Reinhold Einwallner: – “Don’t think we won’t vote until 2024”

„Krone“: How sad is it to be a social democrat these days?
Reinhold Eiwallner: It’s not sad at all. In Vienna we are the driving force – even though we are in the opposition. For example, we were already working on the subject of inflation in October last year. The situation surrounding the federal government, which is sliding from one scandal to another, is rather sad – even though Austria would need a good government given the many crises.

Without new elections, however, there will be no SPÖ participation.
That should only be a matter of time. I no longer believe we won’t vote until 2024, although it would do Austria good to experience a full legislature. But if I look at the discussions within the ÖVP in recent days and weeks, the coalition is not holding up. And at some point, the Greens will also realize that they used to have values.

Why do you think cooperation between the VP and the Greens is failing?
A point has been reached where the government does nothing anymore. The much-vaunted “best of both worlds” has not been implemented at all, on the contrary. However, people expect that they will not be left out in the cold in times of crisis.

Is the ÖVP too busy with itself and various scandals?
Not only. It is also due to the Greens that government work is not running smoothly. They do everything they can to stay in power. Every change of chancellor and minister was acknowledged with a silent nod. For me, the Greens are a big disappointment. They had raised the issues of anti-corruption, transparency and control. But where are these topics now?

Your colleague Nina Tomaselli from the National Council of Vorarlberg is committed to these issues as a Vegetable.
Nina Tomaselli and the Green Team are making a very good contribution to the clarification in the ÖVP’s Corruption Commission of Inquiry. Yet the Green Parliamentary Club of the ÖVP holds out.

Vorarlberg has also benefited from the changes at the top of the government. How do you rate the work of the two ministers?
With health and social affairs, Johannes Rauch has taken on a very difficult department. Unfortunately, in crisis management – be it a pandemic or social inequality – you hardly notice Johannes Rauch’s skills. I expected a lot more, especially socially.

Namely?
He does not come up with suggestions or answers when it comes to how to deal with inflation in a socially acceptable way. There are those government anti-inflation packages that will come into effect at some point, but immediate action is needed. On the other hand, I miss the promised clarity in pandemic management. You could see how “good” that works when the quarantine ended.

Wasn’t that also a brave decision?
We need ministers who value expert opinion. I don’t think ignoring recommendations is brave, but unreasonable. I agree with my group chairman, who criticized the point over time sharply.

Are you happier with Secretary Magnus Brunner’s work?
He takes advantage of the many ÖVP scandals and tries to sell his party announcements as best he can. This sometimes works very well. The problem, however, is that no one feels anything at the announced relief. This energy voucher has become a real bureaucracy monster. Some are still on this hotline, others are slipping through their fingers. That’s bad management. Just doing a little communication marketing is not enough.

Your personal highlight in Parliament?
First, the discovery of the Cobra affair involving Chancellor Nehammer. That irritated the ÖVP of course and I had to listen to some less nice words. Then I knew I was right. Another intense time was certainly the youth committee week with the Vorarlberg team. I went to the team and questioned the governor.

They asked the much-discussed question about advertising recruiting and got two different answers. How did you experience the scene?
For me, the crucial question was and is whether the provincial governor was involved in advertising. That’s what I wanted to know then. The tension was high on both sides, it was not an everyday situation. Markus Wallner first said he couldn’t remember, then tried to explain what he meant. It remains to be seen to what extent he was involved.

Apparently you’re not happy with the subcommittee’s results so far, aren’t you?
There will be a second research day in September, in which I hope Mr. Kessler will also participate. What really bothers me about the whole story is the behavior of all ÖVP players. They act as if they only heard the story through the media and never had anything to do with the Wirtschaftsbund. Earning and using ad revenue has been going on for decades. Everyone knew the system. That is not possible with the Minister of Finance, not with the governor and not with other political actors.

What annoys you about it?
One is the issue of possible illegal party funding. Were these ads used to circumvent the transparency of party donations? There are indications that this route was chosen in order not to report amounts to the Court of Audit, as stipulated in the Party Transparency Act. That was apparently part of the Kurz system. It is not a criminal offense to circumvent this law, but it is a criminal offence. Not to mention unpaid taxes.

Last question: what do you do during the parliamentary holiday?
The past few weeks I have been in my shop in Bregenz a lot. Then there is a bike ride from Garmisch to Lake Garda. My partner and I ride the e-mountain bike – because it’s five days with 1500 meters of elevation gain and 100 kilometers each. I hope for good weather, especially on the Reschen and Fernpasses. Honestly, I’m a fair-weather cyclist.