"Krone" comments
Through the year 2025? With gallows humor and hope
One third of Austrians are confident about the year ahead, one third are skeptical and 27 percent are worried. Are they right, the skeptics, the glass-half-empty seers? Seven "Krone" columnists and editor-in-chief Klaus Herrmann dare to look into the economic and political crystal ball.
On the one hand, the past year was bleak enough: war in Ukraine and the Middle East, natural disasters and - in terms of domestic politics and the budget - the black hole. On the other hand, things could get even worse in 2025: What if the war in Ukraine escalates? What if Trump starts a trade war against the EU? While the situation in Germany is serious but not hopeless, the trained Austrian knows that the situation in Austria is hopeless but not serious. So we will get through 2025 with gallows humor.
2024 has demanded a lot from people in this country: it was characterized by crises and wars, declining prosperity and an election whose political aftermath left many disappointed. A year of farewells: Brigitte Bierlein, Hannes Androsch and Josef Taus have left us, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn is about to retire. When things change, uncertainty also grows. But "there is a magic in every beginning", writes Hermann Hesse about new beginnings. With confidence and trust, we give the new year a chance.
There will be no easy way out of the downward spiral, even if politicians like to conceal this truth. If the economy weakens, there is a lack of tax revenue - so there is nothing to distribute. However, this is not the only construction site in the country. For a better future, we now need a lot of foresight beyond the ideological lens. Because neither the left-wing mantra of Robin Hood politics nor the conservative narrative that economic growth solves all problems is the only key to getting the country back on the road to success.
World disorder in 2025 will be determined by the crack of the whip in the White House. This applies to the Ukraine war as well as to the internal restructuring of the USA from a democracy to an oligarchy (rule by the super-rich). Israel has created new conditions in the Middle East, but this does not yet guarantee a peaceful future. With Friedrich Merz, Germany will have a government led by the CDU/CSU, probably with the SPD (without Scholz). It would have the chance to restore stability to Austria's large neighbor.
For a decade, the illiberal left of the West has tried to dictate discussions in all areas of life with its political correctness. A supposedly intellectual elite had hijacked everyday life with its moral claims and made it uncomfortable. The result: the triumph of the illiberal right in parts of Europe and the USA. That's what you call a Pyrrhic victory. With the right-left-center government, the ÖVP, SPÖ and Neos could now become trendsetters of a new reasonableness in Austria. Provided the three parties are smart about it.
If the realization prevails in 2025 that the climate crisis, social problems and the crisis of the business location can only be solved together, that would be real progress for once. This also includes efforts for peace. Instead of investing in armaments, for example, we should invest in education, in the development of sustainable economic sectors, including the necessary retraining, in the restoration of destroyed nature and in preventive climate protection. Prudence and foresight instead of one-eyed vision are needed more than ever in the new year.
"It's the economy, stupid," said Bill Clinton during the 1992 election campaign. If the economy gets better, everyone gets better, even the government. That is the task of the future: To restore confidence in Austria as a business location with measures such as tax cuts and cutting red tape. This is the only way to invest, employ people and build prosperity. The private money is there, it is just not being spent. Cynics make fun of terms such as confidence and optimism in politics. Without spreading this, Austria's comeback will not succeed.
One third of Austrians are confident about the year that begins today, one third are skeptical and 27 percent are worried (the rest are undecided). These are the findings of the IMAS Institute, which has been conducting these surveys since 1972. In a long-term comparison, the result remains "undercooled", but compared to recent years, the mood among Austrians is somewhat more positive.
Of course, there is still plenty of cause for concern and skepticism - just read the expectations of seven of our columnists.
What do children from all over Austria want for 2025? 12-year-old Dominik from Erlauf in Lower Austria hopes "that these wars in the world will finally stop and that we humans will talk to each other more again". Marie-Theres from Eisenstadt (also 12) wishes "that people simply argue less and stick together more instead". Are these naive children's wishes? No, they are justified wishes, even demands!
Just as justified as the demand to our politicians, who must finally understand, take seriously and alleviate the worries and fears of Austrians.
Can this be achieved? "Hope dies last", as the saying goes. But it's true.
Happy New Year's Day, have a good year 2025 with your "Krone"!
This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.
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