Thursday, December 02, 2021
Political illusionist
Sebastian Kurz failed across the board
A comment by Christian Bartlau, Vienna
A voluntary retreat is how Sebastian Kurz sells the end of his political career. In truth, it is only belatedly to realize that he has finally destroyed his nimbus. He ceded as an unfulfilled promise – with a memorable bad record.
Sebastian Kurz was the last to notice. 54 days ago his political career was effectively over, ended by the corruption hunters of the Republic of Austria who knocked on the door of the Federal Chancellery on Vienna’s Ballhausplatz. Bribery and bribery, that is the allegation, some evidence has already leaked, and even if in the end the courts speak the last word: All of that would have been enough for several resignations.
But at the beginning of October, Kurz only took a “step to the side”, wanted to remain a strong man in his ÖVP and a kind of shadow chancellor – one of the last political instincts of the man who ruined his nimbus in a hurry. Started as a “Wunderwuzzi”, admired as the youngest head of government in the world and a smart right-wing conservative opponent of Angela Merkel, he is now withdrawing completely from politics – as a failed man.
All calculation
In his farewell speech, Kurz painted the self-portrait of a statesman who sacrificed himself for his country for ten years, who stole energy from unfounded accusations and who showed the birth of his son that there are more important things than politics. You have to believe him first, it’s just incredibly difficult when you know Sebastian Kurz.
The 35-year-old was a politician, as if spat out by an algorithm: young, slim-fit, an appearance suitable for a son-in-law, the positions always precisely tailored to the mood of the population. It was no coincidence that his team consisted of people who had learned in consulting firms like Boston Consulting how to calculate soberly. Excel tables instead of convictions, PR instead of substance, this is how Austria was ruled during the years under Kurz. His resignation is just as calculating: It was only when Kurz registered that no one was waiting for him, not even in his own party, that he gave up his comeback plans.
“Message Control”, nothing else
In truth, the corruption investigation did not destroy Kurz’s “passion” for politics, as he claims, but above all his decisive trump card: the enormous popularity among center-right voters. Most recently, only 20 percent of those questioned stated in surveys that they trust Kurz. A dramatic slump after Kurz had been unassailable for years on the Chancellor question. Its popularity led the exhausted People’s Party to an election victory in 2017, which was repeated shortly after the Ibiza affair in 2019 – with a dream result of 37.5 percent. The high point of his career, and the high point of his brief admiration abroad. “Why don’t we have one?” Asked the “Bild” newspaper. Junge Union boss Tilman Kuban wanted to take a role model at the Vienna sister party shortly after the federal election in 2021.
What was often overlooked in the hymns of praise: Kurz was a successful campaigner, but not a good politician. Everything he touched was designed for PR, “Message Control” was the name of this strategy, which did not solve a single problem, but reliably delivered crisp headlines and beautiful photos.
If the Chancellor’s promises met reality, Kurz was repeatedly exposed as a political illusionist: twice, for example, by the Constitutional Court, which received a surveillance package and a social welfare reform. In Brussels, Austria’s Chancellor made himself unpopular with constant mock battles, with which he wanted to distract from his own failure. When his government messed up the vaccination start, he instigated a guerrilla war over the distribution of the doses within the EU. A classic short also his full-bodied announcement that he would buy a million cans of Sputnik by June – the contract was never signed. When the opposition inquired in June, he declared that he was not responsible. In general, the pandemic: He declared it ended for the first time in the summer of 2020 (sic!), And then again this summer, if only for those who had been vaccinated. The result of his fair weather policy: disastrous numbers and lockdown number four.
A thin record
In his farewell speech, Kurz himself remembered three milestones from four years in power: a tax cut for families, which is of particular benefit to high earners. The 60-hour week, which mainly benefits Kurz ‘large donors from the industry. And CO2 pricing, a project close to the heart of the green coalition partner. The balance sheet of an era looks different.
Not to mention the hard facts: the two failed governments and the two impending charges. Foreign Minister Kurz deliberately torpedoed the grand coalition with the SPÖ in 2017 in order to become Federal Chancellor. The following coalition with the FPÖ was born out of necessity, but a catastrophe with an announcement. And even if Kurz is now withdrawing from politics, time will haunt him for years – until the courts have decided under oath on the corruption allegations and the suspected false testimony.
And Austria’s political landscape will also feel the aftermath of the Kurz era for a long time to come. During his first candidacy, he served as a projection screen for many people who wanted a new beginning. He destroyed these hopes – as did confidence in the institutions. In a kind of forward defense, he attacked both the Corruption Prosecutor and the Ibiza parliamentary committee of inquiry without any consideration, thereby damaging important pillars of democracy. “It’s not about me, it’s about Austria,” Kurz said in October when he stepped down as Chancellor. In the course of his career, he has never provided proof that this sentence is correct.
Because Sebastian Kurz was always more of a promise than a real statesman, he doesn’t leave a big void in Austria. History and voters quickly pass over losers, and his ÖVP also seems to have awakened from a bad dream in recent weeks. The Conservatives will have to reinvent themselves after briefly surrendering themselves to a messiah. It is quite possible that they will long for the former miracle whirlpool if they incur double-digit losses in the next elections. It is all the more important that they remember how Kurz failed: across the board.