Thoughts on Austria

Day 1,023, 06:17 • Published in Austria Austria • by Rangeley


For eleven months, the same general philosophy was used when establishing governments of Austria. Active members of the community would be reached out to and included into the government. This wasn't so much about building political coalitions, as political support was not a pre-requisite. How could it be if some people were included in several proposed cabinets? It wasn't about putting your opponent as your vice president, which happened very rarely. It was, instead, about recognizing the contributions of others in Austria. It was about building faith that you didn't plan to just push through an agenda without the community behind you. And it was about recognizing that no one person, party, or group, has all the answers.

But this practice - a genuine rarity in small nations who are often very polarized - showed brightest during perhaps our darkest hour, in a way we could not have planned for. The strength of the community - which stretched well beyond party or particular political views - enabled us a sense of continuity when taken over by two successive forces, first Hedera's presidential TO and later the Croatian congressional TO. Community leaders, with an almost surprising degree of legitimacy, were able to rally Austria, and form shadow governments that were quickly accepted both at home and abroad. The duties of the government were continued, and the takeovers failed to lead to a large displacement of people who had lost hope. That doesn't happen often. Neither does success against a takeover force - and Austria drew the attention of quite a few observers as being a rare case when a small nation managed to pull it off.

Who is in the community?

While the community of eAustria stretched beyond political views and groups, it also stretched beyond the real life location in which people live. Indeed - one shortcoming of recent government criticism is that there are Hungarians in the community, and Fragreg is the perfect example. There's no form you have to fill out to be in the community - there is no one person you have to be friends with to be in it either. Membership is, by and large, a decision made by individuals to participate. This can be in our IRC channels, it can be in our media. Membership comes to those who put themselves out there, make themselves known. And in so doing, they contribute to the life of eAustria.

Not only is Fragreg a trusted member of the community - he is a former president whose term was accepted by nearly everyone as legitimate. Clearly, the issue is not that Kikericsy is a Hungarian.

The Difference

Not only is Kikericsy an unknown to the vast majority of eAustrians - he posted one article in Austria over five months ago - but much of his cabinet is similarly unknown. He was supported by a political coalition, with a few exceptions, that consisted entirely of people who, while their contributions to the military operations of Austria cannot be disputed, have largely never participated in public affairs - never posted articles, never met others on IRC. Raising other issues, this political coalition also almost entirely consists of people who have come in recent months under the guise of fighting the Croatian takeover, from eHungary.

That they would then turn around and push through such a largely unknown candidate, when we have placed such a large importance (and rightly so) on having people earn our trust before being given the keys to the highest office of Austria, of course has caused great concern. Dismissing the opposition as the "same old same old," which certain members of the government have tried to do, is a gross misinterpretation of the situation.

Austria Threatened

While talk of foreign policy often is the centerpiece of what is important to Austria, the truth, as discussed above, is that it has been our emphasis on a greater community that has pulled us through the toughest of times. For the first time since early 2009, when Austria was put back on the map through a resistance war, we have a government led by an individual who is not a member of the community of eAustria. Not through exclusion - but through his own choice to not participate.

It raises a very dangerous prospect in my mind. With a steady and undeniable increase of citizens coming from Kikericsy's army group - including many who were approved on election day itself - it is possible that this group could become so large that the community of eAustria - the public world here where people can rise to prominence by making a name for themselves and playing a political game - will be displaced. The biggest safeguard against malicious takeovers - against the typical dangers of invasion - would be destroyed. Our country would be left vulnerable, and dependent on one exclusive military group to hold off all others.

This is something everyone who supports Kikericsy must consider. Whether you want to define this - a military group that grows so large it can win elections on its own - as a takeover (certainly it cannot be compared to the blatent harmful intent showed by the Croatians) is up to you, but personally I don't think the name matters. What matters is an honest recognition of what is happening.

And what matters more is a recognition of what to do next.

From Here

It may only be several days into the presidency of Kikericsy, but it has become more than clear that a dire mistake has been made which can never be repeated. We have taken a hit internationally, where person after person has asked me about the "takeover of Austria" and I am left to say, over and over, "it's not a takeover, its just bad politics." And bad politics this most certainly is, as the home front media can attest - no president, not even Hedera, has earned such ire from the community of Austria. Even he recognized you had to be active in the community to earn peoples trust, and reach out to other active people to form a government.

An Austria led by a secretive military group is not an Austria I want to be a part of. It's not an Austria most people want to be a part of. To those who oppose Kikericsy, please stop attacking the government because of where they are from. Focus on the real problem, and articulating it. Focus on the great danger Austria has been placed in.

To those who support him, please recognize the arrogance of pushing through an unknown candidate to the vast majority of Austria, and then acting with shock and dismissal when people object. Recognize that while some things do need changing, the fact Austria has had a strong community of active people is one of the few things going for it. If you want to start a political revival, become active in politics -first-, not after you have pushed an unknown through to the -presidency-. Look for candidates who are known that you can support, and support them. Surely this can be done, as it was done before. Trust -must- be earned, it can never be merely expected.

And to all of Austria, we must never again repeat this mistake. We must not undo what is in fact our greatest collective achievement that, through all else, has endured. We should not destroy the bulwark that saved our nation and leave us vulnerable to future threats. We must learn from this mistake, and do better next time. This month, though just beginning, has been more than enough.