Haider: The Death of a Populist
Jörg Haider, the best known Austrian politician, was killed in a car crash on October 11. His death marks the end of a colorful career untypical for a “far-Right” figure. Armani-clad fitness fanatic, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s pal with a permanent tan, Haider cut a figure vastly different from the bland establishmentarians who have ran Austria for decades. Villified by the European elite class as a neo-Nazi anti-Semite, he was a talented man of uncertain principles, great ambition, and dubious judgment.
Haider died only weeks after his Alliance for the Future of Austria (Bündnis Zukunft Österreich, BZÖ) won an impressive 11 percent of the vote in the general election, while the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) – which he had led from 1986 until 2000, and from which he split in 2005 – gained 18 per cent. It was the best result for Austria’s opponents of rampant immigration and EU integration in the history of the Republic
Born in 1950 to a lower-middle-class family in Upper Austria, Haider never forgot various indignities that his parents suffered after the war for alleged Nazi sympathies. Common folks like they took the rap for the “really big Nazis,” he later complained.
Academically brilliant and popular among peers, in his teens Haider excelled as an actor in school plays. This talent he put to ample use in later years: in the course of a single day he was known to change three or four outfits, from the traditional Austrian jacket to suit-and-tie to jeans and sweater, depending on the audience. He also had a gift for rhetoric, winning a debating contest at 16 in support of the motion that Austrians are in fact German.
After obtaining his law degree in Vienna Haider lectured briefly in constitutional law, but politics was always his true vocation – and the Freedom Party, which he joined in 1976, seemed the obvious choice for a man with his views. Founded in 1955, for decades the FPO combined pan-Germanism and what might be called Central European libertarianism. It was by no means a “far-Right” political force when Haider joined, but its position on the issue of national identity attracted him. Haider soon became the leader of the FPÖ youth movement and quickly rose through the ranks. By 1979 he was the youngest parliamentary deputy ever in the Austrian Republic.
In the early 1980s Haider grew impatient with the party leadership, which he regarded as too soft on immigration, wishy-washy on national identity or sovereignty threatened from Brussels, and resigned to single-digit election results. By 1983, after he became party chairman in the southern province of Carinthia, Haider became openly critical of the FPÖ national leadership. Three years later he staged a successful coup at the party convention against its leader, Norbert Steger, a “moderate” who was at that time Austria’s vice-chancellor in coalition with the Socialists (SPÖ). Haider’s Young Turks were enthusiastic. The new spirit was captured in a party activist’s quip, “With Haider I’d march into Russia again, but with Steger I would not even go on holiday.”
In 1989 Haider broke the Socialists’ traditional hold on Carinthia by winning 29 percent of the local vote, formed a coalition with the ÖVP, and was elected Landeshauptmann (or governor) of the province. His tenure is remembered mainly for a 1991 debate in the provincial assembly at Klagenfurt that resulted in his resignation. A Socialist deputy attacked Haider’s scheme to cut unemployment payments for recipients he described as “freeloaders,” claiming it was similar to forced work placement in the Nazi era. “It would not be like the Third Reich,” Haider replied, “because the Third Reich developed a proper employment policy, which your government in Vienna has not once produced.” In addition to causing Haider’s resignation, this exchange also prompted the ÖVP to swith partners and enter a coalition with the SPÖ.
In the course of a national election campaign in 1995, Haider met a group of SS veterans, of whom he said: “There are still decent people of good character who also stick to their convictions, despite the greatest opposition, and have remained true to their convictions until today.” He made a sudden U-turn on the issue of national identity during that same campaign, however, announcing that pan-Germanism was finished and that he was an “Austrian patriot.” Somewhat bizarrely, at that time Haider also described himself as a follower of Newt Gingrich, whose “Contract With America” he used in his manifesto. The electorate was not enthused.
