From young to old

Vienna SPÖ presents “generation package”

Ludwig, Anderl and Taucher greeting guests in the foyer of the St. Martins Therme in Burgenland.

(Bild: Zwefo)

From babies to the elderly, they should all benefit from the Vienna SPÖ's new plans. Promises the SPÖ. At their retreat in Burgenland, the comrades presented new projects worth millions. And demonstrative unity.

When the Viennese SPÖ invites people to a retreat in Burgenland, such images are not surprising: spa guests in bathrobes, announcements for the "Zugvögel-Balz" and Austro-Hungarian white donkeys. Because the Vienna SPÖ now traditionally meets at the St. Martins Therme in Frauenkirchen in Burgenland. Who was there? First and foremost Vienna's mayor Michael Ludwig, club leader Josef Taucher, AK president Renate Anderl - and for the first time the new party leader Andreas Babler. Who wasn't there? Also traditional: Hans Peter Doskozil.

Where other impressions are also part of the backdrop to the club conference: Guests in bathrobes, for example, or this information about the great bustard.

(Bild: Zwefo)

The speeches were what you would expect in a super election year: Election advertising. Mayor Ludwig criticized the federal government above all for the measures taken against inflation or the lack thereof. Ludwig: "In terms of inflation, only two countries are worse than Austria."

Babler summed up: "The current government is finished." And he once again warned against the FPÖ, especially its leader Herbert Kickl, of whom he is apparently even plagued by a form of mortal fear (see link below).

Babler in election campaign mode - Comrade presses the new generation into the SPÖ leader's hand for a photo.

(Bild: Zwefo)

The new projects for Vienna were then presented. A kind of "generational package", according to club leader Taucher. The most important points:

• New apprenticeship training: there will be a new "central, common basic training for all apprentices" - with teaching of skills also around new technologies such as AI. The quality of those responsible for training is to be raised.

• According to Ludwig, "a symbol set in stone" will be "the new central vocational school that we are building in Seestadt Aspern by 2028." One of the most modern educational establishments in Austria.

• The Vienna Youth College, where refugees or persons entitled to asylum are to be prepared for the job market, will be expanded. Ludwig: "We want to create 3,000 new training places for 18 to 25-year-olds and another 1,000 places for those aged 25 and over." 43 million has been earmarked for this.
• Youth Foundation - the "Ferrari of youth training". Here, higher-qualifying steps are taken for initial or secondary education. Costs: 15 million euros.

New builds and relocations: What is changing in houses to live in 
At the retreat in Burgenland, the responsible city councillor Peter Hacker (SPÖ) also presented a completely new concept for the "Häuser zum Leben". The "Krone" knows what will change by 2030:

• Because those affected will be moving in later, but will then have a greater need for care, there will be large-scale conversions at the locations in order to create additional care places.

Responsible for home strategy: Peter Hacker.

(Bild: Zwefo)

• In a first step, the Haidehof and Maria Jacobi homes will be completely rebuilt. This will also involve relocating residents from the existing Jacobi site to the completed Haidehof - and then back again.

• Work on the Haidehof site will begin in 2024 and should be completed in 2028. Maria Jacobi will then celebrate its reopening in 2030.

• Six other locations will be modernized

• This strategy should result in 450 additional care places by 2030.

Taucher even gendered Frauenkirchen
 Club boss Josef Taucher caused a smile or two in his speech - he even gendered the venue: "Thank you for always making Frauenkirchen such a good host and hostess." What was going on there? Did the woman in Frauenkirchen confuse him? When asked about this, Taucher took his slip of the tongue with humor: "Next time, we'll simply hold the retreat in men's churches."

What Ludwig says about his own pension
 The retreat is traditionally also about the future of Vienna's older residents. During Mayor Michael Ludwig's speech about the generation of pensioners, the 62-year-old city leader pauses for a moment. Speaking about his own retirement, he explains to the curious comrades: "I'm staying on. There are many young, capable people in the party, but we'll be doing this for a while yet."

Election defeat for Petra Bayr
Five votes were missing from the debacle at the SPÖ-Favoriten district conference. Out of 200 delegates, only 104 (54.5%) voted for parliamentarian Petra Bayr as the top candidate for the NR election. A consequence of the allotment garden affair. 

Parliamentarian Petra Bayr lost her smile.

(Bild: Parlamentsdirektion/Ulrike Wieser)

Allotment garden emperor Nevrivy wants to smile away the accusations at the closed meeting
 Ernst Nevrivy smiled his way through the closed meeting as if nothing had happened, as if the public prosecutor's office was not investigating him in the allotment garden affair. When the district heads were named during the introductions before the speeches, the man from Donaustadt clapped particularly loudly.

District leader Ernst Nevrivy (SPÖ).

(Bild: Reinhard Holl, Georg Hochmuth, Krone KREATIV)

The allotment gardens are also THE topic for the comrades during coffee and smoke breaks. Club leader Taucher is asked about the issue at the press conference. His answer: "I have complete faith in the judiciary and the law in Austria. And I also know that Nevrivy acted correctly."

As reported, SPÖ provincial party secretary Barbara Novak has also come to this conclusion in an initial internal investigation. What the public prosecutor's office thinks of these SPÖ acquittals remains to be seen.

Wednesday at the thermal baths: to be continued.