Introductory Remarks – About Godfrey Bloom

[ed note by PT: Readers may recall our previous presentation of “Godfrey Bloom the Anti-Politician”, which inter alia contains a selection of videos of speeches he gave in the European parliament. Both erudite and entertaining, Mr. Bloom constantly kept the etatistes of the EU on their toes.]

Godfrey Bloom, back in his days as UKIP whip

Photo credit: Reuters

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Will the Swiss Guarantee CHF 75,000 for Every Family?

In early June the Swiss will be called upon to make a historic decision. Switzerland is the first country worldwide to put the idea of an Unconditional Basic Income to a vote and the outcome of this referendum will set a strong precedent and establish a landmark in the evolution of this debate.

The Swiss Basic Income Initiative in a demonstration in front of parliament. As we have previously reported (see “Swiss Parliament Shoots Down Socialist Utopia” for details), Switzerland’s parliament has already rejected the idea, with even the socialists voting against it (proving that they are still in possession of most of their marbles and quite likely in possession of an abacus as well).

Photo credit: Peter Klaunzer

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The Swiss are Resisting EU Domination in the Name of Liberty and Self-Determination

Last Wednesday, the Swiss National Council voted to withdraw the country’s dormant application to join the European Union (EU). A clear majority of Swiss voters are not interested in joining the EU. And no democratically sanctioned application was ever submitted. However, it has been “in the drawer” for quite some time.

The seven members of the Swiss Federal Council in 2016 (not depicted: chancellor Walter Thurnherr, who “assists” the council). Some explanation is in order for people not familiar with the Swiss political system, which will make it easier to understand the nature of the inner-Swiss political conflict. In effect, the federal council is a “collective head of state”. Its members are elected by parliament, and are supposed represent a cross-section of Switzerland’s regions, political parties and linguistic groups. The departments are chosen by its members based on their seniority. On average, council members tend to serve for 10 years, as they are usually reelected (it has only happened four times since 1848 that a federal councilor was not reelected; some have even served for 30 years). Its members cannot be recalled during a legislative period. Due to the fact that the Federal Council’s membership is based on the “concordance democracy” principle, the three strongest parties in parliament traditionally supply two councilors each, and the fourth strongest party one councilor (the so-called “magical formula”). Decisions of the council have to be supported in public even by council members who voted against them. Given this principle, the Federal Council can easily be at odds with the parliamentary majority. The SVP has only two council members, and it is a good bet that the four votes in favor of joining the EU came from the socialists and federal democrats. However, the council is not empowered to ignore the outcome of referendums or parliamentary decisions: it is merely the executive. As such, it can issue recommendations and propose draft laws. This form of executive is modeled after the archons of the polis of Greek antiquity, and is the only such surviving system in the world today. Click to enlarge.

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Switzerland’s Exceptional Legacy in Direct Democracy

Our readers probably realize by now what a proud Swiss fellow I am, and how I take every possible opportunity to argue that Switzerland represents a role model for achieving radical decentralization and respect for civil liberties. When municipalities, cities or smaller states are in competition with each other, the power of politicians is limited and the right to self-determination is ensured.

Switzerland and Lebanon (long known as “the Switzerland of the Middle East”)

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Global Gold Talks to Vít Jedlička, the President of Liberland

Vít Jedlička is a Czech politician, publicist and activist. He received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Economics, Prague in 2009 and his Master’s degree from CEVRO Institut in 2014. Since 2009, he has been a member of the Free Citizens Party, where he was elected the first Regional President in the Hradec Králové Region. Vít Jedlička considers himself a libertarian with liberal views on individual freedom and has described himself as a Bastiat-influenced anarcho-capitalist.

The Liberland coat of arms

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