Poland reinvents the witch hunt
La Pologne réinvente la chasse aux sorcières
Once upon a time witch hunts and immolation of witches were a strong tradition in continental Europe.
In Switzerland, the last criminal process process for alleged sorcery took place in the Canton of Glaris in 1782 against Anna Göldi (born 1734). Despite the efforts of a qualified defense lawyer and nation-wide support by members of the scientific and political elite, Anna Göldi was found guilty and executed by the sword.
The witch hunt that the Kaczynski brothers have engaged in will most probably not lead to capital punishment, but it will destroy the carreer and the professional outlook for thousands of members of the academe of a country that is a full member of the European Union, for the simple reason that all civil servants are asked to declare that they have never had had any kind of coperation with the communist regime. Tadeusz Masowiecki is among them and he had the courage not to sign that declaration.
In addition to my congratulations on the occasion of his 80th birthday, I add my best wishes to him for his civil courage and civil desobedience. Hopefully his example will be followed by many.
Il y avait, en Europe, dans un lointain passé, une tradition très forte de chasser et d'immoler des sorcières.
En Suisse, le dernier procès pour sorcellerie a été ouvert en 1782 dans le Canton de Glaris, contre Anna Göldi. Malgré une défense compétente et des interventions en faveur de l'accusée par des membres de l'élite scientifique et politique du pays, Anna Göldi a été trouvée coupable de sorcellerie sur la fille de son employeur , condamnée et exécutée à l'épée.
Il est fort improbable que la chasse aux sorcières dans laquelle se sont engagés récemment les jumeaux Kaczynski va se solder par une peine capitale, mais elle pourrait détruire la carrière et les chances de réusssite professionelle de bon nombre de membres de la communauté académique de la Pologne, donc dans un pays qui membre à part entière de l'Union Européenne, pour la simple raison que toutes les personnes employées dans le service public sont obligé de déclarer, par écrit et sous sermon, de ne jamais avoir été en contact avec les services secret de l'ancien régime communiste, sous peine de perdre leur poste.
Mr. Masowiecki et parmi eux et il a osé refuser de signer.
En plus des cordiaux voeux que j'avais formulé lors de son quatre-vingtième annversaire tout récemment,j'aimerais lui présenter mes sincères félications pour son courage et sa désobéissance civique, tout en espérant que son example soit suivi par un grand nombre de personnes.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Sunday, April 22, 2007
L'avenir du mouvement libéral dans les mains de François Bayrou
Tout l'avenir de la survie d'une formation libérale dans le sens propre du terme en France dépend maintenant des capacités intellectuelles et de la force morale de François Bayrou. Va-t-il vendre sa peau à Sarkozy pour un siège au gouvernement, va-t-il tomber sous le charme de Ségolène Royal, le risque et gigantesque. Il pourra perdre ses électeurs en se déclarant en faveur d'un des deux candidats victorieux au premier tour, mais aussi bien en rejetant d'emblée un soutien d'un des deux candidats. La question cruciale, c'est l'ordre de grandeur des pertes de l'UDF pertes lors des élections législatives. Sie le parti et son chef résistent à la temptation de joindre l'un des deux camps du bipôle, il gardent une chance considérable de former un groupe UDF fort au parlement qui pourra s'imposer de façon significative dans l'hémicycle et faire bousculer certaines législations dans la bonne direction. Tout dépendra de la force morale des électeurs UDF et de leur chef, François Bayroud, face à la guillotine (ou des chants de sirènes) du bipolarisme.
En ce qui concerne les libéraux en Suisse le résultat de l'UDF aux législatives en France sera de bonne ou de mauvaise augure pour eux. Mutatis mutandis ils se trouvent dans le même dilemme. Si on veut être optimiste, on peut considérer qu'il y a un réservoir d'électeurs à esprit libéral (qu'il faudra convaincre qu'ils ont raison de l'être et de voter en conséquence) proche de 20 % en France, et pourquoi pas en Suisse?