Four years later Haider focused on social issues and immigration – and improved his party’s standing dramatically, gaining 27 percent of the vote. The FPÖ formed the ruling coalition with the People’s Party, although Haider himself was not a member of the new government (in early 1999 he was re-elected the governor of Carinthia). The move nevertheless caused an uproar in Brussels: the European Union decided to impose sanctions on Austria even before the government had announced its program. “There is a lot of excitement in the European chicken pen,” Haider quipped, “and the fox hasn’t even got in.”
This episode merits some attention because it reveals in a raw form the mix of authoritarianism and hypocrisy characteristic of Brussels. On January 31, 2000, the European Union informed Austria that it would face boycott if its new government included the FPÖ. On February 4 Chancellor Schuessel nevertheless went ahead and brought members of the Freedom Party into his coalition. He was acting in full accord with the rules of parliamentary democracy: the new government had a clear majority of 104 out of 183 parliamentary deputies. EU governments duly severed all bilateral political contacts with the Austrian government. They also restricted the promotion of Austrians at EU headquarters and ignored Austrian ministers at EU meetings. The measures also included ban on school trips, cultural exchanges and military exercises. The U.S. joined the bandwagon and the State Department called Ambassador Kathryn Hall back to Washington for “consultations.”
Although the measures had no impact on the lives of ordinary Austrians, they triggered a backlash among the Austrian public. They also caused an outcry in some smaller EU nations – notably Denmark – fearful of the domination of more powerful members, such as France, which pushed for punitive measures. For months thereafter the EU’s Portuguese presidency maintained that the sanctions would remain, but after the EU foreign ministers’ Azores meeting in June 2000 it was obvious that the embargo could not be sustained.
The EU sanctions were illegal because the decision to apply them was taken outside the EU structures and without due process: the Austrian government was not allowed have its point of view heard before the other members states took action against it. The EU action was doubly contentious in view of the fact that Haider’s party was democratically elected and that it had not done or said anything contrary to Austria’s constitution or European law. Even those Austrians not sympathetic to Haider came to see Brussels' heavy-handedness as an insult to their country.
By that time Haider’s ambiguous statements on the Third Reich had ceased to be part of his politically operative vocabulary. On the other hand, his main message – that there are too many foreigners in Austria and that immigration threatens the country’s economy and traditional ethnic composition – is even more valid today than a decade ago. That message is now shared by two parties. One of them (FPÖ) Haider led to national prominence; the other (BZÖ) he created from scratch. They command 29 percent of the electorate between them, but were unlikely to cooperate because of the bitter personal animosity between Haider and the current FPÖ leader and former Haider protégé Heinz-Christian Strache. Ironically, the Austrian nationalist Right may be better poised to achieve unity that has eluded it for years now that its poster boy is no longer with us.
“For us, it’s the end of the world,” a visibly distressed spokesman from Haider’s party, Stefan Petzner, told the press; “Joerg Haider was a politician who changed the face of politics in this country.”
The end of the world it certainly is not: nearly 50 percent of under-30s now support either Heider’s original party or the one he founded three years ago and led at the time of his death. Joerg Haider’s legacy will live on for many years to come.
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....and an untimely car accident at a time when Haider's popularity is surging amongst Austrian voters, especially young voters, it just an unfortunate coincidence....yeah right!
A conservative with style and flair. A breath of fresh air. May his memory be eternal.
And not a word on Carinthian Slovenes.
Well Daniel, to be fair, Haider was drunk, so his death does rather look like an unfortunate coincidence. Initially, because of the timing, I did suspect it to be an assassination, but now it looks more like a result of Haider's own stupidity.
Natalie, if you first believed someone could have murdered him, why couldn't the same people afterwards make up a story that he was drunk? If they are influential enough that is certainly possible.
Dr. Trifkovic,
I read elsewhere that Haider supported the entry of Turkey into the EU. Can you verify if this was indeed the case, and, if so, would you suppose that it was another odd change of course along the way? What I mean is - wouldn't European immigration restrictionists and local patriots view such an entry as threat?
