Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Sensible but does not go far enough

The Swiss People's Party, which has acquired the sobriquet "far-right" though even Wikipedia describes it as "national conservative and right-wing populist" (pretty bad, really, unlike left-wing populist) takes a eurosceptic and anti-immigration line.

The party has also come up with the strong suggestion that Switzerland gives far too much in foreign aid.
The president of the Swiss People’s Party, Toni Brunner, expressed regret at the government's decision to increase development aid in an interview with newspaper SonntagsBlick.
The National Council has already approved a budget from 2013 to 2016 of 11.35 billion francs ($11.62 billion). This means that by 2015, 0.5 percent of Switzerland’s GDP would be spent on aid.
...
Brunner would prefer to set a constitutional percentage limit on the amount of aid set aside by Switzerland, as well as a sum that should not be exceeded. The party has not yet proposed any exact figures.
Given that foreign aid does little to help the people of developing countries but a great deal to help the bloodthirsty kleptocrats who are in power in those countries as well as subsidize armaments, nuclear weapons and attempts at space exploration, I should like to see a political party demand complete cessation of this evil practice.

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