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Swiss Call for Immigration Limits; EasyJet Threatens to Leave Basel Airport; Musicians Face Deportation; Magenbrot Outsourcing Causes Outrage
Another controversial political referendum is set to be voted on November 30. Called Ecopop, the proposal is supposed to restrain population growth - in consideration of Swiss environmental concerns. Nothing controversial there...however the solution called for is to restrict immigration into the country to 0.2% of the existing population per year. An online survey of over 13,000 respondents conducted by the 20 Minuten newspaper found that 53% support the initiative citing problems with urban sprawl and population density as the primary concern. Fortunately, Both the federal government AND all major political parties have come out against the proposals in the plebescite with Justice minister Simonetta Sommaruga going so far as to call it xenophobic and harmful to an economy which depends so heavily on immigrants.
************************************************************************************ In an interview with the Aargauer Zeitung, EasyJet Chief Executive Carolyn Mccall called into question the airline's commitment to staying and servicing the Basel airport. Beloved by locals and expats alike for their cheap fares and last minute hops all over the european region, the airline is concerned it would see falling passenger traffic if departure and ticket taxes were raised, as the local governing authorities are contemplating. She continued that the airlines would have to adapt and raise prices creating the possibility of having to consolidate service at another swiss airport, possibly Zurich. Hopefully, such public airings of the airlines concerns are simply part of on-going negotiations as opposed to a real possibility of a reduction or change in service. ****************************************************************************
55 foreign freelance musicians that work for various Basel based orchestras including the Basel Chamber Orchestra face deportation. In addition, the fracas is the cause of a criminal investigation against the department head of the Basel Office of Economics and Labour (or awa) who granted the musician's work permits last year. Apparently, the permits were granted without any regard for the rules governing foreign contract workers or the fact that many of the musicians are non-EU citizens further complicating their circumstances in Basel. The musicians, unable to legally work and now under surveillance by the authorities will likely have to return to their home countries long before they're deported. The investigation against the awa for Abuse of Office continues.
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We all love the smell of that local Basel Herbstmesse favorite Magenbrot, or sweet spiced bread. However, despite the marketing of the seasonal treat as a local basel baked good, 25 of the stands throughout the citywide fair that sell it, get their Magenbrot from a wholesaler in Lucerne. It seems the festivities of the Herbstmesse have grown beyond the capacity of local bakeries to supply the demand for the treat. Franz Jonasch of the Basel Confectioner named after him summed it up by saying "we can not make magenbrot from 9am to 10 pm all day long for the fest and still make enough to meet demand". Obviously, no bakery with a stand at the fair wants to be the first to disclose that their Basler Magenbrot is not "home-made" so for purists its buyer beware.