(Austrian) Leader says Haider was his lover

[kskiska]

Source: The Guardian

The successor to the Austrian rightwing populist Jörg Haider, Stefan Petzner, has shocked the staunchly conservative country by revealing in a tearful interview that they shared a "special relationship".

Petzner, 27, who was confirmed yesterday as the leader of the Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZO) after Haider's death in a car crash two weeks ago, made the admission on Austrian radio, effectively confirming long-standing rumours that he and Haider were lovers.

Attempts by the party to stop repeats of the broadcast failed after the state broadcaster ORF insisted it would not be gagged.

Petzner, who met Haider five years ago when he was working as a beauty correspondent, said he felt a "magnetic attraction" to the firebrand politician, who was 31 years his senior. He said that Haider's main worry was that their relationship would not withstand the age gap.

(snip)

The news stunned Austria, which has been coming to terms with the death of the anti-immigrant politician. Haider, who voted against a parliamentary motion to lower the age of consent for homosexuals, had presented himself as a family man who drank sparingly. But after the car crash it was revealed that he had been driving at twice the speed limit, his blood alcohol level had been four times the legal limit, and he had spent his final hours in a gay bar in Klagenfurt, the capital of the southern state where he was governor.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/oct/23/jorge

[Singular73]

1. ROFLMAO

Of course.

[snot]

2. i'm starting to think

everyone who agitates against homosexuals is one. at least, there seems to be a statistically significant correlation.

[MidwestTransplant]

3. For sure. Self hate.

[wtmusic]

6. Agitation is redemption for their "sins"?

:shrug:

[LeftyMom]

13. Not every hater is a self-hater. Some of them, but not all.

[azurnoir]

4. And to think with those "qualities"

he would have made a fine Republican

[Bette Noir]

5. It's always the quiet ones.

[countmyvote4real]

7. You just can't make this shit up anymore.

Reality defies fiction.

[livelongandprosper]

8. Staunchly conservative? Austria?

Nonsense. Austria is much more liberal than the US and even here 50% of the population is left-of-center not conservative.

[nomorenomore08]

12. Maybe they just meant "more conservative than Sweden."

:P

[liberal_patriot_md]

17. It all depends on how it is defined

On paper, Austrians are overwhelmingly Catholic. But you are right that in reality they are very socially liberal, particularly regarding sex. A trip to any local newsstand in Austria will tell you that.

[progressoid]

19. So here in the good ole USandA, that would make him a centrist or a Democrat.

[LeftishBrit]

20. Not really - unless you mean the George Wallace sort of Democrat

Haider wasn't a mainstream conservative; he was the leader of a Far Right party, roughly corresponding to the BNP, LePen's party, etc. The main tenets of such a party are being virulently racist and anti-immigrant.

[MNBrewer]

9. is this really true?

[Kaleko]

10. Oh, chucklenuts. Itsn't that rather un-special?

[LeftishBrit]

11. They deserved each other, no doubt!

[judasdisney]

14. You Are Meant To React

Haider was a wingnut -- but he was an anti-Bush & anti-Neocon Far Right wingnut.

Haider was an oxymoron -- but moreso, he was a special obstacle to certain U.S. Neocons.

Haider was anti-"Bush Missle Shield" & anti-Iraq War.

Don't get me wrong -- Haider was a Nazi.

The discrediting of Haider also strongly benefits U.S. Neocons, despite Haider's other (Nazi) policies.

[muriel_volestrangler]

15. The Times says Petzner has been sacked as leader

Far-right Austrian leader sacked for revealing gay affair with Jörg Haider

The successor of the Austrian far-right leader Jörg Haider was dismissed yesterday after he revealed a “special” relationship “far beyond” friendship with his former mentor.
...
Outraged by the interviews, the party felt compelled yesterday to dismiss its leader amid reports of his alleged role in Haider’s tragic death. Local papers said that, on the night of his accident, Haider and Mr Petzner had a row at a magazine launch party. Haider left in a hurry and drove to a gay club in Klagenfurt, his home town, where he drank vodka with male escorts. The reports said that he was hardly able to walk to his car.

The new leader of the Alliance, Josef Buchner, 43, a hotel owner and a divorced father of two, is seen as a more conservative choice. Mr Petzner will serve as his deputy.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4996937.ece

Buchner turns up in many other media articles, but none in English. Anyone good with languages might be able to confirm this replacement.

[reorg]

21. well, no

according to the "Salzburger Nachrichten" (Austrian newspaper), Petzner was not "sacked", but due to the "unfortunate appearances of the obviously overextended new party leader" not elected to in addition become leader of his party's faction in the Austrian Parliament. Which is not that surprising, given that the guy is only 27 years old and has not even been member of the parliament before the last election.

>>Das BZÖ hat aus den verunglückten Auftritten des sichtlich überforderten Neo-Parteiobmannes Stefan Petzner die Konsequenzen gezogen. Nicht dieser, sondern der erfahrene Kärntner Mandatar Josef Bucher wird Vorsitzender des 21-köpfigen Parlamentsklubs.<<

http://www.salzburg.com/nwas/index.php?article=DText/89w2kxbd0$p27m4zv$v~jc0&img=&text=&mode=§ion=&channel=homepage&sort=

This seems to be agitating stuff for the English press, in Germany it is completely irrelevant, not even reported upon.

[muriel_volestrangler]

22. Thanks - I'd seen that, and was struggling to get a decent meaning from it

Yes, it makes sense not to have a 27 year old, new to parliament, in charge of their delegation.

[machI]

16. I can only imagine the day when being gay does NOT make the news

[ColoradoMagician]

18. Hypocrisy always makes the news.

Good riddance. The asshole worked against our community.

[reorg]

23. do you know any specifics about that?

According to what I have read, he did neither work for nor against the gay community.

Gay activists cite his vote against the lowering of the age of consent for gays (from 18 to 14) as a negative and disowned him for that (and his socially conservative stance in general). But given that the age of consent law in Austria is quite liberal (sex is not illegal with 12 year olds if the partner is not more than four years older -- for intercourse it is 13 and 3 years age difference), his vote may have had other reasons. The section for gays was later repealed anyway, by the European Court of Human Rights.

[machI]

28. I was just commenting on the way the story was reported

It seemed to put undue emphasis on the man being gay. I say "So What?" Does it make any difference if is hair is black or he is maybe deaf in one ear?

All I can say is to get off the idea that just because someone is gay, it has to be headline news. Get over it, there are gay people in this world.

[machI]

27. oops, responded to the wrong post

Ignore

[texasleo]

24. oy vey

[Neshanic]

25. Young Frankenstein "HE WAS MY LOVER!" I love the "special relationship" ditty...

Special? How special? Did he bring him his slippers? Did whisper sweet nothings in his ear? Did they hold hands under the table?

"Special relationship"...you are GAY!

[David__77]

26. The happy fascist couple (pic).

There is a terrible current of mostly closeted gay men who are pro-fascist. It's like a concentrated expression of misogyny that drives them. As a gay man, I find it disconcerting. Ernst Rohm is a case in point. They are channeling barbaric Roman soldiers or something of the sort.

[slackmaster]

29. Illinois Nazis?

:shrug:

[Amused Musings]

30. For some reason, I thought it was already known that

Haider was gay. Maybe I am thinking about someone else. Strange how so much of European fascist history revolves around closeted homosexuality and bars.