If he supported the accession of Turkey to the EU it goes to show Jörg Haider probably was an Islam sympathising nazi after all.
Interesting point Eagle.
Among some (stress some) Austrians like Otto von Hapsburg, there seems to be an aversion to Russians and Serbs. Enter Turkey as a means of seeking to neutralize both.
In retrospect and for its part, Russia should regret its decision to come to the aid of the Hapsburgs in 1848. Russia got the wrath for doing the "dirty work" (stopping the Hungarian uprising), while seemingly not getting much in return from Vienna.
Swede, you do make a good point. The truth is I'm not exactly sure what I think about this situation. I mean, a spokesman for his own party said he was drunk, but then again, that person could have been misinformed. The timing of Haider's death still does strike me as odd.
Jörg Haider was a sympathetic Austrian politician, an excellent skier. Truth could hurt, that is why he was not beloved in Slovenia. Ljubljana deserted Carinthian Slovenes to not annoy Vienna. After World War I, Slovenes in Carinthia opted not to join the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
#8 - Given the fate of his family and country in the 20th Century, Otto von Hapsburg's hostility to Serbs and Russians is understandable, but an inappropriate prejudice for the current century. With regard to the Russian assistance to Austria in 1848, I believe it was Austrian Chancellor Prince Schwartzenburg who, when asked what Austria would do for Russia in return, replied, "Austria will astound the world with her ingratitude."
@4 Natalie
You are right, I heard he was drunk to. I also heard that Lincoln invaded the South to free the poor slaves....and the Serbs are a bunch of mass murdering genocidal bastards....and Saddam had weapons of mass destruction...and the Iranians have them to...and those damn Neo-Nazis on Ruby Ridge, hell, that damn teenage boy deserved to be mowed down with machine gun fire by the authorities.
Point taken, Daniel. Though I do take exception to your statement about Iraq/Iran. There were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq--chemical weapons. I refer you to this article: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,200499,00.html
And it's only a matter of time before Iran gets a nuclear weapon--they've been working on it for a while and will have one if we don't stop them.
" There were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq–chemical weapons."
But they weren't used against America. By what moral reasoning can the simple existence of weapons justify an unprovoked war?
It was only a matter of time before they would be. This is Islam we're talking about here. It seeks to dominate the world. Those weapons would have been used against us or our allies eventually.
For the record: Russian intervention in Hungary came in 1849, not '48. It was a historic mistake. Without it there would have been no 1914, or 1917...
Okay Dr.
I understand that some in the Austrian government weren't happy with the good reception Russian forces received when they went thru Galicia (quite different from the mindset there in more recent history) en route to their operation against Hungarian rebels. This might've encouraged the Austrian promotion of a separate Ukrainian identity from Russia (one which had roots regardless).
Kurt:
That's quite a frank missive from Prince Schwartzenburg.
I don't accept the follow-up regarding Otto von Hapsburg. It's on par with having a collective hatred of Germans and Austrians for WW II, or for Jews, relative to the promotion of Communism.
I learned a long time ago that good and bad can be found among each group.
Along with others, many Russians and Serbs suffered under Communism. Slowly but surely, this view is being better understood. In Russia, a sympathetic movie on Admiral Kolchak is getting a good reception.
Natalie-
I believe you are lost. Fox News and CNN are no where near here.
I remember when in about 1999 or so when I brought up Haider to an Austrian woman I know, she denounced him as a fascist. However, by about 2004, the same woman was saying he was right about most things, especially immigration.
I'm not a fan of the various nationalistic parties across Europe, but their rise can be attributed to one cause: The "mainstream" parties kowtowing towards Mecca.
It should be obvious that nationalism per se, anti-Communism, anti-Americanism, anti-EU sentiment, racial concerns, etc. are not enough to make parties like BZÖ or FPÖ as prominent as they are. Well, it's obvious to me anyway. The socialists/communists parties had more support in the late 60s and 70s. Race riots in Brixton didn't significantly "benefit" the BNP. These problems wax and wane, and the electorate shifts left and right, but Islam is a whole other class of problems.
