Joerg Haider in historical perspective
Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2000 07:31:24 -0500
From: Warren Williams <RANGERWILL@compuserve.com>
Thanks to Mark Pittaway for his leads to sources of
information on Joerg Haider. Hopefully this will inspire more people to inform themselves
on what is, rather than what many European politicians are suggesting.
Although I am not Austrian, I grew up in Austria, went to primary and secondary school
there and have been following events in Central and Eastern Europe for the past 45 years
or so. I am currently writing on Soviet policy toward Austria during the period 1945-1955.
This requires a close and continuing look at political developments in Austria during that
same period and beyond. Let me quickly add that I'm probably not better informed on
Austria than many or even most participants in this forum. But perhaps I do have
sufficient credentials to participate in the discussion.
I am not surprised by recent political developments in Austria, in part for the same
reasons Professor Pittaway describes in such elegant terms. It does surprise me, however,
how swiftly and apparently automatically (unquestioningly?) so many otherwise intelligent
people seem to have adopted the practice of preceding the words "Joerg Haider"
and "FPOe" with the words "far right". Despite its prominence in
virtually everything being written about the FPOe since its election victory and advent
into government, I have yet to hear or read how the people using this descriptive term
actually describe it. What does "far right" mean? Obviously, it is a relative
term. We shouldn't be surprised if left-wing socialists in Portugal or today's British
government, for example, hurl the term "far right" around with liberal abandon
to describe anyone who does not subscribe to their way of thinking. But what does
"far right" mean to those of us who stand near the center of the political
spectrum? It might be helpful if informed participants in this forum were to precede their
comments on the FPOe and Haider with a brief definition of what they mean when they refer
to both as "far right" - if indeed that is how they see the FPOe and Haider. It
might be even more helpful if these definitions were to concentrate exclusively on
policies and party platform rather than on the revival of off-hand quips that may have
been uttered some years ago by individual members of the FPOe.
This suggestion is inspired in part by my own personal curiosity, in part by what I think
was implicit in Professor Pittaway's recent message concerning the role of historians in
the evaluation of currently ongoing political developments, and in part because Professor
Pittaway said he intended his second point to be provocative.
Finally, Professor Pittaway talks about a "divisive political atmosphere"
perhaps becoming more of a permanent feature of Austria's political scene. I believe I
know what he means. But it is an interesting suggestion, given that the left wing part of
Austria's coalition government, that has governed in such a comfortable and secure manner
for so long, is committed to a way of thinking that requires them to view all social
issues in terms of class conflict. Conflict is, by nature, divisive.
W W Williams
University of Wales Swansea