{"id":19674,"date":"2026-10-08T14:56:56","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T12:56:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/?p=19674"},"modified":"2026-10-08T15:58:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T13:58:08","slug":"the-babler-case-what-his-failure-really-reveals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/the-babler-case-what-his-failure-really-reveals\/","title":{"rendered":"The Babler Case: What His Failure Really Reveals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Andreas Babler was not a central figure in the European progressive debate, but he was by no means a completely insignificant one either. In 2023, he was elected leader of the Austrian SP\u00d6 in a somewhat chaotic, grassroots democratic process; he is a staunch leftist with a proletarian flair, and as mayor of a small town, he, at the time, earned reputation for his down-to-earth nature and the image: \u201cAndi, one of you.\u201d There was a certain hope that this would help restore trust among traditional social-democratic voter segments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Babler has now announced his resignation after renitent state party chairpersons withdrew their support for him. In the end, he was unable to generate any real appeal beyond his core circle of supporters. In the National Council elections, the party received 21.1 percent of the vote\u2014its worst result in decades. Most recently, Babler was subjected for months to a campaign of the most repugnant \u201ccharacter assassination\u201d by the tabloid press, which in Austria is traditionally dominated by clan families. They wanted him out of the way since he posed a threat to their corrupt businesses. This campaign ultimately broke his back. However, it is not the sole reason for his failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-a-successor-against-all-expectations\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A Successor, Against All Expectations<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The broader political circumstances were not exactly favorable either: To prevent a far-right government led by FP\u00d6 leader Herbert Kickl, a broad three-party coalition of conservatives, social democrats, and the liberal NEOS had to be formed in early 2025\u2014a coalition that, in light of the disastrous budgetary situation it inherited, had to implement painful austerity measures. What is remarkable, however, is that the finance minister tasked with implementing these policies\u2014Markus Marterbauer\u2014is a staunchly left-wing economist and Keynesian, widely appreciated for his expertise and the very embodiment of integrity and reliability. Surprisingly, he became the most popular politician in the government, even though no one would have believed him to have any talent as a showman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Markus Marterbauer is now set to take over as vice chancellor at the end of the year; he will most likely also succeed as party chairman later on. The possibility of sharing the positions with younger rising stars in the party cannot be entirely ruled out either. All of this is still somewhat up in the air, as Marterbauer is currently battling cancer, and despite an optimistic prognosis, recoveries, naturally, not always follow a politically convenient timeline. It is impossible to predict when he will be fully recovered enough to tackle such monumental tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-a-change-in-personnel-or-a-change-in-strategy\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A change in personnel or a change in strategy?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The situation of the SP\u00d6 in Austria fits the broader picture of social democratic and progressive parties across Europe, which are struggling to define their identity and navigate crisis mode. In every party, there are voices calling for a more pronounced left-wing course; others demand a more tradition-oriented combination of \u201ceconomically left, culturally conservative\u201d; and still others favor, to a greater or lesser extent, a revival of \u201cThird Way\u201d social liberalism\u2014a course that used to be called \u201cmodernist\u201d and has now a distinct 90s vibe. And since parties must always internally balance these currents, the outcome often is neither fish nor fowl. This is compounded by the fact that the Social Democrats\u2019 fiercest rivals in cities tend to be the Greens or left-wing parties, while in rural areas and small towns it\u2019s more extremists or populist right-wing parties\u2014a reality that in itself forces them to walk a tightrope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, with the shift from Babler to Marterbauer, the Austrian Social Democratic Party did not decide to change the political strategy\u2014but simply to swap out the individuals: replacing the hapless leftist, who ultimately lacked a bit of skill, with the leftist who enjoys the highest popularity ratings. In that sense, these events are hardly a lesson\u2014or even a model\u2014for what brings success and what does not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-no-patterns-of-triumph-or-failure\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>No Patterns of Triumph or Failure<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The new British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, for example, is someone who\u2014much like Babler\u2014brings the down-to-earth quality of the mayor of Manchester, but represents more of a shift from an unsuccessful centrist course to a moderate leftist course with populist overtones. