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S U B S C R I B E
WRS Debate
A weekly pro and con debate on the most divisive issues facing this country.
Wednesday, 5 May, 2010
What can you get for 110 billion euros these days? Not calm markets, it would seem. Despite this weekend’s massive IMF/EU deal to bail out Greece, today’s Financial Times headline reads “Eurozone debt fears knocks markets” and The Wall Street Journal leads with “Markets unhappy with deal” following plunging European figures which sent the euro to a one-year low against the dollar.
Before the deal many economists in this country were pushing the idea of adding Swiss cash to the bailout in the hope of bringing down the value of the franc and making life easier for export-based business. In the wake of the jittery market response to the joint IMF/EU deal, is this still a good idea? And is this turmoil putting the Swiss economy at risk?
WRS’s Conor Lennon puts these questions to Rudolf Minsch, chief economist at economiesuisse, and IMD business school professor Nikos Tsikriktsis:
Wednesday, 3 February, 2010
Currently in Switzerland, if a woman has an abortion, her basic health insurance will reimburse the costs. Last year, the cost to health insurance companies for some 11,000 abortions ranged between 15 and 20 million francs—an expense which the Federal Cabinet has said is perfectly justified.
But a newly launched initiative is challenging the practice. A committee composed of MPs of the Swiss People’s Party, Christian Democrats and the Federal Democratic Union says abortion is a private matter and that women should get supplemental insurance to cover the cost.
To bring us both sides of the debate, WRS’s Carla Drysdale called on MPs Oskar Freysinger of the Swiss People’s Party and Adèle Thorens Goumaz from the Green Party:
Wednesday, 9 December, 2009Jordan Davis debates the question of whether sex education should be compulsory in Swiss schools, and at what age it should begin with Fausta Borsani from the Swiss Foundation for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Daniel Suter, president of the Zurich section of the right-wing Federal Democratic Union.
Wednesday, 2 December, 2009A perennial issue in animal-loving Switzerland has resurfaced, following an initiative by the Swiss Animal Protection Association calling for attorneys for animals, assigned by canton. Earlier this year the cabinet and parliament voted not to implement such a system at federal level, but the Swiss public will have the final say in a referendum in March.
Wednesday, 25 November, 2009Look into his eyes, and you’ll either see a terrible wild beast waiting in the long grass to pounce for his next killing spree, or a cute furry hound, genetically not far removed from man’s best friend, the domestic dog. The status of the wolf has hit the headlines recently as there have been calls to declassify its protection - under the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats - from ’strictly protected’ to ’protected’.
Wednesday, 11 November, 2009It’s not just the infamous minarets bill that’s generating heated debate ahead of this month’s nationwide ballot; a ban on Swiss arms exports is also likely to split public opinion. To discuss the issue Michele Mischler spoke with Thomas Hurter, parliamentarian and member of the right wing Swiss People’s party, and Tobia Schnebli from the Group for Switzerland without an Army.
Wednesday, 4 November, 2009Should English be the first foreign language taught in Swiss schools? Mark Butcher and Michèle Mischler get opposing points of view from Guy Mettan, politican and member of the group Défense du Francais, and Dr. Daniel Stotz, a professor in the language department of the University of Zurich.
Wednesday, 21 October, 2009Michele Mischler and guests discuss a key question dividing the medical community currently concerning the vaccine against the H1N1 flu virus. The vaccine will be available in Switzerland within the next few weeks and despite Federal Office of Health’s recommendations in favour of the vaccine, some physicians are still hesitant. The issues brought forward are the short time in which the vaccine was developed, certain properties which have been known to cause auto-immune diseases and the question of a limited number of trials.
Wednesday, 14 October, 2009The populist Geneva Citizen’s Movement party won nearly 15 percent of votes in the cantonal election this past weekend, mainly on the basis of its campaign against cross-border workers. That’s riled tempers on both sides of the issue—and the border. To discuss the implications of these frontaliers and the campaign against them, WRS’s Michèle Mischler has invited to the table Citizens Movement of Geneva President Eric Stauffer, RSR correspondent Nicole della Pietra and former politician and economist Ralph Lewin.
Wednesday, 7 October, 2009This past week has cast a spotlight on the state of social health insurance in Switzerland. On Thursday, the Federal Office of Public Health unveiled next year’s premiums, which topped current rates by more than 8 percent on average. Then on Monday, some insurers said they’d likely have to take the extraordinary step of raising their premiums midway through next year on top of the previously announced hikes. Is Switzerland’s system of health care simply unsustainable? WRS’s Jordan Davis puts that question up for this week’s debate with Felix Schneuwly and Dr Jacques de Haller.
