Second worst results in modern Swiss history
Swiss voters Sunday overwhelmingly rejected an initiative that would have scrapped the Alpine country’s value-added-tax system and replaced it with a carbon tax. Roughly 92% of voters opposed the initiative while 8% supported the measure.
The initiative would have encouraged Swiss households to use renewable energy sources, including solar and wind, which would have been exempt from taxes. The initiative, which was introduced by the Green Liberal Party of Switzerland, was designed to help lower carbon emissions and reduce global warming. –Neil Maclucas, The Wall Street Journal, 8 March 2015
A proposal replacing the main consumer tax with a new levy on non-renewable energy has suffered a blistering defeat in Sunday’s nationwide ballot. The proposal by the Liberal Green Party won only 8% of the vote, according to final official results. Sunday’s result was the second worst in modern Swiss history. —Swiss Info, 8 March 2015
h/t to The GWPF
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Dear me. That’s what you get if you let democracy rule. Wolrd leaders, beware!
I am so glad we have enlightened leaders like Joe Biden who know that global warming is as certain as gravity and not peasants like that.
I guess that’s why alarmists admire China so much even though it is the number one emitter of CO2. Now they’ll work even harder to limit democracy so elites like them can rule by fiat like the elites in China.
Meanwhile in the states, Obama “knows” that Canadian oil sand is “extraordinarily dirty”. http://calgaryherald.com/business/energy/obama-canadian-oil-extraction-is-extraordinarily-dirty I suspect he would not know what bitumen is if he got his arm stuck up to his elbow in the “[trimmed] bitumen baby”. Sadly, these folks got others to vote for them.
There can be no doubt that somebody is manipulating Obama in the same manner.
@ShrNfr but he doesn’t seem to care about it when he and Clinton supported and signed off on the Alberta Clipper pipeline, the very same “dirty corrosive dangerous” Canadian tar sand oil. Pipeline goes through Illinois. What a shocker (not)
The proposal by the Liberal Green Party won only 8% of the vote, according to final official results.
I look forward to the day when we can say the same in the US of A.
It will be the end of an error!
It is the conceit of liberals that there is no politics in non-democratic countries. This is not true. There is an enormous amount of politics in China, it is just that most of it is conducted outside of the public eye. The rulers of China have to build coalitions by rewarding friends and punishing enemies just like democracies. They can issue fiats, but getting bureaucrats to implement them is another story. Sorry to bust your bubble.
Democracy in action? Was it that thing of the past?
Positive proof of regional global climate warming weather thingey – if you know what I mean. More or less snow is a sure sign of something or other.
Link
http://iceagenow.info/2014/12/record-snow-zurich-switzerland/
Actually, the Swiss winter overall has been distinctly average in terms of snowfall. A few heavy downpours, but broadly the south, slightly above average and the North East/SE slightly below.
See http://www.slf.ch to find detailed diagrams with data to back this up……
92 % is not near the 97%, but probably a better representation.
A truer representation, that is not manipulated.
+1. You beat me to it.
The Swiss sign says ‘Senseless and Expensive’.
I think it’s a little stronger, my reading is “Nonsensical and expensive”.
Are you calling his Swiss cheesey?
Well. That’s very encouraging.
I guess the Swiss have a better democracy than I realized. Unfortunately the same can’t be said of Canada.
If their Liberal party is elected next year, they will not have a referendum on a carbon tax, they will simply ram it down their citizens throats whether they want it or not.
And if their Federal government doesn’t do it, their provincial governments will. That’s the Canadian way.
Name you own poison…the lessor of two evils…
the lessor of two evils
If that was a pun, it was a good one.
I can’t quite understand how any specific vote-count on a referendum can be either better or worse than any other election result. If by “second worst” they mean “second worst drubbing”, well, that may be significant, but not in any way intrinsically bad. To me, this result is quite rational, and therefore may be in the running for the best result in Swiss history.
