THE Austrian mentality, wrote Thomas Bernhard, is like a Punschkrapfen (a punch-soaked pastry with colourful icing): red on the outside, brown on the inside and always a bit drunk. The republic’s post-war history illustrates his point. Since 1970 it has been run by (red) social democrats for all but seven years.

THE Austrian mentality, wrote Thomas Bernhard, is like a Punschkrapfen (a punch-soaked pastry with colourful icing): red on the outside, brown on the inside and always a bit drunk. The republic’s post-war history illustrates his point. Since 1970 it has been run by (red) social democrats for all but seven years.