When he was still a member of the SVP, Oskar Freysinger complained about the “fairy tale of man-made climate change”. On the contrary, we are facing “a more or less permanent ice age”. No politician today twists the truth in such a brazen way.
On June 13th we will vote on the CO2 law. Carbon dioxide emissions are to be reduced, and Switzerland is to make a contribution to slowing down global warming, at least to some extent. Nobody dares to attack this goal directly today – the consequences of climate change have become too clear in recent years. As an opponent of the proposal, the SVP is therefore fully focused on costs. She warns that “the CO2 law will make petrol and diesel more expensive by twelve cents per liter – this will mean that soon only the rich will be able to afford mobility”. In advertisements this means: “Only the rich drive a car?”
Of course, in a referendum battle both the value of a cause and its price must be discussed. But if it is true that additional costs of twelve cents make driving unaffordable, the question arises: Why has no politician at least addressed the fact that the price of petrol differs from petrol station to petrol station? Especially since this is more than twelve cents.
According to the comparison portal benzin-preis.ch, the fuel cost this week at a petrol pump
the A 2 35 cents more than in the Aargau Wynental. Why doesn’t the SVP sound the alarm here? Is it because the 35 cents additional profit goes into the cash register of an oil company instead of into climate protection?
By the way: when National Councilor Freysinger was talking about a new Ice Age in 2013, the average price for a liter of unleaded was 1.77 francs, 16 cents higher than today.
At the forefront, the Thurgau SVP National Councilor Diana Gutjahr is fighting against the CO2 law. A fortnight ago she appeared before the media as a member of the “Economic Committee No to the CO2 Act”. This week she warned at an SVP press conference entitled “Mobility only for the rich?” ahead of higher consumer prices. Gutjahr also raised concerns: “The branches of industry that advocate the law do so out of self-interest, because they benefit directly from it.”
The little ones should make money so that others benefit. As co-owner of the steel and metal construction company Ernst Fischer AG in Romanshorn TG, Diana Gutjahr knows what she is talking about. Ernst Fischer AG specializes in the construction of petrol stations. From the BP petrol station at Ascona TI to Migrol in Bern’s Westside to Shell in Trübbach SG: All of them come from the production of Diana Gutjahr’s company. Avia, Esso and Socar are also customers. However, Gutjahr keeps her business relationships to herself when she comes out against the CO2 Act.
That is of course not forbidden. But it is a lie.