Erstellt am: 29. 1. 2010 - 17:53 Uhr
Black and blue – oranges and eggs (or were they tomatoes?)
FM4 Schwerpunkt: "10 Jahre Schwarz-Blau"
If journalists write the first rough draft of history, as reporter/historian Timothy Garton Ash claims, the emphasis has to fall squarely on rough. In trying to reconstruct the events of early 2000, when Wolfgang Schüssel took the Freedom Party into government, I thought my memory would serve me well. It hasn’t. In fact the only solid fact I can recall without recourse to notes and texts is the distance a reporter needs to stand back from the front line of demonstrators in order to avoid the oranges, eggs and tomatoes being hurled towards the target of their anger. And even that requires a subjective estimate of the throwing power of the protester.
APA/ROLAND SCHLAGER
So to try and assemble the facts or at least the sequence of events and names of key players into some sort of order I’ve turned back to my written words from the time and been surprised by how much I have forgotten. And astonished by how “big” the story was. Here are a few lines from Feb. 1st 2000.
“A huge pack of international and local media then heard a grim faced Viktor Klima say that he had probably conducted his last Cabinet meeting as Chancellor. He went on to say the European Union was not against Austrians and Austria but against a coalition government that included a certain party and its style of politics..”
It reminds me that Viktor Klima was such an important figure at the time but now we can barely recall his name or his role. It also reminds me that there were many “grim” faces and perhaps the grimmest was that of the then president Thomas Klestil. Another clip from the same day…
“President Klestil will receive the coalition proposal from the ÖVP and FPÖ within twenty-four hours. Then comes the decision - a government that will send Austria into isolation - or some other direction not yet clear”.
APA/Schneider Harald
Well it soon became clear, and those of us covering it for FM4 and other outlets were completely immersed in every detail of this political drama which was making headlines around the world. Another report recalls what a tough fighter Thomas Klestil was and how hard he tried to avoid the black-blue coalition.
“President Klestil's speech to the (European) Parliament eventually drew a round of applause. But with France and Belgium still vocal critics of the government and France taking over the European Union Presidency on the first of July, his efforts are unlikely to bring an early end to Austria's isolation”.
And now, ten years later, how clear are we about the facts and the importance of them? Did those of us trying to explain it get it right? Or as near to right as circumstances allowed? Hard to say, but here’s how some of us remember it - listen to Reality Check Special on Saturday or get the Podcast after the show.
- Reality Check Special
Saturday, 30th of January, 12-13
Kerry Skyring debates the significance of the black-blue coalition of 2000 with Jill Zobel, former editor of Reality Check, Herbert Lackner, chief editor at Profil, George Jahn, bureau chief for Associated Press in Vienna, and Lucien Giordani, foreign affairs reporter for Ö1. They’re also asking – were EU political sanctions an over-reaction?
- Schwerpunkt "10 Jahre Schwarz-Blau"
Montag, 1. Februar 2010
FM4 beschäftigt sich kommenden Montag mit der schwarz-blauen Koalition. Was waren ihre politischen Ziele, welchen Einfluss haben damalige Entscheidungen bis heute, wie hat sie Österreichs politische Landschaft verändert? Was waren die Ziele der Protestbewegung - außer ‚Weg mit Schwarz-Blau!’? Was hat man erreicht? Wie nachhaltig war der damalige plötzliche Politisierungsschub der Zivilgesellschaft und was wurde aus den AktivistInnen von damals? Außerdem ist die Journalistin Anneliese Rohrer zu Gast im Connected Studio und analysiert die Bedeutung der ÖVP-FPÖ- und später ÖVP-BZÖ-Koalition für Österreich.