Jörg Haider's death could lead to a reunification of Austria's right-wing parties along the lines of the conservative CDU and CSU in Germany, writes Die Presse newspaper: "Without Haider the BZÖ is threatened with political insignificance both in its programme and in personal terms. There is only one chance for it to remain active outside Carinthia: continuing Haider's fight against 'the system' in his memory. In view of the increasing pressure for a grand coalition, this strategy stands a fair chance of success. ... In naming Haider's friend and spokesperson Stefan Petzner as his successor, the BZÖ is also concentrating on holding onto power in Carinthia, where Haider would have gone for an absolute majority in the next elections. Here the politician's appeal remains unabated even after his death. It is entirely possible that the call to reunite the right wing over Haider's grave will result in a widely-discussed 'CDU/CSU' type solution." (13/10/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Austria
All available articles from » Michael Fleichhacker

Dnevnik newspaper publishes an obituary for Jörg Haider on its website: "In European terms Haider was neither a prominent political figure nor a nightmare. His legacy was rather the political discourse of the short-lived 'Third Camp' at the end of the last century. For Slovenia's relations to Austria, primarily in relation to the Slovenian minority in Carinthia, he was definitely a bone of contention. ... The real question now is whether Haider was significant enough to leave a void not only in Carinthia, but also in Austria. In any event, this void will perhaps soon be filled. It may be that a merger between Haider's former party, the Austrian Freedom Party, and the party he led up until his death, the Alliance for the Future of Austria, will form the last chapter in the biography of an eccentric with good relations to Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein, but to whom few doors were open in Vienna. The void in Carinthia will reflect Haider's true value." (13/10/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Domestic Policy, » Austria
All available articles from » Dejan Kovac

"With the death of Jörg Haider, European right-wing populism has lost an icon. But it has not lost its appeal", writes the conservative daily Lidové Noviny. "What attitude should one adopt to a political force cultivated by Haider for a quarter of a century? All told, this populist movement received 28 percent of the vote in the last elections and could well participate in the next government. It doesn't serve much purpose to put Haider into one basket with xenophobic neo-Nazis. ... Haider was no nationalist, but he was a demagogue. Even back in the 1980s he had accused the government of not being pro-European enough. Ten years later he opposed Austrian membership in the EU. If you believe his opponents he appealed to the same voter groups that would have voted for Hitler in other circumstances. But the fact remains that there are such voters." (13/10/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Austria
All available articles from » Zbyněk Petráček

On the death of Jörg Haider the Belgian daily De Standaard writes: "It is to Jörg Haider's credit that he broke up a rigid political system in Austria. He leaves behind a nation with a weakness for populism, xenophobia, old Nazi sentiment and isolationist policies. ... But for Europe's extreme right, too, in the end Haider's success was a mixed blessing. More than Le Pen in France or Filip Dewinter in Flanders, Haider became the figurehead of the old ultra-right movement in Europe. But his short-sighted dream of a joint European ultra right-wing list soon shattered against the controversies and the fact that Haider attached more importance to his ego than political projects. The [ultra right Flemish] party Vlaams Belang, which on Saturday sent sympathy telegrams to Austria, broke its ties with Haider in 2005. All of a sudden the Vlaams Belang magazine started describing the man who it had hailed as a hero for years as someone who changed his views as often as he changed his shirt." (13/10/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Domestic Policy, » Weltanschauung, » Austria, » Belgium
All available articles from » Jorn de Cock

After the first round of parliamentary elections in Lithuania the composition of the future government is still unclear, but the daily newspaper Lietuvos Rytas is already pessimistic about the situation: "We will have the first government to rule a country without a nuclear power station and which is completely dependent on Russian oil and gas. We never had this kind of situation either in the cold winter of 1993 or the autumn of unemployment in 2000. From its very first days in power, the new government will face a stagnating economy and a rising budgetary deficit while the dissatisfaction of the people grows. The heating and electricity bills are going up, people are taking out more loans the conditions for which are becoming more stringent as a result of the financial crisis. On top of all this we're not getting anywhere with the university reform, the public health system is only just about staying afloat and the teachers' salaries have not been raised and nor will they be if the budget is not increased." (13/10/2008)

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All available articles from » Rimvydas Valatka

