Switzerland Gets Progressive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

SWITZERLAND

The Politics of Granularity

A few months ago, Swiss voters rejected a referendum on restricting free movement with the European Union.

Now the rich Alpine nation, which is not part of the bloc, is again asking citizens to decide on important issues on Nov. 29.

One initiative would compel Swiss companies to prove whether they, their subsidiaries and their business partners, are complying with international human rights and environmental standards, the Local reported. Those who flout the standards would face penalties.

Proponents say the measures are critical, that it is time businesses take responsibility. Critics say the proposal is potentially unworkable.

“A cursory look at the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights gives a rough indication of the ungainly spreadsheets hapless junior auditors will be completing to assess whether countries have, for example, freedom of movement, thought, speech, religion and assembly,” wrote Andrew Isbester, a Hong Kong-based Swiss journalist at finews.asia.

But one can imagine why some Swiss might back imposing this burden on their companies. Once a haven for illicit money and tax cheats, Switzerland has caved to pressure from American and European officials to open up its banking system, as Reuters explained. The ex-American banker, whistleblower and convicted felon who helped end the country’s notorious banking secrecy policies, Bradley Birkenfeld, recently penned a book, incidentally, about his experience.

Today, many Swiss are questioning the benefits they have received from financing unsavory international schemes or harboring the ill-gotten gains of violent dictators and oppressors. A recent inquiry in Zurich discovered that Alfred Escher, a beloved son who founded banking giant Credit Suisse, was also a slave owner and trader, wrote the Guardian.

A second referendum would, if approved, ban all financing for the arms industry, prohibit loans to weapons makers and make it illegal to hold shares or invest in military hardware. The Swiss National Bank invested $1.3 billion in nuclear weapons production in 2018, for example, noted SwissInfo.ch, a state-run news service.

The government’s official position is that both referendums go too far. They note that Switzerland already places strict environmental rules on corporate behavior and the arms industry.

But voters appear to want the opportunity to ask themselves these kinds of questions. One planned referendum would ban Indonesian palm oil.

Organizers also hope to add a ballot question that if approved, would give every Swiss citizen around $8,400. Forbes described how such a referendum would help devalue the Swiss franc, which has swelled in value because it is seen as a safe haven for traders during the Covid-19 pandemic. An injection of cash would also help local economies that are struggling amid a surge of coronavirus cases, Foreign Policy magazine added.

While some believe the Swiss’ penchant for referendums – and the questions they decide – goes too far, others these days are wondering: Maybe granularity preserves democracy.