A Country in Gloom That Cannot Quite Explain Why

Austria is in a bad mood, and the government’s polling numbers are no better. Inflation, weak economic growth, migration, the war in Ukraine and the broader state of the world have all contributed. But the deeper question is why the gloom has become so pervasive.

The answer, the commentary argues, lies partly in the country’s political past. Austria has become a nation of people dependent on politics, with citizens expecting the state to provide solutions to every problem, especially through repeated benefits. That model has not always worked smoothly. The piece points to the introduction of capital gains tax under Bruno Kreisky in the early 1980s, austerity measures such as the abolition of the birth allowance in 1996, and the 2008 financial crisis. Yet periods of restraint have repeatedly been followed by a cornucopia of promises and election gifts.

The current government is repeating that pattern, the commentary says, promising more supposed benefits than it can deliver. It sharply criticizes Chancellor and Austrian People’s Party leader Christian Stocker for introducing an annual 700 million euro future fund before and during his ORF summer interview, then adding a future savings account for children on television. The author also questions Family Minister Claudia Bauer’s proposal to reserve 500 euros for every newborn.

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We have become a country of addicts, all hanging from the drip of politics and expecting it to solve every problem.

The idea of giving money to newborns is not new, the piece notes. Social Democrats, then still called Socialists, proposed it 50 years ago. More importantly, the money would be tied to establishing the future fund. The commentary asks what would happen if a family could not or did not want to make monthly savings contributions. If the proposal proves impractical, it says, another piece of political credibility will be lost.

The commentary portrays Stocker as potentially suited to lead during a confused period, but says he could regain room to act by declaring that he will not run as the ÖVP’s lead candidate at the next parliamentary election. His reputation has already been damaged by the 2025 coalition drama involving Herbert Kickl. The piece ends by recalling Stocker’s own words during his Austria tour: “I do not have to put myself through this.”

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I do not have to put myself through this.