Tout l'avenir de la survie d'une formation libérale dans le sens propre du terme en France dépend maintenant des capacités intellectuelles et de la force morale de François Bayrou. Va-t-il vendre sa peau à Sarkozy pour un siège au gouvernement, va-t-il tomber sous le charme de Ségolène Royal, le risque et gigantesque. Il pourra perdre ses électeurs en se déclarant en faveur d'un des deux candidats victorieux au premier tour, mais aussi bien en rejetant d'emblée un soutien d'un des deux candidats. La question cruciale, c'est l'ordre de grandeur des pertes de l'UDF pertes lors des élections législatives. Sie le parti et son chef résistent à la temptation de joindre l'un des deux camps du bipôle, il gardent une chance considérable de former un groupe UDF fort au parlement qui pourra s'imposer de façon significative dans l'hémicycle et faire bousculer certaines législations dans la bonne direction. Tout dépendra de la force morale des électeurs UDF et de leur chef, François Bayroud, face à la guillotine (ou des chants de sirènes) du bipolarisme.
En ce qui concerne les libéraux en Suisse le résultat de l'UDF aux législatives en France sera de bonne ou de mauvaise augure pour eux. Mutatis mutandis ils se trouvent dans le même dilemme. Si on veut être optimiste, on peut considérer qu'il y a un réservoir d'électeurs à esprit libéral (qu'il faudra convaincre qu'ils ont raison de l'être et de voter en conséquence) proche de 20 % en France, et pourquoi pas en Suisse?
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Happy Birthday Mr Mazowiecki
Portrait Photography 2001 by Maciej Plewinski, Krakow, Poland
http://www.plewinski.com/
Dear Mr Mazowiecki
You are one of the most distinguished political thinkers and political leaders of our times, and it cannot be stressed enough that not only you have been, as Rudolf Stamm notes on page 7 of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung of April 17, 2007: "The Spiritus Rector of Solidarnosc" but that you have lent your intellectual and moral power, after your successful term as Poland's first post-communist prime minister in 1989 and 1990, to one of the most difficult humanitarian mandates of the last decade of the 20th century:
as envoy of the United Nations from 1991 to 1995 in Bosnia torn apart by a cruel fratricidal war. More to that: you had the courage to step back and to declare that you did this not so much because you were tired but in order to protest against the political class of Western Europe that did systematically scotomize these disastrous events which have left deep wounds in the Balkans that will last for decades to come.
Your recent engagement against growing ultra-nationalist extremism in your own country at an age where others would sit back to contemplate the world with contempt but without telling their fellow citizens about their thoughts and their feelings, merits our full admiration.
With my best wishes for many years to come, for fine health and good spirits
Osservatore Profano
Portrait Photography 2001 by Maciej Plewinski, Krakow, Poland
http://www.plewinski.com/
Dear Mr Mazowiecki
You are one of the most distinguished political thinkers and political leaders of our times, and it cannot be stressed enough that not only you have been, as Rudolf Stamm notes on page 7 of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung of April 17, 2007: "The Spiritus Rector of Solidarnosc" but that you have lent your intellectual and moral power, after your successful term as Poland's first post-communist prime minister in 1989 and 1990, to one of the most difficult humanitarian mandates of the last decade of the 20th century:
as envoy of the United Nations from 1991 to 1995 in Bosnia torn apart by a cruel fratricidal war. More to that: you had the courage to step back and to declare that you did this not so much because you were tired but in order to protest against the political class of Western Europe that did systematically scotomize these disastrous events which have left deep wounds in the Balkans that will last for decades to come.
Your recent engagement against growing ultra-nationalist extremism in your own country at an age where others would sit back to contemplate the world with contempt but without telling their fellow citizens about their thoughts and their feelings, merits our full admiration.
With my best wishes for many years to come, for fine health and good spirits
Osservatore Profano
Sunday, April 15, 2007
EURO 08 and UEFA - from m***y-l********g to political power play
Will the VAT revenue gradient between Austria and Switzerland ring the final bell to Swiss federal income taxation?
