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Europe Stunned, Angry As Switzerland Votes To Curb Immigration
This wasn't supposed to happen. At a time when the European Union, reeling from the ongoing near collapse of the Eurozone, has been preaching its key benefits - the removal of borders and the free transit of labor - moments ago Switzerland, with a tiny majority of 50.4%, voted in favor of new immigration curbs which requires the government to set an upper limit for foreigners, risking a backlash from the (utterly toothless) European Union.
In some ways this was a vote of the urban vs rural population: Voters in the cities of Zurich and Basel and cantons in western Switzerland opposed the measures, while those in rural German- speaking cantons and the Italian-speaking region of Ticino backed it, reports Bloomberg.
The problem for Europe is that the backlash against immigration was supposed to be a PIIG thing, having led to the surge of such nationalist parties as Golden Dawn in Greece, but they don't matter as the will of the "peripheral" people is completely ignored in Europe. However, now that one of Europe's most successful nations has opined against the free importing of labor, despite the prevalent perception that it has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of immigration, Switzerland has just left Europe's pro-migration propaganda in shambles. To wit, from Bloomberg:
Immigration has supported economic growth, and the EU bloc is Switzerland’s top export destination. Roughly a fifth of its 8 million inhabitants come from abroad. About 45 percent of employees in its chemical, pharmaceutical and biotech industry are foreigners, according to scienceindstries, an association whose members include drugmakers Roche Holding AG and Novartis AG, and food company Nestle SA.
“We do need to hire talented individuals,” Credit Suisse Group AG Chief Executive Officer Brady Dougan told reporters on Feb. 6. “Having access to talent is something that’s important for all the businesses here.”
In the run-up to the vote, the initiative “against mass immigration” pitted companies small and large against the euro- skeptic Swiss People’s Party SVP, the biggest in the lower house of parliament. Corporations argued they need top talent from around the world to maintain their competitive edge, while critics, many of them members of the SVP, said the flood of newcomers is leading to worse working conditions, crowded trains and a housing shortage.
The unexpected outcome may lead to some dramatic consequences for Switzerland: according to Thomas Kern, chief executive officer of Zurich Airport, a “yes” to the vote could even jeopardize the country’s aviation industry by forcing the re-negotiation of landing rights. “A lot is at stake,” he told the newspaper Blick in an interview published on Feb. 7.
In response about public unease about the number of newcomers, the government already enacted yearlong curbs on residence permits for citizens of EU countries including Germany and France. There are also quotas for citizens of non-EU countries such as Australia and Canada.
Ironically, it could get even worse for fans of free labor movement before it gets better: "in a sign of how anxious the Swiss population is about foreigners, another initiative, which would cap the immigration rate at 0.2 percent of the resident population, is in the pipeline. The government, which opposes that measure too, hasn’t set a voting date yet."
What remains unsaid here is that immigration will be the least of Swiss worries if, as the SNB has been warning for the past week, the Swiss housing market - already in an unprecedented bubble - undergoes a controlled demolition, precisely at a time when foreigners suddenly find themselves no longer welcome in the one-time netural utopia nestled within the tranquility of the Alps.
Regardless of the outcome for the Swiss economy, Europe is furious:
The vote also risks creating a rift between Switzerland and the EU, its biggest trading partner. The decision to open the borders 12 years ago was negotiated as part of a package of agreements that allow Swiss companies access to the common market, the government has warned.
According to European Commission President Jose Barroso, the free movement of persons was of “fundamental importance” and cannot be separated from the free exchange of goods, services and capital. “Within the framework of the bilateral agreement there are certain legal consequences,” Barroso told the Neue Zuercher Zeitung in an interview last November.
“That’s the open question -- one doesn’t know what the EU will do,” said Andreas Ladner, professor of public administration at the University of Lausanne. “The EU has indicated that the initiative violates its free movement of people and won’t be tolerated.”
So now that the unthinkable has happened, just what will the unelected European bureaucrats do to enforce its "untoleration" of the Swiss democratic vote": invade the mountainous country? Hardly.
