Tag Archives: Politics

Negative government budgets are not the norm in Switzerland. Over the 23 years since 2000, 14 federal budgets have been positive and 9 negative. This week the federal government signed off on a negative budget for 2023 with a hole of CHF 4.8 billion in it, bringing the number of negative budgets since 2000 to 10. © Pichetw | Dreamstime.comIn 2023, Switzerland’s federal government expects to spend CHF 86.2 billion, CHF 4.8 billion more than CHF 81.3 billion it expects to collect. A...

A practical roadmap to reclaiming individual and financial sovereignty – Part II of II Essential ingredients There have always been people with a passion for liberty. Since the earliest historical records, we can find questioners, dissenters, “trouble makers”, contrarians and all kinds of free and inquisitive minds. In this day and age, however, technology has played a decisive role in the influence they can have. Sure, the “bad guys” might be taking...

A practical roadmap to reclaiming individual and financial sovereignty – Part II of II Essential ingredients There have always been people with a passion for liberty. Since the earliest historical records, we can find questioners, dissenters, “trouble makers”, contrarians and all kinds of free and inquisitive minds. In this day and age, however, technology has played a decisive role in the influence they can have. Sure, the “bad guys” might be taking advantage of all the latest...

A practical roadmap to reclaiming individual and financial sovereignty – Part I of II Those who are familiar with my ideas and my writings undoubtedly know that one the issues I’m most passionate about is individual freedom, on all levels. I believe that free-thinking people know what’s best of them and they need no “guardians”, no “nannies” and certainly no bailiffs and enforcers, to limit or to dictate their choices “for their own good”. As long as...

A practical roadmap to reclaiming individual and financial sovereignty – Part I of II Those who are familiar with my ideas and my writings undoubtedly know that one the issues I’m most passionate about is individual freedom, on all levels. I believe that free-thinking people know what’s best of them and they need no “guardians”, no “nannies” and certainly no bailiffs and enforcers, to limit or to dictate their choices “for their own good”. As long as those choices cause no harm or...

On 23 November 2022, Switzerland’s Federal Council adopted the latest round of EU sanctions against Russia. © Petr Pohudka | Dreamstime.comIn response to Russia’s ongoing military aggression against Ukraine, as well as Russia’s continued efforts to destabilise and undermine Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and security, the European Union (EU) adopted new measures against Russia on 6 October as part of the eighth package of sanctions, said the Swiss government. Following...

On 16 November 2022, Switzerland’s federal government announced the sums that will be transferred between the nation’s statelets or cantons in 2023, a mechanism aimed at ensuring wealthy cantons support those with weaker economies. © Eugenesergeev | Dreamstime.comIn 2023, CHF 5.6 billion will be transferred, a sum CHF 290 million greater than in 2022 (+5%). The total sum is equivalent to less than 1% of Swiss GDP. Under the national financial equalisation mechanism, six cantons will...

© Eugenesergeev | Dreamstime.com On 16 November 2022, Switzerland’s federal government announced the sums that will be transferred between the nation’s statelets or cantons in 2023, a mechanism aimed at ensuring wealthy cantons support those with weaker economies. In 2023, CHF 5.6 billion will be transferred, a sum CHF 290 million greater than in 2022 (+5%). The total sum is equivalent to less than 1% of Swiss GDP. Under the national financial equalisation mechanism,...

An inquiry presented this week by RTS reveals evidence of likely vote buying related to the choice of Qatar for the 2022 Football World Cup due to start on 20 November 2022. Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.comA cloud of corruption has hung over FIFA since 2010 when Qatar was chosen by 14 votes to 8 as the place for the 2022 World Cup. The US was the front runner, however, tiny Qatar, a nation with little in the way of football culture and infrastructure, was chosen. Suspicion has abounded ever...

Interview with Václav Klaus To many of us, no matter how well versed in history, in political affairs or in socioeconomic issues, the present conditions in the West, and especially in Europe, can sometimes seem like the plot of a bad movie. It is often said that history doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme, and what we’re seeing today is a great example of that. Nevertheless, one would have expected that at least some of those in charge of the “big decisions” would have...