Re: Protests in Austria against the rise of Haider

[John Lacny <deathtocapitalism@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

--- Macdonald Stainsby <mstainsby@xxxxxx> wrote:
> It seems to illustrate the naturally racist attitude

> of West Europe against the Easterners attitude (or
at
> least the media) that folks are so worked up about
> Heider, while similar campaigns against "really
> fascists" getting elected in Croatia (Tudjman)

     Tudjman is dead, and his party was soundly
trounced in the last elections by the social-democrats
(ex-communists).  The Western media greeted these
election results with enthusiasm: they'd been quite
dissatisfied with Tudjman the past few years, because
his open historical sympathies for fascism were
embarrassing and because he wouldn't go along with all
of the typical economic measures.  (Does this make him
"anti-imperialist," by the way?)

     Still, while we shouldn't expect much from the
social-democrats in the way of some kind of challenge
to neoliberalism, it's encouraging to see them
elected, because it proves that Tudjman's brand of
neofascism-- while popular when the old bastard was
still alive-- hasn't really taken root in the
population to the extent that some would have had us
believe.  That's especially so since economic
conditions are so poor, with privatizations having
turned over the economy to gangsters in typical "crony
capitalist" fashion: the term seems to fit, by the
way, since the West decided to dump on Tudjman when he
was no longer useful, just as they had given up on
Suharto.  One article in Arkzin, a Croatian dissident
magazine, estimated Tudjman's personal wealth at over
$700,000,000 a few years ago.

     John Lacny
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