Good morning!
Probably Herbert Kickl imagined yesterday’s summer talk at Traunsee, which was recorded two or three hours beforehand, to be a little different. Last week, the FPÖ leader was a guest on Oe24 – probably also as a trial run, a dress rehearsal to warm up for the appointment on Monday evening. Without offending his colleague from the private broadcaster: Kickl had an easy time there last week – thanks to the open questions. How do you want to secure Fortress Europe? Why are you against messenger services? What is your economic program? Do you want to end the sanctions against Russia? Kickl was able to calmly go into detail without being interrupted, formulate his messages precisely, position himself as a responsible politician and set a counterpoint to the image that exists of him as a blustering, aggressive, sometimes underhanded top man who rants against the “system” at party conferences. An interview style that is certainly justified.
ORF colleague Thür thwarted the plans. Last year, during the pre-recorded summer talks, Kickl was still worried that the ORF would cut out one or two of the rhetorical punchlines he had made. This time, he didn’t even get the chance. Whenever the FPÖ leader was confronted with blue contradictions, he accused the moderator of “unclean journalism.” He used this rhetorical trick at least five times when he was asked to comment on the blue zigzag course in messenger surveillance, when he was confronted with the question of whether the investigations against security spokesman Jenewein in the Ott case were compatible with the blue claim of “clean politics”, why he had signed a trust agreement with a Carinthian advertising agency, whether Kickl, as a politician who always earns well with a five-figure salary, was not also “part of the system”, what he said about the fact that the former FPÖ health minister Hartinger-Klein had described the turquoise-blue patient billion as a marketing gimmick. Kickl’s sovereignty and quick-wittedness conceal a pronounced thin-skinnedness when faced with unpleasant questions.
To the entrepreneurs to his side and to put pressure on the ÖVP with regard to coalition negotiations, the blue top candidate made a commitment to a business-friendly course. There would be no new taxes under him. If the ÖVP governs with Babler, companies would leave the country in large numbers. Unlike at Oe24, he did not find the time to present individual measures. The details are to be presented to the public over the course of the week anyway. It was not surprising that Kickl particularly attacked the ÖVP in the summer talks. In 2017 and 2019, Sebastian Kurz won over FPÖ voters on a large scale to his side, and it is important to win them back. In fact, they have long since returned.
In interviews, elephant rounds and duels in the remaining 40 days until election Sunday, the FPÖ leader will try to prove that, as the saying goes, Kickl can be chancellor, that the turquoise narrative that no state can be built with Kickl is completely unfounded and that a possible ‘no’ from the Federal President would be irresponsible in terms of democratic politics.
How comfortable it is in the HofburgAccording to my information, there is certainly some consideration of giving the FPÖ leader some kind of mandate to form a government in the event of an election victory – in the knowledge that Kickl will be rejected by the other parties and then return to the Hofburg empty-handed.
Wishing you a nice Tuesday
Michael Jungwirth
PS: Today promises to be politically exciting when Environment Minister Gewessler presents the key points of the long-shelved National Climate Plan, which indirectly envisages cuts in commuter allowances, diesel and company car privileges.
