4 ms·

Poor Switzerland. It's small, has relatively low population, and not in a union with any other country. Moreover, everyone has guns. And yet, it's one of the mo

by Grue3 10y ago

Poor Switzerland. It's small, has relatively low population, and not in a union with any other country. Moreover, everyone has guns. And yet, it's one of the most (if not the most) prosperous countries in Europe.

jacquesm 10y ago
Switzerland is a very interesting country, but it only exists by virtue of the mountains surrounding it and historically, if those mountains had not been there Switzerland as we know it today would not exist. What works in Switzerland my not necessarily work elsewhere. On another note, the Swiss neutrality has caused them to end up on the wrong side of history in more than one occasion.
- Thimothy 10y ago
  No that I know much of Swiss history, but according to that argument, Poland would be by now a footnote in European history, and thy seem to manage...
  - jacquesm 10y ago
    > Poland would be by now a footnote in European history, and thy seem to manage... As much as I love Poland I would not consider them a candidate for the 'most prosperous' country in Europe, and I think that you'd agree with me given your choice of words.
MagnumOpus 10y ago
> not in a union with any other country They contribute EU funds, they are in the Schengen borderless zone, they implement EU directives and regulations (without being able to veto them like members can), and they are part of the European free trade zone. Sure, de jure they are not in the union. De facto that is just a nice fiction to satisfy the ultranationalists from the Swiss People's Party.
Faaak 10y ago
Switzerland takes _great_ advantage of the other countries. People living near the border go to other countries to buy their stuff (france, germany, italy). Switzerland also has economy incentives for companies which work if small countries implement-it, but not all. Switzerland is a exception, not the rule.
Tloewald 10y ago
It's part of the EU (yeah that surprised me too). Also, the guns are tied to military service ('well-regulated militia')
- distances 10y ago
  Switzerland is not part of the EU.
- pjc50 10y ago
  No it isn't, it's part of EFTA. It sits on the very edge of the EU but it's definitely outside; several hundred years of neutrality is hard to give up.
berfarah 10y ago
I feel like your comment is misleading. People who are military trained have guns - but no ammunition. Ammunition is harder to come by. People are psychologically evaluated before they join the military. And the union thing - Switzerland is part of the economic area, officially, and observes a lot of treaties/agreements in exchange for the benefits they get. This is a point of contention in Swiss politics as some feel like Switzerland gets pushed around a lot.
DasIch 10y ago
Switzerland is part of the EFTA and has access to the EU's single market. They might not be part of the EU but to say that they're "not in a union with any other country" is just wrong and not even remotely close to the truth.
prodmerc 10y ago
Switzerland is my example of the best case scenario for the UK if they leave. A haven for corporations/money, a good government that cares about the people, still open borders, still free trade with the EU, no say in anything they do. But that's if the UK manages it well - I don't see that happening, corps will just jump over to Ireland, NHS is under heavy pressure, tariffs are still high (not because of the EU, but in spite, just look at food prices), wages rather low... It will do alright, but not better I think...
- UK-AL 10y ago
  Switzerland has one the best quality of life indices. Just becoming as good as Switzerland would be a massive accomplishment.
  - jazzyk 10y ago
    There is more to quality of life than just number indices. I have not spent enough time in Switzerland to form an opinion, but many people find Switzerland boring and overly strict/regulated - for example, if you take your trash to the dumpster after 8pm, you will be reported to the police by your neighbors.
- DasIch 10y ago
  Open borders is why the Brexit people want to leave in the first place. They're not going to want to leave just to do a EFTA/EEA type deal. Which means opening borders to the EU, adopting EU regulation, paying the EU and having no say within the EU all to get access to the single market.
  - vidarh 10y ago
    I agree they'll be bitterly disappointed if they end up with an EEA type deal, but despite that they keep using Norway a an example of how you can manage well outside the EU. Ignoring that Norway is almost as integrated as the UK is - in some ways more (part of Schengen). In the case of Brexit, I predict a rush from the pro-EU contingent in parliament to get an EEA style deal in place before the next elections.
gaius 10y ago
In fact the Swiss just cancelled their application to join the EU...
rmc 10y ago
Banking. From nazi art & gold looted from europe, to the modern place to store your ill gotten money, it's amazing how rich you can get when you look the other way and help the crooks.

by Grue3 10y ago

jacquesm 10y ago

Switzerland is a very interesting country, but it only exists by virtue of the mountains surrounding it and historically, if those mountains had not been there Switzerland as we know it today would not exist. What works in Switzerland my not necessarily work elsewhere. On another note, the Swiss neutrality has caused them to end up on the wrong side of history in more than one occasion.

