SWISS REVIEW the Magazine for the Swiss Abroad August 2015
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SWISS REVIEW The magazine for the Swiss Abroad August 2015 The row over the myths and truth of Swiss history Survey amongst Swiss banks – what do you offer the Swiss Abroad? Vera Michalski – the wealthy heiress with a great love of literature International 61 11 Health Insurance Based on Swiss standards Lifelong private medical treatment Worldwidefreechoiceofd octorand clinic Property Management and Sales Furthermore: Your Partner based in Eastern Switzerland Internationaldisabilityinsurance No need to worry about anything – Internationalpension fund we take care of all matters relating to your property back home. EGELI immobilien EGELI Immobilien AG Individual solutions for: Teufener Strasse 36 | 9000 St. Gallen | +41 71 221 11 77 | egeli-immobilien.ch Mitglied der EGELI Gruppe | egeli.com Swiss citizens abroad Expatriates of allnationa lities Shorttermassignees /Loca lhire Swiss Solidarity SWITZERLAND’S HUMANITARIAN VISITING CARD www.glueckskette.ch www.swiss-solidarity.org Information at or . Contactu s! Tel: +41 (0)43 399 89 89 MIET-PW, MIET-Camper, MIET-4x4 www.asn.ch Ilgauto ag, 8500 Frauenfeld 200 Autos, 40 Modelle, ab Fr. 500.-/MT inkl. 2000Km ASN,Advisory Services Network AG Bederstrasse 51 CH-8027 Zürich [email protected] Tel. 0041 52 7203060 / www.ilgauto.ch Retain Switzerland’s values and traditions? Vote SVP on 18 October 2015! You can elect SVP International candidates in the following cantons: Basel District Basel Geneva Grisons Lucerne St Gallen Schaffhausen Solothurn Zug Zurich By voting for one of the SVP Lists in the remaining cantons, you can help us in our efforts to further the fol- lowing causes of Switzerland and Swiss Expatriates: - Each Swiss has his Swiss bank account! - No mindless closure of consulates! - Safeguard the independence and neutrality of Switzerland! - Clear policy on asylum and foreigners www.svp-international.ch Contents Editorial 3 Concordance and a government in chains 4 Mailbag The election date is drawing nearer and tension is palpably increasing amongst the parties and candi- 5 Books dates. The comments are becoming more acerbic, a Edgar Hilsenrath and Armenia casual approach is being adopted to the truth and po- litical opponents are being defamed. This type of po- 6 Images litics has become increasingly common over recent Alois Carigiet and his art years. This is not good for the Swiss system of con- cordance-based democracy because concordance ac- 8 Focus tually means making decisions by reaching a consensus. The debates over the myths of Swiss The parties making up the Federal Council are also showing less and history less desire and willingness to seek workable solutions. This is clearly reflec- ted in the fact that never have so many Federal Council proposals been re- 13 Column jected in Parliament as during this legislative period. On each occasion an Georg Kohler on our future “unholy alliance” has been condemned for disrupting political business. Ho- wever, the fiasco is actually the responsibility of the political parties that 14 Economy are part of the government but nevertheless still act as the opposition when The banks and the Swiss Abroad it suits them. That is extremely frustrating for our Federal Councillors who make up the government. In our system they have no opportunity – no mat- 16 Politics ter how good their ideas or proposals – to allow the Swiss people, the Elections and referenda much-lauded highest power in the state, to decide upon them directly. Whether we as voters can do anything to change that when we fill out our 17 Literature series ballot papers is a question that I dare not answer. There is nevertheless little Ina Jens and her journeys of the mind doubt that those candidates who shout down the others most vociferously are not the best democrats. 19 Politics Not an actual election campaign issue but an incredibly politically char- Zimmerwald, Lenin, Trotsky and co. ged by-product of it, the controversy over Swiss history and its myths is the focus topic of this edition. Our reporter vividly outlines (from page 8 on) 22 Culture how prominent political figures and leading historians are crossing swords Vera Michalski – patron of the arts over history. BARBARA ENGEL, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 25 OSA news 27 Notes from Parliament 30 Little gems and echo SWISS REVIEW The magazine for the Swiss Abroad August 2015 Cover: The row over the myths and truth of Swiss history Survey amongst Swiss banks – what Illustration from Andrea Caprez do you offer the Swiss Abroad? Vera Michalski – the wealthy heiress with a great love of literature of the debates over Swiss history Swiss Review / August 2015 / No. 4 4 Mailbag Immigration