Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler spoke on Monday night’s ORF “Summer Talk” about the “Patient Planet” as well as inflation and climate policy. “We have made more progress than governments combined in the last 30 years. More needs to be done. It is absurd that we hand out powder and plasters when the planet gets a fever, as in the case of the current storm,” the Green leader stressed.
Moderator Susanne Schnabl met Kogler in parliament. ORF “Summer Talks”, part 2. Kogler holds the record for parliamentary speeches. The longest lasted almost 13 hours. Of course he was not allowed to give lectures at the ORF for that long. However, it wasn’t always easy for Ms. Schnabl to capture the powerful voice.
“Normal” and “Prefascist”
First, Kogler defended himself on the subject of the “normal” and “pre-fascistoid” debate. Kogler chose the second word in response to Lower Austrian governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner’s classification of “normal people”. He’s standing by. “What bothered me is the division into normal and abnormal. I am very sensitive to that. A language can also create reality. That’s how it started in Italy in the 1920s. It’s about warnings where this can lead.”
“Purchasing power is higher in Austria than anywhere else”
Of course, the main point was inflation: although inflation is falling, it is still at the top of an EU comparison. “As a last resort, we can intervene in the prices of basic foodstuffs.” Nevertheless, he sticks to the government’s strategy, which includes additional pension increases in addition to direct benefits and valorization of social benefits. Purchasing power is also higher in Austria than anywhere else.
Kogler warns against bank bashing
The last third of the abolished cold progression is to support those in need. The unpopularity of the government is due to the times of crisis. “That creates fears, which in turn cause a loss of confidence,” says Kogler, who does not rule out a too high profit tax for banks. “But we have to watch out for bank bashing. We need a stable system.”
Climate law missed? “We have made more progress than governments combined in the last 30 years. More needs to be done. It is absurd that we hand out powders and plasters when the planet is feverish, as with the current storms.”
Austria is also European concreting champion. That annoys the Greens. He argues for quick counter-strategies here. Photovoltaic systems are mandatory for every new supermarket. And subsidies for those states that are against construction. Kogler certainly wants to run again as a top candidate in the next election.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