The Romanian daily Gandul takes a look at the chances of success of the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) in the upcoming parliamentary elections on November 30. "For the first time since its founding the Union ... is facing the prospect of not making the leap into parliament. To get seats in parliament it would have to win in almost all the constituencies in the majority Hungarian-speaking districts ... and other areas in Transylvania and surpass the 5 percent hurdle. But the UDMR has a new rival on its own turf. ... Although the PCM, the radical Hungarian Civic Party, is not competing directly against the UDMR in the elections, it is sending [independent] intermediaries into the election campaign. ... So even if the UDMR doesn't win any seats the Hungarian electorate will not lose out. Because Romanian candidates in the three districts of the so-called Szekler region have no prospect of success the votes will go to the candidates of the Hungarian minority. So in the end if it's not the one [Hungarian] party it's the other."  (13/10/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Romania
All available articles from » Rodica Ciobanu

The largest parliamentary groups in the Netherlands are calling for a ban on obscenities and insults in parliament. The call is above all aimed at the right-wing populist Party for Freedom (PVV) and its leader Geert Wilders, writes De Volkskrant: "We must ask whether it is right to deprive Wilders of the right to speak if that brings with it the accusation that his detractors do not dare to call a spade a spade. The Dutch aspire to being a country of clergymen. But unfortunately very few politicians are granted with the gift of the gab. People have been making up for that, however, now that it has become fashionable just to say what you think. A command of words can heighten the level of a heated discussion. Feeling offended just kills debate. The last thing that will convince Wilders is to say his language damages parliament's reputation. The leader of the PVV doesn't orient himself on his colleagues in parliament but on his supporters, for whom parliament no longer holds any authority at all." (13/10/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Netherlands

Several ex-communist states recently agreed on a pact against the EU's climate and energy policy. The daily newspaper Dnevnik compares this with the Warsaw Pact: "What has led ... these states to reach out their hands to each other? ... The reality of the situation is that the energy efficiency of these ... nations is embarrassingly low. Their expenditure of energy is above all a waste of energy and has nothing to do with energy efficiency. The problems ... have many causes: socialist lethargy, political pigheadedness, a lack of strategic ingenuity, Eastern European provincialism and of course the economic interests of the electricity producers. For to a large extent they rely on coal to produce energy (Poland generates 92 percent of its electricity from coal, Slovakia 42 percent and Bulgaria 45 percent). Coal produces the largest amounts of carbon dioxide emissions. ... This energy inefficiency claims the lives of tens of thousands of people each year and sinks real income. The solution to this concealed tragedy ... [lies in] increasing energy efficiency in people's homes."     (13/10/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Energy, » Economic Policy, » Bulgaria
All available articles from » Julian Popov

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has spoken out in favour of "ethical capitalism". The Spanish daily La Vanguardia reflects on the changes in politics and the economy that lie behind the expression: "Sarko is a language creator who stops short this side of neologisms. His style is more akin to that of Borges, in 'aligning words that were never together before'. His first two creations have been adjectival constructions. In a speech delivered in the presence of the Pope, he pulled 'positive laicism' from his sleeve, which he defined as a form of laicism that 'respects, unites and debates, but never excludes or accuses', contrasting it with a less desirable form of laicism. Just a few weeks later Sarkozy the adjectiviser has struck again, giving a new definition to capitalism in reaction to the global financial crisis. Now he proposes an 'ethical capitalism' which he understands as the 'end of laissez faire', a new form of capitalism erected on an ethical foundation'. What we have here is an about-face of the purest form. One look at the electoral programme that made Sarkozy president is enough to see that the sole God he did not view with a laicist's eyes was the free market. ... Seldom has there been a quicker and more complete about-turn. When everthing was rosy Sarko was unreservedly for the free market. Now that it's not he's gung-ho on regulation." (13/10/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Economic Policy, » Financial Markets, » France
All available articles from » Màrius Serra

Jenni Rissanen, a nuclear controls and disarmament analyst based in Vienna, examines the dangers of increased use of nuclear power. "There will be a sharp rise ... in the use of nuclear power. This entails a number of challenges not least as regards the development of nuclear materials; the technology and know-how will spread. And this also applies to the development of nuclear weapons. ... [So] at the same time as the use of nuclear energy booms ... it is vital to ensure that in line with the international non-proliferation treaty of 1968 the spread of nuclear weapons ... is curbed. However the system of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons is in jeopardy. Some countries have violated their agreements not to develop nuclear weapons. ... The international community is not always in a position to take concerted action against violations. ... One of the challenges of globalisation is to put a stop to the unauthorised application of nuclear energy ... It is high time reinforced international mechanisms were set up to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons before the utilisation of nuclear energy and concordantly the risk of its misuse further increases. ... There are strong voices for and against nuclear energy, but on one point both the advocates and the detractors should be able to agree: the use of nuclear energy should not lead to a greater risk of nuclear weapons being used." (13/10/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Environmental Policy, » Energy, » Finland, » Global

