Thesis 1 : No turning back. The coherent perception of a start.

A year ago, the Europahaus decided to continue to be, against the will of Burganland's provincial government. And so it has. The Europahaus has gone too far; it has crossed the threshold of its founding. Now we are pursued by the question of the significance of such an undertaking.

To pursue meaningful actions is suspicious behavior. It does not concern itself with the spirit of the times, which demands efficient actions, precise goals and quick completion. The refusal of such nonsense demonstrates the difficulty that must be overcome. It is about the work of art, the vision, which has carried the Europahaus and should propel it onwards, under its own direction and in the public debate. The discourse on a new mission statement is successful if it creates words that, while sailing with reality, point out the horizon.

Political culture is for society, what education is for the individual: life according to thought out and deliberate principles and the creation of an order that manages this. If such an undertaking appears to be offensive or even scandalous to the guardians of power, it is possible that storms will follow. And then it is good to hear the words of the Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama, who had sailed around the Earth and who, during a hurricane on the Indian Ocean, called to his team: "Ahead, children, the ocean is cowering before you."

Thesis 2: The expulsion of the monsters. In praise of the logical.

Only by switching the terms development politics and political education, does the substantial become recognizable: the development of politics, education of the political. Curing the Third World, or avoiding climate catastrophes are not the domain of education.

Masters of the political have been faced by a dilemma for the past 2400 years. Unlike technical skills, which, despite the fact that they generally can be taught, are only possessed by a few specialists, political intelligence can not be taught, even though it should be shared by the most people. This thought of Socrates is countered by Protagoras, though he can only support his counter-thesis by referring to the myth of Prometheus and Empimetheus. He refers to the gods. When politics exceeds knowledge and becomes an art (or a treasure), no pedagogy in the world and not even the most sophisticated education is capable of teaching this art. Only gods possess it. If this is the case, then the concern is the creation of appropriate conditions that lead to a meaningful handling of knowledge and - possibly - lure the gods. Such appropriate conditions and manners are known as logos (also the word for word).

Those who handle themselves meaningfully are not far from logical thinking. When regarding a world that in all practicality is spinning completely out of control, nothing seems more urgently needed in our (developmental) political education than a good theory. A bit of order in my poor head (William of Baskerville)

Thesis 3 : The avoidance of institutions. The invention of the humane gathering

The effect of the Gods is not attainable, but there are conditions for the creation of education, specific situational and personal prerequisites that - possibly - allow the educational process to succeed. One could think of the Bible (two or three…), or about the ancient societal tradition of the humanity of small groups, forms of acquiring the unknown (threatening) by talking, the discussion and formation of a soulful life creating an antithesis and protective space from humanity-wasting large-scale politics, and were cultivated differently in terms of time and space (in front of the fire, academies, study circles, reading societies, pub gatherings, clubs…). The encounter with gods, or the success of education or the information (coming into form) of individuals is a question of assembly culture. If the gathering is at the right place and configured in the right way, it can happen…

The self-organized gathering of individuals was always a threat to the guardians of power. Therefore, it was either banned right away or strictly regimented, organized from the top down or: arranged. Both as an arranged product, and as an institutional experience, education is decayed, abandoned.

Friedrich Heer pleads for the holy alliance, an entente cordiale of the one-and-a-half to two percent of people in all living generations, in all professions, in all active forms of life, who are open towards the future. "I can't say that professors, doctors or engineers are people of the future. And I especially cannot claim that teachers are people of the future, as they kill off so much good future by internally ruining the migratory herds of the future, namely very lively children, and killing faith, hope and love. I cannot say that there is an especially high percentage of elements present, who are anxious and open to the future, … The majority of people live so closed in that they don't "have time". Unfortunately there are no sociological groups that would guarantee this success. Clubs can mean a lot. Clubs have worked historically. But this mentality is lacking nowadays: the will to come together with completely different people working in different professions. It just isn't done, … many don't have a chance to speak…"; unlike in the Protestant-influenced Western and Northern Europe, where this culture is pronounced and possesses a high educational relevance for political culture.

It is worthwhile to differentiate among gatherings of people: is this an assembly of free citizens in the initial Greek understanding of the polis (ecclesia) or the clerical community gathering (eccelsia); a consultation and debate or the hearing of truth; conversational rhetoric or speaker rhetoric; the art of interlocution or the art of convincing; responsibility or irresponsibility. It is about the configuration of an - in these circles - unknown ecclesia.

