pic: svd.se
The Moderate Party’s national congress is still going on and the suggestions thrown out there for debate include increasingly controversial crime fighting measures like visitation zones, increasingly state-reducing measures like no income taxes, a prohibition on head coverings/veils for girls in school, the abolition of public service television, and and even a stewing dissatisfaction, but one certainly not up for discussion, with the leadership of Ulf Kristersson. Congresses are for debate and are pretty refreshing in the sense that a lot of things can be said at a party congress (often from the youth wing) that can’t be said in polite company – and that don’t stand a snowflake’s chance in Florida of becoming party politics (see the Center party’s position on polygamy back in 2006).
Often, a congress is a chance to let off steam and bask in the company of other like-mindeds, but with the Sweden Democrats having taken over the position of second largest party in Sweden after the Social Democrats, the pressure is on. According to Aftonbladet, though, many Moderate party members don’t think that the Sweden Democrats are the absolute worst party in Sweden -only 12% said they agreed with that statement. One can assume that the Left party or maybe the Green party hold that honour, with the Social Democrats or even the Center party a close third.
Perhaps the most problematic for the Moderate party is the lack of enthusiasm that Kristersson garners. Even among Moderate party members only 22% would call him visionary, and only 10% of the general public would call him that. This might be the place where the Moderate party needs to roll up its sleeves and do something about changing.