Sometimes you have to take a circuitous route to get where you want

As previously reported, at the end of last year, Daniel Burch (photograph) was elected Speaker of the Zug cantonal parliament and thereby the holder of the highest political office in the canton. Following his election, he gave an interview with a journalist of the Zuger Zeitung, an abridged version of which follows here.
 
The 60-year-old, who is married with two grown-up children, has actually been a cantonal parliamentarian representing the FDP party since 2003. As to his everyday job, since 2007 he has been working for the Employers’ Association of the Machine, Electrical and Metal Industries and he will continue to do this.
 
Burch recalled how delighted he was on the occasion of his election, not least because his mother, wife and a large delegation from his home municipality of Risch were able be present, too. He also recalled the enjoyment at the ensuing relaxed celebrations in Risch, organised by mayor Peter Hausheer and at which some 500 people were present,
 
The newly elected Speaker said how much he was looking forward to leading the cantonal parliament in its debates over the coming two years, as well as representing it beyond Zug’s boundaries. “Even though I am now the highest official in the canton, I do not think this will change me in any way,” he insisted.
 
While Burch is a resident of Risch, he actually comes from Sarnen in the canton of Obwalden and would look forward to one day being able to attend a session of the cantonal parliament there. As to forthcoming engagements already made, he said he was looking forward to attending a parliamentary session of the half-canton of Appenzell-Innerrhoden in April, not least because the Speaker there actually grew up in Holzhäusern in the canton of Zug. Later in the year, he was looking forward to attending a two-day meeting of Swiss parliamentarians in Montreux, even though it meant dashing off there immediately after a parliamentary session in Zug.
 
When asked if the Speaker of a cantonal parliament can really have any major influence in a sort of ambassadorial role, Burch said he thought he could by networking in behalf of the canton, as well as “by taking the fear out of politics for people, and showing them that we, as politicians, are just like ordinary people, too”.
 
When asked if he really could exert influence on matters such as the National Equalisation Fund, which, as its name implies, is really a national matter, Burch said he thought he could by expressing what politicians from Zug feel about this, being in the minority (of donor cantons to the fund), subject to the views of the majority (of benefiting cantons). “We can try to make those in other cantons understand more about how we feel about it here,” he said.
 
As to how he would like to lead parliament, he said he would like to do so in an efficient way and hoped that members would aim to be efficient, too, rather than insisting, for example, on too many unnecessary interpellations and questions.
 
Long-standing readers may remember that his predecessor, Moritz Schmid, ruled out serving dessert and schnaps (at cantonal expense) at official parliamentary lunches and Burch said he would uphold this, saying a starter and a main course would suffice. “And do not forget that, if we all had a dessert, taking, say, another half-an-hour, this would work out at 80 x thirty minutes, or 40 hours, in which we could be getting on with parliamentary work. Anyway, afternoons are there for your head to work, not your stomach. As for schnaps, a Zug Kirsch or otherwise, this is not really an issue, as only a few members insist on this, and its cost is negligible.”
 
The Speaker went on to say he thought these parliamentary dinners were a good thing as, in some cantons, just the individual party members went off to lunch together, whereas in Zug, members of all parties sit together, which is a great advantage, being able to hear opposing views, yet in a respectful way.
 
In all his political experience, he had naturally been pleased to contribute to winning debates, yet also had to come to terms with losing others. “One should always remember a lost battle does not necessarily mean a lost war. I always compare this sort of thing with my hobby of sailing. Sometimes you get a wind of the right force in the right direction and then another blows from an unfavourable direction. What you have to do here is tack and criss-cross so you still get to where you want. It’s the same in politics,”  he concluded.