The leader of Austria's far-right Freedom Party, Mr Jorg Haider, thrives on opposition, despite his grand ambition to become chancellor of the federal government. His decision to step down as party leader underlines these preferences. It will give him more leeway to criticise the coalition with the People's Party. But it has been generally interpreted as a tactical manoeuvre rather than a genuine distancing from the coalition, since he remains by far the most dominant figure within the Freedom Party's ranks. Understandably, therefore, EU governments have refused to lift the boycott on bilateral contacts with the Austrian government on the grounds that the key question is not Mr Haider's personality but the extremist nature of the party he leads.
Austrian politics have gone through a turbulent and fascinating process of change since the coalition government was formed four weeks ago. The Socialist Party has gone into opposition ill-equipped for that role but increasingly aware that a profound political realignment is probably under way. The Greens have more than doubled in support according to the opinion polls and so has the small liberal party. Looking ahead it is possible to see the contours of an alternative coalition emerging should the new one disintegrate under domestic and international pressure.
That is by no means an unlikely prospect. There are deep cleavages running through the governing coalition. The People's Party has gone along with it under Mr Wolfgang Schussel's leadership, based on the assumption that it will be possible to domesticate and marginalise the Freedom Party and emerge in a stronger position.
But there is a vocal and determined internal party opposition to Mr Schussel. It is led by the Austrian EU commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Franz Fischler, who argues that Mr Haider's frankness will systematically undermine the government. His resignation, far from bolstering the coalition will tend to destabilise it, according to this analysis. He cannot resist articulating his opposition, which will tend to discredit his colleagues in government.
There will be no shortage of issues in the coming weeks and months. The coalition is committed to increase spending taxes, raise the retirement age, privatise and restructure state-owned companies, reduce legal freedoms for trade unions and tighten immigration and asylum legislation. Many of these changes will disadvantage people who voted for the Freedom Party in protest against the petty corruption of the longstanding grand alliance of socialists and Christian democrats who ruled Austria for most of the post-war period, in addition to those attracted by its stand against foreigners and EU enlargement. A vigorous street protest movement against the new government has developed which will add to the difficulties in implementing such a legislative programme.
So far there is little sign that the bilateral boycotts by Austria's fellow EU member-states have bolstered Mr Haider's domestic standing. They seem rather to have stimulated this deepening of its political divisions. It is too early to expect them to be relaxed, given the depth of feeling in many states about the precedents set by allowing such an extremist party into the political mainstream.