Tag Archives: Politics

Share this article Part of the upcoming “World War III” documentary For decades, but especially over the last one, Europeans have been told to embrace multiculturalism as a net positive for society and for the economy. They were told to open their hearts and their doors to newcomers and to give them a chance to culturally enrich their nations. Of course, they weren’t actually given a choice in the matter, as their leaders opened the doors anyway, without asking anyone and without...

Share this article For decades, Western democracies operated under a comfortable consensus: censorship was a blunt instrument reserved for authoritarian regimes, while the “free world” relied on open debate, robust dissent, and constitutional safeguards. This sentiment allowed Western leaders to feel superior over the rest of the world, to lecture other countries on democratic principles and on “open society” ideas and in some cases to invade and bomb them too, to spread these ideas by...

The Swiss government’s proposal to tighten the Lex Koller, which restricts property purchases by foreigners, has exposed a sharp divide between political parties and business groups. Parties on the left and the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) argue that the reforms would close longstanding loopholes in the law, reported RTS. Business organisations and most centrist parties warn that the measures could deter investment and weaken Switzerland’s economic appeal. Photo by Cadis Ioan on...

Share this article Part of the upcoming “World War III” documentary Anyone who reads my work or knows me personally is well aware of my deep-seated skepticism toward the political class as a whole. Whether they wear a red tie or a blue one, whether they claim to be representing the Left or the Right, the underlying hunger for power, the hubris and the hypocrisy remain entirely the same. For a long time, Ron Paul was the lone exception to this rule, and his departure left me convinced...

Minimum wages are one of the most contentious issues in Swiss labour policy, exposing tensions between Switzerland’s federal government and the cantons over who should determine pay. Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com Trade unions and left-wing parties have now launched a federal referendum against legislation that would give sectoral collective labour agreements1 precedence over cantonal minimum-wage laws. The reform, approved by parliament during its summer session, is an...

Share this article Part of the upcoming “World War III” documentary As conflict continues to escalate on multiple fronts and as the actions of those in power keep bringing us closer and closer to a broader war, looking back at structural geopolitical decisions becomes vital for understanding how we arrived here.  In the interview that follows, Alain Juillet, former head of French intelligence for economic security and successful businessman, leverages his extensive background in...

Switzerland’s government is pressing ahead with plans to raise the minimum annual health-insurance deductible from CHF 300 to CHF 400, reports RTS. The proposal has exposed familiar political divisions: parties on the right and health insurers support it, while the left, trade unions and cities oppose it. The Centre Party and the cantons occupy a middle ground. Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com Under Switzerland’s compulsory health-insurance system, policyholders pay the first...

This week, the Swiss Tenants’ Association submitted a popular initiative aimed at curbing rents after collecting more than 140,000 signatures. Photo by Marcus Lenk on Pexels.com The proposal would require rents to be reviewed automatically at regular intervals. If a review found rents to be too high, landlords would be obliged to reduce them. The initiative is backed by an alliance of left-wing parties, trade unions and advocacy groups, including the Socialist Party. The association...

The Swiss government has scaled back—but not abandoned—its plan to raise value-added tax (VAT) to finance higher defence spending. In January the Federal Council proposed a temporary 0.8-percentage-point increase in the standard VAT rate to help fund Switzerland’s growing security needs. Following a public consultation, it has reduced the proposed rise to 0.5 percentage points. The levy would apply for 12 years rather than the originally proposed ten. The government says the...

The Swiss parliament has agreed only a partial funding plan for the new 13th annual state-pension payment, reported RTS. After lengthy wrangling, the National Council backed an increase in value-added tax (VAT) but rejected higher payroll contributions, leaving much of the additional cost uncovered. Photo by cami on Pexels.com The National Council voted to raise VAT by 0.4 percentage points. The shift was made possible by a change of position from the Green Liberal Party, which had...