Thesis 4 : Better stories are about people and are narrated by people.

The construction of political capital is a question of narration culture. But, what is a good story? Who should narrate it? I would like to assume that it doesn't legitimize the power structures and didactically endorses the world order, but rather the conditions of freedom, and narrates the development of human potential. Instead of euphoria and globalization hysteria, a respectable look at conditions that serve self-identity and political competence.

The foretold end of the epoch of enlightening humanity deserves interest. Will a completely new world bring forth new forms of being human? Perhaps yes, with or without genetic technology; perhaps a new world will completely change the characteristic traits of its political culture. If one sticks to the familiar conception of man, to the Jewish-Greek-Enlightenment-European story of man, it follows that we must carefully create, or preserve, conditions worthy of man (or man-gods). If one gambles on a new form of being-human, then a careful approach is even more appropriate. One dare not scare the gods!

Thesis 5 : The time has come for learning to read.

The age of the information society is on everyone's lips, but who is in shape and who is responsible? If talk of unconquerable information technology stirs up unrest, then it's probably because it is known that new instruments with incredible possibilities are clashing with a society that hasn't even been allowed to learn to read and for which the use of information has thus far only consisted of (secretive) chats. Therefore it is incredibly noteworthy that an education and cultural policy, which is still completely based on the tradition of pre-democratic rule, which is allowing its citizens as little access to information as possible, which has allowed libraries and book-stores to decay or not open at all, which still presumes a journalistic culture like in the former Eastern bloc, is hoping for positive effects from information technology. What can be meant by this?

The highest rates of internet-access exist in Finland and Norway. These are also the countries the have the highest density of library, a far more elaborate and differentiated journalistic culture and where the average citizen reads 10 times as much as the average Austrian. A statistic on the frequency of computers and newspapers in Swedish households demonstrates that almost all those who own a computer also subscribe to a newspaper. This is logical, when one considers it more closely.

The alternative to the flood of information is to have not to have any more information at all, but rather more exact, thorough and precise information. And that takes time, effort, calm, creativity. A good democracy assumes thoughtful education process, as well as shared forums for analysis and the exchange of ideas. The reading of socially-critical articles or editorials gives the feeling of being in a common place of democracy. Data and facts can be found - in enormous quantities, if desired - on the internet, explanations of events, analyzing articles, features that offer a deeper insight, op-eds and debates are the domain of newspapers. A newspaper for Burgenland is what is needed.

Thesis 6 : Networks can be good, allies are better.

Precisely the crisis demonstrates the point of this exact differentiation. Not our involvement in networks was the guarantor of our survival, but allies: individual people in the province, partners both nationally and internationally, individuals working within provincial, national and European politics. Interests play a role, but the bond is always between people.

Public relations work means winning and identifying potential allies. This goes out from individuals, who pass on enthusiasm for the Europahaus. Bringing the Europahaus into social discussions is the most important element of a political strategy. As long as the Europahaus is socially discussed, the behavior of the government is in the public domain and therefore in the political sphere. Special appearances on television, posters and in events are an important complement.

Thesis 7 : Saving Burgenland

It did not require the irritating stance of the provincial government on the EU's enlargement to understand the fears of the province's political elite. With the European dimension and a new regionalization, as it is also demanded in Austria, the end of small feudal empires is already looming. The market and rationality ideology of those in power gives all the arguments for a structural cleansing. A coherent justification for Burgenland would first require - assuming it is true that culture is life according to thought out and deliberate principles and the creation of an order that manages this -a period of contemplation and then a thoughtful declaration of intent by provincial politics. So far there have only been declarations of intent for more EU subsidies which at the same time seemingly should be withheld from our Eastern neighbors for as long as possible.

The construction of a sensible Burgenland is a task of the future that cannot be achieved alone from within Burgenland. So far, the cultural political efforts of the central government have blocked an even more pronounced rejection and discouragement of intellectual discourse and the reduction of culture to country-side beautification measures. The opening to the East and the imminent EU membership of the neighboring countries has the advantage that urban centers, which had been described as "lost" for seven decades, are being won back, which will presumably be a blessing in terms of cultural politics. City air is liberating! This increases the chances for a new political education of the province within the region.

Fides substantia rerum.

On the 20th of March, 2 years before 2000, at the festival in Lockenhaus