How Herbert Kickl would balance the budget as Chancellor remains uncertain. Of course, he has made a few suggestions: foreigners should no longer receive social benefits, and Austria should not participate in the European missile defense system "Sky Shield", for example. However, this would not bring much in the end: refugees who have arrived since 2015 are starting to pay in more than they receive. This was calculated by the industry-related institute "Eco Austria". And what would be saved on missile defense would have to be invested more at the national level in the federal army. Kickl's friend Vladimir Putin remains dangerous.
The FPÖ leader is blinding. His demands are mostly symbolic. The same applies to a zero wage round for all politicians. The big effect he talks about would not happen. For deputies and rulers, this would mean a real wage loss. For none of them is it life-threatening. For the budget, it is not substantial. We are talking about millions, not billions, that are needed in total. At most, it is a signal: If the people have to accept a savings package soon, then politicians go ahead.
But that is now secondary. The point is that Kickl could not even get his demand through in his own ranks. In all federal states where his party friends co-govern, they at least support some increase. Even if only for state parliament deputies starting on July 1: in Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Vorarlberg and Salzburg. In Salzburg, Deputy Governor Marlene Svazek (FPÖ) even openly contradicted him, according to the daily newspaper SN: "If you want good politicians who will continue to put up with this in the future, you have to assign a value to the profession." In other words: Kickl does not do that.
Of course: He wants to become "People's Chancellor" and decide alone what he thinks is right. He doesn't need good politicians for that, but henchmen around him. It is all the more remarkable, however, that his own people are making it clear to him that they reject such an approach.
What Kickl "forgets" is revealing: If it's about symbolic politics, then an automatic increase in party funding should also be suspended. In Austria, with a good quarter of a billion euros in total, it is one of the highest in the world. Does it have to be? No. But Kickl apparently wants it to stay that way.
This is revealing: He, who belittles politicians and always talks about direct democracy, is actually one of the advocates of strong parties that stand in the way of direct democracy. Parties like the FPÖ, for example, are the ones that determine the issues and also receive the necessary money to carry out extremely expensive campaigns; dictating to citizens who do not have comparable means and opportunities what is good for them.
Johannes Huber runs the blog dieSubstanz.at – Analyses and Backgrounds on Politics
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.