The mayor of Vienna, Michael Ludwig, has had the toughest week of his term in office because of the Wien Energy Crisis. Little is left of his image as a crisis manager.
“Panta Rhei. Everything flows – also power”, says Michael Ludwig as one of his wisdoms. He gained this insight in 1989 when the Berlin Wall fell, which he experienced firsthand as a student. Since then, the red mayor of Vienna has known how quickly power relations can change.”The border guards who were seen as threatening a few hours earlier were suddenly ridiculous.”
The Viennese SPÖ is far from crumbling, but it is the worst crisis in years. The self-image with which Ludwig justifies the mechanisms of power-enforcement – such as the secret release of billions for Wien Energie – is astonishing.
The GB would be mad at Michael Ludwig
Even if SPÖ superpowers move to defend the Viennese city council – there is a crack in the woodwork within the party. Above all, the ÖGB should be extremely angry. Just hours before Wien Energie’s multi-billion dollar needs turned virulent, the union presented its model of excess profit tax.
The levy is intended to flush two billion euros into the budget. Nobody in the red ranks is talking about excess profits at energy companies, but about protective shields. Just three days later, the federal government granted two billion as a line of credit to the city of Vienna. The timing – a fiasco for the union. ÖGB President Wolfgang Katzian felt compelled to send an email that he had no idea.
Image Values Flow
“Panta rhei – everything flows.” Also the image values. During the corona pandemic, the Viennese mayor enjoyed a high reputation nationwide, even behind the Semmering, where a Viennese mayor can hardly collect sympathy points. Within a few days he gambled the picture.
A blunder with far-reaching consequences that may only become visible in two years. Within the SPÖ, Ludwig was considered a supporter of the grand coalition at the federal level. Is he still? For four days, Ludwig felt addressed by the ÖVP because Wien Energie’s financing needs became public. And one thing you should know: Ludwig will not soon forget that.
Not the only construction site in Vienna
The cause of Wien Energie is not the only construction site in Vienna. There is a shortage of teachers in primary schools. The staff shortage in the Vienna hospitals. The Greens have also annoyed Ludwig. First when he fired her as coalition partner. And ever since Leonore Gewessler canceled the Lobau tunnel, it’s been an ice age. The NEOS are also “eaten”. Not rosy times for Ludwig, but he was always good for surprises.
Source: Krone
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