Swiss Review 3/2019

Swiss Review / May 2019 / No.3 31 Jürg Müller bids farewell to “Swiss Review” This edition is “Swiss Review” political editor JürgMüller’s final curtain call. Relying on a deep knowledge of Swiss fed- eral politics, Müller has spent the past seven years provid- ing the Swiss Abroad with his expert and lucid take on the issues, and voting Sundays, that matter – always with the concerns and perspective of the ‘Fifth Switzerland’ inmind. This is no surprise, given his long track record (he was “Swiss Review” editor-in-chief himself in the 1980s). Müller is entering retirement. While we hope he enjoys his new- found freedom, we will certainlymiss his input and exper- tise. MARC LETTAU, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Setback for e-voting The cantons of Basel-Stadt, Fribourg, Neuchâtel and Thur- gauwere unable tomake the e-voting systemavailable for the popular vote of 19 May 2019. Swiss Post, which devel- oped and operates e-voting in these cantons, decided to withdraw the service, citing “critical errors” in the sys- tem’s source code. It identified these errors during tests designed to pinpoint weaknesses in the system. The Or- ganisation of the Swiss Abroad reacted to the outage with concern, saying that it amounted to a whole swathe of the Swiss expatriate community being “denied their demo- cratic rights”. (MUL) Yes to 1.3-billion-franc cohesion payment Parliament has approved a new ‘cohesion’ payment worth 1.3 billion Swiss francs over ten years that is once again in- tended to help reduce economic and social disparities be- tween old and new EU member states. The current uncer- tainty surrounding the framework agreement between Switzerland and the EUovershadowed the decision, follow- ing demands fromvarious politicians for the funding to be released only on the proviso that Brusselsmake concessions on the deal. (MUL) Environmental activist Franz Weber has died Swiss activist FranzWeber died on 2 April 2019 aged 91.We- ber, who launched countless national and international campaigns in his time, was one of the pioneers of nature, animal, landscape and cultural conservation. Two of his major battles included the fight against seal hunting and the protection of Alpine habitats (Second-Home Initiative). For a “Swiss Review” article about FranzWeber, please visit www.ogy.de/franzweber (SH) Roland Zoss & Jimmy Flitz No sooner has Roland Zoss started singing the rock-inflected chorus than the assembled four- to nine-year-olds join in unison: “Jimmy Flitz, Jimmy Flitz ...” Every child in German-speaking Switzerland is familiar with the adventures, sung in dialect, of mouse Jimmy Flitz and his animal friends. Zoss, from Berne, is one of a small number of children’s singer-songwriters in Switzerland – and probably the bus- iest of them all. Twenty years ago, he gave up his teaching job and de- cided to work as a children’s entertainer. This courageous move paid off. Through songs, concert tours, audio musical recordings, a Christ- mas musical and several picture and storybooks, Zoss has created a parallel children’s fantasy world. Cheeky but likeable mouse Jimmy Flitz, who lives in the spire of Berne Cathedral, is Zoss’smost popular character. Characterising Jimmy as a ‘Swiss mouse’ wearing a red- and-white-hooped pullover was a shrewd master stroke. Swiss Post issued a stamp in the mouse’s honour, while the Swiss tourist board Switzerland Tourism adopted Jimmy as its Swiss ‘ambassador’. “But it was on the Aeolian Islands that I noticed,” grins Zoss. Each year, the musician and author spends a fewmonths on the archipelago situated off the north of Sicily. Zoss, a father himself, likes to do his bit for so- ciety. His works contain messages about friendship, self-confidence and environmental conservation. Xenegugeli the tousle-haired dino- saur teaches children the alphabet – the digital app is available in five languages. “Make sure you mention the app – your readers might be interested,” suggests Zoss, who has won prizes and collaboratedwith A-listers from the Swiss music scene. This summer will see Zoss turn- ing 68, but he intends to continue giving concerts. A new Jimmy Flitz storybook is also due to be published. “I love doingwhat I do – it keeps me young,” he says in a pleasant baritone. SUSANNE WENGER Top Pick News