“There was no more room for Karl Nehammer,” said Babler, and instead it was a “pure party match” in the ÖVP. “There was simply no longer any negotiating mandate, there simply wasn’t the will,” says the SPÖ leader in a PULS 24 interview with information director Corinna Milborn.
According to Babler, there were no such internal party “games” in the SPÖ; instead, they were “the most stable force”. Babler rejects accusations from NEOS and the ÖVP that the Social Democrats had already withdrawn agreed decisions. That is “a blatant lie.”
For example, the much-discussed wealth taxes were always on the table, but the SPÖ also presented “alternative models”. Counter-proposals from the NEOS and ÖVP to save money would have been too much at the expense of consumers, said Babler on PULS 24. Again he emphasized the – according to him – the real problem: However, it was felt that “there are no longer any negotiations going on”.
Despite all the frustration, Babler praises the negotiations on the SPÖ side, saying they spoke “with one voice”. The committees also acted unanimously. Babler brushes off cross-shots, such as those that promptly came from Burgenland’s Governor Hans Peter Doskozil after the negotiations failed, as “individual voices”. They don’t have “a lot of backing.”
Babler thinks the fact that Doskozil calls for more “self-reflection” is good, but it should also apply in view of “how helpful it is when you get cross shots every now and then” and “constantly only demand reflection from others.” The SPÖ now definitely wants to fulfill its opposition role “with passion,” explains Babler.
The entire interview is available online at puls24.at and JOYN.
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