Bötschi asks Mattea Meyer "I find it shameful how much misery Switzerland is partly responsible for"
Mattea Meyer has been co-chair of the SP since 2020. A conversation with the National Councillor from Winterthur about power, sexist slogans from politicians and what measures could prevent femicides in Switzerland.
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- National Councillor Mattea Meyer from Winterthur has been co-chair of the SP Switzerland with Cédric Wermuth since October 2020.
- A conversation about how the power as party president has changed the 37-year-old and when she last got annoyed that her presidential colleague spent too much time analyzing things.
- "I would say that I am still not corruptible. At the same time, I am aware that I have a role that can be powerful," said Meyer in an interview with blue News.
- He continued: "Since the re-election of Donald Trump as US president, I have become increasingly concerned that hatred towards one another will grow and that society could become even more divided."
- Other topics include: Old men's behavior in the Federal Parliament, the retirement age for women, Meyer's children and FC Winterthur.
Mattea Meyer, I'm going to ask you as many questions as possible over the next 45 minutes. And please answer as briefly and quickly as possible. If you don't like a question, you can also say "Next" once.
I am curious.
Day or night?
I prefer the day - but sometimes my days go deep into the night.
Berne or Zurich?
Berne.
Which corner of Winterthur would you show me if we had half a day?
I would take you for a walk to Veltheim, look out over the city from there and then sit in Oberer Graben with a sandwich from Hasan. In summer, it's worth visiting the Wolfensberg swimming pool, which is simply beautiful.
On a scale of one to ten, how happy are you at the moment?
Eight points.
Do you write a diary?
Unfortunately not. To be honest, I wouldn't know when else to do so.
What was your first political act - and when was it?
I struggled with injustice from an early age and tried to fight back - not with violence, but with words. I demonstrated for the first time with my siblings and cousins in the garden of a vacation home when we were on vacation with our parents in the Jura. We kids really wanted to go to the swimming pool.
About the author: Bruno Bötschi
blue News editor Bruno Bötschi regularly talks to well-known personalities from Switzerland and abroad for the question-and-answer game "Bötschi fragt". He asks them lots of questions - always direct, often funny and sometimes profound. It always remains open until the very last question as to where the fast-paced ping-pong will lead.
The first real political moment in my life was the youth session in the Federal Parliament in Bern, which I was able to attend as a teenager together with many other young people.
How old were you when you knew: "I want to go into politics"?
When I was 17, I realized more and more that I didn't just want to be outraged by injustice, but that I also wanted to get involved in politics. Shortly afterwards, I joined Juso Switzerland. There I got to know people who I enjoyed talking to.
Shortly before your election to the National Council in 2015, you answered the question in Blick as to what superpower you would like to have ...
... oh, what did I say back then?
You said: "The superpower of persuasion: I would like to be able to convince everyone that a more solidary, more social and more democratic community is possible."
I would like to call this superpower my own today (laughs).
What other superpower would you like to have?
That's a good question (thinks for a moment). I would like to have the superpower of hope. I would like to be able to convince people that tomorrow can be more positive if we work together.
When was the last time you were shocked by the sheer abundance in your diary?
That hasn't happened for a long time. I usually have my appointments in my head. What I often miss, however, are gaps in the agenda for spontaneous activities.
You have been co-chair of the SP Switzerland with Cédric Wermuth since October 2020. How has power changed you?
I would say that I am still not corruptible. At the same time, I am aware that I have a role that can be powerful. However, I still strive to stand up for people and issues that would otherwise not be heard or not heard enough. And despite all the power I have as party president, it is important to remain humble.
When was the last time you were annoyed that Cédric Wermuth spent too much time on an analysis?
Hmm ... it happens all the time, but it's all within tolerable limits (laughs).
How is your perfectionism?
You know me well, though. I'm working on it and I think I'm on the right track. Perfectionism can have both a positive and a negative effect.
Have you found out the best excuse to excuse yourself from boring meetings?
People usually understand when I, as party president, say that I simply don't have time for a meeting.
Let's assume that Cédric Wermuth and you disagree completely on a topic: will the sparks fly at some point - or how should I imagine such an argument?
Of course it happens from time to time that we disagree. But it's not about political orientation, but about strategic issues. In other words, how should the SP achieve one of its goals? Cédric Wermuth and I are two people who can discuss things very well together - probably also because we both allow the other a certain generosity.
Who is more vindictive: you or Mr. Wermuth?
I claim for both of us that we are not resentful people. We can only function successfully if we are honest with each other.
What was the subject of your last phone call with Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider?
The last conversation with Elisabeth Baume-Schneider was not a phone call, but a face-to-face meeting. We talked about the AHV once again.
