Fascism rests on a two-part confidence trick(骗局). First, a leader claims to embody the will of the people(体现人民意志). Then they argue that only by being granted sweeping(广泛的，全面的) powers can that be realised. Having grown up in Switzerland, I find it easy to see through this trick(看穿这套把戏). That is because the policies championed by the far right rarely pass the referendum test(通过公投考验).
法西斯主义建立在一种两段式的骗局之上。首先，领袖宣称自己是人民意志的化身。接着，他们辩称只有被授予广泛的权力，这种意志才能实现。我在瑞士长大，因此很容易看穿这套把戏。原因在于，极右翼所鼓吹的政策很少能通过公投的考验。
Dismantling publicly funded media? In March, 62% of Swiss voters rejected a far-right initiative(动议，倡议) to halve(减半) funding for the country’s public broadcaster. Corporate tax cuts? In 2017, 59% struck down such plans of the Swiss government. Immigration police hunting down migrants? Again, 59% rejected a far-right proposal to automatically deport(驱逐出境) foreign nationals convicted of crimes without judicial review(司法审查). Or this week’s resounding(压倒性的，响亮的) 70% “No” vote on a far-right proposal to tighten Switzerland’s neutrality(中立) to the point that Bern(伯尔尼，瑞士首都) would have been forced to drop sanctions on Russia over Ukraine.
解散公共资助的媒体？今年三月，62%的瑞士选民否决了一项极右翼动议，该动议要求将国家公共广播机构的经费减半。企业减税？2017年，59%的选民否决了瑞士政府的此类计划。移民警察追捕移民？同样，59%的选民否决了一项极右翼提案，该提案要求自动驱逐被判有罪的外国人，无需司法审查。又或者本周那场压倒性的70%“反对”票，否决了一项极右翼提案，该提案要求收紧瑞士的中立立场，以至于伯尔尼将被迫放弃因乌克兰问题对俄罗斯的制裁。
Switzerland is hardly a nation of progressive(进步主义的)s. Leftwing parties won just 29% of the vote in the most recent national elections. Women gained the right to vote only in 1971. The asylum(庇护) law is one of Europe’s toughest. That, too, is the legacy of direct democracy(直接民主的遗产).
瑞士算不上一个进步主义国家。在最近的全国选举中，左翼政党仅赢得29%的选票。女性直到1971年才获得投票权。其庇护法是欧洲最严苛的之一。这同样是直接民主的遗产。