It was meant that this vote was the Swiss national referendum with the second smallest pro-percentage for a suggested initiative in Switzerland since 1848. But actually it was really the worst result for a popular vote initiative in Switzerland ever, because the only one with a smaller pro-percentage in 1929 did have a counter-proposal by the Government which even the initiators accepted. In addition, the vote for women, which are more likely to vote for green politics, started only after 1971 in Switzerland, so you can’t compare the bad outcome of the 1929 referendum with this smashing defeat of the suggested carbon tax by the Swiss Green Liberal Party (GLP) in 2015.
The green party in Britain is starting to be a hoot. They want equal “human rights” for all sentient beings including rodents. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/green-party/11456572/Rodents-to-be-given-human-rights-under-Green-Party-plans.html They have 55,000 members. I do, actually, live catch my mice and release them outside when I can, but if they persist, the snap trap is at the ready.
@ShrNfr
Personally, I think a rational conversation on the topic of sentience is worth having… but not with “greens”. Unfortunately, those folks have no comprehension of the difference between what is desirable and what is possible. To make matter worse, they also have no tolerance of views that diverge from their own. Pity.
Gotta love Greenies
@ShrNfr
Their policy leaves me in something of a quandry. If I stop my cat catching (and killing) mice, her rights will be infringed. If I don’t, the mouse’s rights will be equally infringed. Help!
The Greens should come to Australia or New Zealand to see what a rodent problem can expand to.
The sense of the sub-headline is as you state in your second sentence, “second worst drubbing”. I believe you are also correct in suggesting this is an excellent result. I am surprised that the Swiss could harbor as many economic nincompoops as to yield 8% in favor of the proposition.
Switzerland does have a serious heroin drug abuse culture, hidden in plain sight. Estimates of lifetime heroin abuse (current and former) are in the 7% – 9% range of the adult population. Coincidence… probably.
source: http://www.bag.admin.ch/themen/drogen/00042/00624/06044/07683/index.html%3Flang%3Den%26download%3DNHzLpZeg7t,lnp6I0NTU042l2Z6ln1ad1IZn4Z2qZpnO2Yuq2Z6gpJCIdHx9gWym162epYbg2c_JjKbNoKSn6A–&sa=U&ei=TCr-VJSKBMqpogSru4Ew&ved=0CCgQFjAE&sig2=0sKZauOeMkp3j7orW-1s8A&usg=AFQjCNFXISIC12wA72Id8nxHrnCxR9HkTQ
Statistically, there must be some slow Swiss who are not junkies. Does it mean even the slow ones thought this was a lousy idea?
Perfect correlation, Joel! We can say with 97% certainty that the ‘pro-carbon tax’ voters are ‘crack-heads’.
They like the smack of green discipline.
Or maybe the taste?
Australia apparently has 55% economic nincompoops because that’s how many supposedly want Bill Shorten and the Labor Party to be the next government. Bill wants to re-introduce a carbon tax.
People all over the world do NOT want to pay more taxes. Anybody that preaches that citizens should pay more taxes, is probably getting some of that money.
I like to think “Nobody is more qualified on how to spend my money than me”.
Well, the proposed deal of this carbon tax initiative was actually to remove VAT in order to compensate the new carbon (and uranium-) tax. Thus the overall tax burden would have stayed – more or less – the same for the Swiss people. Therefore, this crashing defeat for the anti-CO2 hysteria of the Swiss Greens is even more striking !!!
Obviously the Swiss voters are not a bit afraid of the alleged “man-made” climate change, despite the facts that Switzerland is the host state of IPCC (in Geneva) and that an overwhelming majority of the Swiss media does constantly demonize all CO2 emissions coming from fossil fuels…
gentle tramp
“…Thus the overall tax burden would have stayed – more or less – the same…” – surely you jest.
@ChipJavert
This statement was simply the official goal or claim of the Swiss Green Liberal Party which did propose the initiative. If it could have been a realistic goal is not my problem…
@ur momisugly Gentle Tramp
British Columbia has a carbon tax that is supposed to be “revenue neutral”. It isn’t. BC’s carbon tax has been a burden on tax payers. And, it has not reduced CO2 emissions either. Maybe the Swiss are observant enough to see the example already set.
