The duel

“The Green interlude is over in Austria”

(Bild: krone.tv)

In the current political duel, Eva Glawischnig and Andreas Mölzer engaged in their usual heated debate in a review of the year's big issues: For example, about the annual balance sheet of the two Greens Lena Schilling and Leonore Gewessler. Or when looking at the two SPÖ politicians Andreas Babler and Georg Dornauer. Also on the question of how fairly and objectively Alexander van der Bellen is accompanying the current government negotiations. And whether the FPÖ election slogan 'Thy will be done' was fair and correct.  

The discussion began with the current performance of the Greens, about which Eva Glawischnig gave very frank insights: "I think we have to be completely painless: The last elections in Austria were disastrous for the Greens. Kicked out of state governments. Kicked out of the federal government. Halved in Styria. So these are clear signals from the population, yes."

When asked whether the FPÖ is happy about the current poor performance of the Greens, Andreas Mölzer replies: "Yes, I think they are happy about it. It was interesting that trench warfare broke out on the left of the Greens. The fact that Der Standard, of all publications, presented Ms. Schilling caused me to laugh homerically. And now she's disappeared into the Brussels swamp anyway."

Glawischnig added: "The optics are not pretty. You have a young woman who talks about such love affairs. That's not normally a problem for a twenty-year-old. But if you then become a top candidate, that's more the responsibility of Werner Kogler. Werner Kogler was certainly responsible for all these decisions. He is responsible for the top candidate for the European elections. And also the question of his successor, how this will continue. He is already the central figure in the fate of the Greens."

Green interlude over? 
 Mölzer, surprised: "Well, that doesn't sound very positive." Glawischnig, conceding: "It's critical. Yes, of course he made mistakes. Holding on to Lena Schilling for so long." Mölzer, arguing in Schilling's direction: "If you brag about the love affairs you have and so on. That's all understandable from a human point of view, but it's somehow politically bad. And it came across as stupid." Glawischnig, adding: "Yes, and it's also a bit unsympathetic. And it really kicked off the Greens' departure and this difficult phase, so to speak." Now the Greens have fallen out of many positions and have little room for maneuver. Mölzer: "You could say that the Green interlude is over in Austria."  

(Bild: krone.tv)

Everything went wrong with Babler
But the SPÖ also had two polarizing personalities in Andreas Babler and Georg Dornauer, who would have helped shape 2024. Glawischnig: "Babler tried very hard, sweated during his speeches and tried to bring in his program. And then from the side (meaning Georg Dornauer, note) come such ricochets as a hunting shot. And then also contacts with billionaires. That is not at all appropriate for social democracy. So everything that can go wrong has gone wrong for Babler." Mölzer, smiling: "Mr. Dornauer, that's the Zillertaler Schürzenjäger. I'm not so sure that's so unpopular in Tyrol."