[ad_1]
Urgent request at the Federal Council to Federal Chancellor Kurz
Vienna (PK) – The FPÖ used an urgent request in the Federal Council to Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz for a radical attack on government policy. The federal government has completely failed in the fight against the Corona crisis and caused chaos, the new leader of the FPÖ parliamentary group in the regional chamber Christoph Steiner agrees with his party colleagues. The question speaks of “eerie amateurism” in nearly every affected department, a “death sentence” for tourism due to the anticipated length of the closure, and a chaotic approach to school closings and openings. Furthermore, in pushing the urgent request, Steiner Kurz approached Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss, who ruled dictatorially in the 1930s, and dismissively described him as “Salvador” on several occasions.
Steiner’s comments prompted Federal Council Vice President Elisabeth Grossmann to bring her the stenographic protocol to verify a call to order. Kurz himself did not go directly into the massive and complete attack. He again appealed to the population to participate in the next massive tests, which he considers an effective means to combat the pandemic. Regarding the extended confinement, he pointed out that the government had not wanted the road, but that there was no alternative. Kurz is confident that it will be possible to return to normal next summer thanks to rapid progress in vaccine development.
The FPÖ criticizes the restriction of fundamental rights and freedoms
In any case, it is clear to the FPÖ that the government is acting amateurishly to combat the crisis. The existence of tens of thousands of previously successful companies is threatened and hundreds of thousands of jobs are in danger, among other things, is recorded in the urgent investigation. With the planned extension of the closure until January 7, not only restaurants and hotels, but also the events industry would receive the “death sentence.”
Steiner is particularly critical of the restriction of basic rights in the course of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. He is convinced that countless red lines have been crossed. Parliamentarism, democracy, liberties and personal responsibility would be “trampled on.” The result is a “total crown dictatorship.” Anyone who disagrees with the government will be labeled a conspirator, a threat, or at least “a fool,” Steiner said. The indirect consequences of confinement, such as an increased risk of suicide, would be ignored.
The Tyrol Federal Council gives little thought to the planned massive tests. In the opinion of the experts, these would be useless and, in addition, would be carried out without a legal basis, he said. Furthermore, Steiner believes that these are just a vanguard for “mandatory vaccinations” and places the “deception” in this context. He also denounced doing business in the Corona crisis and raised suspicions that the Federal Chancellery had influenced the procurement processes. Steiner and his parliamentary colleague Josef Ofner (FPÖ / K) are also outraged by the federal government’s advertising budget of around 200 million euros.
The FPÖ underlined the demand for the prohibition of “compulsory vaccinations” and “compulsory tests” with a motion for a resolution that, however, did not obtain a majority in the vote.
In short: there is no alternative to the measures taken
At the beginning of the answer to the urgent question, Federal Chancellor Sebastián Kurz defended the exit restrictions imposed and the other restrictions. The government did not want the road, but there was no alternative, he said. Before the lockdown, there was a very exponential growth in COVID-19 infections and intensive care capabilities were about to be overloaded. Now it shows that the lock is working.
With the planned extension of some restrictions and the upcoming massive tests, Kurz hopes to keep the number of infections under control. The more people participate, the sooner the measures will work and stop the spread of COVID-19, he emphasized and, with this in mind, called on the population to actively participate in the massive tests. The goal is to make Christmas celebrations possible without growing exponentially again. Kurz still believes that Austria can return to normal by the summer of next year as a realistic prospect, especially since the first Austrians could soon be vaccinated.
Commenting on criticism of the restriction of freedoms, Kurz noted that such interventions “would not please the government either.” The “other way” would mean even more deaths and such an overload of intensive care medicine that patients with heart attacks or accident victims could no longer receive adequate treatment.
According to Kurz, mass tests cost less “than a day’s lockdown.”
In the course of answering the individual questions of the urgent investigation, Kurz stated, among other things, that the costs of the army’s assistance in the massive tests are borne by the COVID-19 crisis management fund. The scope of the operation cannot yet be precisely quantified, but the Chancellor has the participation of up to 6,000 army personnel at peak times.
Regarding the cost of the massive test, Kurz said it would cost less “than a day of confinement.” The tests used would be “among the best on the market”. Using tests that are only half a percent more prone to errors would lead to thousands of false results.
According to Kurz, vaccines against COVID-19 should be carried out in the most decentralized way possible. You should get vaccinated where people live, he said. Kurz also ruled out mandatory vaccination, but noted that vaccines are the best way to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. He could only appeal so that as many people as possible take advantage of the vaccination option.
Kurz justified the planned travel restrictions with the summer experiences. A third of the infections in the summer were caused by returnees from abroad, he said. Furthermore, international examples would show that the risk of introduction and spread of COVID-19 can be greatly reduced by quarantine orders. Kurz also defended the requirement to wear a mask for students in the lower grades: this allows them to return to school and experts consider it without problems.
Kurz put the number of his appointments in public media since the start of the crown pandemic at 55, eight of them after the Council of Ministers. The advertising budget addressed by the FPÖ is only a framework, but a contract with a professional agency is required. After all, at the beginning of the pandemic it was only possible with the help of the Red Cross to target the population with the “Look at me, look at you” campaign.
ÖVP and Greens reject criticism of FPÖ
During the debate, Harald Himmer (ÖVP / W) emphasized that human lives are “the most valuable thing”. He also stressed the need to keep a cool head in a crisis and reconcile different interests. The government has the correct strategy in this regard, he said.
Himmer and the Green Federal Councilor Marco Schreuder can hardly start with what they see as a completely undifferentiated critique of the FPÖ. The rush request begins “like a hateful Facebook post,” Schreuder said, it was only “scolded” and not a single constructive proposal was made. He also sees no restrictions on free speech or dictatorial tendencies in Austria. There is no basic right to infect other people, added Karl Bader (ÖVP / N).
In general, Schreuder said of the fight against the pandemic that, due to lack of relevant experience, “he had to jump into the abyss.” With the billions in economic aid and other aid from the crown, as well as determined investments in climate protection, much has been achieved.
SPÖ criticizes mass test preparation, NEOS urges long-term plan
On the part of the SPÖ, Ingo Appé (SPÖ / K) criticized the organizational preparation of the massive tests by the federal government. This was confusing and amateurish, he said. This would continue the “series of bankruptcies, bad luck and bankruptcies” of the government. The states and municipalities as well as the volunteer helpers who have to carry out the tests are suffering. But the government is responsible for making sure it works. For Appé, it is also questionable whether the second block was not prescribed too late. Stefan Schennach (SPÖ / W) pointed out the importance of a high vaccination rate, while at the same time complaining about the “staging” of the Chancellor.
Viennese NEOS MP Karl-Arthur Arlamovsky called for the planned measures to be critically questioned. He warned that regular classes should take place again as soon as possible in the high school. In addition, you need to create planning security for the economy and present a long-term plan that spans a period of 14 days. The government gives the impression of a chess player who only thinks until the next move, he criticized. The posted travel regulations are also inconsistent for him. (Continuation of the Federal Council) gs
Queries and contact:
Press service of the Parliamentary Directorate
Parlamentskorrespondenz
Tel. +43 1 40110/2272
press service@parlament.gv.at
http://www.parlament.gv.at
www.facebook.com/OeParl
www.twitter.com/oeparl
[ad_2]
