Switzerland wil have a referendum to cap population at 10M • Hacker News Board

Re: Switzerland wil have a referendum to cap population at 10M

#351

Post by izacus » Mon, Jun 08, 2026, 9:47 PM UTC

bapo wrote: post #146

Swiss here and able to vote. In fact, just posted my voting letter today, before taking a 1h bike ride through the biggest city in Switzerland, having lots of space and freedom biking around in our beautiful city. When taking the train to my parents house, I pass several farms and landly smaller cities. Alot of free space in between those, train mostly has spare seats, depending on rush hour timings. There usually ar…

Well, first UK had to vote for their own anti immigration nonsense, then US tried out their MAGA winning and now it's time for Switzerland to follow in their footsteps and make their country great again with SVP at the helm.

After all, this time it HAS to go better right?

Re: Switzerland wil have a referendum to cap population at 10M

#352

Post by trgn » Mon, Jun 08, 2026, 9:47 PM UTC

mahkeiro wrote: post #309

trgn wrote: post #188

absent productivity increases, population growth is just there to maintain the welfare state for retirees, it's a perpetuum mobile. apart from that, i dont even know what the benefits of a growing population would be. switzerland is trying a different tack through democratic means.

You don’t know the advantage of a growing population, but you have not far to go in Europe to see the effect of a decreasing population, and it doesn’t really look good.

isnt that just a temporary bottleneck? a self-confident generation might make the sacrifice. plus, the opposite of increasing isnt necessarily decreasing, stabilizing is another one.

Re: Switzerland wil have a referendum to cap population at 10M

#353

Post by yonaguska » Mon, Jun 08, 2026, 9:47 PM UTC

wat10000 wrote: post #275

kypro wrote: post #255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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Many people are awful. I’d be fine with Afghan refugees moving in. Even if we accept the premise that Afghan culture is “awful,” wouldn’t the fact that they’ve fled the country indicate they’re not exactly in sync with that culture? I live in an extremely diverse area with many immigrants on my street and it’s fine.

They could have fled for any number of reasons- that doesn't mean that they aren't exactly in sync with the culture they are coming from. And even if they aren't in sync with the culture they are fleeing- they very likely still hold radically different values than you.

I met a man from Afghanistan sometime last year, however, once we got past the introductions and realized we shared things in common- he opened up to me and began trying to make me realize the value of Sharia law in America, and how much better it would be here if it became the cultural norm.

Re: Switzerland wil have a referendum to cap population at 10M

#354

Post by diath » Mon, Jun 08, 2026, 9:47 PM UTC

kakacik wrote: post #318

Schiendelman wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not just the state - it's your neighbors pushing the same building restrictions as the rest of the developed world, where people say "I don't want another neighbor next to me", which results in too few apartments for even the existing people's children...

You should check Geneva then - they are building apartment buildings like crazy in past 5 years. Too much if you ask me - in very center, almost every small park or green spot is now 6 story concrete building. Only the biggest protected parks are untouched. City is visibly and permanently degrading into concrete field. Weirdly schizophrenic move - they try to keep pushing bike lanes everywhere, even where not safe to…

These jobs are unpopular because the pay is shit, not because people don't want to do them, the government could simply have grants/bonus program for people employed in these positions so that the taxpayer money directly funds the bettering of the society and environment around them. Besides, Japan is a good real world example that you do not need to lean on immigrant labor to stop your country from becoming "dirty"; it's one of the most ethically homogeneous countries and also one of the cleanest places you can visit.

Re: Switzerland wil have a referendum to cap population at 10M

#355

Post by jnwatson » Mon, Jun 08, 2026, 9:48 PM UTC

kakacik wrote: post #318

Schiendelman wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not just the state - it's your neighbors pushing the same building restrictions as the rest of the developed world, where people say "I don't want another neighbor next to me", which results in too few apartments for even the existing people's children...

You should check Geneva then - they are building apartment buildings like crazy in past 5 years. Too much if you ask me - in very center, almost every small park or green spot is now 6 story concrete building. Only the biggest protected parks are untouched. City is visibly and permanently degrading into concrete field. Weirdly schizophrenic move - they try to keep pushing bike lanes everywhere, even where not safe to…

Geneva is the 2nd most expensive city to live in (behind Zurich). I commend any attempt at moderating prices by building more housing.

Re: Switzerland wil have a referendum to cap population at 10M

#356

Post by philipallstar » Mon, Jun 08, 2026, 9:48 PM UTC

tpholland wrote: post #314

bluebarbet wrote: post #290

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because it favors social cohesion and social trust, which are strongly correlated with economic success. Americans are reflexively thinking of race, but that's entirely incidental and basically irrelevant.

But Switzerland emphatically does not have a homogenous population. It has an exceptionally diverse population, linguistically, religiously and culturally. And yet as you say it has an exceptional record when it comes to cohesion and social trust. Living the dream!

Can you list the statistics that demonstrate the exceptionally diverse population?

Re: Switzerland wil have a referendum to cap population at 10M

#357

Post by fHr » Mon, Jun 08, 2026, 9:48 PM UTC

bapo wrote: post #146

Swiss here and able to vote. In fact, just posted my voting letter today, before taking a 1h bike ride through the biggest city in Switzerland, having lots of space and freedom biking around in our beautiful city. When taking the train to my parents house, I pass several farms and landly smaller cities. Alot of free space in between those, train mostly has spare seats, depending on rush hour timings. There usually ar…

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Re: Switzerland wil have a referendum to cap population at 10M

#358

Post by throwaway85825 » Mon, Jun 08, 2026, 9:48 PM UTC

bombcar wrote: post #110

gambiting wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Population of most European countries is actually decreasing year on year: https://www.worldometers.info/population/countries-in-europe... But either way, European nations are nearly all screwed - their expenditure on pensions and healthcare will quadruple in the coming decades as the demographics change heavily towards elderly peple.

Pensions are a bit harder to get out of, but healthcare is easy. You never deny, just delay.

Or in Canada, MAID.

Re: Switzerland wil have a referendum to cap population at 10M

#359

Post by picofarad » Mon, Jun 08, 2026, 9:48 PM UTC

bojan wrote: post #334

throwaway85825 wrote: post #306

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are the people supposed to eat rocks? Agriculture takes a lot of land but people need to eat. If anything agriculture is going to require more land in order to be sustainable.

People do need to eat, but over 80% of the Dutch agricultural produce is being exported. Also, good portion of it isn't even meant for human consumption. Think flowers or cattle feed. This is not about feeding the population or about sustainability. It's simply about profit.

Are the cows pets?

Re: Switzerland wil have a referendum to cap population at 10M

#360

Post by markdown » Mon, Jun 08, 2026, 9:48 PM UTC

jazz9k wrote: post #315

stymaar wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nobody in Switzerland is worried about the population growing due to birthrate. This referendum is about stopping immigration (even though in Switzerland more than anywhere else, immigration is at the foundation of the country's wealth).

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I bet you think they eat the dogs and cats too, eh?