Some names in Bubbler’s shadow cabinet are raising eyebrows at the moment. This already applies to the most prominent name in it, media manager Gerhard Zeiler. The fact that a former director of ORF is to become Finance Minister has some people shaking their heads, others smiling.
A few years ago, the Social Democratic media manager wrote of his anger about SPÖ staff: “We need politicians who are role models,” he explained in his book “Passionately Red”, which was published in 2019. It is about “role models in the spirit of the Greek philosopher Plato, who wrote in his work ‘Politeia’ that only the most honest, virtuous and intelligent people, who have proven the strength of their character over a long period of time, should be allowed to rule. “The work should be assigned.” In the case of Austrian Social Democracy, this “can no longer be said for the last two decades”.
Apparently Zeiler did not take Karl Popper and his sharp criticism of Plato to heart: Plato’s State is completely undemocratic and authoritarian. His reference to the ancient thinker raised eyebrows even at the time. Four years later, it may at least be clear who Zeiler was thinking about with his description: himself. According to the SPÖ paper leaked from the SORA institute, Zeiler is said to be part of Bübler’s shadow cabinet – an “influential team”.
However, it is currently causing more amusement. SORA, as a purportedly independent opinion research institute, had previously speculated for ORF. The fact that, according to the institute, a former ORF boss is now about to take over the central office of the finance minister is amusing on X (formerly Twitter).
However, those who continue to remain silent about all this are SPO Burgenland. Zeiler attacked Burgenland Governor Hans Peter Doskozil several times last year, and in an unusually harsh manner. “Doskozil is not a social democrat,” Zeiler said in December 2022. Burgenlander is going to “where the FPO is really at home.” Zieler says, Doskozil should do it and he will not do it there. Before the vote at the extraordinary SPO party conference, Zeiler explains: If there is a SPO leader Doskozil, he will no longer vote red – for the first time in his life.
Everyone can make up their own mind about how such a shadow cabinet would affect relations between Vienna and Eisenstadt.
Vienna State Parliament member Marina Hanke (SPO) should be Education Minister. She is also chairwoman of the Vienna SPO Women (and is not related to Peter Hanke, city councilor for finance). After studying for several years, Henke has a bachelor’s degree in political science; She completed gender studies without any degree. This is not much for an education minister. She could not get along with the current and previous education ministers: both are university professors.
Marina Hanke was also sharply criticized in 2019 by Vienna NEOS, which was in the opposition at the time. Criticizing Vienna’s NEOS boss Christoph Wiederkehr, Vienna’s current deputy mayor, the “Hanke affair” shows how “red officials enrich themselves”. “Red politicians are giving themselves money,” he complained in a video.
Marina Henke sat on the education committee, which provided generous funding to the clubs to which Henke herself belonged. For example, 9,000 euros went to the association “Supporters of the Vienna Fashion School”, where Hanke was president. “She requests money from the committee she sits on, which releases the money. This is a classic example of inconsistency, and this is not an isolated case,” says Wiederkehr. 417,750 euros went to “Save the Child”, more than seven million euros – specifically 7,387,500 euros – went to VienXtra, and 16 million More than 10,000 euros (16,078,079 euros) went to Vienna youth centres. Hanke was also represented in all clubs. “It cannot be that politicians give money to themselves and their clubs.”
It will be interesting to see – or not – which institutions will receive subsidies from Education Minister Hanke.
Erich Feininger takes care of social issues at Babbler. Well, this is the next personnel decision that raises many questions. The head of the Volkshilfe has been active as an asylum activist several times in recent years and has appeared as a speaker at several protests. On November 14, 2015, at the height of the refugee crisis, he appeared at the “Leave the borders open – not fences, walls and fortresses Europe” demonstration in front of the Ministry of the Interior.
The fact that Austrian politics slowly but surely gave up and slowed down the flow of migrants was sharply criticized by left-wing pro-asylum NGOs.
