The election in Austria on October, 3rd 1999

Sun Oct 10 17:00:30 UTC 1999

Dear Luisa!
Thank you for infos on Spain. The disturbing fact in Austria is that
offical debates and speeches in the public arena are full of discriminatory
utterances of a very crude nature. There is a big difference in Austria
between anti-foreigner, for example, and antisemitic remarks. The latter
are tabooed and coded, whereas anti-foreigner discourse is not tabooed, has
really become a feature of "normal" everyday  life. This is the most
disturbing factor.
The negotiations for the new government are starting now; but is
unfortunately possible that Haider makes it into government, it is really
possible that he could be chancellor as well.....
Ruth
-----Original Message-----
From:   luisa martin rojo [SMTP:luisa.rojo at UAM.ES]
Sent:   Friday, October 08, 1999 5:52 PM
To:     CRITICS-L at NIC.SURFNET.NL
Subject:        Re: FW: The election in Austria on October, 3rd 1999

Dear Ruth:
Spain is maybe a special case, surprising the high unemployment rate
(higher than the official one given), in Parliament we haven't found, as
you already know, this argument used against immigration!! (even thought it
is used in everyday conversation in the streets, in very an inhibited way).
However, we do have similar phenomenon in a right wing populist party, but
is much smaller, and liked with business (building, black money and
football), also very xenophobic and nationalist. And also racist. It's main
characteristic however it's that it defends profit above any ethnical or
social aims. It works mainly in a number of municipalities (Ceuta, Melilla
and Marbella). They offer just that: to make money (black money) for the
community (and for them, of course).
On the other hand, the old fascist parties is almost disappear, but we have
a strong Spanish nationalism against Catalan and Baque nationalism, and
that could produce nationalist and fascist movement in the future..

Let's hope that if this populist parties are given any power, people will
soon give up supporting them, because they appear immediately as real
disaster for the economy.

Luisa

John!
>Thank you for your comments. Of course, there are similar symptoms around
>the world. But, in this particular case, the European dimension and the
>post World War II dimension are crucial aspects. This is why I do
emphasise
>the Austrian peculiarities as well. I think that this kind of populism
>which we are witnessing here and in France and elsewhere in Europe is
>strongly connected with the European search for identity and also with
 the
>impact of globalisation and search for new economic concepts; i.e.
>neo-liberalism. And the populist parties are reacting. But on the other
>hand, other aspects are of great relevance as well: The long antisemitic
>tradition in Austria and Austrias history of a big monarchy pre World War
>I.  The constant dilemma of constructing an own identity vis a vis Germany
>etc.
>I would be very interested in your results. In our project on "Employment
>policies in the EU" (see WWW. wittgenstein.univie.ac.at), we have been
>discovering the big impact of globalisation rhetoric and the threat which
>this means for many; specififcally issues like flexibility and
>competitiveness; and the FPO has been extremly clever in using this and
>constructing fears, although Austria is such a rich country. So, one can
>ask for example, why Spain with such high unemployment does not have
>similar racist and populist parties....
>Best Ruth
>PS The headline in the Kurier today states that Israels Foreign Minister
>Levy is threatning to cut diplomatic relationships with Austria should the
>FPO come into government. There, the specific role of Austrians in the
>Second World War is relevant. Now, it is clear that the "Waldheim
>phenomenon" could come again....
>-----Original Message-----
>From:   john flowerdew [SMTP:ENJOHNF at CITYU.EDU.HK]
>Sent:   Thursday, October 07, 1999 6:31 AM
>To:     CRITICS-L at NIC.SURFNET.NL
>Subject:        Re: The election in Austria on October, 3rd 1999
>
>>>>>
>
><excerpt>Date: Thu, 07 Oct 1999 12:28:48 +0800
>
>To: "ruth.wodak at univie.ac.at" <<ruth.wodak at univie.ac.at>
>
>From: john flowerdew <<ENJOHNF at cityu.edu.hk>
>
>Subject: Re: The election in Austria on October, 3rd 1999
>
>In-Reply-To: <<01BF0F55.C11CF340.ruth.wodak at univie.ac.at>
>
>
>Dear Ruth
>
>I read your message with interest. However, I do not think what you talk
>about is only a European phenomenon. Here in Hong Kong, the local
>government recently connived with the Central Government to overturn a
>ruling by Hong Kong's (so-called) court of final appeal, which would have
>allowed large numbers of people from the Mainland to live in Hong Kong.
>The rhetoric promoted by the government was that these people (who are
>ethnic Chinese, like the people of HOng Kong, who are also mostly
>immigrants themselves or the children of immigrants) would put an
>impossible strain on Hong Kong's social services and threaten Hong Kong's
>standard of living and <underline>international
>competitiveness</underline>.
>
>I am currently collecting the data to write this up from a discourse
>perspective.
>
>Best wishes
>
>John Flowerdew
>
>
>
>At 05:19 PM 10/5/99 +0100, you wrote:
>
>>Dear Members of the Critics List!
>
>>Many people in Austria are under shock. This is an attempt , a first
>one,
>
>>to try to understand and to describe what happened! The short version
>of
>
>>this piece will be published as guest editorial in Discourse and
>Society,
>
>>2000, first volume.
>
>>Comments very welcome!
>
>>Ruth Wodak
>
>>University of Vienna
>
>>
>
>>
>
>>
>
></excerpt>><<<<<<<<
>
Luisa Martin Rojo
Departamento de Linguistica
Facultad de Filosofia y Letras
Universidad Autonoma de Madrid
tel: 34.91.3978707
fax: 34.91.3974498
correo-e: luisa.rojo at uam.es