Your favorite curse word?
I recently shouted this word into my son's ear in the Schützenwiese stadium after FC Winterthur conceded a goal.
And what is it called?
Shit. I admit, I use this expression from time to time. It's also happened that my children have reprimanded me for it and said: "Mom, you can't say that."
What have you learned in the last six months?
I've finally taken the time to learn French better thanks to a language course.
What are you afraid of?
Privately, that something will happen to my children.
And politically?
Since Donald Trump 's re-election as US President, I've been increasingly worried that hatred towards each other will grow and that society could become even more divided. I've also noticed that the bullying of weaker people has increased, just as there is more male violence again.
Is it an advantage or disadvantage for you to be a woman in politics?
I am very happy to be a woman, but I am well aware that as a woman in politics, you still have to do more and are judged and condemned more harshly - and unfortunately you also receive sexist hate messages time and again.
Comedian Fabienne Hadorn recently told me in the "Bötschi fragt" interview that our capitalist system would not allow equal rights for men and women.
This statement sums it up well. The capitalist system is based on the exploitation of nature and human labor. This means that a large proportion of work - so-called unpaid care work - is made invisible. But without it, the productive economy could not function.
Comedian Fabienne Hadorn continued: "Today, women simply do everything and therefore far too much. Meanwhile, men are driving against the wall because they no longer know what to do."
The fact is: This unpaid care work is still very unequally distributed. It is mainly mothers who look after children, care for relatives, keep house and carry the so-called mental load, i.e. the planning and coordination of family life. There is a lot to do, but no pay. It's time for men in particular to do their bit for equality.
How much old man's attitude is there in Swiss politics?
As is the case almost everywhere in society, the old-man mentality is unfortunately still prevalent in politics.
Apart from unfortunate compliments, have you experienced any assaults in the Federal Palace? In other words, things that you would say went too far? That went too far.
When fellow cantonal councillors ask me for naked pictures or National Councillors make comments about my appearance, these are not unfortunate compliments, but harassment.
Is the coexistence of women and men deteriorating or improving?
This issue is too complex for me to answer yes or no to this question. There are more and more men who are rethinking their role in society and taking on more household chores, for example. This is because they have realized that the old role models restrict both women and men in their development. At the same time, however, there are also guys like Donald Trump who seriously claim that men are entitled to the female body. If men like this become role models for the younger generation again, I am seriously worried.
Which election issue do you have to be careful not to get really angry about?
It's annoying when I have to hear again and again during equality discussions that there is no longer any pay inequality between women and men. The hate-filled and inhumane debates on the subject of asylum are even more annoying. I often wish for more humility - especially from us Swiss, who are lucky enough to live in one of the safest countries in the world.
At the beginning of May, you spoke in the "Meyer:Wermuth" podcast about the high number of femicides in Switzerland. Every two weeks, a man kills his partner in Switzerland. It happens so often and remains incomprehensible: how does this extreme type of violence against women come about?
You need to know: A femicide is just the tip of the iceberg. Before that, there are usually years of assaults and patriarchal violence. It starts with the fact that women in Switzerland are still paid less and are thus shown that they are worth less.
Why is Switzerland failing to protect women more effectively?
To achieve this, we need funding for victim counseling and women's shelters. At the same time, it would be important to invest in the prevention of perpetrators. This would make it clear to society that we take the problem seriously. For women in particular, the closest environment can be very dangerous, as the figures on domestic violence prove - yet a fraction of the new ammunition provided for the military is spent on women's safety.
The American-British influencer Andrew Tate...
... when I hear that name, it makes me shudder. Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you.
Tate is a prominent representative of the anti-feminist backlash. Many of his misogynistic videos have millions of viewers, young men adore him. What's going on there?
I would pay a lot of money to the person who has an answer to that question. For decades, men were told not to show their feelings. Now, fortunately, this is softening and privileges are being questioned. It is possible that this mixture is now causing a backlash.
Are you sometimes ashamed to be Swiss?
Let's put it this way: I always find it shameful how much misery, violence and climate destruction Switzerland is partly responsible for in the world because a political majority stands up for lax rules and dirty business.
Is our country actually as modern as we all like to believe?
No, definitely not - especially when it comes to family and gender equality policy, we are not modern at all.
The hardest job you've ever done with your hands?
(Thinks long and hard) Spending a day with my two children, playing with them and then tidying up, cleaning and doing the laundry, is exhausting.
The riskiest, bravest decision of your life so far?
Having two children.
What typical Swiss inferiority complex gets on your nerves?
It always annoys me when we Swiss act as if we are so small and modest, even though we are one of the most financially powerful countries in the world.
