Switzerland

"Who is afraid of William Tell? 
Old-fashioned reflections on democracy"

A plea for our individual freedom

by Thomas Scherr

(30 January 2021)  «Who is afraid of William Tell? Old-fashioned reflections on democracy».* This is the title of Oliver Zimmer's book published in November 2020. The author teaches modern European history in Oxford. He has been living in England for twenty years, but his roots lie on the shores of Lake Zurich. We recommend any democrat who has preserved his spirit of freedom to read his book.

Rebooting electronic voting?

The Swiss federal administration does not give up

(30 January 2021)  ts. The best way to lose the trust of others is to try to pressure or rehearse the same bad ideas over and over again. Why is the Swiss federal government so eager to introduce e-voting in Switzerland?

Sovereignty in the 21st century

by Nicola Eisenborn, political scientist

(30 January 2021)  Reflections on an aspect of the speech by Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, held at the press conference on December 24 2020 on the outcome of the negotiations between the European Union and the United Kingdom.

«Nouvelle Planète»

A Swiss foundation for development cooperation

"When I founded the international development organisation 'Nouvelle Planète' 34 years ago, I never thought it would reach such a scale," explains Willy Randin. “Nouvelle Planète” is really a different kind of development cooperation. In the 1970s, Willy Randin began his deeply human international involvement. He led Red Cross medical teams to war-torn countries like Yemen and Vietnam. In the 1980s, he served as director of the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Lambarene, Gabon. — Today, his son Philippe Randin directs the fortunes of this impressive relief organisation, which was founded in 1986.

Cantonal initiative in Geneva

Minimum salary of CHF 4000: a risky "Genevoiserie"

It could trigger a snowball effect in other cantons and at the federal level.

by Rémy Delalande, political and economic affairs specialist

The Geneva minimum wage of 4,000 euros provoked the astonished outburst of laughter of Parisian journalists commenting it on the TV channel CNews (see illustration 1): No, this is not a Swiss joke but rather a "Genevoiserie". Whose fault is it? The failure to adapt collective bargaining agreements? The failure to adress unregulated workers contracts? What are the risks of a spillover effect in other cantons or at the federal level?