SPÖ "aloofness"

Dornauer clearly moves away from Babler in terms of content

Dornauer hopes that Babler's strategy "works".(Bild: APA/EXPA/ERICH SPIESS)

SPÖ leader Andreas Babler is in the process of aligning his party to the left. Not all Social Democrats like this. Following the FSG chairman Josef Muchitsch, Tyrol's SP leader Georg Dornauer has also partially distanced himself from Babler's course in terms of content. 

Dornauer not only supports the asylum cap proposed by Hans Peter Doskozil, head of the Burgenland party, but also goes one step further: "You can even discuss with me whether the asylum cap should not be zero for the coming years in Austria," he said in an interview with the "Standard".

Dornauer wants to move towards the "center"
If Dornauer has his way, the SPÖ should "move towards the pragmatic center, towards the realities of life". Muchitsch had also recently spoken out in favor of correcting the brand profile of his party and the party chairman. Babler has succeeded in retaining the left half of the party, but Muchitsch would like to see a more business-oriented positioning.

Dornauer wants to be tougher than Doskozil when it comes to asylum.(Bild: APA/HELMUT FOHRINGER)

Asked whether it was a mistake for Babler to rule out the current ÖVP as a potential coalition partner, Dornauer says: "The federal party chairman is currently concentrating on programmatic party work internally. I hope his strategy works."

"Aloofness" as an SPÖ problem?
Overall, Dornauer would like to see his party change course: "We have to make sensible policies for sensible people. Ensure progress, but take the people with us." The SPÖ has partially failed to do this over the past two decades "and shown too much aloofness", says Dornauer: "I could start with the gender star debate now ... And very loud voices in the party are currently partly responsible for all of this."

"Being right internally is more important than being right externally," Dornauer emphasized: "Explaining an asterisk debate out there and then getting elected, someone should show me how to do that."

Green criticism of Dornauer
Criticism of the red state party chairman came on Saturday from the Innsbruck Greens, who have to fight a municipal council and mayoral election in April. With the statement that Dornauer could imagine a ban on asylum, he was denigrating human rights "and starting a right-wing overtaking maneuver to overtake not only Doskozil but also the FPÖ on the right", said club chairman Dejan Lukovic.

He also found it "cynical" that Dornauer would not drink a beer with Kickl: "Anyone who implements Kickl's misanthropic policies does not even have to have a small beer with him."