Football (soccer) organizations such as FIFA and UEFA are well known for their m***y-l*******ng capacities and m***a-like behaviour, but the latest knews concerning the VAT(value added tax, MwSt / Mehrwertsteuer) revenues of both Austria and Switzerland, the two organizing nations of the EURO 08, show the potential of the football organizations to come out in the open of political power play. According to a report of the Sunday edition of the Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ am Sonntag), UEFA will sell tickets for the same price in both Austria and Switzerland despite the fact that the Austrian State imposes a 20% VAT whch will generate an estimated revenue of about 10 millions Euros, while the Swiss Confederation -on the basis of a VAT of only 2,4%, will earn only about 0.8 million Euros. Switzerland will have to spend more than 55 million Euros in taxpayer's money for the EURO 08 contest.
Three questions arise:
a) How stupid have the Swiss authorities been in their negotiations with the UEFA
to accept costs of more than 50 millions Euro to be covered by income taxes,
without looking at their partners in Austria
a) Why have EURO 08 visitors in Switzerland to pay the same price per ticket
as their Austrian neighbours without an effect on the burden of the EURO 08
infrastructure and service costs on their state budget?
c) What will be the effect of this incredible mess on the image Swiss
income tax payers will have of he wisdom of their government and parliament?
It may well be that football will become - more than ever before - an important element of the political powerplay and that the UEFA's ball tricks may make understand the Swiss that it would be proof of their collective intelligence to liquidate the overdue federal income tax in favor of a reasonable VAT.
Maybe finance minister Merz, a clever man who does his tricks behind the backs of his media-hungry colleagues such as Blocher, Couchepin and Calmy-Rey, will be pleased to read the NZZ am Sonntag report.
Two images representing violent behaviour on the football field published in the first version of this post have been eliminated
after warnings by a fellow (professional) blogger that they might provoke legal action by the football associations mentionned above.
The Editor
Will the VAT revenue gradient between Austria and Switzerland ring the final bell to Swiss federal income taxation?
Football (soccer) organizations such as FIFA and UEFA are well known for their m***y-l*******ng capacities and m***a-like behaviour, but the latest knews concerning the VAT(value added tax, MwSt / Mehrwertsteuer) revenues of both Austria and Switzerland, the two organizing nations of the EURO 08, show the potential of the football organizations to come out in the open of political power play. According to a report of the Sunday edition of the Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ am Sonntag), UEFA will sell tickets for the same price in both Austria and Switzerland despite the fact that the Austrian State imposes a 20% VAT whch will generate an estimated revenue of about 10 millions Euros, while the Swiss Confederation -on the basis of a VAT of only 2,4%, will earn only about 0.8 million Euros. Switzerland will have to spend more than 55 million Euros in taxpayer's money for the EURO 08 contest.
Three questions arise:
a) How stupid have the Swiss authorities been in their negotiations with the UEFA
to accept costs of more than 50 millions Euro to be covered by income taxes,
without looking at their partners in Austria
a) Why have EURO 08 visitors in Switzerland to pay the same price per ticket
as their Austrian neighbours without an effect on the burden of the EURO 08
infrastructure and service costs on their state budget?
c) What will be the effect of this incredible mess on the image Swiss
income tax payers will have of he wisdom of their government and parliament?
It may well be that football will become - more than ever before - an important element of the political powerplay and that the UEFA's ball tricks may make understand the Swiss that it would be proof of their collective intelligence to liquidate the overdue federal income tax in favor of a reasonable VAT.
Maybe finance minister Merz, a clever man who does his tricks behind the backs of his media-hungry colleagues such as Blocher, Couchepin and Calmy-Rey, will be pleased to read the NZZ am Sonntag report.
Two images representing violent behaviour on the football field published in the first version of this post have been eliminated
after warnings by a fellow (professional) blogger that they might provoke legal action by the football associations mentionned above.
The Editor
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