@ur momisugly Cam S and that tax will not only never go away, it will steadily increase.
No, no, no!! You must let the gubbmint decide! You’ll just waste it! LOL!
“Any dollar kept from the hands of the government is a dollar well spent”.
Sounds like something Ronald Reagan would quip.
now if it was only 97%…..
Wow now THAT is a consensus! !
All they need to do now is scrap that backassward value added tax nonsense.
The Swiss will now be isolated until they have been inoculated against the thinking contagion.
They already are isolated, and loving every minute of it. Laughing their @rses off at the EU.
Actually, VAT is a good idea.
… It is the only way, in this new ‘free world trade’ environment, that you can tax imports.
… It prevents greedy American multinationals, like Amazon, Starbucks and Google, from offshoring all their profits (and thus their taxes) to Luxembourg or Lichtenstein.
… It taxes products, not jobs.
… It taxes products, not profits.
The only problem with these taxes, is that we give them to numbskulls who waste them on infantile projects. Now that is the REAL problem.
R
“Actually, VAT is a good idea.”
No, a VAT (Valve Added Tax) is not a good idea. Why? Because like the U.S. tax system taxes are hidden from view and is subject to abuse by politicans (picking winners and losers). Lets say you mine and process iron ore, under VAT a tax rate is added when you sell the ore to the [steel] producer and so on until the product is sold to the end user of goods and services. By that time the total tax rate could be as high as 50% A better idea would scrap the present tax system (U.S.)institute a nation sales tax. One tax rate for all paid at POS.
Billboard: “crazy and expensive”
“energie – steuer” is interesting because steuer means “levy” or “tax” but it also means steering wheel or helm. A very apt word.
Good job Switzerland.
In parliamentary democracies, this would be “a vote of nonconfidence” in the government and a call for a new election. The real mystery is, if the Swiss voted in the Liberal Green Party in the first place, why did they go against the only policy arrow in its quiver? I guess since the election they’ve seen the light somehow.
The Green Liberal Party only controls 14 out of 246 seats, 12 in the national Council and 2 in the Council of States.
If they only control 14 seats, then how the hell did they get their retarded pet project to get to a referendum? Isnt that a colossal waste of public funds to vote on something that probably has no chance to pass to begin with?
14 seats out of 246 = 5.7%
Any individual, any association, any grouping, or any party can collect signatures from Swiss citizens to demand a popular vote (initiative) on any federal subject. If they can collect over 100’000 valid signatures within 18 months, the initiative will be submitted in the form of a legislative text to the Swiss citizens for a federal vote.
in this case, the Green Liberal Party initiated the collection of the signatures.
Based on recent elections and the number of registered voters and the turnout for this election, approximately 168,000 voted in support of the proposition. Almost the only folks who voted for it were the ones who signed the petition.
No mystery at all:
Switzerland is a basic-democratic country. That means, anybody (even a small party like GLP with 5.4 % in the last federal election) can start a national referendum about a political proposal (called an initiative) if they can collect 100’000 approvals for this proposal by Swiss voters.
I can’t say, given the scope, I find that notion unappealing. I know a few of These States that could benefit.
Here is my cartoon contribution to Monday Funny:
What a Waste
http://www.maxphoton.com/what-a-waste/
It seems at least the Swiss understand this scheme!
Also, for those who missed my Friday Funny cartoon, I think this is apropos for this thread:
Before Nuts
http://www.maxphoton.com/before-nuts/
At least now we know some humans are smarter than cyanobacteria!
+1
love it
Max, you’re a hoot … keep them commin’.
This one truly is great.
“Settled Science…” LOL
This REAL climate change- political climate. And now the “other” party controls both houses of Congress.
AGW RIP
Nein! Nein! Nein! Nein! Nein! Nein! Nein! Nein! Nein! Nein!
