*clears throat*

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

UBS fined US $780 million and forced to hand over information on potential tax evaders.

I’m watching SF1 news at the moment. The government are clearly more than a little worried about this, with talk of this deal being the only way to save US-Swiss bilateral relations. On the news, it’s being shoved under the general heading of ‘KRISE’ (crisis) along with the rest of the financial news, but this is clearly a mess of Switzerland’s own making, rather than being related to the global recession/credit crisis. And it’s also another powerful reminder, as if one was needed, that the country cannot simultaneously reap the rewards of deep integration into the world economy and maintain isolationist and self-serving national policies.

Vox-pops in tonight’s evening papers in Zürich show a pretty clear majority for retaining the strict bank secrecy laws which put UBS in such a Catch-22 position regarding exposing its wrongdoing in the first place.

I suppose that defending the system is be expected when change is forced in a nation quite as proud and independent as Switzerland. I wonder how long it’ll take before an indigenous political force tries to repeal the laws again.

Hmm… Good question Sir, says SF1. The short answer is somewhere between “business as usual” and “a pretence of normality, but ultimately being fucked”.

If you speak German, and can decipher Swiss German, there’s a pretty interesting discussion of what would actually happen if Switzerland’s citizenry votes ‘no’ to the extension of bilateral personal freedom of movement treaties with the EU to Bulgaria and Romania on the 8th February.

You’ll find it here.

Christoph Blocher does speak briefly in the video from around 0:38 in – to a group of fawning supporters no less – but you should be alright if you put your fingers in your ears, sprinkle a circle of salt round your computer, and keep some wooden steaks nearby.

My previous posts on this matter can be found hiar, hiar, aaand hiar.

…Then I could go back and join this band in the 80s:

They were called Celtic Frost, and as you can see, their lunging, leather-wearing and posing skills were exemplary. And they were from where ?

Switzerland.

Yeah, I know.

Dear Reverend Beat Man,

Although the churches in your native Switzerland may not approve of your lyrics, or your female companion:

…I like the cut of your jib, and realise that you also heard His calling:

Munn: How did the Rev. Beatman start?

RB: I was touring alot with my Wrestling Rock’n'roll act Lightning beat-man and 1999 i had a larger accedent in the shows the result was that i broke something in my back and i lost my voice because of too much screaming in the mikro and yelling at people.. the doctor sed you better end with that nightclup wrestling or sooner or later you gonna die.. i did stop and one night i had a hallucination where Robert Johnson and Ccreamin Jay Hawkins told me that i have to pereach… now i’m preaching

more

I must confess that in my weaker moments, when my faith is tested, I also Do the Jesus Christ Twist:

Yours sincerely,

Reverend I M Jolly

Amen.

Not to bang on about it, but if you are interested in the upcoming referendum on Switzerland’s EU freedom of movement agreement, please note the following event:

Personenfreizügigkeit mit der EU: Veranstaltung mit Micheline Calmy-Rey

Event info:
Host:
SP6

Time and Place
Date:
22 January 2009
Time:
19:00 – 23:00
Location:
Kirchgemeindesaal Paulus
Street:
Scheuchzerstrasse 180
Town/City:
Zürich, Switzerland

Description
Referat von Bundesrätin Micheline Calmy-Rey. Im Anschluss Gespräch mit Markus Spillmann (Chefredaktor NZZ)

Miss Calmy-Rey is currently serving on the Swiss Federal Council and is head of the department of Foreign Affairs. She is a member of the Social Democratic party.

More info on the Facebook event page. I’m assuming it’ll be in Schwyzerdütsch.