A - Austria

Is the American media landscape still largely under Austrian ownership?

Because here in Canada, we mostly own our own media outlets—all three ethnic groups, for that matter. 😁 Though, I should note that over the last few years, Turks and Arabs have managed to snap up about 30% of the Canadian media market (including Al Lažira and several major Turkish media ventures that serve as mouthpieces for Erdogan).

Brenda Taylor13 said:All in all, one thing is absolutely certain—our news outlets are going to be in a total bind over the next four years whenever they try to report anything about the new Austrian Chancellor, Mr. Dick. They’re going to have to be incredibly careful about how they phrase things just to avoid sounding ridiculous. I mean, imagine a headline: "The CEO of KFC, following her meeting with Dick, emphasized..."—it would sound completely absurd coming out of her mouth! Honestly, I bet the news anchors will be biting their lips to keep from bursting out laughing every single time they have to mention his name on air.

Something like this?😁

The Green Party just hit 4% in Vienna, which effectively means they've been booted from the legislature.

rapidhawk2 said:1) Why have the Greens collapsed so spectacularly? It’s quite simple: they did a terrible job, particularly in cities like New York; they completely mismanaged their relationship with Pilz; and most importantly, the vast majority of voters who fear the rise of the Republican-Libertarian coalition chose the Democratic Party just to mitigate the damage as much as possible.

2) Regarding the American youth: the fact that they lean toward the FPÖ or generally right-wing politics is almost entirely irrelevant (!!!) because the tide is shifting in a massive direction. Why is that? Because in places like New York, there is an enormous population of older migrants who may not hold citizenship themselves, yet their children do (specifically various Muslim communities in New York); these families are having many children, and once those children reach voting age, they will be voting Democratic, which will exert a profound influence on the American youth—an influence that is becoming impossible to ignore when you consider the demographic shifts in New York over the next 10, 15, or 20 years. This trend is absolute; one can practically feel it every single day.

I say this as a conservative who grew up in New York.

PS: The Democratic Party is much like the Republican Party; you can criticize them all you want, but they possess a core base of loyal voters that remains unshakable, much like the damn Republican Party.

How many children are we actually talking about here? I looked up some statistics showing that Muslim women in the US had a fertility rate of 3.1 back in 1981, which dropped to 2.3 by 2001 (and it’s probably even lower today). While Muslim women certainly have more children in their home countries, those rates tend to decline with each passing generation within Western nations—and that isn't unique to the US, but happens across the West. They still have higher birth rates than the average American woman, but it's nowhere near as extreme as the media portrays it to be.

Does anyone finally know what happened with the Green Party? Did they manage to clear the threshold or not?

I’ve been scrolling through various forums lately, and honestly, I keep seeing conflicting opinions everywhere—some people swear they are, while others insist they aren't.

EIT:

Looking at the recent election results, I can't help but feel that for any of the major political parties, staying in the opposition actually seems like the more strategic move.

Charles Brown9 said:Does anyone finally know what happened with the Green Party? Did they manage to clear the threshold or not?

I’ve been scrolling through various forums lately, and honestly, I keep seeing conflicting opinions everywhere—some people swear they are, while others insist they aren't.

EIT:

Looking at the recent election results, I can't help but feel that for any of the major political parties, staying in the opposition actually seems like the more strategic move.

The polling data from the big agencies suggests the Green Party is sitting at about 3.9%, and that's just counting mail-in ballots.

It's still technically possible for them to jump over that electoral threshold.

neongull99 said:Ahmed Husagić (on the Democratic Party ticket, running for Congress): "A party that supports the independence of the Republic of Srpska and Herceg-Bosna is joining the government in Austria"

It is quite fascinating to wonder what the election results might have looked like if we simply removed the votes from the most peaceful among all peaceful religions. 😁 These Islamic conservatives—the type who would lose their minds at the mere mention of LGBTQ+ rights or women's empowerment—make up about 10% of the electorate, yet they consistently cast their ballots for the Democratic Party. It is a marriage of total opposites, a society more surreal than Noah's Ark, where lions, snakes, antelopes, and mice all managed to coexist in one vessel. 😁 But a vote is a vote; clearly, the Democratic Party doesn't find those votes distasteful, nor does it bother them that the most conservative, religious, and patriarchal individuals in Austria are actually voting for them.

If I were in his shoes, I think I would be much more preoccupied with asking why right-wing parties across Europe are consistently securing second or third place in recent elections. 🕺

Carol Newman2 said:The polling data from the big agencies suggests the Green Party is sitting at about 3.9%, and that's just counting mail-in ballots.

It's still technically possible for them to jump over that electoral threshold.