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/hope-comes-from-honesty-andy-burnham-und-die-wiederentdeckung-politischer-handlungsfaehigkeit\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/hope-comes-from-honesty-andy-burnham-und-die-wiederentdeckung-politischer-handlungsfaehigkeit\/\">This became impressively clear once again during his speech at the Labour Party conference last week<\/a>. Thus, he has returned to approval ratings the party hasn\u2019t seen in years under Keir Starmer. In Brazil, meanwhile, Lula da Silva was surprisingly defeated by his far-right challenger in the first round of the presidential election and now enters the runoff as underdog. Amid the general rise of the far right, he has apparently failed to convince people that an 81-year-old who has already run seven times and served three terms should be seen as a promise for the future in a fourth term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But searching for patterns, one must also acknowledge that neither Burnham nor Marterbauer provide evidence that a leftist course will triumph, nor do Babler and Lula provide evidence that it is bound to fail. Ultimately, it also depends on skill, personal circumstances, the individuals themselves, and contingency\u2014that is, the random ways in which various factors and power dynamics come together in each particular situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With that in mind, we must hope for Andy Burnham that the stars align in his favor so he can let the full radiance of his glimmer of hope shine. That is what we wish for him and for Great Britain\u2014and also for European progressives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Robert Misik is an Austrian journalist and non-fiction author, and a member of the Circle of Friends of Das Progressive Zentrum. His book <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.suhrkamp.de\/buch\/robert-misik-erziehung-zur-grausamkeit-t-9783518128428\"><em>\u201cErziehung zur Grausamkeit: Die Massenpsychologie des Neuen Faschismus\u201d<\/em><\/a><em> was recently published by Suhrkamp.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-author\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Author<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"person-item person-view-author\"><div class=\"person-info-wrapper\"><div class=\"person-thumbnail\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/person\/robert-misik-2\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/Robert-Misik-600x600.png\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" sizes=\"auto, 100vw\" \/><\/a><\/div><h4 class=\"person-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/person\/robert-misik-2\/\">Robert Misik<\/a><\/h4><div class=\"person-position\">Circle of Friends<\/div><div class=\"person-social\"><\/div><!-- .person-social --><\/div><!-- .person-info-wrapper --><div class=\"person-excerpt\">Robert Misik is freelance journalist, writer and member of the Circle of Friends of Das Progressive Zentrum.\n<\/div><\/div><!-- .person-item -->\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover is-light alignfull\" style=\"min-height:50px;aspect-ratio:unset;\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-light-grey-background-color has-background-dim-100 has-background-dim\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Further articles<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"news-items-wrapper news-view-normal news-count-3\">  <div class=\"news-item\"><div class=\"news-thumbnail\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/buried-villages-fragile-democracies-coal-community-and-the-unsteady-politics-of-the-climate-transition\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/dominik-vanyi-Mk2ls9UBO2E-unsplash-768x512.jpg\" class=\"attachment-dpz-blog-thumbnail size-dpz-blog-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"A wide-angle, high-perspective photograph of a vast open-pit mining operation. Multiple pieces of heavy industrial machinery are active across tiered dirt terraces, including large yellow haul trucks and hydraulic excavators in yellow and orange. The scene captures the scale of resource extraction, with steep, excavated rock walls in the background and a dusty, industrial atmosphere.\" sizes=\"auto, 100vw\" \/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"news-info-wrapper\"><h4 class=\"news-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/buried-villages-fragile-democracies-coal-community-and-the-unsteady-politics-of-the-climate-transition\/\">Buried Villages, Fragile Democracies: Coal, Community, and the Unsteady Politics of the Climate Transition<\/a><\/h4><div class=\"news-date\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Posted on<\/span> <time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-03-26T12:16:48+01:00\">26. March 2026<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2026-03-26T12:18:08+01:00\">26. March 2026<\/time><\/div><div class=\"news-content\">The transition away from fossil fuels is as much about democratic resilience as it is about energy. Steve Patterson explores the \u201cpolitical whiplash\u201d of shifting national policies and the enduring struggle to protect community heritage from the erosion of both physical landscapes and institutional norms.