouble for another reason. To some politicians, Haider among them, being
in opposition is their natural habitat. In power, constraints on them can
destroy what they are all about.