Federal Councilor Keller-Sutter Calls for Stability in Kradolf, Thurgau

Stability is Switzerland’s greatest asset in the current global situation, Keller-Sutter explained in her speech on Saturday afternoon in a festival tent in front of the multipurpose hall in Kradolf. The finance minister emphasized that the country’s sound finances and low level of debt are the best way to prepare for crises. This holds true even in challenging times marked by military conflicts and trade wars, economic isolationism, an aging population, and climate change.

Reliability and consistency are crucial in a world of rapid change. While the Swiss system, with its federalism and direct democracy, may sometimes take longer to reach decisions, it builds trust.

Music at the Federal Council Meeting

Keller-Sutter used the Swiss Psalm as an example to illustrate a typical Swiss decision-making process. Although the song was composed as early as 1841, the Federal Council did not long consider itself “the supreme authority on singing.” It ultimately took 140 years before the federal government declared the Swiss Psalm the official national anthem in 1981. Prior to this decision, the Federal Council had already had various candidates played back on record during a meeting in 1965.

In her remarks on the national anthem, the Federal Councilor also took a humorous jab at the host canton. During a cantonal consultation in 1975, only four cantons had rejected the anthem as “expressly unsuitable”—including, of all places, the canton of Thurgau.

An Anthem That Builds Bridges

The fact that the lyrics were written by the liberal Protestant Leonhard Widmer and the music by the Catholic priest Alberik Zwyssig also shows that Switzerland was already seeking a unifying force as early as 1841, at a time of intense polarization. The two were not exactly on the same page back then.

Keller-Sutter concluded by saying that the Swiss National Anthem thus symbolizes “the fact that, time and again—and especially in politics—it is also about overcoming differences through dialogue in order to achieve a common goal.” That may take longer, she noted, but it usually lasts longer as well.