A Hornet's Nest in Tranquil Switzerland?

Who might've guessed that the world's champion non-involved, neutral and wealthy country has its problems with stridently right-wing parties? The world's arbitrator, the very essence of going along to get along, where neutrality is always and ever the order of the day. Where private fortunes can be legally squirrelled away out of mind and sight of overseers. Where social mores and convention are the order of the day, and everyone just gets along.

One of the few countries of the world without a standing army. For what use have they of a military force, since they make enemies of none, and therefore have no need to defend themselves? Their quaintly garbed Vatican Swiss Guard seems to be the only concession to the aptitude of most countries to form protective vanguards of the young and testosterone-laden, trained and armed in the protection of sovereignty.

Now, we learn all is not sweetness and light. Well certainly we know that in a sense it is difficult to live in that country that speaks French, Italian, German and Romansh in its various corners and cantons. Difficult in an economic way, since everything appears to be inordinately expensive there, from home ownership to food, services, and consumer goods. The incidence of crime, however, has been low, making for a nice trade-off, along with sublime geography.

But crime is steadily on the increase. And some have it linked to the relatively high resident aliens fraction of the population. And therein lies a problem, one seen reflected across much of Europe, in fact. Switzerland's rigidly right-wing party, the Swiss People's Party headed by a billionaire chemical industrialist has been causing more than one person's share of indignant backlash.

Having been accused of attempting to circumvent Swiss law on battling organized crime and money laundering through the Swiss banking system; somewhat of an embarrassment to the administration of the country. This Swiss political tough guy, Christoph Blocher, currently the justice minister, is puzzlingly popular in the country at large, despite an ongoing parliamentary probe of his probity.

But it's his party's campaign, ostensibly for the protection of "traditional Swiss values" that is the real crux of the upheaval now being seen in Switzerland's traditional social character. The party is suspicious of multiculturalism, Islam, and troublingly enough "working women". The SVP has been sufficiently assured of its position and popularity to boast of election posters insultingly inflammatory and racist in their burden.

One of which illustrates a black sheep being thrown out of the country by three happy-faced white sheep. Underlining the message is the slogan "for more security". The country's president, Micheline Calmy-Rey has rightly enough characterized the demonizing of immigrants and the slur to their reputations as "disgusting".

Even other right-wing parties in the country are taking steps to position themselves well away from that of the SVP, considering these tactics reminiscent of Italian fascism, derogatory beyond contempt. Up until now the various political parties have been accustomed to giving one another room to proclaim their positions, and tolerance has been the order of the day.

Whatever happened to nice old staid Switzerland? Gone the way of too many other European countries in attempting to accommodate their changing demographics with the incursion of immigrants from other societies and cultures. Exacerbated no end by the tarnishing of the image of those same immigrants by associating them indelibly with the scourge of modern politics, Islamist fascists.

A temporary set-back, we can only hope, in this bastion of conservative values and old-world courtesies.