Chef of styrian social-democrats is for coalition with ÖVP

Styrian SPÖ Governor Franz Voves has spoken up in support of governing coalition with the ÖVP.

Voves said: “I was and I am a supporter of this coalition. I think that it is the best solution for the next five-ten years.”

Franz Voves - former ice-hockey national team player refused to comment on whether the SPÖ should continue such cooperation in case it fails to receive the most votes in the 28 September election. Voves dismissed talk about possible election outcomes as mere speculation at the moment.

In contrast to some other SPÖ leaders, the 55-year-old Voves stressed the point that he would not exclude any party from talks about a possible coalition.

Voves expects that the SPÖ will be number one on 28 September due to new SPÖ leader Werner Faymann, which has beén “fantastic” in Styria.

Thomas Hochwarter, Austrian Times, 12.08.08.

Съёмка Вернера Файмана
(shooting with social-democrats leader Werner Faymann)
Вначале я ринулась на пресс-конференцию „зелёных“, где оказалась единственным фотографом. Все репортёры караулили у дверей штаб-квартиры социалистов, когда появится Файман.
Лидер „зелёных“ – симпатичный пожилой дяденька в красной кофточке. Рядом восседает его соратник и партийный активист, которого я видела на манифестации „голубых“. (more…)

Jörg Haider

Migration statistics Austria
International migration balance to and from Austria by citizenship 2000-2007
2000/Total 17 272 (Austrian citizens: -4 315; Foreign citizens:+21587)
2007/Total 32 714 (Austrian citizens: -5 509; Foreign citizens: +38 223);
38 223 foreign citizens migrated from abroad and settled in Austria in 2007,
and 20 464 Austrians left the country (it is minus 5 500 in total)
Statistics Austria. Compiled on 16 May 2008

Press conference with J. Haider and P. Westenthaler, 17.07.08

About 120,000 people in colourful clothes took part in Vienna’s annual Rainbow Parade on Saturday to call for equal rights for gays, lesbians and transvestites. I must add that to be transvestite does not necessarily mean to be homosexual. Some transvestites are fascinated with women’s clothes only, and want to feel themselves, at least temporarily, the object of passionate desire.

Some quite normal from traditional point of view heterosexual relationships may lack real intimacy. When I was looking at gays and lesbians, especially those ones who not only demonstrated presence of homo feelings, but obviously had them - tenderly holding their partner’s hand, I knew to be really intimate with somebody and to be understood, you can be of any gender you feel yourself comfortable with

Person posing for photo and person depicted in his natural environment or unaware have different energetic levels and expressiveness, why I am still devoted to street photography

From my point of view many shows, manifestations and demonstrations have zero expressive value

Photographer Franz Perc who could be often seen with his camera in Parliament, Office of the federal Chancellor and city hall- stays in Vienna all summer and dreams about Greece. He is nice guy, always in action, like many other photo reporters

Alfred Gusenbauer, the tenth chancellor in the history of the Second Austrian Republic, will be remembered for his short time in that position.
Gusenbauer has been Chancellor for 545 days. With an early general election likely to be held by the end of September, he will have been Chancellor for slightly more than 700 days before stepping down.

Austrian Times, 08.07.08

We were waiting for a long time outside of social democrats party quarters. It rained.
When at last we were let in, it was hard to find the place to photograph, as reporters and TV operators stood like a wall. One of securities shoved me, when I tried to cross the room behind the backs of three party leaders.
Gusenbauer looked much older than two month before when I last photographed him, and he was throwing nervous side-long glances at journalists. Everybody who takes position of responsibility must be prepared his achievement and smallest failures will be equally magnified, when he gains power and loses it.

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Rudolf Hundstorfer, President of Austrian Federation of Trade Unions (OeGB)

In October 2003 Rudolf Hundstorfer became vice president of the OeGB (Austrian Federation of Trade Unions). After resignation of Fritz Verzetnisch as president of this organization in March 2006 because of the BAWAG scandal, Hundstorfer took the presidency provisionally.
On September, 8th 2005 as a representative of all BAWAG stockholders he signed an agreement, that the OeGB will adopt the BAWAGs debts of 1.53 billion Euros. Hundstorfer kept this fact in secret until June 2006. When he was asked by journalists for reason doing so, he told he did not know, what he had signed.
Translated by G.T

Managers found guilty in Austrian BAWAG trialVienna - All nine defendants in the BAWAG bank were found guilty on Friday in the trial on Austria’s biggest banking scandal on Friday, as the bank managers were held responsible for high losses arising from speculative investments.

