Today is the National day of Switzerland which began it's journey in 1291 in order to form a "Union" with it's neighbours to become one of the most desired countries to live in as well as admiring it's political equality to all.
A Swiss person sees "himself" as a Swiss first then Swiss German, Swiss French, Swiss Italian or Romansch. Our friend "Devil" is the only Swiss member on the Forum as far as I know, and I bet no one knows which group he falls into, because as far as I know, he has never mentioned it. Perhaps just being Swiss is good enough for him without having to tell us his family's background. Perhaps it is not important to separate the people based on language and religion. Perhaps he is happy to have a country where everyone gets along and happy to make a contribution that only strengthens his country and not destroys it.
The Swiss were able to build on their National Unity way back and today we cannot do the same in Cyprus. Are we really 700+ years behind the Swiss.?? The answer is rather obvious, so it does not require an answer really, just because it is too embarrassing to admit the truth.
Lets all wish our good friend "Devil" a Happy 1st of August National Swiss Day. I will be enjoying the fireworks by Lake Zürich tonight with Bradwurst and a Beer, one in each hand.
1st of August Swiss National Day.......
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1st of August Swiss National Day.......
by Kikapu » Wed Aug 01, 2007 2:35 pm
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Kikapu - Leading Contributor
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by devil » Wed Aug 01, 2007 4:09 pm
Thanks for the thought, Kikapu, but I have to disappoint you. Although I've spent most of my life in Switzerland, I'm not actually Swiss, I'm British. I confess, though, that I think much more like a Swiss than like a Brit. And we are having raclette tonight on our patio, washed down with a bottle of fendant (a dry white wine from the Canton of Valais) and my wife has a few Swiss decorations up (inside, as we are discreet enough not to show any national symbols in a different country). As you may guess from our menu, compared to yours, we lived the other side of the Roestigraben in Welschschweiz. To be more precise, in the Canton of Vaud, in a village outside Lausanne, where I had a small enterprise.
I agree with you about the melding of 6 ethnic groups with 4 languages and 2 religions into a harmonic whole. I believe the secret is the upside-down political system where the commune (municipality) is more politically important than the canton and the canton is more important than the national government. This decentralises all the important decisions as much as possible. The federal government deals only with things like the army, customs, the money, foreign affairs and communications, things of national interest. This combined with direct democracy at all three levels, with the power of referendum and popular initiatives in the hands of relatively small numbers of citizens. Possibly one of the most important brakes is that the Federal Presidency is held for a non-re-eligible single year and is really just a nominative post, the main task of whom is receiving the letters of credence of new ambassadors. The President also holds the chair of the Executive, a seven-member Federal Council, which is elected by the combined upper and lower houses of Parliament, divided among the major political parties. This year, the President is a Socialist from Geneva, a Madame Micheline Calmy-Rey and, today, she will give her 1st August speech from the Gruetli, an inaccessible prairie where the three original leaders swore their alliance in 1291. This is controversial because recent presidential speeches there have been interrupted by young far-right elements and the government has no longer supported the tradition. However, the President insisted on maintaining the tradition and the funding has come from industry with a strongly policed exclusion of the neo-nazis and skin-heads.
I have often wondered how the Swiss governmental model could be applied to this island and I'm convinced it could be successful, but not as bizonal federation. The Swiss acceptance of ethnic groups is not achieved so much by separation but by fusion. I would not divide the island into TC and GC. I would form "cantons" from the existing Districts. It doesn't matter that some of them, such as Nicosia and Famagusta, will be mixed, in the same way that the Canton of Berne has mostly Protestant German speakers and a large minority of Catholic French-speakers. Why? Because the most important decisions are decentralised to the villages, so each ethnicity will be essentially self-governing and the referendum is the brake that prevents excesses. In the bilingual Districts, you will find the true fusion, far away from the political one-upmanship that the present and past governments have exhibited.
Of course, this will never happen because the current power-holders are so drunk with their importance that they would not want to see their power disappear into thin air, as a village Mukhtar would become more than his equal (the Swiss President and Ministers are so unimportant that there is no cult of the personality and they are as likely to go to work in a tram, without bodyguards, as the local plumber. I've been in an ordinary restaurant when a President walked in with a couple of friends, just as any ordinary citizen would.)
Dreams of a Cypriot Utopia!
I agree with you about the melding of 6 ethnic groups with 4 languages and 2 religions into a harmonic whole. I believe the secret is the upside-down political system where the commune (municipality) is more politically important than the canton and the canton is more important than the national government. This decentralises all the important decisions as much as possible. The federal government deals only with things like the army, customs, the money, foreign affairs and communications, things of national interest. This combined with direct democracy at all three levels, with the power of referendum and popular initiatives in the hands of relatively small numbers of citizens. Possibly one of the most important brakes is that the Federal Presidency is held for a non-re-eligible single year and is really just a nominative post, the main task of whom is receiving the letters of credence of new ambassadors. The President also holds the chair of the Executive, a seven-member Federal Council, which is elected by the combined upper and lower houses of Parliament, divided among the major political parties. This year, the President is a Socialist from Geneva, a Madame Micheline Calmy-Rey and, today, she will give her 1st August speech from the Gruetli, an inaccessible prairie where the three original leaders swore their alliance in 1291. This is controversial because recent presidential speeches there have been interrupted by young far-right elements and the government has no longer supported the tradition. However, the President insisted on maintaining the tradition and the funding has come from industry with a strongly policed exclusion of the neo-nazis and skin-heads.
