Christoph Blocher’s final speech to the Swiss People’s Party

Swiss billionaire and former government minister Christoph Blocher announced his retirement from politics on January 19 in front of colleagues from the right-wing Swiss People’s Party. SWI swissinfo.ch was there. Zurich ends at the foot of the Uetliberg hill. The snow-covered city centre is glowing, while the pitch-black forest looms above. At the edge of the forest is the Albisgüetli shooting range, where the People’s Party under Blocher’s leadership embarked on its journey, transforming into Switzerland’s largest party. Standing on the Albisgüetli stage, Blocher reminds his audience of how it all began. Exactly 36 years ago, young left-wingers wanted to abolish the Swiss army which would have ended the longstanding tradition of obligatory field shooting. Every Swiss soldier keeps a gun at home, and to ensure they remain familiar with their weapons, they are regularly called upon to practise their shooting. This is why Switzerland has so many shooting ranges. Against this...