Even many of the far "right" parties' supporters only come to them reluctantly and are often apologetic about it. They are practically driven there out of desperation, frustrated with the impotence of both "conservatives" and "liberals".
Communists held Russia for 70 years, and Eastern Europe for 44 years; and Fascists ran the Axis nations for less than 20 years. I.e.: Decades. But Muslim occupations are measured in centuries (Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, Spain) or perpetuity (Albania, "Turkey", Egypt, Syria, Persia...).
For all the fuss made about people like Haider (and, BTW, God bless him), he'll be a very, very small footnote in European history, compared to the first Caliph of Rome.
Re Haider & Turkey & EU:
From Turkishdailynews.com.tr:
QUOTE
"Austrian far-right politician Jorg Haider has harshly criticized those who object to Turkey's EU membership, the Anatolia news agency said. The former leader of coalition partner Austrian Freedom Party (FPO), speaking to Austrian journal Format, described the opponents of Turkish entry as "hornochsen" (horned oafs).
"I think we are governed by 'hornochsens' in this republic," Haider was quoted as saying by the agency. The word "hornochsen" is used in Austria to describe people who refuse to accept sensible developments or reality, Anatolia said.
He criticized both the coalition and opposition parties together with his own party's members for objecting to Turkey. "Members of the government and members of different political parties have always defended Turkey's membership; however, today they are issuing warnings against Turkey's membership," Haider was quoted as saying. He described the situation as "opportunism."
UNQUOTE
And this from Euronews
http://www.euronews.net/en/article/17/09/2008/jorg-haider-blames-eu-interference-for-austrias-isolation-in-2000-in-pre-election-interview-with-euronews/:
QUOTE
euronews: “Therefore do you believe your God is happy about your action to block the construction of any more mosques with minarets ?”
Jörg Haider: “I think yes, because if prayer houses are abused for fundamentalist objectives, this has nothing to do with religion and therefore they should not exist here. I am against Islamic fundamentalism in particular -it is spreading more and more in Europe. Take one prime minister of Turkey who said: “Our minarets are our bayonets, our domes our helmets, our mosques our barracks, our believers our soldiers!” “This makes me think that this has nothing to do with religion with peace. This is corrupted thought – I do not need visible symbols of such kinds of Islamic fundamentalist power-play. I think in my county we need a law against the perpetuation of this.”
euronews: “Perhaps such views do exist but the large majority of believers in Allah want to integrate into Austria… isn’t this an insult to them,to deny them their religious freedoms?”
Jörg Haider: “ Not at all!” “They left their countries, often because they did not want any more of this extremism -this fundamentalist approach towards their religion. Here, in Europe, in Austria they find it is possible to practise their beliefs when they pray in their mosques as they call them, but there is no need for the minarets.”
euronews: “You have already mentioned Turkey – does Turkey have a place in the European Union?”
Jörg Haider: “ I believe that Turkey is something of an ambiguity – neither Asian State, nor European. One must find a new way for Turkey. For sure Turkey is an important partner – to build a bridge regarding a common energy policy – we must ensure deliveries of gas and oil from the Caucuses and Asia. We must find a way not to be dependent on Russia.”
UNQUOTE
Sounds like some kind of Neo-Con philosophy to me. He seems to think that there's a good Islam, spoiled by those "few" extremists. Bush, Blair, Haider, Sarkozy ...
As for preferring Muslim Turks to Orthodox Christian Russians -- Isn't that a common (and ancient) position in Western & Central Europe? Perhaps the only thing that Haider, Blair, Merkel, Sarkozy etc could agree on would be the Council of Florence ...
I knew Haider was all right when he was accused in the MSM gutter press as having a taste for young boys. The sniping Scotsmen do the same thing to anybody they deem worthy of 2 minutes hate. David Koresh -- a harmless nut -- received the same slur.
God bless Austria!
