We want to publish a translation of a statement by the "Antifaschistische Aktion - Infoblatt" about the "scandal" which appeared in Austrian policy and will lead to a snap national election in September this year.
Down with corruption, down with capital!
Oops, they did it again! Likewise it already happened often in the past 30 years, this weekend (May 18th and 19th) the Austrian government broke up early and announces the „necessity“ of a snap national election.
After a two year old video appeared, which shows two high representatives of the FPÖ (Freedom Party, Right Wing), H. C. Strache and Johann Gudenus, who obviously do understand policy as self-service store and try to use it on that way, Federal Chancellor (Sebastian) Kurz argues that it‘s „enough“. In particular the head of the FPÖ is beeing attested now for a high extent of moral brutalization, audacity and stupidity by the circels of the ruling class. Strache is being staged as an degenerated subject, somebody from who the „clean remainders“ of the ruling class should dissociate themselves immediately. By that, first of all the masses are being taken for stupid, because it should be seriously drummed into them, that degenerated subjects of this nature, the corrupt and Mafia-like politicians, would only gather in the FPÖ. Although just recently it came to be known, that the chief of the (Social Democratic Party in the district of Lower-Austria) SPÖ-Niederösterreich has been paid for the transfer of informations by dark sources with luxury holidays in Corsica and other precious presents. It is the same SPÖ which now pretends being „shocked“ about the fact that Strache listed a number of immensely rich and industrialist alleged major donors, the SPÖ which has always been finding a sunny place for their former politicians, in the major companies Siemens (Brigitte Ederer), VW (Viktor Klima) or Gazprom (Christian Kern), which shows that the SPÖ is closely linked with such companies and deals with them. The (People‘s Party, Conservative) ÖVP more or less remains silent, as it is in a coalition with the FPÖ of Strache, in addition they themselves have a person, which tumbled over a similar video and was identified for shamelessly corruption, the former minister of the interior and deputy of the (European Union) EU, Ernst Strasser. The Green party is advertising for the EU election i.a. with Sarah Wiener, wich holds a organic-agrarian company in Germany, financed by EU-funds, so she knows very well how to use public funds for the purpose of self-service. In addition to that, the former head of the green „anti-corruption pary“, Eva Glawischnig, quickly found a worm place in the highest ranks of the gaming company Novomatic after her political career. The very same company is now beeing listed by Strache as a major contributor of the FPÖ in this video, which currently makes them problems.
This list of corruption cases of the ruling class, which could be continued for a long time, shows primarily one thing: when the majority of the politicians is now pretending to be horrified, it means highest ranks of nothing more than fairytales, lies and rotten hypocrisy. This spectacle should not confuse the progressive forces. We have to see clearly what should be covered up in reality with the theatre around this scandalous video: the deep and fully fledged political crisis of the ruling class in Austria. It does not only show that the bourgeois policy is eroded completely by corruption and especially those can enrich themselve, who have the most criminal energy and the best connection with the capital. But beyond that, they don‘t know any more how to react when exactly this fact is blowing up every now and then. Also the given fact, that neither the green president Van der Bellen, nor the Federal Chancellor Kurz were able to take a quickly and „consistent“ stand, even thought it was his cabinet where this cause happened, is showing their helplessness in finding „explanations“ and political maneuvres, by which they could dissociate themselves in a plausible way from such incidents. The masses less and less trust in the political apparatus of the ruling class and realize more and more, that corruption and self-enrichment are a necessary part of bourgeois policy. At the same time they realize the mendacious show of propaganda, when EU-sanctions are imposed on the governments of Romania or Bulgaria because of corruption-affairs, when at the same time self-service and self-enrichtment of the bourgeois politicians in the imperialist nations of the EU stay without any serious consequences.
The struggle against this corrupt political system of the capital is impossible with bourgeois parties! This fact should be covered now, with the libaral forces placing themselves at the top of the anti-corruption protests of the masses and try to bring them under their hegemony. These forces, like the Green Party, Neos (Neoliberal), SPÖ and Peter Pilz (a split of the Green Party), pretend to be the „good cop“, while in particular the FPÖ (and partially the ÖVP as well) have to take the role of the „bad cop“. The revolutionary and progressive forces of the workers- and people‘s movement should not devert themselves in supporting the protests, because of these attempts of the liberal political wing of the rulers. Instead they will show, that it is not about misconducts of individual „bad politicians“, but about the root of corruption, that the bourgeois policy and the whole bourgeois state-apparatus are entirely amalgamated with the capital and only serve the interests of the capital.
Not only the liberal organizations of the ruling class try to get an updraft in the present political crisis, also foreign capital is trying to use the situation. In particular German capital is „demandig“ new elections in Austria, in its habitual chauvinist and arrogant self-image, like the (Social Democratic Party of Germany) SPD-chief Nahles, or the Green Party Representative Robert Habeck have done. By strengthening the liberal political forces in Austria they hope to reestablish the „marching in step“ between German and Austrian capital interests more and by that strengthening the German leadership-pretension within the EU. Such „greater German“ coloured comments are not only dispensable, but also the progressive and revolutionary forces in Germany will express their resistance against it. Which position the Austrian liberals take, which try to place themselves at the top of the anti-corruption protests, is shown well with the fact that they either do not comment the German „verbal contributions“, or even welcome them. Maybe in their craze for the EU, they didn‘t notice the historical tradition of snooty German interferences in other European countries.
Despite all attempts in favour of the EU election, the liberal wing of the Austrian ruling class will not succeed to drag the masses in this situation on an extended scale on their side and to anchor themselves within them deeper. Now all revolutionary and progressive forces will intensify their activities for the boycott of the EU election and strengthen the masses to reject the bourgois policy as a party mile of corruption and hypocrisy. Important parts of the masses more and more realize the rotten character of this spectacle and will turn away from the bourgeois rat catchers in the forthcoming EU election even more.
The current „Video clip affair“ of the FPÖ is aggravating the political crisis of the capital. The pretended excitement of the ruling class will become the stone picked up by them, which will fall on their own feet. Now the masses see more clearly what bourgeois policy means and which rules it follows, that the bourgeois policy only lives at the cost of the masses and enrich themselves on their back! It is good that thousands are resisting and start to struggle against it. The more they organize, the more the struggle is waged conciously, the harder the blows will be which could be set against the rule of the capital!