I have often wondered how the Swiss governmental model could be applied to this island and I'm convinced it could be successful, but not as bizonal federation. The Swiss acceptance of ethnic groups is not achieved so much by separation but by fusion. I would not divide the island into TC and GC. I would form "cantons" from the existing Districts. It doesn't matter that some of them, such as Nicosia and Famagusta, will be mixed, in the same way that the Canton of Berne has mostly Protestant German speakers and a large minority of Catholic French-speakers. Why? Because the most important decisions are decentralised to the villages, so each ethnicity will be essentially self-governing and the referendum is the brake that prevents excesses. In the bilingual Districts, you will find the true fusion, far away from the political one-upmanship that the present and past governments have exhibited.
Of course, this will never happen because the current power-holders are so drunk with their importance that they would not want to see their power disappear into thin air, as a village Mukhtar would become more than his equal (the Swiss President and Ministers are so unimportant that there is no cult of the personality and they are as likely to go to work in a tram, without bodyguards, as the local plumber. I've been in an ordinary restaurant when a President walked in with a couple of friends, just as any ordinary citizen would.)
Dreams of a Cypriot Utopia!
- devil
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by Kikapu » Wed Aug 01, 2007 7:07 pm
Devil,
I'm disappointed actually that you're not Swiss, considering how much "Swiss" you sound and how much of Switzerland you actually know. Then again, not too many Swiss would eat Raclette in the summer let alone in hot Cyprus summer.
You have once before gave us an explanation on the Swiss Governing body system when we had our marathon thread "Kikapu's time in Cyprus" and it was nice to read it once again. Just to elaborate on why and how all these Cantons, 26 in total (6 are half cantons) managed to stay together from different language speakers and religion since 1291 to present, is because each area brought their part into the "Union". This is where we cannot have a Swiss style of Confederation in Cyprus as it was more or less suggested in the Annan Plan and why the TC's are always basing their hopes on that, is because the Northern part of Cyprus is not and never was a "Turkish Only" part of Cyprus, as to bring it to the "Union" with the South, to form a partnership of a Confederation. I'm not saying anything that all Cypriots are not aware of, be it be the TC's or the GC's, but this is what Kifeas phrases it as "Virgin Birth" is what the TC's want to claim with the North. I have no idea why the TC's think the GC's will go for this arrangement, is beyond me. I'm realistic with the facts and the situation, and may even have a wish list, but lets deal with the reality and forget about fantasies, if we are really serious about peace and wanting to live together with the other occupants of the island. If not, then peace will never come.
I hope you will enjoy your Raclette all the same tonight Devil.
I'm disappointed actually that you're not Swiss, considering how much "Swiss" you sound and how much of Switzerland you actually know. Then again, not too many Swiss would eat Raclette in the summer let alone in hot Cyprus summer.
You have once before gave us an explanation on the Swiss Governing body system when we had our marathon thread "Kikapu's time in Cyprus" and it was nice to read it once again. Just to elaborate on why and how all these Cantons, 26 in total (6 are half cantons) managed to stay together from different language speakers and religion since 1291 to present, is because each area brought their part into the "Union". This is where we cannot have a Swiss style of Confederation in Cyprus as it was more or less suggested in the Annan Plan and why the TC's are always basing their hopes on that, is because the Northern part of Cyprus is not and never was a "Turkish Only" part of Cyprus, as to bring it to the "Union" with the South, to form a partnership of a Confederation. I'm not saying anything that all Cypriots are not aware of, be it be the TC's or the GC's, but this is what Kifeas phrases it as "Virgin Birth" is what the TC's want to claim with the North. I have no idea why the TC's think the GC's will go for this arrangement, is beyond me. I'm realistic with the facts and the situation, and may even have a wish list, but lets deal with the reality and forget about fantasies, if we are really serious about peace and wanting to live together with the other occupants of the island. If not, then peace will never come.
I hope you will enjoy your Raclette all the same tonight Devil.
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Kikapu - Leading Contributor
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by Kikapu » Wed Aug 01, 2007 8:27 pm
halil wrote:Kikapu wrote:halil wrote:Kikapu,
today is also TMT day .how come u forgot it ...... !!!!!!
What exactly is a TMT day Halil.???
u write down man.....
Sorry Halil, but I did not understand what it was that you wanted to say.
Perhaps Zan can fill me in with what TMT day is, since he was very quick with his
gestures. -
Kikapu - Leading Contributor
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- Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 6:18 pm
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