Last September’s watershed national election saw the far right triumph for the first time since the Second World War. With options exhausted and suddenly determined to exclude the far right from power, the conservatives, social democrats and liberals returned to negotiations. As Austria grapples with record inflation and soaring living costs, the far right continues its surge. Worse, by adopting the FPÖ’s topics, policies and frames, they legitimise the far right’s stance, further reinforcing its normalisation. This means principled opposition from all democratic parties to the anti-democratic vision the far right represents.