Why the Swiss aren’t hot on the EU either
Dr Alexandra Nogawa, a member of the Swiss People's Party, explores why the Swiss don't want to join the EU.
The people of a nation share a common history, common customs and common traditions but do not have necessarily a common language, as the example of Switzerland and other countries show. However, for centuries the Swiss have shared the same political traditions. To destroy the knowledge of the history and traditions of a nation has always been a means to conquer it.
A more recent strategic instrument is described in the book of Prof. Kelly M.Greenfield, The Weapons of Mass Migration.[1] This instrument is now applied by the Soros Foundation and a member of it is Gerald Knaus, an adviser of Angela Merkel. For deeper context, some reports claim the German Chancellor herself was a communist in GDR days. George Soros, famous in Britain because he bet against the Bank of England, is a founder of the Open Society. In terms of its practical effects, it might be said that the goal of this foundation is to destroy tradition and history (e.g. by mass migration), health (legalizing drugs) and influencing politics (Hilary Clinton, Angela Merkel), using this influence for doing business. The refugees under the smokescreen of philanthropy meanwhile are a very good business for some. They pay a lot for forged passports to be put in cheap boats, but which leak in the open sea and the taxpayer has to pay for their rescue. Now media reports suggest that the Italian authorities are being pressed to investigate Soros-supporting charities, as their tactics actively encourage the migrant traffickers – some of whom have been identified as having links to Islamic terrorism, and even use this taxi service to enter Europe themselves.[2] This is the actual political situation and is responsible for the strengthening of right-wing parties in the EU, in turn then called Nazis by mainstream newspapers.
Of course, although Switzerland is not a member of the EU the inhabitants know very well, what is going on in Europe. They also have refugees who come from the neighbouring countries, which they try to "integrate" with not much success. The problem is mainly those refugees who are not willing to work and are criminals. Switzerland has no money to pay a decent social support rate to old people but apparently enough to spend 2 billion CHF for refugees.
If Switzerland would join the EU an even bigger mass migration would be the "present " of the EU for our joining, not only by people from the Near East and Africa but also from European countries, due to big gap in the salaries in the different countries. Switzerland accepted an agreement with the EU. This was a mistake. Everybody who had the slightest idea of the salaries in Europe would not have agreed to such a proposition. But as it seems now to be the practice of the government to cheat and in this case, pretend that only a few Europeans will look for employment in Switzerland. Actually, it was 10 times more than they pretended. Every year the number of inhabitants is increasing rapidly. The Swiss have generally nothing against foreigners if they work and behave well. They do not agree with companies which dismiss middle-aged persons and replace them by cheaper young foreigners so that the Swiss remain without work. The Trade Unions and the Socialists have nothing against this practice because they receive new socialist members who will vote for them when they become Swiss.
To understand the political situation and the key for the rejection of the EU in Switzerland we must take a glimpse at history and the modern political situation. Switzerland was founded in 1291 by three neighbouring Cantons in the alpine region in the centre of Europe. This region was inhabited by peasants, who had always been independent and wanted to remain so. Therefore, when Leopold von Habsburg attacked them, they manned their defences and vanquished him and his army. This was a total surprise, as nobody had ever thought that a group of peasants could vanquish such a well-trained army of knights in armour. The Swiss became famous soldiers and served in many of the armies of Europe.
Slowly, Switzerland became bigger and bigger. Rich cities which were at that time independent and governed by manufacturers and merchants and their corporations joined the Swiss Confederation. As the cities were independent and not aristocratic, Switzerland remained independent. The only exception was Napoleon. He conquered Switzerland, as many Swiss citizens sympathized with the ideology of the French Revolution. These sympathizers were mainly in the French and in the North West region and the big cities of Switzerland, approximately the same regions which are today socialist and those regions have also a tendency of being EU-friendly. The first and the Second World War were survived through independence. But in Europe a big power was slowly rising, the EEA (European Economic Area). Of course, the government of Switzerland wanted also to join it, against any tradition. According to the law, the government submitted the result of its negotiations to a popular vote. The people voted No to the great surprise of the government and the self-appointed elite which did not any more understand the world and Switzerland. Our Chief negotiator for the EEA-agreement, Franz Blankart, predicated furiously: in 5 years the Swiss people will beg the EEA on their knees for Switzerland to become a member at any price.[3] But this prediction proved to be wrong. Swiss citizens understood very well, that the question was not to accept an economic agreement but to join a future Empire in which they would lose all their Civil Rights.
I deliberately do not write: "Why Switzerland does not want to join the EU", because we have here in Switzerland the rare case, that a government does not represent the people, at least over this question. The constitution of 1848 (revised in 1999) stipulates that the People is the supreme sovereign and its decisions must be followed by the government. The government is elected by the members of the Parliament; the left wing was always willing to join the EU. For some time the government has been no longer willing to act according to the popular vote if the decisions do not conform with its opinion it just ignores them, which is a deliberate infringement against the constitution. To participate in the government affairs, the Swiss have, however, the possibility to collect in a given time 100,000 signatures to ask for an Initiative and a new law and 50,000 if they want to reject a bill which was carried by the Parliament. In the last years the Initiatives have multiplied to force the government to act as the constitution stipulates. The government wants to increase the number of signatories but has failed so far. Meanwhile, the government knows very well that a popular vote to join the European Union does not have any chance of approval. Therefore they try to trick the Swiss people.
They asked for an expert view from a Swiss professor (Daniel Thürer) who is teaching in Germany. This report leaked out and many members of the Parliament were furious. The intention was clear: to force the Swiss through court decisions into the EU. In this connection, the EU and the Swiss government are engaged in negotiations. The government is negotiating on a skeleton agreement with the EU, not a single Member of the Swiss Parliament has seen it and it proves itself more and more to be a skeleton in the cupboard of the Swiss government. The most important points leaked out were: a Court should be created to settle disagreements which might arise between the EU and Switzerland, but this Court will be dominated by the EU and therefore a subordination of Switzerland is clear. As international agreements are not subject to a popular vote, the Swiss government will try to subordinate Switzerland to the EU. The Swiss will lose all their political rights and have to accept the laws of the EU.
Nobody knows the reason why the members of the government of an independent state choose to become the slaves of another state. The Swiss suspect that some members of the government were promised well-paid positions in the EU if they would join. For the EU, Switzerland is a rich prey as the EU needs money. On the other side, the EU is near a financial and political collapse. More and more, nobody reasonable wants to join a collapsing system, though the so-called elite (government, media, think tanks, finance and industry) already wished to join the EEA and now the EU.
After the vote 'no' on the EEA, they forecast a total financial collapse of Switzerland, which never materialised. In fact, Switzerland flourished and prospered. Courage was rewarded. The EU meanwhile has seen years of stagnated growth. Woolly ideas are not enough for a reasonable policy. Every country should find its own way. I think that Brexit is a reasonable alternative in the long history of the UK. It will give the UK back its independence and prevent it from being engulfed in the abyss of a collapsing system.
[1] Cornell Studies in Security Affairs
[2] "'Undesirable NGOs' Fund ISIS-linked Refugee Boats to EU", F. William Engdahl, 5 April 2017
[3] Interview, 21 November 2006
This article is from an anthology of essays shortly to be published on www.theredcell.co.uk.