Thimothy 10y ago
No that I know much of Swiss history, but according to that argument, Poland would be by now a footnote in European history, and thy seem to manage...
- jacquesm 10y ago
  > Poland would be by now a footnote in European history, and thy seem to manage... As much as I love Poland I would not consider them a candidate for the 'most prosperous' country in Europe, and I think that you'd agree with me given your choice of words.

MagnumOpus 10y ago

> not in a union with any other country They contribute EU funds, they are in the Schengen borderless zone, they implement EU directives and regulations (without being able to veto them like members can), and they are part of the European free trade zone. Sure, de jure they are not in the union. De facto that is just a nice fiction to satisfy the ultranationalists from the Swiss People's Party.

Faaak 10y ago

Switzerland takes _great_ advantage of the other countries. People living near the border go to other countries to buy their stuff (france, germany, italy). Switzerland also has economy incentives for companies which work if small countries implement-it, but not all. Switzerland is a exception, not the rule.

Tloewald 10y ago

It's part of the EU (yeah that surprised me too). Also, the guns are tied to military service ('well-regulated militia')

distances 10y ago
Switzerland is not part of the EU.
pjc50 10y ago
No it isn't, it's part of EFTA. It sits on the very edge of the EU but it's definitely outside; several hundred years of neutrality is hard to give up.

berfarah 10y ago

I feel like your comment is misleading. People who are military trained have guns - but no ammunition. Ammunition is harder to come by. People are psychologically evaluated before they join the military. And the union thing - Switzerland is part of the economic area, officially, and observes a lot of treaties/agreements in exchange for the benefits they get. This is a point of contention in Swiss politics as some feel like Switzerland gets pushed around a lot.

DasIch 10y ago

Switzerland is part of the EFTA and has access to the EU's single market. They might not be part of the EU but to say that they're "not in a union with any other country" is just wrong and not even remotely close to the truth.

prodmerc 10y ago

Switzerland is my example of the best case scenario for the UK if they leave. A haven for corporations/money, a good government that cares about the people, still open borders, still free trade with the EU, no say in anything they do. But that's if the UK manages it well - I don't see that happening, corps will just jump over to Ireland, NHS is under heavy pressure, tariffs are still high (not because of the EU, but in spite, just look at food prices), wages rather low... It will do alright, but not better I think...

UK-AL 10y ago
Switzerland has one the best quality of life indices. Just becoming as good as Switzerland would be a massive accomplishment.
- jazzyk 10y ago
  There is more to quality of life than just number indices. I have not spent enough time in Switzerland to form an opinion, but many people find Switzerland boring and overly strict/regulated - for example, if you take your trash to the dumpster after 8pm, you will be reported to the police by your neighbors.
DasIch 10y ago
Open borders is why the Brexit people want to leave in the first place. They're not going to want to leave just to do a EFTA/EEA type deal. Which means opening borders to the EU, adopting EU regulation, paying the EU and having no say within the EU all to get access to the single market.
- vidarh 10y ago
  I agree they'll be bitterly disappointed if they end up with an EEA type deal, but despite that they keep using Norway a an example of how you can manage well outside the EU. Ignoring that Norway is almost as integrated as the UK is - in some ways more (part of Schengen). In the case of Brexit, I predict a rush from the pro-EU contingent in parliament to get an EEA style deal in place before the next elections.

gaius 10y ago

In fact the Swiss just cancelled their application to join the EU...

rmc 10y ago

Banking. From nazi art & gold looted from europe, to the modern place to store your ill gotten money, it's amazing how rich you can get when you look the other way and help the crooks.