LH Drexler's speech

Youth violence: “Don’t go back to business as usual!”

(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

Governor Christopher Drexler rang in the election year with his large-scale "Styria speech" on the eve of St. Joseph's Day, the Styrian national holiday. He was clear on juvenile delinquency, bureaucracy and the meritocracy principle.

Former ÖVP provincial governors and ministers, provincial councillors, grandees from business, science and culture, and an inveterate butcher as a "whipper-in": for his "Styria Speech" on the eve of St. Joseph's Day, Christopher Drexler brought together everyone who is anyone in our province in the auditorium of the Old University in Graz. Like Chancellor Karl Nehammer with his "Austria Plan", the Styrian governor hits the black election campaign cornerstones with his one-hour "briefing". And in terms of content, he tries to steal a march on both the FPÖ and the KPÖ: a little bit right, a little bit left, the best of both worlds, so to speak. Or as the ÖVP puts it: We are the center!

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The current mood in the country is gloomy, says Drexler, there is pessimism, "too much pessimism": "The primary task of politics is to recognize such developments and understand fears." In this context, the state leader vehemently condemns the unbelievable acts of violence of recent weeks, the rape of children by young people with a migration background: "We have seen that the response of our legal system has been to let most of the alleged perpetrators go free. Is that the right approach? And is that the approach we want as a liberal, enlightened society?" 

"The legal system needs to change"
According to the Styrian ÖVP chairman, we should not go back to business as usual, who suggests lowering the age of criminal responsibility - following the example of Switzerland, where it starts at the age of ten. "There is no question in my mind that our legal system needs to be changed!" To this end, the head of the state will convene an expert summit after Easter.

There needs to be a reversal in the trend towards extremism and violence - especially among the youngest.

Christopher Drexler

Drexler, his forehead now furrowed with anger and worry, also talks about the regulatory frenzy in the country. Too much bureaucracy, too much regulation, too much paternalism are damaging businesses. We need to take a step back here: "I therefore want every law, every regulation and every rule to be put to the test." Approving nods from the business representatives, lots of applause. The same applies to the topic of climate protection, where the Black Minister calls for a sense of proportion. Measures must be implemented consistently, but common sense must also prevail: "We will not save the world's climate in Styria."

Christopher Drexler during his speech in Styria

(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

Is Drexler only talking about affordable housing because the KPÖ is on the rise? No, say his advisors, it would have been on the ÖVP's agenda anyway. Well, the state leader promises to "turn the cogs to make property and rents more affordable again". Another "housing package" will be presented before the summer.