@21Akira
I think it’s absolutely amazing hypocrisy that the EU supports the most radical Muslim groups in the Balkans and Russia yet when Muslims protest over the publication of the Mohammed cartoon by a Danish cartoonist who is part of a pro-Chechen lobbyist group in Denmark and friends with senior Neocons in the US then there’s suddenly an issue of free speech, woman’s rights, etc.
@22Etienne Gervaise
I heard it was Wesley Clark was in charge of the army bases that the tanks were used to torch the compound.
The media as always was totally imbedded with the government line and were about a mile away from it.
McCain inituated the congressional nvestigation/cover-up
@23 George
None of what you mention would not surprise me in the least. The initial BATF raid looked like a Keystone Kops comedy. One fool shot himself in the leg as he ascended the ladder, then after 3 of his fellow raiders entered a window, he threw in a grenade and killed them. Then followed a tearful funeral of "brave government servants" killed in the line of duty.
But first the news consumer needs to be told what to think.
VW spokesman Peter Thul claims that someone with access to Haider’s car key could have manipulated the limo’s electrics which control the engine’s "brain":
"It is a fact that Haider was going too fast, but such a speed on that curve is not a problem for the car’s physics. The Phaeton and Audi A8 are the safest of all. You’d need the key to manipulate the electronics, so someone at a garage would have to tamper with it."
Akira,
thank you for posting that! And whilst I haven't made a further investigation, I believe every Jorg Haider's presented "pragmatism" as far as reliance on Russia's energy is concerned, because I remember one distinct article in one of the main UK daily newspapers a few years back, where the 'crown prince' himself sat perched on top of NATO tank in Kosovo...Apparently he was surveying NATO "peace keeping" in action, although he did not hide his support of the alliance either. I seem to remember watching documentaries detailing Germanic invasions of the western Roman empire over a millenium and a half ago, where the goths in particular stressed chronic abuse of their people by their Roman overlords, with virtually no sign of newly promised territory to boot. Well, it seems that nowadays, Germanic politicians have emulated their former Roman masters in their treatment of Slavic people, particularly those who reside in the Balkans. Indeed, his views are exactly like those of what would be contained in a contemporary 'neocon handbook' - fundamentally proislamic and antChristian! Thanks a lot for your years of friendship Jorg!!
p.s. I am by NO means celebrating his death by these remarks above, as death is something that should never be celebrated. I am merely highlighting the blatant hypocricy and long term folly of German/Austrian imperialism, of which Haider himself was a clear adherent. His views on the nazis and the ss is the least relevant aspect of his career.
@26Ilija
You can blame Ukraine for what happened a few years ago with gas cuts going towards Europe.
They were paying below market value and worse reselling it at a higher rate to Europe that’s why Russia temporarily cut supply to Ukraine.
Now Russia is developing pipelines so it goes straight to European countries like Germany and does not have to bypass Eastern European countries.
the impression I get from the article is what an inconsistent leader Haider was. He had great potential, but had not achieved it, and probably never would. Great men are consistent in an overall main path to where their nation should go. They may have odd likings that don't detract from the main goal.
Haider weaved on the main goals.
Haider was just a less sophisticated Sarkozy.
Remember when Sarkozy was painted as some sort of neo-fascist Muslim-hating lowlife, just because he dared to refer to Mohammedan carbecue-hobbyists as "scum"?
As soon as he was in power most people realized that he was a very mainstream French politician: rejects Irish referendum, promotes "moderate Islam", rejects any characterization of "Christian Europe", promotes Militant secularism, formally initiates next phase of Eurabia, follows his predecessors' line in almost every policy, puts France first in everything while demanding that others put the EU/UN/World Court before their own national interests, etc.
A "President Haider" would have very quickly ft into the Euro-Mainstream.
+ + +
Re Haider's views on the Slav world:
Notice that while the Nazi's official assertion that Germans are naturally superior to Jews is rightly viewed with disgust, their officially superior attitude towards Slavs is usually treated with a sympathetic shrug?
