Dr Oliver Hartwich: Europe’s far-right dominoes knock down democracy

Democracy rarely dies suddenly. It often erodes slowly as previously unthinkable developments become normalised, one bit at a time. It is a domino effect.

Across Europe, this process is playing out exactly in this manner, and the latest instance is Austria.

Dr Oliver Hartwich: Russia winning war against Europe, one election at a time

For decades after World War II, Austria was a model of political stability to the point of boredom. The centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) and the centre-right Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) dominated the political landscape. They often governed together in grand coalitions, creating a predictable, if not always dynamic, political environment.

Roger Childs: Yesterdays in Maoriland

Who Was Andreas Reischek?

… 49 of these ancestors were collected by Austrian taxidermist and grave-robber Andreas Reischek who spent 12 years in New Zealand from 1877 to 1889. – Piers Fuller, Dominion Post, Monday, October 3

The intrepid traveler

Reischek is in the news because the ancestral remains of Moriori and Maori he collected were repatriated on Sunday from Austria. He came to New Zealand for a couple of years to help out with setting up the Canterbury Museum. But he stayed for twelve.