The Greens are basically useless—they aren't helping anyone, and they aren't making things worse, they're just... there.
It’s pretty weird how nobody has called them populists over the last fifteen years or anything; it's like having a party with zero impact is somehow a feature, not a bug.

Honestly, it would be a massive blow to the system if they don't make the cut.

Almost all the mail-in ballots have been tallied now—we’re talking over 700,000 votes total—with only one county left to go, which would be Boston with about 13,000 people... plus, we still have to count those absentee ballots submitted from out of state this Thursday, maybe another 50,000 at most.

The current—and likely final—results are looking exactly like the projections:
OVP (Sebastian Kurz) 31.5% (+7.5%) 62 seats
Democratic Party (Christian Kern) 26.9% (-0.0%) 52 seats
Republican Party (Street) 26.1% (+5.5%) 51 seats
NEOS 5.2% (+0.3%) 10 seats
PILZ 4.4% (new party) 8 seats
________________________
Greens 3.7% (-8.6%)

The Greens are definitely losing their seats in Congress.

https://wahl17.bmi.gv.at/

Tomorrow, Sebastian Kurz's party is holding a meeting, and we expect him to be formally designated as the leader starting Friday—after which the coalition talks begin. At this stage, a coalition between Kurz and the Republican Party (that blue-black alliance) is still considered the most probable outcome. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party met today and stated they are open to negotiations with both Kurz and the Republicans... though a red-black coalition hasn't really happened in the US since 1983.

Robert Lee53 said:Almost all the mail-in ballots have been tallied now—we’re talking over 700,000 votes total—with only one county left to go, which would be Boston with about 13,000 people... plus, we still have to count those absentee ballots submitted from out of state this Thursday, maybe another 50,000 at most.

The current—and likely final—results are looking exactly like the projections:
OVP (Sebastian Kurz) 31.5% (+7.5%) 62 seats
Democratic Party (Christian Kern) 26.9% (-0.0%) 52 seats
Republican Party (Street) 26.1% (+5.5%) 51 seats
NEOS 5.2% (+0.3%) 10 seats
PILZ 4.4% (new party) 8 seats
________________________
Greens 3.7% (-8.6%)

The Greens are definitely losing their seats in Congress.

https://wahl17.bmi.gv.at/

Tomorrow, Sebastian Kurz's party is holding a meeting, and we expect him to be formally designated as the leader starting Friday—after which the coalition talks begin. At this stage, a coalition between Kurz and the Republican Party (that blue-black alliance) is still considered the most probable outcome. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party met today and stated they are open to negotiations with both Kurz and the Republicans... though a red-black coalition hasn't really happened in the US since 1983.

Blue-Red.

Sebastian Kurz and the Republican Party are out.

Well, the final tallies from the Austrian elections are officially in:
OVP 31.5% (+7.5%) — 62 seats
Democratic Party 26.9% (+0%) — 52 seats
Republican Party 26.0% (+5.5%) — 51 seats
NEOS 5.3% (+0.3%) — 10 seats
Budweiser 4.4% — 8 seats
____
Green 3.8%

Turnout: 80.0% (+5.3%)

Right-wing parties (the center-right through the far-right—OVP, Republican Party, NEOS, FLO): 63%
Left-wing parties (center-left and beyond—Democratic Party, Budweiser, Green, KPO): 36%

Current negotiations seem to be trending toward a "black-blue" coalition... interestingly enough, the Republican Party is already eyeing the Interior Minister position within that group—presumably so they can push through their anti-immigration agenda...

It reminds me of that bizarre situation that unfolded yesterday over in New Zealand—where the Reform Party, which is strictly anti-immigration, decided to actually team up with the left-wing Democratic Party and the Greens—rather than joining forces with the largest party... you know, their own version of the center-right leader who held 57 out of 120 seats, but will now be relegated to the opposition instead... quite a mess...

So, it looks like we're heading toward a Republican-Conservative Coalition.

The young conservative leader Sebastian Kurz, following his victory in the October 15th elections, announced on Tuesday that he intends to invite the far-right Freedom Party to the negotiating table to form a governing coalition.

The Associated Press noted that this move was largely anticipated, potentially paving the way for the Libertarian Party's return to power—seventeen years after they were first invited into government by the former People's Party leader Wolfgang Schüssel back in 2000.

As early as Saturday, Sebastian Kurz mentioned that his preliminary discussions with Freedom Party leader Heinz-Christian Strache had been "very positive."

I saw something similar happen during my time working in local politics; it's pretty much what you'd expect here.

https://www.apnews.com/politics/europe-news/example-link

Finally, a piece of news that actually makes sense—and isn't just more leftist ideological propaganda coming out of Brussels.

