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Beer Party continues to rise in polls
The Beer Party in Austria has continued its stratospheric rise in the polls and is placed just behind the major parties on 12% for the Vienna state election.
The news comes as the party has advocated for a number of amusing beer-related policies including a beer fountain in Vienna, a massive tax on radler drinkers of 50% and what it describes as “other atrocities”, and a monthly barrel of beer to Austrian households, which would be set at 50 litres per adult and 20 litres per child.
In addition, there would be a radler buyback programme, where consumers would be able to exchange their radlers for ‘real beer’.
VIENNA: Beer Party is polling at 12%.
Policies include:
A beer fountain for Vienna
New 50% tax on Radlers and “other atrocities”
Monthly barrel of beer to Austrian households (50L per adult, 20L per child)
Radler buyback programme, exchanging Radlers for real beer https://t.co/FIcwmOU6wa— Tom Moylan (@moylato) October 10, 2023
It’s success comes as no surprise as per capita, Austrians are (as of 2020) the second biggest beer consumers in the world, knocking back an average of 96.8 litres of the stuff per annum.
In addition, the party has a number of other more serious policies, including local hospitality venues working together to create a “gastronomy network”, plans for better transportation in Vienna and housing Ukrainian refugees.
The news follows the party performing well nationally last year. Party leader and founder Dominik Wlazny (known by his stage name of Marco Pogo) gained 8.31% of the vote, with 337,000 citizens putting their cross in his box in the October 2022 presidential elections.
Pogo, a comedian, doctor, brewer and musician, founded the party in 2015. He was inspired to do so by the song Bierpartei, performed by his punk band Turbobier, which includes the lyric: “If you like to be fat and drink a lot every day, then vote for us now, the Beer Party, we’ll abolish the alcohol tax”. The party’s website notes that “nobody can really remember the exact events of that day”.
It has also received support from abroad with Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin telling City AM that he “long[s] for the day when Loonies are top of the polls”.
He said: “We feel there is ample room for a similar party in the UK. However, Wetherspoon has a conflict of interest, since we’ve long supported the Monster Raving Loony Party and, in particular, its esteemed leader Alan ‘Howling Laud’ Hope. We long for the day when the Loonies are top of the polls, with the Beer-boys a close second!”
The party has had electoral success before, in the 2020 Vienna state and local council elections it gained 1.8% of the vote, receiving 11 mandates in district councils.
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