Federal Council photo should have been a Beatles tribute
Federal President Simonetta Sommaruga had hoped for an «Abbey Road»-style tribute for this year's Federal Council photo. But it didn't happen: the federal government's lawyers got cold feet.
The latest official Federal Council photo shows the seven Federal Councillors and Federal Chancellor Walter Thurnherr backstage at the Konzerttheater Bern. A "well-coordinated septet" according to Sommaruga.
This year's theme had been planned quite differently, as the SonntagsZeitung writes in its current issue. The President of the Swiss Confederation would have liked a tribute to the iconic Beatles cover "Abbey Road" from 1969. The national government should have walked across a pedestrian crossing in front of the Federal Palace like the four musicians.
On foot instead of in a Mercedes
Probably the most famous album cover in history celebrated its 50th birthday last year (Werbewoche.ch reported) and would have conveyed various messages in the Federal Council version: On the one hand, Simonetta Sommaruga herself is an enthusiastic musician and music fan, and on the other hand, issues such as transport and the environment are particularly close to her heart with her department. A Federal Councillor who moves on foot would have communicated a clear statement in times of climate change and the energy transition.
Apparently, the photo shoot had been in preparation for months and Sommaruga's colleagues were asked to wear light-colored clothing so that they would stand out better against the asphalt. In the end, however, the completion of Sommaruga's vision failed. The reason: the federal government's lawyers intervened.
"Precautionary principle applied"
According to André Simonazzi, spokesman for the Federal Council, the planned photo raised copyright issues. These have been clarified. "It turned out that we were not one hundred percent sure that what we were doing was legal. So we applied the precautionary principle."
In this way, any legal disputes were avoided in anticipatory obedience and the idea of the most original Federal Council photo in a long time was buried. Safe is safe. Nevertheless, it is doubtful whether the "Abbey Road" rights holders would really have been bothered by the Swiss version. The legendary pedestrian crossing has always been an often-imitated subject and has served as a template for countless parodies in the past.