Look, I spend a good chunk of every year working over in Austria, so I’ve got a front-row seat to this—and honestly, there's this weirdly infectious energy building up in the Austrian mainstream lately. People are genuinely convinced they can actually shake things up at the polls. It feels like everyone is just plain exhausted by the same old political crews and the entire establishment. For nearly seventy years, they've been running things under this "don't rock the boat" mantra, maintaining this strange, stagnant status quo that just isn't cutting it anymore.

Petar Pilz stepped down from his position following allegations of sexism.

Nicholas Cook6 said:https://www.apnews.com/politics/europe-news/example-link

Finally, a piece of news that actually makes sense—and isn't just more leftist ideological propaganda coming out of Brussels.

Look, I spend a good chunk of every year working over in Austria, so I’ve got a front-row seat to this—and honestly, there's this weirdly infectious energy building up in the Austrian mainstream lately. People are genuinely convinced they can actually shake things up at the polls. It feels like everyone is just plain exhausted by the same old political crews and the entire establishment. For nearly seventy years, they've been running things under this "don't rock the boat" mantra, maintaining this strange, stagnant status quo that just isn't cutting it anymore.

What nonsense 😵 😵 😵

Not surprising, though. That site is basically a mouthpiece for a corrupt party... total garbage. ☕

coastalbison6 said:What nonsense 😵 😵 😵

Not surprising, though. That site is basically a mouthpiece for a corrupt party... total garbage. ☕

I'm with you. Usually just a total load of crap.

👍Wow, what top-tier logic we have here. Truly groundbreaking stuff.

And of course, the election results line up perfectly with those highly esteemed arguments of yours. Just goes to show, right?

Nicholas Cook6 said:👍Wow, what top-tier logic we have here. Truly groundbreaking stuff.

And of course, the election results line up perfectly with those highly esteemed arguments of yours. Just goes to show, right?

Look, sorry, but this whole analysis doesn't make any sense whatsoever.

Carol Newman2 said:Look, sorry, but this whole analysis doesn't make any sense whatsoever.

I mean, sorry, but what exactly is wrong with that analysis?
https://directnews.com/us-politics/eu/p...europe-103057/

It’s actually kind of interesting... amidst this sea of mindless comments about the rise of right-wing extremism in Austria, someone finally puts out an actual, reasoned analysis—and they even approach it from an entrepreneur's economic perspective rather than just getting bogged down in ideological warfare.
And then, immediately, people start trashing the article and attacking where it was published, and so on.
It's a textbook case of an ad hominem attack, I guess.

Funny how there hasn't been any real discussion here regarding the election results in Austria, even though those outcomes are arguably way more relevant to us in the US than, say, what's happening in California.

Timothy Nelson5 said:I mean, sorry, but what exactly is wrong with that analysis?
https://directnews.com/us-politics/eu/p...europe-103057/

It’s actually kind of interesting... amidst this sea of mindless comments about the rise of right-wing extremism in Austria, someone finally puts out an actual, reasoned analysis—and they even approach it from an entrepreneur's economic perspective rather than just getting bogged down in ideological warfare.
And then, immediately, people start trashing the article and attacking where it was published, and so on.
It's a textbook case of an ad hominem attack, I guess.

Funny how there hasn't been any real discussion here regarding the election results in Austria, even though those outcomes are arguably way more relevant to us in the US than, say, what's happening in California.

Honestly, when I first clicked the link, I closed it immediately. Once you read "purges in Europe," it's obvious the piece was written by some partisan hack who hasn't left their hometown in years.
I skimmed it a bit, and it’s clear this person doesn't have a clue how Austria works, let alone how the Republican Party operates there.
The neoliberals (FPÖ, NEOS, and Sebastian Kurz) are far too weak to actually push through any neoliberal reforms.
At most, they might try to overhaul public health insurance, and that's about it.
His own people basically let him win the elections, but they won't let him touch their territory. Out of six sub-organizations, he only controls about one and a half (the youth wing and maybe the farmers), and out of nine provincial leaders—who hold a lot of power in Austria—only one (NÖ) is on his side. Thinking they can forcibly weaken all the chambers and unions, just like NEOS, FPÖ, and big industry dream of, is pure science fiction.
All those chambers and unions are actually responsible for the balance that keeps everything running smoothly in Austria.
If they held a referendum on whether membership in these chambers should be mandatory, none of them would fall below 75% support. They simply have too much money to throw into a "war." Only the Chamber of Commerce has a billion-dollar reserve, with 240 million in cash. The workers' chamber has 240 million ready to go, and after many years, the unions are loaded again.