Instead Europe will content itself with doing the only thing it knows how to do: use harsh language, in this case the following email it blasted out angrily in the aftermath of the Swiss vote, saying that "the European Commission regrets that an initiative for the introduction of quantitative limits to immigration has been passed by this vote. This goes against the principle of free movement of persons between the EU and Switzerland."
Most importantly, it also goes against the core European principle of ignoring what the majority wants because everyone in centrally-planned, banker-controlled, insolvent European nations knows- only a few "good" unelected bureaucrats know what is best for everyone. As such the democratic vote must always be ignored, especially when it goes against the thesis preached by the politicians, the central bankers, and, of course, Goldman Sachs.
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Somebody has some anger issues. You forgot to take your meds again didn't you?
leaf of tree - if you have a problem with westerners - then stop doing business with them. stop associating with us.
i have no problem leaving you behind. infact - as a citizen of nyc - i have NO PROBLEM with the simple solution to arab terrorists (whether i believe they exist or not). simple.
no flights from arabia into u.s. or europe. no phone calls. no money transfers. no communication at all. either way. don't want to sell us oil - fine. we cut back. cut off. totally. eat sand bitches. (and 'ride' those camels). then we'll see how well it all goes for you.
A nation in those sands got destroyed for refusing to sell oil in one particular Western currency and you are saying you are going to leave alone those who wish not to associate with you?
But hey, pretty soon your wish will come true. Few non-Westerners will be dealing with you because you have little to offer them and you will not have the power to coerce anyone into doing so.
A Romanian talking about migratory flows..."I fucking hate Pikeys"
Go fuck yourself you british cunt.
I am not sure about him being a Romanian and what kind of Romanian ,Hungarian or Romanian speaker.
But I will just say this it is either Very drunk or a Troll, I do sympathise with Romanians in many respects.
I will say this to you Leaf (Chi fatch?) you need to educate yourself a lot more, this site is for thinkers and people that question everything. About the West , you generalise in a huge Degree just cool it, for now.
Or, even European nations and cultures, which have been more than generous regarding immigration for decades, have a right to preserve their national and cultural identity.
This doesn't require being "right wing" at all - that's simply the ad hominem hypocritical multiculturalists apply when someone suggests European nations and cultures have the same right of self-preservation as multiculturalists never fail to assert Latinos, and Africans, and Israelis do.
The NWO/ZWO attempt to use massive immigration to change Europe, America, Canada, and Australia's demographics isn't a conspiracy theory - it's open policy that you can read about, often by people who are abject hypocrites with regard to immigration to their own country or their own culture.
Do you think Edward James Olmos would back my play to ignore the laws I want to ignore out of self-interest? Is he spending a lot of time arguing we should take in more Africans and Arabs from war torn country, or is he simply saying his fellow Latinos have a "right" to move here {and get benefits and jobs} simply because they want to do so, regardless of what most of 'you' think.
That's noble is it? It is easy to be generous with the property, or the country, of another.
Another variation is "white {male} privilege".
Now, I grew up working class, as did my dad who worked 2 jobs most of his life. Having, for example, some upper middle class Jewish feminist lecture me on "privilege" is not only absurd, it is insulting and little more than an effort to further promote the idea that everyone has rights but a majority [when that majority is European - clearly, the Jewish majority in Israel can do whatever the fuck it wants with regard to ethnic and state privilege, and if you comment on that, conveniently, you're dismissed as an "antisemite" - what a privilege it must be to dismiss fair criticism with unfair accusations of "hate!"]
among the stupidest things that i see in the world are one billion indians living in a very large country with lots of resources and 90% of them still dont have toilets. or the continent of africa that's still a disaster from one end to the other.
but the BEST! (and i am anti-isreal). a couple of hundred million muslims (a few of these countries incredibly rich in oil) surround tiny isreal of 4 million people and claim they are the problem for the arab/muslim people.
south america isn't looking great either - a continent with incredible natural resources.
i know this is all whitey's fault - but let's get real. it's time for these people to get themselves together and do something for themselves.
stop blaming europeans. if you are admitting that goldman sachs is smarter and stronger than you are, then you might as well crawl up and die.
because if you don't do something - they are going to step all over you.
