-Caveat Lector- Euphorian spotted this on the Guardian Unlimited site and thought you should see it.
To see this story with its related links on the Guardian Unlimited site, go to http://www.guardian.co.uk Far right wrecks Austrian government Fresh fears of extremism as Haider makes a comeback Kate Connolly Monday September 09 2002 The Guardian The Austrian coalition government was in tatters last night after the resignation of three key cabinet ministers and members of the populist rightwing Freedom party, including its leader. The collapse was widely believed to have been engineered by the FPO's firebrand and far-right de facto leader, Jörg Haider, the man who earned Austria its pariah status three years ago when he led his party into government. The European Union slapped sanctions on the country as a punishment for allowing the far-right, anti-immigrant party into power and the country suffered months of international isolation as a result. Last night the vice-chancellor and FPO leader, Susanne Riess-Passer, announced her resignation along with the finance minister, Karl-Heinz Grasser, and the leader of the parliamentary faction, Peter Westenthaler, following a dramatic and drawn-out internal party leadership battle. Political commentators were last night unanimous in their belief that the collapse of the FPO's leadership would pave the way for Mr Haider - who handed over the reins of power to Ms Riess-Passer almost two and a half years ago - to reinvent the party as an extreme right bloc. The government of the conservative People's party (OVP) under the chancellor, Wolfgang Schüssel, and the rightwing FPO coalition is expected to wind up its work within the next 10 days with new elections expected to be held as early as November. Loyalists of Mr Haider have recently been holding discussions with far-right parties across Europe about the possibility of establishing a pan-European far-right bloc. Particular interest has been shown by the Vlaams Blok in Belgium and the Liga Nord in Italy. Yesterday's drama followed months of FPO infighting over party leadership and increasing disquiet within the party's far-right ranks that the FPO has become too moderate in power under Ms Riess-Passer. The arguments came to a head in very public debacles over a recent government proposal to reform the tax system. Tax cuts due for next year were deemed unaffordable due to the huge damage caused by the recent record floods. Mr Haider expressed his anger at the decision, announcing his resignation from national politics last week in protest. But on Saturday about 400 FPO delegates and loyalists of Mr Haider led by the far-right former parliamentary speaker Ewald Stadler announced that they would rebel against the government. Mr Haider, who had earlier agreed to try to reach a compromise, joined his loyalists. Mr Stadler is the man behind Mr Haider's attempts to forge links with other far-right parties, and has also been pivotal in paving the way for the populist to visit Baghdad in recent months where he has met Sadaam Hussein. Last night Ms Riess-Passer said the dispute had greatly hindered the work of both the party and government. "These intra-party disagree ments have crippled the party and have seriously hurt the trust of the voters," she said last night. "It's my view that this is the only honest way to go." The OVP and FPO coalition came into power in February 2000 amid much controversy. Mr Haider, governor of the southern province of Carinthia, has faced international condemnation for praising Hitler's employment policies and hailing SS veterans as "men of honour". He took over the FPO in 1985, turning it from a liberal group into an anti-immigrant, far-right party. The FPO began its life in the 1950s as a party for former members of National Socialists or Nazis. Mr Haider handed over the party leadership to Ms Riesse Passer in May 2000 and vowed to retreat to the mountains of Carinthia after it became clear that his pariah status would hamper the government's work. But he has remained an influential figure in deciding party and government policy. Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
