Even if it does pass, is it too late?
 Swiss voters go to the polls Sunday in a referendum proposed by the far-right Swiss People's Party (SVP) that would make it much harder for foreigners to become naturalised citizens.
| Do these "far rightists" have storm troopers and nifty uniforms and such? Or do they merely want to reserve Switzerland for people who act like Helvetii? |
The controversial proposal would give local communities the power to decide by a popular vote which immigrants are granted naturalisation, with no right to appeal.
| That causes me to suspect they're the latter, which relieves me of the nightmare of imagining the Horst Wessel Lied yodeled to the accompaniment of an Alpenhorn. |
At present, the decision is made by an ad hoc commission, usually at cantonal or communal level.
| Ad hoc commissions being ever so much more susceptible to packing by our social and innalekshul betters... |
Switzerland's multi-party government -- which includes two SVP ministers generally perceived as 'moderate' -- is against the initiative which it deems arbitrary and discriminatory, a view shared by most members of parliament.
| But is it "arbitrary and discretionary" in the eyes of the Helvetii in the street? |
The SVP has long made the question of "foreigners" in Switzerland one of its hobby-horses -- they made up 20.7 percent of the Swiss population according to a 2006 census -- and this weekend's vote is the sixth time it has launched a popular referendum on the subject. The SVP has transformed itself from a small farmers' party into a fiercely populist force with an anti-immigrant message over the past few decades, and scored 29 percent in last October's general elections.
| Half again the proportion of foreigners in the country... |
The party drew accusations of racism from a United Nations expert during last year's general election for a poster showing three white sheep kicking a black sheep off the Swiss flag.
| White sheep symbolicly ejecting a black sheep? From Switzerland? I suspect the imagery resonated more with the UN "expert" than with the average Helvetius. |
This time around it has plastered the country with posters showing a sea of black and brown hands grasping for a pile of Swiss passports, with the huge word "STOP!".
| Switzerland defines nationality by virtue of blood, and those who wish to acquire citizenship must navigate a lengthy naturalisation procedure which includes demonstrating knowledge of the country's traditions, history and culture -- after having lived at least 12 years on Swiss soil. |
| "Not until you learn to yodel, put holes in your cheese, play the Alpenhorn, and make watches! Oh, an you'll also have to learn to speak German, French, Italian, and/or Rumantsch." |
Switzerland defines nationality by virtue of blood, and those foreigners who do wish to acquire citizenship must already navigate a lengthy naturalisation procedure which includes demonstrating a good knowledge of the country's traditions, history and culture -- after having lived at least 12 years on Swiss soil. Children who have one Swiss parent, or the partner of a Swiss citizen, can benefit from a fast-track procedure.
| But they're not automatically Swiss, like they would be Americans. We could learn something from them if we had any sense. But our demagogues swing in the other direction. |
The SVP proposal harks back to a controversial case at the beginning of the decade, when the small commune of Emmen in the eastern canton of Lucerne decided to rule on naturalisation cases by a popular vote. In 2000, the commune approved eight candidates of Italian origin, but rejected all 48 applications from people from the Balkans.
| I notice they don't say where in the Balkans: Croatia? Montenegro? Kosovo? Senegal? |
Switzerland's federal court subsequently ruled that this was discriminatory after the unsuccessful applicants complained. Under the SVP proposals, they would not have this right of appeal. |