SPÖ boss wants to use protest potential – salzburg.ORF.at
On Thursday mornings, the Schranne in Salzburg is a must when it comes to politicians and “closeness to the public” – casual contact with those who might be decisive in the election. And we know from opinion polls that after years of much stronger protest, a larger and larger part of the population is polarized than before.
Will Wien Energie cause the SPÖ to skid?
The whole thing was planned in Salzburg as a feel-good date for the SPÖ. Somehow the party finally got in the way of the turbulence with Wien Energie. Federal leader Rendi-Wagner says that the basic problem is the non-functioning electricity market in the EU: “It’s about the purchasing and pricing system for electricity.”
Therefore, the “protective shield” announced by the black-green federal government is not only important for Wien Energie, but for all electricity suppliers, according to the SPÖ chairwoman: “You need that to be able to buy electricity for the next two years. These are guarantees, this is not liquid money.”
Rendi-Wagner refers to Germany, where all gas providers are now “protected”. However, there is also strong criticism from the population in Germany, who now have to pay extra for the “protection” of the gas suppliers and also have to dig deep into their pockets.
Germany is a role model for Rendi-Wagner
The SPÖ leader thinks the “protective shield” of the red-green federal government in Germany is good: “The governments in Switzerland and Finland did the same. I can tell you where this has not been done so far – namely in Austria by our federal government.”
With that, the SPÖ returns to its current core issue on Thursday in Salzburg – combating inflation, for example through an “energy price cap”.
“Access to excess profits would be fairness”
In addition, the Social Democrats are demanding state access to the enormous profits made by energy suppliers, like Salzburg state party leader David Egger (SPÖ): “We have the recipes. We have already proposed in Salzburg to skim off Salzburg AG’s excess profits. It’s not a jealousy debate, it’s a fairness debate. No board member in the whole of Austria has written a single stroke of the pen for these millions and billions in profits.”
And in the city, Deputy Mayor Bernhard Auinger (SPÖ) is calling for a “cost-of-living reserve” for the next budget: “After all, our income has increased by ten percent. Those aren’t charitable gifts. Because of the high inflation, the state has higher revenues. He can also give something back to the population.”
Despite Wiener Energie, the SPÖ sees itself well prepared for the coming elections at city, state and federal level. For political observers, the question remains intriguing as to whether the population, who have been busy for years due to numerous crises and political decisions, also sees this.