@28Akira
But what about European double standards?
Islam and Muslims are only are problem when they don't fit a geo-political agenda mainly against orthodox Christianity.
Western governments have always sponsored and let anti-Christian movements be based in western countries starting with communism with the major Marxist organisations set up in New York which later formed the bulk of the first communist government and instrumental in the revolution itself which later came back to bite Europe.
The same as Muslim terrorist organisations since 79 we have let major terrorist front organisations charities and NGO’s operate freely in the US financed by some of the wealthiest people in the world and shareholders in the worlds most powerful companies like Abdullah Bin Laden and the Carlyle Group including the ones that financied the 9/11 hijackers.
George,
Re: "But what about European double standards?"
I thought that was too obvious too be worth mentioning.
Speaking of double standards: In the US, the IRA had the "honour" of being the main, White, European, and non-Muslim terror group to receive official sanction and lionization in Washington and in the MSM. That was back in "the good old days" when your Clintons and your Kennedys salivated over terrorist bombers.
The lesson here should be that to get love as a terrorist, just fake some Irish blood. The formula is this: Fake Irish blood in your veins will excuse real Irish blood on the roadside.
The phony Mick routine almost worked for John Kerry!
I would urge all European nationalists to "discover" some long-lost Dubliner or Connemaran in their family tree, put on a green bowler and learn how to dance a jig.
Note to all, biological weapons and chemical weapons are ***NOT*** weapons of mass destruction.
Jörg Haider helped to prevent a former commander in the pro-Nazi WWII Croatian Ustasha regime from being put on trial for the murder of Serbs, Jews and Gypsies:
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/06/20/europe/EU-GEN-My-Neighbor-the-Nazi.php
He protected an accused Ustasha Croat fugitive from extradition from his southern state to Croatia...while agitating the the peaceful Slovene minority which had resided there for many generations.
He disliked Islamic fundamentalism which leads to terrorism against Europeans...but favored the entry of Turkey, whose politcis are increasingly swayed by Islamic fundamentalists, into the EU.
He favored bypassing Christian Russia for more secure energy sources...in the unstable Islamic Caucauses.
He disliked Hans Christian Strache, his successor in the Freedom Party...a man who, unlike Haider, openly supported the principles of state sovereignty and patrotism for all Europeans when he joined Austria's Serbs in protest of Kosovo's independence declaration.
Sounds to me that Haider's academic brilliance in early life did not translate into a coherent and laudable political view in later life.
4Natalie:
He was drunk and had apparently been on the way home from a gay bar. Drunk driving is a reprehensible crime and anyone who does it is already guilty of attempted murder.
His lover speaks: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2008/1024/1224800285609.html
It is absurd to put a 95-year old man on trial for crimes that took place over 60 years ago. How would you a punish a 95-year old man if he committed a crime yesterday?
I should have added: I'm sure he's being monitored carefully, so he's unlikely to commit any more serious crimes.
Haider would just have become part of the Eurabian mainstream anyway.
The EU is the most destructive organisation on European soil since the Third Reich. The long term objectives of the EU consist of WIPING OFF THE MAP dozens of European nations and replacing them with multiculture. It is the EU's Lebensraum. It will also do to Jerusalem what it did to Kosovo.
icr:
One assumes you are referring to the accused Ustasha.
Question: If a man were accused of slaughtering your ancestors 60 years and was still alive, would you or would you not want him brought to justice?
@35 getoverit
The story appears in an Irish newspaper, the Euro equivalent of the Podunk Gazette. It was a common trick during the Cold War for the KGB to plant stories in African newspapers, and then get those rags quoted third hand in more sophisticated countries' media. I guess the boy lover thing didn't stick, so the gutter press had to try a new trick. I don't believe your link, it smacks of Two Minutes Hate.
You seem deeply saddened by the death of a Nazi (check Stormfront on him if you don't believe me). I am not.