Re: <nettime> alex van der bellen wins austrian presidentials!!!

[Patrice Riemens <patrice@xs4all.nl>]

On 2016-05-23 16:35, Alex Foti wrote:

> european xenophobia defeated again after fn was beaten in france
>    plus the winner's a green;)
> 
>    lx

Do not rejoice too early. It is only a reprieve, and will unfortunately 
give what, for better or for worse, is called the 'political 
establishment' reason to "extend and pretend" (in Yanis V's inimitable 
formula). The problems raised by extreme-right politicians are very 
real, and we may treat them as buffoons (which they are, but they are 
also far from stupid) at our own risk. I just read an article in 
yesterday's  Dutch paper 'de Vokskrant' (when the vote was still hung, 
postal votes still to be counted) about how deeply split Austrian 
society is (between 'Aperol Spritz seeping BoBos on the banks of the 
Danube' and 'proletarian quarters wafting in the smoke of kebabs and 
bratwurst' - owtte), the former ignoring the latter's deep disconfort 
about "immigration, refugees, the loss of homes, of jobs, and of the own 
culture". The loss of 'our own culture' is probably a moot point, but 
the loss of homes and jobs is very real, and massive. It is being 
deflected into a false concern about immigration and refugees, an issue 
much less pressing in absolute terms. But as long as 'the establishment' 
refuses to address substantially the homes and jobs issue, it is 
complicit, and very directly and deliberatly so, to the raising of false 
flags  by extreme right politicians.

Our primary political concern should be to address the situation and the 
problems affecting 'the masses' (even if the such are not as broad and 
as homogenous as they used to be), but let's be honest: we are more busy 
with preparing our own 'exodus', in the face of not-if-but-when collapse 
to come (DN: me included). Yet as long as the very real worries of the 
'unrepresented people' - and that is basically the extreme right wing 
electorate, which will remain unrepresented by extreme right wing 
parties (*) - the societal and political breakdown will only come 
sooner.

Little to cheer about,
p+5D!

(*) The Dutch version, courtesy its leader Mr Geert Wilders, is not even 
a proper political party, and does not have a membership/ governance 
structure. Yet surveys credit it to be the largest party by far in 
parliament if elections were held 'tomorrow'...


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