Songwriter Wolfgang Ambros on Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz

The Süddeutsche Zeiting has an interviewer with songwriter Wolfgang Ambros, a songwriter considered one of the leading figures of Austro-Pop who has also written social-critical songs for a long time. (Oliver Das Gupta, "Bin mir sicher, dass es viele braune Haufen in der FPÖ gibt" 06.08.2018) Like this one that mocks a latter-day Hitler admirer who wants to say all sorts of nasty things but can't, because every time he opens his mouth and nasty toad crawls out, Wolfgang Ambros - Alfred Hitter (Lyrics):

In the Süddeutsche, he is asked about the Austrian government of Chancellor Sebastian "Babyface" Kurz (ÖVP, Christian Democratic conservatives) and Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache (FPÖ, far-right populists):

Heinz-Christian Strache, der FPÖ-Chef und Vizekanzler, beteuert, gegen Extremismus und vor allem Antisemitismus zu sein.

Ich glaub dem kein Wort. Ich bin mir sicher, dass es viele braune Haufen in der FPÖ gibt. Weil die Regierung die ganze Zeit nur über Ausländer redet, fällt vielen Österreichern gar nicht auf, wohin die Reise geht. Die Pläne dieser Regierung bekommen nicht nur die Flüchtlinge zu spüren, sondern bald auch ärmere Österreicher. Neulich hat die FPÖ-Sozialministerin Beate Hartinger-Klein behauptet, von 150 Euro im Monat könne man leben. Das ist doch irrsinnig! Als die Regierung gebildet wurde, war abzusehen, dass die FPÖ sich auf jeder Ebene nicht staatstragend verhält. Nicht abzusehen war aber, dass unser Herr Bundeskanzler skandalöse Aussagen der FPÖ unkommentiert lässt. Der schweigt immer, wenn es unangenehm wird.

Können Sie erklären, warum Kurz trotzdem so populär ist?

Er sagt immer das Richtige, weil er inhaltlich nix sagt. Auf die Leute wirkt das angenehm.

{Heinz-Christian Strache, the FPÖ chief and the Vice Chancellor, assures us that he is against extremism and above all against anti-Semitism.

I don't believe a word of it. I myself am sure that there are many brown piles ["brown" here means Nazi-like] in the FPÖ. Because the government talks all the time about foreigners, a lot of Austrian really don't realize what the game is. Not only refugees will feel the effects of this government, but very soon poor Austrians, too. Recently, the FPÖ Social Minister Beate Hartinger-Klein claimed that someone could live on 150 euros per month [$130 per month]. But that's nuts! When the government was put together, one could see that the FPÖ on all levels would not act like a responsible government party. What wasn't obvious was that the Herr Bundeskanzler [Kurz] would not comment on the scandalous statements of the FPÖ. He's stays quiet when things get uncomfortable.

Can you explain why he is nevertheless so popular?

He always says the right thing because what he says has no content. People find that pleasant.}

The latter is a good observation. All politicians try to get away with saying things in a way that people with differing views can read their own views into what the say. But Kurz is vapid and obvious enough about it that it has inspired a hastag "AnswerLikeKurz."

The idea is that when Kurz is asked about, say, Issue X, his answer is something like, "I consider Issue X very important. And I have been engaged with Issue X for a long time. And Issue X is also something all parties need to talk about further in the future so that we can come up with acceptable solutions for Issue X."