“Realistic” – inflation brake: the confused red dream

Masterplan sounds masterful. But this is only the way in which the SPÖ’s current plan to fight inflation is being interpreted to a limited extent. Boss Andreas Babler wants to enshrine ‘affordable living’ in the constitution. The price increase for basic goods may not exceed two percent. The state must compensate even more. The unionized Momentum Institute finds Babler’s idea interesting. “Austria actually still has some catching up to do when it comes to the affordability of basic needs.” You could counter this by means of legally regulated price ceilings.

There is also criticism from our own ranks
Rejection prevails. “What comes next is the right to universal happiness,” says constitutional professor Bernd Christian Funk sarcastically. It’s pure symbolism. The Constitution should not be burdened with something like this, and that would be a heavy burden. “It opened fronts for everyone, including legal disputes.”

“People aren’t that stupid.”
Wifo politely points out that this is a purely political debate. The ÖVP believes that the SPÖ wants to divert attention from internal problems. NEOS business spokesman Gerald Loacker is “stunned” by the Reds’ move. The money that the ÖVP demanded in the constitution was already absurd, “but the SPÖ proposal goes way beyond that. Pure populism with no prospect of implementation. People are not so stupid that they don’t see that.”

The SPÖ’s (formerly Twitter) X topic (see above) was even criticized by the SPÖ. Respected economist Max Kothbauer, former vice president of the National Bank and head of Franz Vranitzky’s cabinet, wrote: “Oh dear, that can’t go well. Don’t make it so difficult for us old comrades. Many of us understand economics. We like to talk.”