Re: Austrian fascists

[Gary MacLennan <g.maclennan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Lou,

I think the whole question of nazism and fascism re-entering the political
arena is very significant. We are told daily in the press that there is a
boom in the core economies.  Recently The Brisbane Courier Mail lead its
Business Review section with a claim that 'Australia is now a new
economy'.  What that means I am not clear. But they seem to predict
continued growth of 2-4%.  They call this a 'boom' these days and all is
supposed to be well.  Later in the same week the Courier Mail had an
editorial praising the Prime Minister John Howard for 'catching the
national mood of optimism' in a speech where he virtually declared happy
days were here again.

Meanwhile on the street level there is a numbing despair about being
trapped between Labor and the Conservatives - neither of whom offer any
alternative to Neo-liberalism or economic rationalism as they call it
here.  To add further insult to injury interest rates were put up by half a
per cent to 'head off inflation'.  This was an outright lie because
inflation is less than 2%.

So as I see it the bourgeoisie have never had it so good.  In their
arrogance they are beginning to believe their own propaganda.  Meanwhile
the malcontented grow and neo-fascism raises its head.  The ruling class
will lose little sleep over a revived fascism of course,  Unless it sparks
a counter-mobilization on the Left. With the present leadership of social
democracy and labor this is highly unlikely, however.

The international Jewish community though is an interesting exception to
the complacency in face of a rising fascist tide. Zionism apart one can see
the Jewish people as a 'light unto the nations' in their intransigent
opposition to fascism.

I have been re-reading Walter Benjamin's theses on history and their
continued relevance is striking.  Benjamin put the blame squarely on the
Social Democrats for the rise of nazism and I think he was right then and
one would be also right today to say the same.

regards

Gary


At 04:39  31/01/00 -0500, you wrote:
>January 31, 2000
>
>European Union Threatens to Cut Political Ties With Austria
>
>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
>
>LISBON, Portugal -- The European Union will break off political contacts
>with any future Austrian government that includes the far-right Freedom
>Party, the EU president warned today.
>
>"Governments of 14 member states will not promote or accept any bilateral
>official contacts at political level with an Austrian government" that
>includes the Freedom Party, said a statement issued in Lisbon.
>
>The governments of the other 14 EU states will not back Austrian candidates
>for posts in international organizations. Austrian ambassadors in EU
>capitals also "will only be received at a technical level," said a tough
>statement issued by Portugal, which holds the EU presidency, on behalf of
>the other member states.
>
>The unprecedented statement pledged to politically isolate Austria within
>the EU if a new Austrian government is formed with populist Joerg Haider's
>Freedom Party. The party is in coalition talks with the Austrian People's
>Party following inconclusive elections held in October.
>
>The prospect of Haider influencing Austrian policy has brought fierce
>criticism from EU leaders because of his statements in opposition to EU
>expansion and remarks sympathetic to aspects of the Nazi regime. . .
>
>====
>
>The Jerusalem Post, January 20, 1993, Wednesday
>
>For many people, the question of whether the American government helped
>conceal Kurt Waldheim's involvement in Nazi war crimes is no longer
>important.
>
>The former Austrian president and UN secretary-general is now 74 and out of
>public office.
>
>But at least one man still wants answers.
>
>Robert Herzstein, who teaches history at the University of South Carolina,
>is campaigning to make public official US documents about Waldheim's
>relationship with US government agencies.
>
>Herzstein spoke to jurists, historians and Nazi hunters at a symposium on
>"Policy towards Nazi War Criminals" at Haifa University earlier this month.
>
>The 51-year-old professor said in an interview that Waldheim enjoyed the
>protection of certain US agencies.
>
>Herzstein wants to discover why and to what extent US authorities protected
>him.
>
>He also is trying to determine why they went so far as to falsify
>Waldheim's wartime record, eliminating the fact that he served in the
>German Wehrmacht.
>
>"I can't say that he was an agent of the Central Intelligence Agency, but
>from 1950 to the 1970s he was an asset to the CIA," Herzstein contended. . .
>
>
>
>Louis Proyect
>
>(The Marxism mailing list: http://www.marxmail.org)