At 11:29 02/02/00 -0500, Louis Proyect wrote:
>Since this list is titled "Progressive Economists Network," I thought I
>might take the liberty to provide an economic explanation for the turmoil
>in Austria. Basically, the coalition between the Social Democrats and its
>traditional partner, the conservative Peoples Party, is breaking down. The
>underlying cause is discontent with the austerity drive that has been in
>progress for many years now, one that is part and parcel of the overall
>drive to "Americanize" the European economies. The Social Democratic chief,
>Viktor Klima, is closely identified with Blair's "Third Way".
>
>A January 22, 1997 Guardian article reported:
>
>>>VIKTOR KLIMA represents a new generation of Austrian politicians. He
>looks a bit like Tony Blair and the similarity does not end there. He too
>is one of a new breed of politicians prepared to ditch more tenets than
>ever before.
>
>He has a wide circle of friends, including, it seems, the German finance
>minister, Theo Waigel, who said recently that they were "pals".
>
>Within the EU, Austria's former chancellor Franz Vranitzky - whose
>resignation on Saturday promoted Klima from the finance ministry - ranked
>as one of the more successful heads of government. Both men are European
>paragons: Austria already fulfils the Maastricht budget criteria. But many
>Austrians remain unimpressed. The austerity measures the duo introduced
>have left them with lower earnings, their jobs are less secure, and more
>and more live on the poverty line.<<
>
>So in the face of insecurity and poverty, a section of the Austrian
>population, including young workers, have flocked to the demagogic appeal
>of Haider's Freedom Party. This traditionally is how fascism takes root, in
>the failure of social democracy to defend the wages and job security of its
>social base in the trade unions. The fascists call for a national socialism
>and find scapegoats, in Austria's case foreign-born workers.
>
>So why does social democracy, British Labor and the US Democratic Party
>participate in austerity drives that can only fuel anti-liberal outbursts
>in the final analysis? The answer to this can be found in the writings of
>Marx, Lenin and Trotsky who made clear that petty-bourgeois elements in the
>working class movement adapt to the pressures of big capital. During the
>1930s, social democrats in France and Spain tried to placate big capital.
>They proffered their services as "wise" managers of the capitalist economy
>to the ruling class, which was all to happy to accept such generous help.
>When the workers rebelled against socialist managers of the capitalist
>economy, they found alternatives in the revolutionary movement which
>rejected all collaboration with capitalist governments. Unfortunately, the
>parties that had the greatest reputation for revolutionary will were those
>connected with the Kremlin. We know from history how willing these parties
>were to sell-out revolutions, just like the Social Democrats.
It is good to hear of the protests in Vienna from the Linkswende group and
others.
Now this evening, for the cost of some ink to renounce Austria's Nazi past,
Haider is going into government with some of the most powerful ministries
at his disposal:
finance, defence, social security and justice.
He will be in the best position to cut benefits to foreigners, make them
carry identity cards, and whip up chauvinist opposition to them. He may
also strengthen the armed forces.
While I am afraid I sometimes suspect Louis Proyect of evading a serious
issue by changing the subject or the tone, the post above goes deeper into
the subject by addressing the economic roots of Haider's success. Certainly
PEN-L ought to be able to debate such an issue.
I think however that the analysis seems to combine a reworking of the rise
of fascism in the 30's with an attempt to strike the main blow, even now,
at Third Way politicians.
The economic analysis seems somewhat stereotyped.
>>So in the face of insecurity and poverty, a section of the Austrian
>>population, including young workers, have flocked to the demagogic appeal
>>of Haider's Freedom Party.
However Austria at present has an unemployment rate below 5% and a low
inflation rate.
As a Guardian analysis argued last year:
>Nor is there a clear connection between far-right voting and unemployment.
Austria, Norway and Switzerland have lower rates of unemployment than their
neighbours. It is more a protest against the undermining of traditional
patterns of rural life.<
I fail to see the cogency of arguing that Haider has come to power in face
of poverty.
There is certainly a problem with social democracy. A) in order to get
elected it has had to compromise with the conservative agenda of cutting
the social wage on the grounds that it is the only way to be competitive
and maintain jobs against global competition.
This is part of a historical adjustment skimming the fat off the european
welfare states because of increased competition from the East. It started
with Thatcher.
It is true that third way politicans make such a virtue of the professional
management of the society, that they arouse comparatively little
opposition, but also comparatively little positive passion. But people like
Klima or Blair are only responding the the actual balance of forces.
The argument that a more full blooded socialist campaign would win an
election is a common one, but unproven. It risks leaving the conservative
right in power for example in Britain for all but 13 of the previous 50
years. And it is of course no less potentially reformist, indeed it may be
more dangerous because it may create more illusions. Is that however what
Louis Proyect is recommending.
What are the class and economic phenomena behind the risk of parties like
Haider's? It does indeed represent the literally reactionary stance of
bourgeois and petty bourgeois elements, who resist the integration of the
market favoured by finance capital. Such nationalistic right-wing parties
exist in many European countries.
That is not the politics of envy of wanting what the other person has. It
is the politics of jealousy, of fearing the loss of what you have. Haider
is strong in Carinthia. It just does not fit the economic picture of
poverty that Louis Proyect has imposed on it.
Chris Burford
London
