Tiroler Tageszeitung, commentary, issue of August 23, 2023. By KARIN LEITNER. "Kickl can't help it."

2023-08-22 20:00:31

Innsbruck (OTS) – Herbert Kickl is a verbal bully, a brute rhetorician. Who and what doesn’t suit him, he puts down. He is relentless in word and tone. When asked about his style in the ORF summer talk, he said he would stick with it. Even as chancellor, he would “keep the rough edges”. He wouldn’t pretend like others do.
A credible statement and announcement by Oberblauen. From time to time in the past few months he had tried to be more moderate. He failed. In the interview in the public broadcaster, he didn’t try. It wasn’t necessary there either. He focused on his audience. He served that. The renewed, severe criticism of the ORF members is exemplary.
The election campaign is already underway. But there is the time after that. Assuming the case, everything goes as the FPÖ chairman imagines: his party, which has the most votes, joins forces with the ÖVP, despite their current protestations that Kickl is a no-go in a coalition team. Then we have a verbal bully, a brute rhetorician as chancellor. And that also applies to meetings with other heads of state and government. Even as Minister of the Interior, Kickl did not switch from opposition to statesman. Not because he didn’t want to. He couldn’t. Authenticity is good in politics. But someone who wants to be chancellor must be able to be chancellor. Also in word and tone.