<\/div><div class=\"news-authors\"><a class=\"news-author-item\" href=\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/person\/steve-patterson\/\">Steve Patterson<\/a><\/div><div class=\"news-category\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/kategorie\/debate\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Debate<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/kategorie\/projektbericht\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Project Report<\/a><\/div><\/div><!-- .class=\"news-info-wrapper --><\/div>  <div class=\"news-item\"><div class=\"news-thumbnail\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/how-can-the-new-special-fund-and-the-reform-of-the-debt-brake-achieve-optimal-effectiveness\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/250917_dpz_titelbild_jakob-von-weizsacker-768x512.jpg\" class=\"attachment-dpz-blog-thumbnail size-dpz-blog-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" sizes=\"auto, 100vw\" \/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"news-info-wrapper\"><h4 class=\"news-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/how-can-the-new-special-fund-and-the-reform-of-the-debt-brake-achieve-optimal-effectiveness\/\">How can the new special fund and the reform of the debt brake achieve optimal effectiveness?<\/a><\/h4><div class=\"news-date\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Posted on<\/span> <time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-04-03T10:21:45+02:00\">3. April 2025<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2025-09-17T10:33:04+02:00\">17. September 2025<\/time><\/div><div class=\"news-content\">The CDU\/CSU and SPD parties have reached an agreement in the exploratory talks at a remarkable speed to create a special fund for infrastructure and to provide a far-reaching opportunity to increase defense spending beyond the limits of the debt brake. How should these proposals be assessed? What needs to be considered for the sustainable success of this modernization agenda? These questions were discussed on March 7, 2025, in a background roundtable with experts.<\/div><div class=\"news-authors\"><a class=\"news-author-item\" href=\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/person\/sebastian-pieper\/\">Sebastian Pieper<\/a><\/div><div class=\"news-category\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/kategorie\/veranstaltungsbericht\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Event Report<\/a><\/div><\/div><!-- .class=\"news-info-wrapper --><\/div>  <div class=\"news-item\"><div class=\"news-thumbnail\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/friedrich-merz-shattered-a-political-taboo-this-is-a-chance-for-the-centre-left\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/02\/250211_dpz_slider_florian-ranft-for-the-guardian_c-epa-images-768x512.jpg\" class=\"attachment-dpz-blog-thumbnail size-dpz-blog-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Slider: Coverpicture for the article of florian ranft in the Guardian\" sizes=\"auto, 100vw\" \/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"news-info-wrapper\"><h4 class=\"news-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/friedrich-merz-shattered-a-political-taboo-this-is-a-chance-for-the-centre-left\/\">Friedrich Merz shattered a political taboo. This is a chance for the centre-left in Germany<\/a><\/h4><div class=\"news-date\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Posted on<\/span> <time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-02-11T15:51:27+01:00\">11. February 2025<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2025-05-09T16:38:17+02:00\">9. May 2025<\/time><\/div><div class=\"news-content\">Progressive parties swiftly need to turn the dial, Florian Ranft states in The Guardian. The attention needs to be moved from simply despising the enemies of democracy to what people really expect.<\/div><div class=\"news-authors\"><a class=\"news-author-item\" href=\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/person\/dr-florian-ranft\/\">Florian Ranft<\/a><\/div><div class=\"news-category\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/kategorie\/wir-in-den-medien\/\" rel=\"category tag\">In the Media<\/a><\/div><\/div><!-- .class=\"news-info-wrapper --><\/div> <\/div><!-- .news-wrapper -->\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-fe48e5de wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/blogs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">To the blog<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While Austria is losing Andreas Babler, a rising star among European progressives, the United Kingdom has seen a newcomer take the stage in the form of Andy Burnham. Whether he will be able to rise and shine depends on more than just his personal qualities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":19676,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[272],"class_list":["post-19674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-analysis","tag-hausblog"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.1 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Babler Case: What His Failure Really Reveals - Das Progressive Zentrum - EN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/the-babler-case-what-his-failure-really-reveals\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Babler Case: What His Failure Really Reveals\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"While Austria is losing Andreas Babler, a rising star among European progressives, the United Kingdom has seen a newcomer take the stage in the form of Andy Burnham. 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