Is the government now bound to legislate accordingly, assuming a successful challenge isn't made? Or are Swiss referenda like those in the UK and New Zealand, where the government asks the people what they want, and then does what they wanted to do anyway regardless of the result?
If it's a non-binding referendum, then I think this is being greatly over-hyped by the media. Although it's a bad result, it's not nearly so significant if it doesn't actually have the effect of changing the law.
If it's a non-binding referendum, then I think this is being greatly over-hyped by the media. Although it's a bad result, it's not nearly so significant if it doesn't actually have the effect of changing the law.
As you may or may not know, the Swiss government is a permanent coalition between the major parties, and I'm fairly certain that six of the seven government ministers are opposed to this (the seventh I'm not sure about, as I'm not sure which party he/she belongs to), but they're forced to abide by it regardless. The Swiss foreign minister is making extremely clear that she thinks this is retarded, but there's nothing she can do about it until/unless a new referendum cancels it out.
It seems the Swiss ban on muslim minarets has passed rather quietly
- 02/12/2009 04:15:22 PM
504 Views
I mostly support the Swiss decision. As from my comment at Der Spiegel,
- 02/12/2009 05:54:11 PM
261 Views
Re: I mostly support the Swiss decision. As from my comment at Der Spiegel,
- 02/12/2009 06:23:09 PM
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I understand the first in Qatar was built in 2003.
- 02/12/2009 10:11:31 PM
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So you ban the steeples where church bells are not needed?
- 02/12/2009 07:19:16 PM
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I would take an equal line against steeples where there is no bell/or no bell allowed to be used.
- 02/12/2009 08:29:21 PM
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Does anyone know the legal effect of this referendum?
- 02/12/2009 10:00:54 PM
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It's Switzerland. Their referendums are binding.
- 02/12/2009 10:07:52 PM
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Do the Swiss think they live in 5th-century BC Athens or something? 
- 02/12/2009 10:11:29 PM
246 Views
- 02/12/2009 10:11:29 PM
246 Views
Switzerland is odd in a great many ways.
- 02/12/2009 10:14:26 PM
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Actually, I think I meant the European Court of Human Rights, not the ECJ.
- 02/12/2009 10:16:38 PM
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Yeah, but does that one have any power?
- 02/12/2009 10:17:54 PM
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- 02/12/2009 10:17:54 PM
260 Views
ECHR Article 9 – Freedom of thought, conscience and religion
- 02/12/2009 10:52:35 PM
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I feel like I'm missing something in this debate
- 02/12/2009 11:21:03 PM
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The latter.
- 02/12/2009 11:22:49 PM
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Huh, that's bizarre
- 02/12/2009 11:39:03 PM
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It's coming from a party...
- 02/12/2009 11:42:49 PM
282 Views
sicherheit schaffen, that's great!
- 03/12/2009 12:00:00 AM
228 Views
I don't really see a problem with it
- 02/12/2009 10:09:55 PM
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They pretty much have.
- 02/12/2009 10:16:46 PM
250 Views
I would say it is a bit reactionary but i guess it depends on your definition of intolerance
- 03/12/2009 03:39:48 PM
254 Views
The Adhan can really get to you
- 02/12/2009 11:14:47 PM
298 Views
I think it seems kind of a silly waste of government power...
- 03/12/2009 12:27:29 AM
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It's not the government that did it. *NM*
- 03/12/2009 12:29:35 AM
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*re reads* Oh. I guess it's really power to the people over there
- 03/12/2009 12:35:59 AM
210 Views