Bart, they have two national languages: Non! Non! Non!
Streetcred, no they have even 4 national languages:
Nein (German), Non (French), No (Italian), Na (Romansh).
It’ll be nyet soon 😉 LOL
Absolument pas !!
How can Nein! be ten?
(Add Nein!?)
The Green Liberal Party introduced the measure. Shows you what people think of the Greens.
Reblogged this on SasjaL and commented:
Swedish media will not report this … Anyway, they are now together with politicians to busy promoting radical feminism (leftism) and support IS activists …
Well,these days swedish media will hardly report anything remotely linked to democratic procedure….
So tell me again how the state and US government gets away with the carbon tax on businesses. California started spending the carbon tax revenue before they even collected it. Is the US actually collecting any carbon tax yet?
That is somewhat a corollary of Pelosi’s concept,
you know,
we need to spend it so we can collect it.
/grin
“Second worst result”? Nein! Second best result! Yes!
Ausgezeichnet! 😀
Gesundheit! 🙂
Good health! ☺
Schadenfreude! 🙂
Das.
Just prove what the UN “My World” poll shows, namely that out of 16 criteria of concern, climate change came in dead last. Ditto for the Swiss vote.
The Swiss failed to see this article in The Guardian. It’s by a very enthusiastic man named Bill McKibben.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/09/climate-fight-wont-wait-for-paris-vive-la-resistance
It explains how we should organize a resistance movement to fight global warming, and avoid sea level rise. I wonder if they will call it the Weather Underground?
Very clever. Much like!
Weather Six Feet Underground.
Big oil must have bought off a lot of voters!
One thing Switzerland if famous for is political neutrality.
I guess there are a few Greens wondering why it hurts down there. 😎
Swiss “neutrality” in WWII was a sham. They knew only too well that if Germany won the war, Switzerland would become a puppet state, at best. They maintained the appearance of neutrality, but hated the Nazis. Germany didn’t invade Switzerland for a number of reasons, including (1) The Swiss could blow up the mountain passes in minutes; (2) Germany was already stretched too thin; (3) German officials (including many high-ranking Wehrmacht officers) had put their savings in Swiss banks; (4) Switzerland made a convenient go-between for dealings with other nations; (5) Up to a point (July 1942??), Switzerland was an exporter of agricultural products to Germany.
(6) Switzerland together with Sweden, demanded that Jews should have the word “Jew” (“Juden”) included in their passports.
@jorge
And don’t forget: The Swiss delivered weapons and ammunition for the German army in exchange for necessary coal supplies. See e.g. here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oerlikon_20_mm_cannon
“Second worst result”?
Please tell me, I want to know.
What was the worst then?
I’m just very curious. Was it voting to ban triangular chocolate or demanding honesty in banking or ..?
Your hilarious fancies are funny but wrong: It was only something about saving the supply of cereals. See here:
http://www.admin.ch/ch/d/pore/va/19290303/
The reason for the smaller support then was simply the fact, that the Government did offer a counter-proposal which was even accepted by the initiators…
Gentle Tramp , Thank you.
I was intrigued by the gap.
Second screams “What’s first?”
The current Liberal government in Ontario is planning on bringing in a new
taxrevenue stream on the back of an excuse to fight global warming.The Ontario Government needs to generate more revenue to pay for what it already can’t pay. It’s proposed new pension plan is cute as well.
I bet the new provincial pension fund will buy Ontario government bonds.
Just as lefties now want to be known as “progressives” taxes are now to known as “revenue tools”.
taxes are now to be known as
Let it Be
The fools that use that terminology are tools also…
Switzerland is clearly “fly-over-country” or soon will be.
It’s also a darn nice train-thru country, too.
…. And driving and skiing and hiking and eating and drinking and biking and….. aw shucks, you get the idea!
I expect someone will decide Switzerland is unsustainable.
Can we have “another” referendum in the UK please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Only if it involves torches and pitchforks.