A mixed group of intellectuals, artists and activists are behind the initiative to give an unconditional basic income to every Swiss resident, regardless of whether they work. Supporters say monthly payments of CHF 2,500 CHF for each adult and CHF 625 per child, would enable us to cover our basic living costs and allow us to live […]
New tax to pay for new minimum Swiss income?
20 Minutes. According to 20 Minutes, those behind this June’s vote proposing a minimum income, have come up with a new way to fund it. They want a tax on electronic transactions. The initiative calls for an unconditional minimum monthly income of CHF 2,500 for each adult and CHF 625 for each child. The projected annual cost […]
Making foreigners feel unwelcome in Switzerland. It was worse in the 1970s.
A documentary, called The Schwarzenbach Years (Les Années Schwarzenbach), recounts Swiss disdain for foreigners in the 1970s. Clear parallels can be seen between then and now. The film will be shown at the International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights in Geneva on 9 March 2016 at 14:30. Last weekend Last Sunday, close to 59% of Swiss voters rejected […]
After the vote the UDC poster with the black and white sheep gets a makeover
As the Swiss referendum to automatically expel foreign criminals looks set to fail the hashtag #happysheeps has sprung up on Twitter. Here is a selection of Tweets: Quand Twitter se moque de la défaite de l’#UDC #CHvote #UDC > Tous les #happysheeps https://t.co/68pQzov0Pa pic.twitter.com/osLumuPC7T — Le Matin (@Lematinch) 28 février 2016 Résultats acruels du #CHvote […]
Counting the votes. Swiss vote results 28 February 2016.
The votes have been counted. The Swiss Statistics Office charts below show results by canton and district. To display the percentage results for a canton or district click on it. The charts can be switched from canton to district by clicking on the dropdown menu in the top right of each chart. The initiatives to […]
Helping a few at the expense of many – Swiss vote against penalising marriage
The Christian Democratic People’s party (PDC) is the party behind the initiative: “In Favour of Marriage and Family – Against the Marriage Penalty”, which will be voted on this Sunday 28th February. The initiative’s negative overtones towards same-sex couples, as well as its shortcomings, make it hard to support. However, it might help to ignite […]
The referendum that could force commodity traders to leave Switzerland
Farmers worldwide pre-settle food prices with buyers to avoid the risk of being saddled with their harvest with no one to sell it to. This should remain the case, according to the JUSO (Young Swiss Socialists) party. However, with their initiative: ‘Ban on Food Speculation’, the party aims to ban institutional investors from trading in […]
Swiss vote to ban food speculation. Clever or cuckoo?
Does speculation distort food prices and create hunger? Food shortages are caused by many things, among them, bad weather, wars and supply problems. There is also evidence that speculation amplifies natural price movements, sometimes to a point that limits access to food in poor countries. In a working paper, Stephen Spratt, from the Institute of Development […]
Swiss vote to automatically expel foreign criminals. Sensible or perverse?
In 2010, 52.9% of Swiss voters agreed that foreigners convicted of certain crimes should be deported. Following the vote, in March 2015, Switzerland’s parliament approved laws enacting the measure. The Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP), the vote’s organiser, cried foul, claimed the new laws watered down the original text, and proposed a more rigid formulation that voters […]
Swiss vote: the pros and cons of a new Alpine road tunnel
It is voting season again in Switzerland. On the Sunday 28 February 2016 Swiss citizens get to vote on four proposals. The first is to decide whether to build a second Gotthard road tunnel or not. The current Gotthard road tunnel runs nearly 17km under around one kilometre of Alpine rock from Göschenen in the German-speaking […]
