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The FDP is threatened with a historic debacle. According to the SRG’s latest election barometer, the Liberals are only in fourth place. Behind the center for the first time! FDP leader Thierry Burkart (48) is not giving up yet. In the Blick interview he explains how he wants to score points with the electorate.
Blick: The election barometer looks bleak for you. With only 14.6 percent, the FDP ends up just behind the middle.
Thierry Burkart: It’s a study, not a prediction. But I now feel a huge motivation among us at the grassroots, because no one wants the FDP to slip to fourth place. I’d rather have the premiere go well than the main rehearsal.
You could go down in history not only as the FDP leader with the worst election result, but – worse – as the first to be overtaken by the center.
Invoicing will take place on October 22. I am very optimistic. We are the party that advocates the freedom of citizens and the responsibility of business and the state. In the final phase we will also mobilize with a new instrument. With personalized videos in which I identify the recipients by their specific name – for example “Hi Sophie!” – appeal to and encourage people to vote for the FDP. For German-speaking Switzerland, I have named and noted the 2,500 most common names. My Vice President Johanna Gapany has taken over this for French-speaking Switzerland. It starts at the end of September and I expect an avalanche effect.
Can this make up for the shortfall caused by the Credit Suisse debacle?
We have nothing to do with the bank and its mismanagement. On the contrary, we and our Federal Councilor Karin Keller-Sutter have taken responsibility for preventing an international financial crisis.
Or viewed critically: Keller-Sutter gave UBS a gift of 30 billion.
This is an unfounded claim that the SVP in particular likes to make. She wants to divert attention from former SVP Finance Minister Ueli Maurer. Maybe bad things could have been avoided if he had reacted sooner. The reality is that Karin Keller-Sutter prevented something worse – especially an international financial crash resulting from a bank failure in Switzerland. Whether this will be worth it for UBS in retrospect can only be judged over time. However, we demand that there are consequences for the irresponsible mismanagement that led to this debacle.
Your predecessor Philipp Müller spoke clearly and called such bank managers the A-word. Which word do you think?
Whatever word you use for it, the fact that top management still received large bonuses despite losses cannot be justified. I hope these bonuses are reclaimed with liability lawsuits.
While bank bosses receive big bonuses, the purchasing power of the general population declines. Now wages have to go up!
Before you distribute something, you have to generate it. The situation varies from sector to sector, from company to company. Where this is justified, wage increases should certainly take place. But that is what social partnership is for. But they should not be fantasy demands. Otherwise there is a risk of a wage-price spiral that is negative for the entire population. It is now the job of the social partners to assess what is possible and reach an agreement.
Given the increase in prices, where should you start saving?
Our electricity will become 36 percent more expensive. Our family will clearly feel this because we have a heat pump and an electric car. That’s why I keep reminding you to turn off the lights. In winter we will also be more careful with the heat pump.
What should politicians do about rising electricity prices?
We face a gigantic challenge. We need more domestic production to guarantee stable prices. In the summer we have sufficient electricity. We have a problem in winter and we need to close this gap. I therefore argue for a revision of the 2050 Energy Strategy.
But voters approved it.
Yes, but under false assumptions. First, the expansion of renewable energy sources was planned too optimistically. Secondly, it was said that there would be no need for electricity in the future. And third, it was claimed that the winter electricity shortage could be met by imports and gas-fired power stations. But it is clear: in 2050 we need about 50 percent more electricity, imports are limited and if you want to achieve the climate goals, gas is the wrong way to go. I therefore urgently call for a review of the energy strategy. In addition to the faster expansion of renewable energy sources, we must therefore keep existing nuclear power plants running for longer and, if necessary, plan new ones. The center left rejected our demand to adjust the preconditions so that investments can be made again in the safety of existing nuclear power plants and they can therefore operate for longer.
The FDP is slowing down the expansion of renewable energy sources. You have just imposed an extensive solar obligation on the roofs of homes.
That only produces summer power, but we have a winter power problem. The Greens are fooling the public when they claim that requiring a solar roof will solve the electricity supply problem. The same Greens are preventing solar power plants in the Alps in Valais, which would produce electricity in winter and for which we have been campaigning for a long time.
Our nuclear power plants are still running, but electricity prices are still rising.
Without nuclear power, electricity would be even more expensive, as ETH confirmed in a survey this week. What is needed now is the liberalization of the electricity market. Then everyone can choose which model they want, just like with an insurance or a mortgage. And if the price is too high, he can switch providers.
The biggest problem at the moment are health insurance premiums. However, Parliament is now cutting back on reducing premiums.
Let me say one thing: the SP has headed the Ministry of the Interior for twelve years and has therefore been responsible for the health care system for twelve years. Now she complains about her own politics. What the SP has given us is a standstill in reforms and a huge increase in costs. We supported a moderate increase in premium cuts this week, but the SP’s initiative would cost 5 to 6 billion francs and is impossible to finance without making huge cuts elsewhere. Moreover, the core of the problem is not addressed. The SP only wants to distribute taxpayers’ money instead of working on meaningful reforms.
You engage a budget health insurer. This leads to twofold medicine.
No, because what is medically necessary remains in the basic package. But we don’t have to force the entire basic catalog on everyone. If someone doesn’t want homeopathy, he should be able to do without it. Anyone who consistently relies on cheaper generics should be rewarded. The same applies to anyone who opts for an even higher deductible. This means that healthcare costs can be reduced by up to 20 percent – without loss of quality!
Thierry Burkart (48) has been chairman of the FDP Switzerland since October 2021. He started his political career with the Young Liberals. In 2015, the residents of Aargau elected him to the National Council, and in 2019 to the Council of States. Burkart studied in St. Gallen and Lausanne VD and is a lawyer. He is also chairman of the Astag commercial vehicle association. Burkart lives with his partner and their children in Lengnau AG.
Thierry Burkart (48) has been chairman of the FDP Switzerland since October 2021. He started his political career with the Young Liberals. In 2015, the residents of Aargau elected him to the National Council, and in 2019 to the Council of States. Burkart studied in St. Gallen and Lausanne VD and is a lawyer. He is also chairman of the Astag commercial vehicle association. Burkart lives with his partner and their children in Lengnau AG.
This means that healthy people get a cheaper model and sick people pay more for it.
No, because premiums decrease for everyone because our model reduces overall costs. It’s about personal responsibility. If a sick person chooses generic medicines, he will benefit from budget health insurance just as much as a healthy person. Nowadays there are already savings models. But we want to open the palette further. If we are never willing to implement healthcare reforms, our healthcare system will become enormously expensive.
It is all the more surprising that you are opposing the center’s cost-cutting initiative.
This initiative is a declaration of surrender by the center! Instead of bringing concrete solutions to parliament, she wants to write in the constitution that politicians must look for solutions. This is absurd, since the Center Party is in parliament and could make such proposals. Apparently she does not want that, because the center is the party most closely linked to the health insurers and the health lobby.
And how can the increase in rents be stopped?
Rents are rising most in cities largely governed by left-wing governments. This is due to the endless number of requirements that delay or prevent construction. In Zurich, the Left-Green has just rejected the idea of building a floor higher. This prevention policy means that supply lags behind demand. The left would rather complain about rents that are too high than create good conditions for a greater supply.
On the other hand, the same approach should be followed – with a rent cap or a form requirement.
This prevents further investments in new buildings and worsens the problem. It is crucial that more living space is created. But we are also open to other measures that can sustainably reduce rents – as long as they do not lead to a bureaucratic monster. In the same way, the construction of new housing should not be prevented by false incentives.
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
