Comments on: 729 – The Witch Is Dead

By: Thomas

Thomas — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 13:32:00 +0000

Yes, the damage is certainly done. Not only by Haider but - as you already pointed out - by a whole crowd of equally opportunistic and populistic politicans. But there might be one reason to think that his death could change things for good: he certainly won't contribute more to the erosion of political culture.

Sorry, I don't want to sound harsh. But the guy had an alcohol level of nearly 2 promilles and was speeding heavily! Laws of biology, of physics? Nah, not for me! He was asking for it. Sorry.

Now it really starts worrying me that his death seems to be starting to be cloaked in conspiracy theories and even takes on forms of mass hysteria. Jörg Haider as a martyr... Brr. Scary thought.

Or is that a false impression from a couple of thousand kilometers away?

By: Andreas

Andreas — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 22:11:00 +0000

As I said, there is not much reason to think that his death (which, btw, I never wished upon him) could change anything for good. The damage is done, political culture has changed, and I think that those kinds of political behavior that were unknown to Austria before him, will stay. He has shown that it is possible to defy the constitution, to negate the supreme court, to agitate the stupid against the weak – and to come away with it. This is his legacy and it will stay with us for a long time.

And it’s not only Austria. Silvio Berlusconi is a populist, in a way Nicolas Sarkozy is, Ronald Reagan was, George Bush certainly is, and so is Vladimir Putin, to name only the most prominent. It has become very fashionable to present simple, enticing and wrong solutions for the challenges of our complex old world.

By: ramin

ramin — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 06:33:00 +0000

I noticed his death over the weekend in Finnish news as well. It's quite telling of his impact on European politics that his death was noted in multiple medias very quickly.

I then started to wait for your reaction to the news, since your dislike of his politics was quite apparent. I, for one, am glad that at least one charismatic right-wing politician is out of the game.

On the pictures, they're an interesting choice. I'd first think a gloomier fog shot would be more fitting for a post about death. But in this case I don't think you want to convey sadness etc. so much as a certain sense of hope and optimism that the sun brings to the colors. Very fitting.