Former BAWAG CEO Helmut Elsner, 73, and other bank managers were deemed guilty of having hidden losses around 1.7 billion euros (2.7 billion dollars) from off-shore investments between 1995 and 2000.

US-based investor Wolfgang Floettl, 52, had carried out the unsuccessful financial deals in the Caribbean on behalf of Austria’s fourth largest bank. (more…)

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Governor Franz Voves drinking Styrian wine

In politics one holds no promises
“The head of Styrian government Voves can not be surpassed in incredibility”, told OeVP family speaker Ridi Steibl commenting SPOe-forcingup of prices in Steiermark. On the 1st of July the electricity prices will be raised by 15 percent.
OeVP-family speaker reminded to audience the fact of numerous election campaign pledges given by Voves. Before the elections Voves had promised , in particular, that electricity price would not be raised.
Steibl told: “You failed, Mr.Governor! With all your broken promises.”
“Voves is fully responsible for the antisocial SPOe politics and it is incomprehensible why he demands SPOe at the national level to be the other, when his own
local policy does not correspond to this fundamental principle.”
29.06.08 http://www.ots.at

Electricity price increases, the trust to politicians decreases
From the 1st of July the Energy Styria raises the electricity price. It means a rise by 4 percent for average household. As the KPOe has already stated before, every rise digs deep in population pockets. This is the third rise since 2006.
Ernest Kaltenegger, club chef of the KPOe issued critical comments on this fact in the Styrian Landtag:� “Other local enterprises who manage to go on without nuclear power are definitely cheaper than the Energy Stieremark. The last one seems to obtain tactics to put stress on population at regular intervals. At the same time, the politicians of OeVP and SPOe at the local level intend to increase their own salaries up to 1000 euros monthly. In this way the trust to politicians is systematically destroyed.”
01.07.08 http://www.kpoe-steiermark.at/

Large increase of rents in Austria
By By Colin Graham

Renters will be hit with a six per cent price hike in September, according to the Austrian Chamber of Labour (AK).
The increase will impact the finances of around 1 million homes.
From September category rents on an 80 square metre flat will rise by up to an additional 180 Euros per year. (more…)

Photo was made during one of manifestations in center of Vienna. The man with the dog has inscription at his shirt: “Nothing moves forward without Haider”
According to my private statistics J�rg Haider is the most frequent Google search term after words sex and nudity that direct visitors to my website.

When you live in the western country and bring reminiscences about totalitarian society in broad audience you easily gain understanding and support.

Act of critical evaluation suggests unspoken comparison of what was before and what is now. It can sound like compliment in address of western democracy.

Everybody would easily imagine that Galina�s soviet life was only abuse and suppression, that she was persecuted as minor progressive thinker, failed to find justice in her righteous struggle and moved to the West, where she found eventually her happy land.
However, not all is that simple (more…)

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One flew over Cuckoo’s Nest (Ich flog über’s Kuckucksnest )

When I was 19 years old, I failed entrance examination to the Kyrgyz university.
First exam was English and I passed it very well. Then it came turn of composition. We were to write a few pages on the theme �Communism and future of humankind�.
Instead of using cribs with Lenin quotes as many did it, I scribbled down my own precious opinion on the subject and perhaps missed a few commas during this euphoric process.
All was lost. Feeling myself complete failure, I eventually found the place of librarian with minimal salary in the school library. My work for now on was to give out books, to keep catalogs in order and to assist young communists� organization with their on-wall designs (more…)

Minister Doris Bures and Werner Faymann (SPOe) with Westbahnhof under reconstruction in background.

I must confess I had sent emails to representatives of all Austrian political parties offering my services as photographer,

and Franz Voves - governor of Styria (SPOe) was the only one who replied. Thanks, Franz! When I photographed you, I was fantasizing how it could be to travel together with you in one compartment of Trans-Siberian express