Are the Swiss actually more popular or unpopular abroad?
I think opinions are divided on this - and rightly so.
What do you do specifically to counter the persistent reputation that the SP is still the socialist party and has lost touch with the workers?
I'd rather have a beer than a Cüpli (laughs). Otherwise, I live with this fairy tale that doesn't get any truer, even though it's always being told. The SP is voted for very evenly by people of all income brackets - except for top earners. We are voted for by daycare workers as well as nurses, who know that we are fighting with them for good wages and affordable premiums.
When was the last time you thought about quitting?
I hardly ever think about it - which also has a lot to do with the fact that I always take time out to relax.
What was the most successful intrigue that you spun yourself?
Go on (laughs). I have never instigated an intrigue. But it's also clear that if you want to be successful in politics, you have to be prepared to approach others from time to time in order to negotiate a compromise.
What do you think of the fact that the leader of Germany's largest far-right party lives in Switzerland for the most part?
Alice Weidel herself has to live with the contradiction of demonizing everything foreign as the leader of the AfD and living in another country at the same time. What gives me pause for thought, however, is that the AfD has been classified by the German Office for the Protection of the Constitution as definitely right-wing extremist and this naturally also applies to the party leadership. This raises the legitimate question for me as to whether this state of affairs might not also be a threat to Switzerland's internal security?
When you look back on the past 20 years of your political activity, how satisfied are you with your achievements to date?
It's a mixed bag. I admit that I would have liked a few more political successes.
Your greatest success as a politician was ...
... to have made the 13th AHV pension possible together with many other campaigners. It still touches me today when young people write to me on Instagram about how happy we made their grandparents.
Your worst defeat as a politician was ...
... the decision to raise the retirement age for women from 64 to 65. That was extremely painful, also because the decision was extremely close and affected our mothers, who have done so much throughout their lives. They deserved better.
51 percent of the world's population are women. So in purely mathematical terms, it's women's own fault that they don't make up the majority on important committees. True or not?
That is an extremely bold thesis. However, I totally deny it - especially in view of the fact that women in Switzerland were not even able to vote until 1972.
The principle of equal pay for women and men is enshrined in the Federal Constitution and the Gender Equality Act. Despite this, the pay gap in Switzerland is still huge. Is the SVP to blame - or is it the SP?
The SVP is not solely to blame, but to a large extent it is. We in the SP fought for a more effective law, but the right-wing parties knew how to prevent this. The current legislation is not even being implemented. Equal pay is not a luxury, but a right. Women are being cheated out of their rights and a bourgeois majority thinks that's okay. But I can assure you: We will keep at it.
In a nutshell, please: your verdict on working with the center?
To be honest, I would often have hoped for more from the center in recent years. For example, we tried to achieve more premium relief and better pensions. That looked good for a long time - but then centrist members of parliament rejected the compromise. That's why the center is unfortunately not a reliable partner time and again.
Your verdict on the cooperation with the FDP?
I have slightly less hope for cooperation with the FDP than with the centrist party. That's probably why I'm less disappointed when things don't work out. But I very much hope that the Free Democrats will join us again in the future when it comes to European policy and not the SVP and its destructive isolationist policy.
Your verdict on the cooperation with the Greens?
This cooperation is very good because we are of the same opinion on 95 percent of issues.
Do you believe in God?
No - but I am now a little more generous when it comes to this topic, after having had an extremely critical relationship with faith and religion in my youth. This is mainly due to the people I have met in recent years who are committed to helping refugees or people affected by poverty. With their human dignity and sense of social justice, they represent values that are very much in line with my own.
Which book did you last finish reading?
"The Whisper of Fig Trees" by Elif Shafak. The novel, which is about the war in Cyprus, tells a wonderful but also extremely painful love story.
What else is on your bedside table?
The book "Free: Growing Up at the End of History" by Lea Ypi has been there for far too long. In it, the author writes about her childhood in Albania.
We are slowly coming to the end and thus to the self-rating test: you rate your own talent from zero points, no talent, to ten points, maximum talent: footballer?
Three points. I once took part in a football tournament and immediately realized that I had no talent as a footballer.
Gardener?
Hmm ... seven points. I'm not much of a gardener, but I grow beans and pumpkins every year.
Mountaineer?
Zero points.
Why is that?
Would you like to give a brilliant closing speech? But it mustn't last longer than 30 seconds - and politics mustn't be the topic.
I know how lucky I am to have been born in Switzerland, one of the safest and most stable countries in the world. This fact does not give me, or all Swiss people, the right to judge people who do not have this good fortune. It would do our society good if we treated these people with a little more warmth and respect.
