"Why the monarchy?"

“What are the advantages of monarchy?” 

In that form of monarchy to which we aspire, a hereditary parliamentary monarchy, the monarch is an impartial head of state – quite contrary to a president who as a rule is a member of a political party. Moreover the monarch is a symbol of identification for all citizens; as head of state he not only represents politics but also culture and tradition. 

“Democracy and monarchy – are these not opposites?” 

That depends on which kind of monarchy one is talking about. In Absolutism, such as was last practised by the Emperor Franz Joseph I. from 1851 until the settlement with Hungary in 1867, the sole control of all governance lies in the hands of the monarch. We oppose this kind of monarchy. We espouse a parliamentary monarchy where the monarch is the head of state but governance lies in the hands of a government elected by the citizens. Today there are such parliamentary monarchies in Great Britain, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands and others.

 “Is Austria not too small to be an empire?”

True: The area of the Austrian Republic is not large and a monarch could not lay claim to the title of emperor here alone. However, we do not just espouse a monarchy in Austria, but in a confederation of the present countries of Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia and Slovenia, and possibly also other candidates. Within this confederation the individual countries would continue to have their own parliaments, but in addition there would be a common parliament, the Federal Council, in the federal capital. The monarch would then be the sovereign of all the countries in the confederation. English and German would play an important role in the communication within the states of the federation.

 “Whom do you suggest as monarch?”

At present the SGA has no definite candidate. From our aim of the reinstitution of the monarchy the name Habsburg is inseparable. It is at present impossible to say, who would finally assume the title of Emperor. But it is a fact, that the Habsburg family has brought forth an abundance of outstanding individuals, who would be equal to the position.

 “ ‘Our foundation is the European tradition, embracing Christian values and the Enlightenment.’ – Are you some kind of fundamentalists?”

Certainly not. The German ‘Union’ parties use a similar phrase. We see Europe as Christian because Christianity has informed the life and culture of the people for over 1700 years and still does. But the SGA is a nondenominational organization in which all are welcome who believe in the idea of monarchy. We are not bound to any confession.

 “A monarchist party would split and weaken the bourgeois parties.”

It is true that a monarchist party could win over many votes from the bourgeois parties. One can not speak of weakening though, because a monarchist party can of course form coalitions with other parties. No monarchist party certainly weakens the monarchists.

 “A vote for the monarchists is a wasted vote. You will never get into parliament anyway.”

Various polls in the media in the course of the last twenty years have shown a constant 30% of Austrians who consider monarchy possible. Prudent action and a gradual setting of the agenda, also in other important areas of politics, should make it easily possible to appeal to at least a sixth of this potential constituency and thereby attain seats in the national and regional assemblies. Furthermore, the last few years have shown the electorate to have become mobile.

 “A monarchist party is nonsense, for there are monarchists in all political parties.”

It is entirely true that amongst the voters of all parties there are people who would rather have an emperor than a president representing our country. It is also true that in all the parties seated in parliament there are individual politicians who distinguish themselves by a relaxed relationship to Austrian history. This of course does not alter the fact that the majority of our politicians – irrespective of their leanings – thinks differently, quite simply because they can deploy their power without hindrance in a republic which is tightly organised according to party-political principals. One may therefore not expect a change of opinion in matters of the form of government from the republican parties. Only a monarchist party can bring about the reinstitution of monarchy in Austria.

 “Is it conditions like in those days that you want?”

Compared to now, the industrial countries were still but beginning in the days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Therefore the welfare state was nowhere fully developed, neither in republics nor in monarchies. It is a fact that a ministry of welfare, rent control and council housing were not first invented by social democrats in the republic, but that they were introduced under the emperor Franz Joseph I. and Emperor Charles I. Today, according to the UN, the countries with the highest standard of living worldwide are headed by monarchies.

 “What have you got against democracy?”

Nothing. The SGA does not want to get rid of democracy but of the republic. This form of government resembles more a dictatorship of parties than democracy.

 “A monarchy would be too expensive.”

Quite apart from the fact that monarchies are more attractive to tourists than colourless, grey republics and that the allowance for representation would only constitute a fraction of the profits, we would not have to pay the high wages and pensions for all the former and present presidents, and, the central Europeans would only have to pay for one head of state instead of six or seven as they do at present. In times when we all have to tighten our belts, the republics of central Europe afford themselves the monstrous luxury of having to pay the wages and pensions of no less than 13 (!) past and present presidents.

 “You are Clerical Fascists.”

A killer argument much used by the extreme left which aims to lump together monarchists who are often Catholic with Neo-Nazis and racists. They trust that those with only an average education will not know the difference between Fascism and National Socialism and puts monarchists in connection with the estates regime, as this took recourse to the symbols and traditions of the monarchy in order to be able to have something to oppose Hitler-Germany’s propaganda machine. It is a fact that today those who sympathise with monarchy are to be found in all religions, as well as amongst the non-religious.

 “You are surely all old dodderers.”

Right! – In a few decades we certainly will be. At the moment the average age of the SGA members is between 25 and 30, the influx of the young is particularly strong. We have that of which the youth organizations of the republican parties can only dream . . .

 “You aristocrats are only interested in your privileges.”

In the ranks of the SGA there is a representative cross-section of all classes. There are no more peers than in other parties.