and Swiss virtues ness of all Europeans in order for Europe to rebuild itself from the bot- There has been much debate about immigration and foreign workers tom up based on the will of its citizens. EDGAR RUF, DÜSSELDORF in Switzerland over recent years. It is often easy to forget what a posi- tive impact this can have on those concerned and their countries of We know it’s a factional election campaign origin if they return home. Many Spaniards found work in Switzer- In the June issue, Professor Kohler referred to a “factional election land from 1973 to the 1990s. 75 people emigrated to Switzerland in campaign”. I do not share his anxiety and concerns. Factional elec- 1973 from the village near our farm in Salamanca alone. One of our tion campaign? That is certainly nothing new in Switzerland. Think current employees, for example, spent 17 years working for Borsary back four years or eight years. Was it different then? And what about Co. before returning to Spain. He has fond memories of Switzerland, during the tumultuous period of the youth movement in the 1980s? as do most of his neighbours. It is also great to see the influence wor- Or after 1968 at the time of the Vietnam War? Not to mention the king there has had on them. In their current jobs they are dependa- prolonged period during the Cold War. This was an era abounding ble, punctual and precise, which they attribute to their training in with national traitors and Moscow one-way recommendations. Switzerland. BRIGITTE SANCHEZ-ARJONA, SPAIN HEINZ MOLL, CZECH REPUBLIC A symbolic cover photo A turncoat I would like to thank you for the cover photo of the June 2015 issue of I would like to say publicly that Widmer-Schlumpf is a turncoat in my “Swiss Review”. Its symbolism is fantastic. A powerful Swiss Cross mo- eyes. I personally hold her responsible for the banking fiasco. I am far ves into the scene from the right with the euro symbol of the Euro- from being a friend of UBS, but I believe Widmer-Schlumpf has shame- pean Central Bank (ECB) behind it. A true vision of the future as the lessly betrayed Switzerland and its banking confidentiality as well as power of Switzerland, direct democracy and participation in decisi- the Swiss People’s Party (SVP). I do, however, believe we need a non-con- on-making by all citizens must increasingly permeate the conscious- servative party. But don’t count me in. DORIS JOHO, BY EMAIL A 27th Canton for the Swiss Abroad 746 000 Swiss citizens live abroad. If they formed a canton, it would be the fourth largest by population. Does „Fifth Switzerland“ make up the 27th canton of the Swiss Confederation? Do Swiss living abroad need to be represented in the parliament? > What do you think? > Share your opinion at: verbindet Schweizer weltweit You can also take part in the discussions at SwissCommunity.org. Register now for free and connect with the world at: www.swisscommunity.org SwissCommunity.org is a network set up by the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) SwissCommunity-Partner Swiss Review / August 2015 / No. 4 Mailbag Books 5 Women are women Wait a minute! I love watching women football, but I do not try The Story of the Last to compare it to men's soccer. However, Claudia Schumacher's Thought, Edgar Hilsenrath article is very clear and honest. I don't think it takes anything away from the game, it just states the realities of the day. Wo- men are women, and we love it that way. Aloha. PAUL EGGEL, HAWAII “The Story of the Last Thought” by Edgar Hil- Reinforcing stereotypes senrath has been reissued in French and has I am a Swiss citizen by marriage, living in the US. When I saw received rave reviews in France. And rightly the headline about the Swiss National Women's soccer team I so! The author, a German Jew born in Leip- was pleased – after all, the team is playing in the World Cup for zig in 1926 who experienced deportation, the first time. But the article was an example of how biased wrote the novel in the form of a fairy tale, an "journalism" helps to keep women's sports from getting the re- allusion to the fact that most of those who spect they deserve. While purporting to provide information lived through the events of 1915 in Turkey about why the team doesn't get the funding and recognition to are no longer alive to tell the story. Shortly thrive, the writer repeatedly reinforces stereotypes and uses beforefore his death, the 73-year-old Arme- a patronizing tone throughout. She apparently supports the EDGAR HILSENRATH nian Thomva Khatisian is visited by Med- idea that women wear nail polish on the field to make a better “The Story of the Last dah, a storyteller who tells him his own tra- impression! I am amazed this article made it through your edi- Thought”; Edition Barber gic story, which began in that year.