The duality communism-fascism is being sponsored by the banksters to further their agenda.
Banksters like Greenspan, Bernanke, and Yellen perhaps? Hmmm.
To Leaf of Tree (since the queue put me way over here...)
Yeah, its true. Along with neoliberal left wing bleeding-heart pinko commie rebels niggajewmuthafukkas like me beeeeyatch. Imageine, you rude fuck, that even the dirty swill of cretinous quasiglobular fatfukkeryballs like yourself can post here too. Go kiss a werewolf.
OMG: Barroso has spoken. I bet the Swiss clocks are shaking in their boots.
This may not be a popular opinion here, and I do understand why the Swiss voted the way they did. But let's be frank. The ruling class of white Europeans has been exploiting the rest of the world for hundreds of years now. Can't say I blame exploited peoples to counter invade and live off the profits that came from their native lands. Sounds like turn about is fair play, and they've only scratched the surface of what's been robbed from their land.
The really galling fact about this is of course the real exploiters (the 1%) are not effected by this at all, but the common people, as always, get left with the tab and the burden.
Indirectly the white Westerners have benefited also a lot.
When centuries ago their grand fathers exploited Africa/Asia/Eastern Europe/America, the wealth extracted from these continents went to some degree in building infrastructure in their native countries.
That's why Western European countries look arhitecturaly nice, because they were all built by exploiting and enslaving billions during the last 500 years.
With the gold and silver and other resources these fucks from the West have extracted from other continents, they built large towns, with schools and universities and hospitals and roads in their countries, while at the same time they let their slaves in Africa/Asia/Americas rot.
Now karma is bitch with Western countries and will continue to be so.
Fuck the West and the fat Westerners!
Yeah, and just look at the shining examples of democratic government, human rights and economic prosperity that the world has been provided with by the nations in Arabia, Africa and Asia. The fact that you still live in the 17th Century does NOT make your way superior. Whatever faults the West may have-a gracious plenty to be sure-they pale in comparison with the ilk of today's ruling classes in the aforementioned developing world. The last time the Arab world had anything useful to give the human race was the 15th Century. Go bugger a cantaloupe.
+1
Yes, everybody knows that life in Western Europe was all roses and people didn't die like flies at all. They sat on their asses most of the time, all had big houses and did not at all died premature deaths due to plagues, exhaustion, wars, you name it. They did not at all contributed to development and progress. Common knowledge.
</sarc> (here provided especially for you because you only have been a member of ZH for 3 weeks and one day so you might not be familiar with the style of communication here)
Edit: this one was for leafoftree or whatever he is called but for some reason it ended up at you.
The sad part is this.
The really galling fact about this is of course the real exploiters (the 1%) are not effected by this at all, but the common people, as always, get left with the tab and the burden.
If it all does fall apart, I only hope the 1% receive what they're due. But probably won't. the 99% don't even know their names or where they live.
When you own the mass media, you can blame anyone you want.
Just been reviewing the extent of the Swiss colonial empire: There wasn't one. But as for Barroso's Portugal, and Spain, France, Britain, Germany, Belgium, and Netherlands, all of them as recently as 80 years ago were holding their guns to the heads of colonials all over the world.
It makes me laugh when I hear western Europeans talk about their ongoing cultural influence and their principles. Sure, the ones they found yesterday. Spaniards were shocked when Latin American nations started expropriating the investments of Spanish companies over the last few years. "But we are the mother country!" Left out the f-word, eh?
As they say in Germany... Auslanders Raus!
@Leaf you need to seek some help.
In every single instance unless a country was at war you will see your government as the key ingrediant in exploitation. Take a look at the world around you, it is happening almost every where. I think you are allowing yourself to be exploited. Of course your politicians and corporations are becoming rich off your work! Blame whoever you like but it takes two to tango unless your fighting a war and lost your resources in a loss.
