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Britain should learn from Switzerland Print E-mail
Written by Phil Stevens   
Thursday, 05 June 2008

Who says you need a powerful, centralised state to run a country properly?

British politicians such as David Cameron are slowly catching on to the idea that centralized government is the enemy of innovation, efficiency and quality. But our cousins in Switzerland have been showing the way for decades.

Switzerland has emerged as a world centre for value-added industries such as pharmaceuticals and banking, and is in the global top 12 service exporters. Its GDP per capita, (estimated at $39,800 in 2008) is amongst the highest in the world. Its healthcare system is one of the top rated in Europe, and its transport system is legendary. Meanwhile, it is one of the few countries in Europe never to have had major social upheavals or revolution.

Much of this quiet success is due to the fact that, unlike Britain, the central government in Bern has very little power. Instead, Switzerland operates a system of direct democracy that gives individual citizens an unparalleled degree of political empowerment.

Decisions ranging from taxation through policing to taxi regulation are made at the local level. Through their local Canton, individuals can propose legislation, or oppose initiatives made at the federal level via referendums. Cantons also set corporate and personal tax rates, leading to a degree of tax competition that ensures pressure on taxation is down rather than up.

Imagine if Britain had such checks on central power. No longer would ambitious politicians be able to inflict their ‘visions’ on the country. Health bureaucrats, police chiefs and educationalists would be forced to look to the people they serve rather than to Whitehall. It’s also hard to imagine counterproductive ideological policies like tax credits being tolerated under such a system.

With England out of the Euro football champions this summer, there’s no question which team we should be supporting. Hopp Schwiz!

Comments (7)Add Comment
Switzerland
written by Rebecca, June 05, 2008
I agree fully with what you say about the Swiss model, and will add that this is a country with 4 official languages and 3 main religions, and in which even educational models vary from canton to canton. And yet the Swiss all share a sense of pride and trust in their nation which is hard to find in much more homogenous societies.
This is possible in great part because - as you say - people feel in control of their lives and their surroundings.
Switzerland
written by Tony, June 05, 2008
They also have a government that cannot increase the money supply to win votes over the electoral cycle.
...
written by Steve Giess, June 05, 2008
A form of direct democracy that could allow a petition, with a certain minimum of signatures, to call for a binding referendum on a topic sounds a good idea for the UK.
Switzerland is hardly a good example of economic p
written by Ian Thorpe, June 05, 2008
Holding up Switzerland as an example is hardly appropriate and Big Pharma and Big Finance are in the current circumstances probably the worst industries to hold up as examples of the benefits of small government and light regulation. Or have you guys not heard of the sub prime crisis in which UBS is one of the biggest losers on the trade in bad debts while big pharma's involvement in the rush to biofuel (always a commercial non starter) has helped perpetrate the embryonic global food crunch.
Hmm...
written by Miller 2.0, June 05, 2008
"Imagine if Britain had such checks on central power. No longer would ambitious politicians be able to inflict their ‘visions’ on the country."

Nor would the electorate be able to 'inflict' theirs.

When people decide it is better to run something on a state-wide level, they're often right.

That said, I do agree with the general thrust of this post. It's more that there is too much centralisation, rather than centralisation being a good thing.
...
written by Oli Rhys, June 06, 2008
I like the long term thinking of the Swiss. However, it isn't just the politicians who would need to change in the UK - the public would also need to grow up after years of infantile thinking.

Generations who have rights but are hazy on responsibilities, would take many years to learn to be responsible enough to be able to handle the Swiss way of life!

Swiss Myths
written by Stephen Senn, June 11, 2008
As A Swiss I am biased in favour of my country's political system but the Switzerland that Phil Stevens refers to as "one of the few countries in Europe never to have had major social upheavals or revolution" is not the real Switzerland of history but the Switzerland of Anglo-Saxon myth. Modern Switzerland dates from the end of the Sonderbund civil war of 1847, the most recent of many such civil conflicts that saw canton fighting against canton and protestant against catholic. Oh, and while I am on the subject of myths about Switzerland, cuckoo clocks come from the Black Forest, which is in Germany.

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