Ok, It's been a while since my last post - as usual. I am now living in postcard pretty Zurich with Anita - the gal I me in Ecuador and caught back up with in Rio before traveling together down to Buenos Aires. Obviously it was her fault that I was too distracted to continue my blog posts. A few people have asked me if I will fill in the blanks + I want to for posterity so I have pulled out the notebooks and will make up the rest.
I may even write a bit about whats going on in Switzerland, unlikely though as the snow has just started falling and my feet are itching to get on a board.
Whats news in Switzerland now? well, of course the vote went against Aus for 2022 World Cup - damn Qatar, they must have bribed more than we did. More importantly, and sadly, like Australia, Switzerland has a strong racist seam. These people are represented by the SVP party with policy that could have been penned by Pauline Hanson (although rather more slickly packaged). The Swiss democracy is strong in that it is structured to allow more parties to have influence - keeping clear of the policy shadowing farce of Australian politics with parties hoping to win elections by "showing the real Julia". The obvious downside is that parties like the SVP can wield considerable power even though they cause embarrassment to a large percentage of the population. Even the SVP's adds are not thinly veiled:
It seems the Swiss would have a referendum to change a street sign. Unfortunately this referendum went the wrong way (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11857438). It sucks, but you have to admire them for their confidence (in their economy) not to pander to external opinion.
PS. Sorry for the negativity first up, but that's the news. I have generally found the people to be as nice as the countryside (I will assume its not just because I'm an English speaking Caucasian).
If you want to know what went down in South America: Venezuela was unforgettable.