The major industrial nations reached an agreement on a joint rescue package for the international financial market this weekend. The conservative daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung disapproves, but sees no alternative: "Governments around the world are now adopting coordinated measures. They will guarantee capital flow between banks, nationalise certain institutes entirely or buy a stake in them to stabilise them. ... In a few days' time the stock markets will show whether this emergency operation is to be as ineffectual as the previous ones or serve to finally restore confidence. What the whole thing costs will only become clear much later. ... The intervention of the state is a damning indictment of the financial sector's inadequacies. ... There seems to be no alternative, but in the long term we will see that the state is not a good entrepreneur. ... The bank scene will never be the same again." (13/10/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Economic Policy, » Financial Markets, » Europe, » Global
All available articles from » Holger Appel

The conservative Daily Telegraph writes that the rescue of two Scottish banks with English tax money could have a positive effect on the two countries' political union: "Now, all of a sudden, the idea of breaking up the country seems self-indulgent and jejune. ... Both the big parties at [the seat of the Scottish Parliament at] Holyrood have promised a referendum on Scottish independence, although only the SNP would campaign for a 'Yes' vote. How Alex Salmond must now regret having given that commitment. ... Scotland, like Iceland, produced large banks that have long since outgrown their home market: the Bank of Scotland and the Royal Bank of Scotland. Now known respectively as HBOS and RBS, both are to be underwritten by the British Treasury. An independent Scotland would no more have been able to guarantee its institutions than was Iceland. ... We face these testing times as one people. We will come through them as one people." (13/10/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Financial Markets, » United Kingdom

Grave accusations have been made against Milan Kundera, one of the Czech Republic's most prominent authors who has lived in Paris for many years now. As today's edition of the liberal weekly Respekt reports with reference to secret police files, Kundera is said to have reported an anti-communist agent to the police in 1950. The man was initially given the death sentence and ended up spending 14 years in prison. Kundera remains silent about the accusations. The paper draws a parallel with Günter Grass, who kept his membership in the SS [the elite corps of the Nazi party] secret for many years. "Alongside Vaclav Havel Kundera is one of the most well-known Czechs alive today. On repeated occasions he passionately fought for human dignity and freedom (under the communist regime). He could not have done this had he admitted his crime at the time. He has lost his moral authority. Kundera has behaved in the same way as his great comrade-in-arms Günter Grass." (13/10/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » History, » Czech Republic
All available articles from » Martin M. Šimečka

The Swedish daily Göteborgs-Posten argues that the founding of free, non government-run schools has benefited the school system and refutes the criticism of many school politicians who want a return to the old model. "Not even the expansive policy of takeovers by school enterprises should lead us to believe that things were better in the old days. An oligopoly is better than a monopoly, even if there are many reasons to hope that numerous different agents find a place on the school market. ... Free schools can be seen as a guarantee for diversity. At the same time people argue that free schools lead to segregation. However this assumption is based on theory rather than knowledge." (13/10/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Education, » Sweden

The power of the media in society has increased, media experts Taus Bøytler and Søren Hellerung conclude in the Danish daily Information, while at the same time expressing concern about journalistic content. They argue that the growing competition on the market is to blame for this negative trend: "The consequence is that the accelerating pace deprives the serious, thorough and inquiring journalist of his foundation. This is precisely the kind of journalism that monitors the conduct of politicians and all those who determine the everyday life of the citizens. As a result of the fierce competition, the restrictions on which stories make it into the media are constantly tested. One frightening example is the British press, which never hesitates to publish paparazzi shots and coarse gossip about prominent public figures." (13/10/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Media policy, » Denmark
All available articles from » Taus Bøytler, » Søren Hellerung

During the qualifying game for the World Cup between Italy and Bulgaria (0:0) in Sofia Italian hooligans made a bad impression by singing fascist songs and making "il Duce" salutes. The left-liberal newspaper La Repubblica warns of the dangers of playing down the significance of such demonstrations. "For several years the extreme right has been trying to use World Cup games to spread patriotic and xenophobic propaganda. It would be wrong to brush this aside as a nostalgic phenomenon. Those who abuse the Italian flag and accompany the national anthem with fascist salutes have found the way that was paved ... by a cultural campaign against the values of the Republican constitution. ... The revisionists in government [who want the rehabilitation of the fascists] are in full sail. Their political instinct is in harmony with the impulses of their voters ... Neo-fascism in stadiums is a ... manifestation of the rebirth of reactionary thought." (13/10/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Sport, » Italy
All available articles from » Gad Lerner