You are the typical in-denial Westerner, playing the "I-dont-know-what-type-of-exploitation-my-fathers-have-done-in-the-past" card, while at the same time benefiting from cheap oil, energy, gas and minerals that are stolen by your corporations who are helped in this by the CIA/Pentagoon.
So a big warm fuck you from me, a Christian Orthodox from Romania who despises ignorant fuckers like you and all your Westerner neonazi friends.
Leaf, you are not sounding like a Christian. Most here would tend to agree and sympathize with you on many points about the US exploiting the rest of the world and are the ones here that would like all of the shit to stop. Your issue should be with the ones who do not recognize or do not care to understand what is happening. Now I think you go to far when you want us to all die as many here would be a natural ally to you. I think that if anything you would not want to go mano a mano with many here at this site. Sounds like you want a war and not understanding.
Me just being a Romanian was enough to scare a bunch of loud mouths Westerners in my personal experience.
You don't know me and I ain't scared of some fat Internet armchair neonazi wannabe warriors.
I think it's safe to say those fuckers wouldn't want to have a mano a mano encounter with me.
Most Romanians I've met are not too smart, not very strong, and not much to look at. Their moral and cleanliness standards are poor, too. A good example was that filthy pervert who ran Romania, Coucescu
Well, their standards are still better than your spelling.
Spumoni, my dear Romanian comrade, it's not an issue with my spelling, which is quite good, nearly perfect, in fact. It's that one disgraced Romanian surname. For some reason my HTC cell phone won't allow me to spell it correctly. It's embarrassing and annoying. The peculiar glitch arises now and again, probably related to the foul language setting, which I've activated.
Apology offered. And they call them 'smartphones.'
You are an embarrasment to Romania. I sure as hell hope you ain't Romany. You'd be burned at the stake in my neighborhood.
This comment, btw, is for our dear colleague Farting Leaves (when?).
Fuck all the stupid Germans who live in Switzerland.
They are now kindly asked to go back to their fucking nazi country, along with the nigers who poluate our nice country.
the swiss people feared that the germans would take away all the jobs because they work harder and are smarter... swiss is a land of lesser germans like austria or bavaria...
Germans are hated by a majority of swiss people becoz they are arrogant and never deliver what they promise.
ByeBye and stay from where you come.
the swiss people feared that the germans would take away all the jobs because they work harder and are smarter... swiss is a land of lesser germans like austria or bavaria...
Yields collapse as unemployment keeps pushing high. Europe is run by crony manics, the EU should have never existed. Thankfully it has been said
"F*ck the EU"
Quick, who is the president of Switzerland? Don't know do you. Never heard of him? Why? Direct Democracy. How many military bases does Switzerland have? Don't know do you. Direct Democracy: the people vote for their laws.
I have nothing to say about their vote on immigration.
We can learn something from the Swiss.
Quick, where is Davos located? Don't know? It's Cheeseland.
Quick, where is Basel located? Where is the capital of international banksters? Don't know? It's Cheeseland.
Quick, where do the mafia and your cleptocrats park their hundreds of billions? Don't know? Cheeseland again you fat stupid moron.
More to the point, cheeseball: where are YOU located?
Ask the American Indians how immigration can fuck a place up.
Yeah, because there were doing so well starving half the time, brutallizing and fighting each other to the death, and were working so hard at building and developing a unified nation, instead of a hundred conflicting scattered tribes. Yet, somehow they survived and were given large tracts of land, education opps, and degrees of autonomy, somehow they weren't wiped out, or they wouldn't even be here for the kosher bolsheviks to use as a special interest "guilt" weapon. If whites really had wanted to wipe them out, it would have been done, but they obviously didn't.
You clealry don't know jack shit. Why not STFU before you really embarrass yourself?
