ABS News July 2025

Editorial: Summer Break Is Upon us
Presidential Message: We Live In a Merit-based Society
Five June Highlights
Pre-Summer Break Event
Save The Date: Biennial General Meeting
Iran And The British
The Last Page

Dear Members and Friends of the ABS,

What a first half-year for the Austro-British Society – what an incredible number of events, policy papers, blog articles and social media posts – there is something for everyone! The diversity of our activities is the foundation for the many years of successful development of our network.

But this programme does not run itself: All ABS Board members, led by our President Kurt Tiroch, invest hundreds of hours to make it all possible, and these efforts leave their mark. We are therefore all looking forward to the summer break ahead, which we need to recharge our batteries.

We are organising an elegant final with the big Prince George Birthday Party and hope that as many of you as possible will be able to join us before we pause for a few weeks! We wish you all a relaxing and wonderful summer!

Warm regards,

Yours Jochen Ressel,

ABS Secretary General & ABS News Editor-in-Chief

PRESIDENTIAL MESSAGE

We Live In a Merit-based Society.

Effort has to pay off - and so far it always has. For the past decades - indeed, my entire life - I have been able to live by that principle. The prosperity enjoyed by each individual citizen, and by our entire country, has reached an astonishing level. Very few countries in the world can match it.

Our parents and grandparents achieved something extraordinary after the war, and my generation was able to continue and build on it. I am genuinely pleased for anyone who can show they’ve done the same. If my neighbour owns an even larger, more attractive house than mine or - worse still - has much faster sports cars in his garage, I’m happy for him, especially if he earned that wealth himself. I truly wish him well and feel no envy whatsoever.

My drive to achieve was probably instilled in me from birth. Back in the 1950s, my parents went into business for themselves in the restaurant trade, running various establishments. I hardly ever saw them, because work always came first. But they achieved a modest prosperity, and I had a carefree and happy childhood. Among other places, they ran the Gasthaus Kopp on Engerthstraße - which was, and still is, a real goldmine. From 1960, they also took over Café Ministerium until 1980, and my wife and I continue to run it to this day. How much longer? people often ask me. My simple answer is always the same: for as long as I enjoy it and the business results are right. I’m still very much a child of the merit-based society and look forward to the daily challenges.

Have you heard of work–life balance? Of course you have - who hasn’t? It’s meant as a way of balancing working hours and leisure time, and in principle it’s perfectly sensible. But you do have to decide for yourself what takes priority, with different consequences for your life. I’m not much of a theorist - more of a practitioner. So let me share my experience as an example.

Back in the early 1990s, when I was an expat working for the corporation in Hamburg, all managers were required to brief their teams about work–life balance. There were ready-made presentation slides, and I spent an hour enthusiastically praising the benefits of the concept. It was probably effective and hopefully helpful for some. But for me? Of course not. I knew very well that simply clocking in and out for eight hours a day wasn’t going to get me far in an international corporation. I wanted a career and prosperity for myself and my family - just like tens of thousands of other employees in the company. That also meant being prepared to put in the hours whenever needed.

A merit-based society also means competition - and you have to want that. I’ve always treated it like a sport. You don’t have to win every time. But you do have to learn from defeats, pick yourself up, and keep fighting. Today, WLB (I’ve just made up that abbreviation myself) is on everyone’s lips and in the media every day. The difference from back then is that many in the younger generation are now genuinely putting the idea into practice. They want to focus on their private lives, with family and friends. Work is simply a means to an end. That’s perfectly fine - if it’s a conscious choice. But it’s rarely the path to major increases in personal wealth.

That said, the younger generation still has the same drive to achieve. I’m in regular contact with young people - and with their parents. The feedback I get shows that work–life balance is taken far more seriously these days, but that many young people are still defined by their ambition and willingness to work hard. Effort still pays off in every area of life - in work, in sport, and in everyday matters. Long live the merit-based society!.

Best wishes,

Prof KR Dr Kurt Tiroch
ABS President

FIVE JUNE HIGHLIGHTS

Event Diversity Matters!

Five highlights in June – it's incredible what the Austro-British Society has to offer. Each of these four events showcased the diversity that characterises our honourable society: an extraordinary journey, an elegant horse event, a highly interesting educational event, a chic motorsport event and a social get together. Click here for the reviews with photos:

HIGHLIGHT NO.1: TRAVEL EXPERIENCE

- Cornwall Is Calling!
- ABS Members visiting a beautiful part of the UK
- CLICK HERE for the event report and photos.

HIGHLIGHT NO.2: ELEGANT SPORTS

- Carriage Picnic
- Park of Ebreichsdorf Castle
- CLICK HERE for the event report and many photos.

HIGHLIGHT NO.3: HIGH QUALITY LECTURE

- "Europe At The Crossroads"
- Dr Arnold Kammel, Federal Ministry of Defence, Secretary General and Director General for Security and Defence Policy
- CLICK HERE for the event report and many photos.

HIGHLIGHT NO.4: MOTORSPORTS

- ABS British Car Excursion
- via Kernhof to Mariazell
- CLICK HERE for the event report and many photos.

HIGHLIGHT NO.5: SOCIAL GET TOGETHER

- ABS Heuriger, Edition XV
- at Weingut Heuriger Wolff, Neustift/Wald
- CLICK HERE for the event report and many photos.

PRE-SUMMER BREAK EVENT

A Big Final Ahead

After 16 incredible events in 2025 so far, we are now finalising this run with a final elegant get-together before we pause for a few weeks. Therefore, take the chance and register now!

PRINCE GEORGE BIRTHDAY PARTY

Invitation already in your inboxes
July 22, 2025
Cafe Ministerium
Register now!

Sept. 9, 2025: Pencil It In Your Calendar!

The Biennial General Meeting of the Austro-British Society will take place on Tuesday, September 9, 2025. Beside the interesting summaries of activities and financial reports, an additional highly interesing program is in the planning process!

Calendar Entry Save The Date

IRAN AND THE BRITISH

About a Close Link Throughout History

Great Britain’s historical link to Iran is deeply rooted in its interest in Iranian oil, which became a central point of economic and political engagement between the two nations during the 20th century.

In 1908, British entrepreneur William Knox D'Arcy, backed by the British government, discovered oil in Iran (then Persia), leading to the creation of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) in 1909. This company, later renamed British Petroleum (BP), was largely controlled by the British government and became a vital supplier of oil for the British Navy and industry.

Throughout the early and mid-20th century, Britain exercised significant influence over Iran’s oil resources, often securing highly favorable terms that benefited British interests at the expense of Iranian sovereignty and economic equity. This fueled resentment among Iranians.

Tensions peaked in 1951 when Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh nationalized the oil industry, ejecting the British-controlled APOC. In response, Britain, with support from the United States, orchestrated a coup in 1953 (Operation Ajax) that overthrew Mossadegh and reinstated the Shah’s authority, preserving Western oil interests. In 1954, a new international oil consortium was formed under pressure from the US and UK and BP was given a 40% stake in the consortium. Other shares went to major US oil companies (40%), Royal Dutch Shell (14%), and Compagnie Française des Pétroles (6%). This new structure technically placed the Iranian oil industry under the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), but in practice, foreign companies maintained operational and commercial control.

Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, Iran gradually asserted more control over its oil resources. The 1973 oil crisis and OPEC’s growing influence allowed Iran to renegotiate more favourable terms and reclaim control from the consortium. By 1979, after the Islamic Revolution, foreign companies including BP were again expelled from Iran as the new regime nationalised the oil sector completely.

This legacy left a lasting impact on UK-Iran relations, contributing to deep mistrust that persists today.

by Jochen Ressel