Putin Urged to Deploy Nuclear Weapons to Expedite War and Sever NATO Supply Routes

[rooster59]

Austria's Kurz strikes deal to bring far right into government

By Shadia Nasralla and Francois Murphy

 

Head of the Freedom Party (FPOe) Heinz-Christian Strache (L) and head of the People's Party (OeVP) Sebastian Kurz shake hands at the end of a news conference in Vienna, Austria, December 15, 2017. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger

 

VIENNA (Reuters) - Austrian conservatives led by Sebastian Kurz reached a coalition deal with the anti-immigration Freedom Party on Friday, paving the way for Austria to become the only western European country with a far-right party in government.

 

The agreement, two months after a parliamentary election dominated by Europe's migration crisis, ends more than a decade in opposition for the Freedom Party (FPO), which last entered government in 2000 with the People's Party (OVP) that Kurz now leads.

 

Kurz's party won the Oct. 15 election with a hard line on immigration that often overlapped with the Freedom Party's. The FPO came third with 26 percent of the vote.

 

"We can inform you that there is a turquoise-blue agreement," Kurz said in a joint statement to reporters with FPO leader Heinz-Christian Strache, referring to their two parties by their colours.

 

Strache and Kurz said the details of their deal would be made public on Saturday, after a meeting with President Alexander Van der Bellen and discussions with their parties' leadership structures.

 

"We want to reduce the burden on taxpayers ... and above all we want to ensure greater security in our country, including through the fight against illegal immigration," Kurz said, touching on core issues for both parties.

 

In 2015, when more than a million refugees and other migrants arrived in Europe, Austria took in more than 1 percent of its population in asylum seekers, one of the highest rates in the EU. Many voters felt their country was overrun, and both parties have pledged to prevent a repeat of that influx.

 

Strache and Kurz have pledged to restrict new arrivals' access to many social services for their first five years in the country, and to provide recognised refugees with only a "light" version of regular benefits for five years.

 

While other far right parties in Europe have gained ground this year, entering parliament in Germany and making France's presidential run-off, the Freedom Party is going further by entering government and securing key ministries.

 

A person familiar with the talks said before Friday's announcement that the far-right party was poised to secure the Interior, Foreign and Defence Ministries.

 

Unlike France's National Front, the FPO has backed away from calling for a referendum on leaving the European Union, but Kurz has still secured a guarantee that there will be no Brexit-style referendum in Austria, a person familiar with the talks said.

 

EUROPE IN HAND

 

Kurz has sought to head off potential criticism by offering assurances that his government will be pro-European. He also plans to shift responsibility for some EU issues from the Foreign Ministry to his office, the person familiar with the talks said, giving him greater control over EU policy.

 

When the FPO last entered government under the late Joerg Haider, who praised Hitler's employment policies, other EU countries imposed sanctions on Vienna in protest. There is unlikely to be a similar outcry this time, given the rise of anti-establishment parties across the continent.

 

Kurz, who is just 31, campaigned on the promise of bringing change to Austrian politics despite heading a party that has constantly been in power in various coalitions for the past 30 years. Many of the policies he and Strache have announced, such as cutting taxes and spending, have been proposed with few details so far.

 

"We ask for your understanding that we can only provide more detailed information tomorrow," Kurz said.

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-12-16

[Enoon]

 

Austrians very prominent and "enthusiastic" in the hierarchy of the SS.  I'm sure I recall a quote from a senior German SS leader, the gist of which was that they were "A bit extreme" (compared to Germans).

 

'Austria represented about 8 per cent of the population of the Third Reich, but about 13 per cent of the SS, about 40 per cent of the concentration camp personnel, and as much as 70 per cent of the people who headed the concentration camps were of Austrian background.'

Austria struggles to come to grips with Nazi past - Rear Vision - ABC .

 

 

"an opinion poll has shown that more than half of the population think it highly likely that the Nazis would be elected if they were readmitted as a party.

A further 42 per cent agreed with the view that life “wasn’t all bad under the Nazis”, and 39 per cent said they thought a recurrence of anti-Semitic persecution was likely in Austria."

Over half of Austrians think the Nazis would be elected if the party was ...

 

 

 

 

Edited December 16, 2017 by Enoon

[Grouse]

I dont like the sound of this at all. However it is the democratic right of Austrians to elect who they wish ?

 

I do hope the EU is paying attention to the clear wish, in many European countries, to minimise Muslim immigration before there is an extreme backlash.

[4737 Carlin]

So 'Far right' is any party which doesn't support the replacement of their people with immigrants from the third world. Ok, got it - i'm also 'far right' then.

[Baerboxer]

22 hours ago, 4737 Carlin said:

So 'Far right' is any party which doesn't support the replacement of their people with immigrants from the third world. Ok, got it - i'm also 'far right' then.

 

Interesting that no one seems to protest about the "far left". OK to murder millions more than the Nazis as long as you do it in the name of socialism and label them enemies of the people it seems.

[Morch]

31 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Interesting that no one seems to protest about the "far left". OK to murder millions more than the Nazis as long as you do it in the name of socialism and label them enemies of the people it seems.

 

This is about Austria, or Europe. When did the Austrian or European "far left" murder millions more than the Nazis, in this context? 

[Baerboxer]

4 minutes ago, Morch said:

 

This is about Austria, or Europe. When did the Austrian or European "far left" murder millions more than the Nazis, in this context? 

 

Oh dear. Let's narrow it down even further. We all know who the Nazis murdered in particular. No need to remind us.

 

Only Stalin, the Georgian leader of Russia and it's USSR Empire, that well known socialist champion of the people murdered far more - Jews, Poles, Cossacks, Tartars, Ukrainians,  anyone who didn't submit to the Communist ideology or resisted,  etc etc. And he did it for much longer. Many Communist/Socialist states had anti Jewish programs when it suited or targeted other religious and racial groups as and when they wanted.

 

Whilst I understand your particular focus on the far far right, let's not pretend any form of political extremism is innocent or acceptable. And let's not pretend that right wing means Nazi and left wing means Stanlinist or Maoist.

[Morch]

6 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Oh dear. Let's narrow it down even further. We all know who the Nazis murdered in particular. No need to remind us.

 

Only Stalin, the Georgian leader of Russia and it's USSR Empire, that well known socialist champion of the people murdered far more - Jews, Poles, Cossacks, Tartars, Ukrainians,  anyone who didn't submit to the Communist ideology or resisted,  etc etc. And he did it for much longer. Many Communist/Socialist states had anti Jewish programs when it suited or targeted other religious and racial groups as and when they wanted.

 

Whilst I understand your particular focus on the far far right, let's not pretend any form of political extremism is innocent or acceptable. And let's not pretend that right wing means Nazi and left wing means Stanlinist or Maoist.

 

I'm not particularly focused on the "far far right", but commenting on the OP and posts made. And there was nothing about embracing this or that form of political extremism. IMO, many see Stalin's and the USSR's actions as somewhat distinct, rather than being "European" per se, and that's the context of the topic.

 

[simple1]

1 hour ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Interesting that no one seems to protest about the "far left". OK to murder millions more than the Nazis as long as you do it in the name of socialism and label them enemies of the people it seems.

'Far left' isn't referenced in the OP - Off Topic? - indeed rarely relevant with current day EU political discourse. However, often raised as a diversionary tactic by supporters of the 'right'. With relevance to the use of the label 'far right' with politics in the EU, a IMO a useful opinion piece is presented below.

 

What Exactly Do We Mean By 'Far Right'

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/roanna-carletontaylor/what-exactly-do-we-mean-b_b_17393486.html