From Tom Kratman's Come and Take Them (slightly edited)
(Music - Beethoven's Ode to Joy)
Oh, European Union, den of iniquity
Odireous fief of a corrupt and unelected Bureaucracy
Fuck the Filthy European Union
Fuck their Courts and MTPs
Fuck their Rules and Regulations
Their whole vile bureaucracy!
Asshats, Bastards, Cowards, Dimwits!
Excrement feeding Gallows bait.
Hang the Swine higher than Haman,
Ignorant Jackasses, Knaves!
Watch them purge the bent banana.
Watch your taxes rise and rise.
See your nation fall to ruin.
Watch as every freedom dies.
Lick-ass Nincompoops, Oh,
Pity the Quagmire these Reds made.
Sycophants and Thieves, the whole crew,
Underworked and Overpaid.
Friday morning they will sign in
To ensure their holidays
are paid for by lesser people.
Free men call those people, ‘Slaves.’
Green on the Outside, Red on the
Inside, Watermelons, Black of Soul,
Xerox Copies of each other,
Yahoos, Zeroes, one and all.
To the lampposts, European People.
Tie the knots and toss the ropes.
Fit the nooses. Haul the free ends.
Stand back; watch your masters choke.
Well if TPTB wanted another Hitler, creating the EU is probably the best way to do it.
Yes. Eventually, Europe will get a real charismatic leader, and he will be president/emperor/chairman/Caesar of the EU. Since the EU is able to change its constitution seemingly at will, and without a popular vote, all it takes is a charismatic leader and a big movement, and the 4th Reich can be made to happen.
You pay no Attention.
We are already there. Every Democratic vote that goes AGAINST THE PLAN (By the Irish the Dutch the French etc. etc. .)and the Bureaucrats has to be put again and again and again .........
.....................UNTIL THE PEOPLE GET IT RIGHT
You mean somebody like Obama?
Coming to a continent near you.
HELLS YEAH. The only down side to this vote is that it makes it much harder for me to implement my long term plan to immigrate to Switzerland. Nuts!
I'm a newby to ZH so I need help in keeping up with the article and posts that I do not understand. Why is the text of the bill called immigration not found in either the article or on search engines such as google?
I did find Wiki that claims Swizerland is a triple citizen state:
Every Swiss national is a citizen of his municipality of origin, his canton of origin and the Confederation, in that order: a Swiss citizen is defined as someone who has the bourgeoisie of a Swiss municipality (article 37 of the Swiss Federal Constitution).
What is the proper title of the bill -- municipal citizenship bill, canton citizenship bill and/or Confederation citizenship bill?
There were three referendums held, one of which was a vote on tightening of immigration policy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_referendums,_2014
The purpose of the bill is to stop ZH'ers from stealing the secret to Swiss chocolate.
But also in the US Jews have made no secret of their desires and doings, here Earl Raab, in the Jewish Bulletin, July 23, 1993, p. 17
Dr. Stephen Steinlight former President of the American Jewish Committee:
From: The Jewish Stake in America's Changing Demography Reconsidering a Misguided Immigration Policy - October 2001
http://balder.org/judea/Hate-Speech-Laws-Immigration-Jewish-Influence-US...
It is much the same in France, Canada, Britain, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Australia, Germany, and on and on... at what point does one have the right to note a cohesive, internationally coordinated effort?
Good for Switzerland.
Our state dept said it best "fuck the EU"
Well it did not vote for it, but this is a democratic result.
For too long the goverment promised citizens that immigration would never be higher than a certain figure, that foreigners who moved to Switzerland for short term job will not qualify for unemployment support,.... everything happened despite the promises.
Foreigners are treated better than Swiss citizens in many cases, ....
This is a clear reply to the goverment, do not take us for stupid. No xenophobic movement, nothing against EU, ...
the outcome of the referendum is a good message for the people to send the overlords.
i'm cool with that and understand their position.
reality:
unfortunately, the little guy is that guy for a reason.
once the reality of guillotine clauses sinks in, the big guy will make some very minor concessions to immigration policy.
those minor concessions are tbd.