Uncategorized Archives • Page 26 of 28 • SwedeInternational

July 11 – C and S duke it out at the EU

Now that suddenly Ursala von der Leyen (a German politician from the Christian Democratic Union party) is the leading candidate for presidency of the EU commission, the fight is on for the position of first vice-president. On-site for the Center party, Frederick Federley is pushing for the Liberal candidacy of Danish Margrethe Vestager, while the Social Democrats in Brussels are working hard for their candidate, Dutchman Frans Timmermans. Swedish radio (sr.se) reports that Helene Fritzon, the top Social Democrat from Sweden, believes Sweden extracted a promise from von der Leyen that Timmermans would get it, but since the meeting was behind closed doors and there’s nothing on paper, who knows.

Both of these candidates were leading in the race for the presidency but were knocked out by the sudden appearance of von der Leyen, a compromise candidate that everyone thought they could get behind. Now, the fight is just as bad for the second-in-command position.

In typical diplomatic fashion, the solution might be to name the one “first vice-president,” and the other just “vice-president.” But a compromise like that might just compromise the position even more. Does anyone even know who the current vice-president is? No, not actually.

11 July – jail a drag no more

SvD writes that the Swedish Prison and Probation Service (Kriminalvården) has sent in a request to the government to change the law in order to be able to make Swedish prisons smoke-free. No smoking for either prisoners/clients or for employees. This is actually already the case in Great Britain, Iceland as well as in several states in the US, but KRIS, a nationwide support group for those who have served time, are concerned that life will now only become even harder for inmates.

9 July – Plastic fantastic taxtic

The government will soon be putting together a commission to investigate forbidding plastic mugs and other single-use plastic food packaging items, Isabella Lövin of the Environment party announced yesterday. This is on top of the 3 kr tax on plastic bags Per Bolund (also Environment party) announced last month and the phasing out of plastic utensils and plates by 2021 required by the EU.

Not everyone is breaking out it adulation. Expressen’s op/ed page (“plastic in, sense out”) argues it’s not about the environment at all, it’s about more money for the government. A ban on fishing nets, on the other hand, (that make up over half the plastic waste in the ocean according to Expressen), would actually do something – but no one is talking about that.

9 July – It’s a wrap

In solidarity for fellow hiphop artist ASAP Rocky, artist Tyler, the Creator tweeted yesterday ”no more Sweden for me, ever.” It seems that also artist Schoolboy Q will be joining the boycott. What did Sweden do? ASAP Rocky is facing up to six years in prison for assault after an altercation with several fans, according to complex.com. (We know that won’t happen, ever.) ASAP was then denied bail as he was considered a flight risk (like the guy could slip out unnoticed?)

ASAP, and a slew of other hiphop giants, were in Stockholm for the Smash music festival. His concert was described as the festival’s high point.

8 July – Bronze isn’t bad

Sweden won third place in the Women’s Soccer World Cup yesterday, beating England 2-1. Names to know from the season: goalie Hedvig Lindahl (who, besides being great in general, made a massive save on a penalty kick in the game against Canada. SvD thinks it would make a good stamp.) Kosovare Asllani who scored three goals, and Sofia Jakobsson who scored two goals, both when they were desperately needed. Oh and Nilla Fischer, who head-butted a ball away that otherwise would have been sure goal. That girl has a head on her.

7 June – The Sweden Democrats’ new pals

Jumping on Trump’s bandwagon, Jimmie Åkesson of the Sweden Democrats suggested cutting aid to countries that discriminate against HBTQ people. As Göran Eriksson of SvD notes, it is in many cases muslim and African countries that discriminate against homosexuals, so this fits right in with their generally xenophobic rhetoric. Later in his Almedalen speech, Åkesson quoted Sweden’s revered Wilhelm Moberg’s text called Endeavor (”Strävan”) which, in calling for Sweden to unite against forces trying to tear it apart, was written as a call for Sweden to stand up to Germany’s nazism in WWII. Raise your hand if you hear Moberg turning in his grave.

7 July – Loose moose needed

All the ”moose crossing” signs posted on Swedish roads, warning drivers regarding the prevalence of moose in the area, have become a little less relevant. SvD writes that the Swedish moose, and for that matter, the Swedish forest hare, could soon land on the list of threatened wildlife. For the rabbit, warmer winters are to blame but for the moose it’s less clear (wolves have also been upgraded to strongly threatened themselves). Not to worry though, moose disappearance isn’t on the books in any future; the Swedish identity is too tied up in it. What would all the souvenir shops do?!

29 June – Smoke ’em if you got ’em

Do you smoke? Do you sometimes sit or stand outside your fave hang, alternately shivering/enjoying the sun to have a smoke? You know it’s bad for you, but..?

You may smoke outside no more. Starting Monday, smoking is forbidden both inside and outside restaurants and other public places, like outside subway platforms. Even smoking water pipes and vaping is forbidden in public places.

So far, you can still have at it in private. But as everyone knows, our private spheres are shrinking bit by bit.

28 June – Ivar Arpi raises his head again

Another controversial figure returned to the editorial page of SvD, after a break to write a book. (Is it done??) Arpi is another figure that is not afraid to take the heat for questioning Sweden’s immigration policies – or, if he is afraid, goes ahead and does it anyway. Ivar’s main point is one of scale: the number of new immigrants, most of whom come from cultures that don’t have much in common with Sweden’s, to the number of ”landed Swedes”, is a ratio that leads to problems. He also rails against the fact that saying that aloud and in public makes a lot of people want to tar, feather and run him out of town. These screaming people he says, need to take it down a notch: They are actually in the minority.

No one in Sweden wants to actually belong to a minority (not when it comes down to it) so he can expect more pushback – and likely more support as well.

28 June – Sabuni Friday

After a fairly intensive campaign period, today is the day Nyamko Sabuni is formally chosen to be the Liberal Party’s new party leader. What she’ll now do though is somewhat unclear, in particular as she has said that immediate withdrawal from the January Agreement her predecessor Jan Björklund signed is not (at all) the first thing on her agenda. As Integration minister, Sabuni raised hackles for daring to suggest a certain level of Swedish might be a good requirement for citizenship. She also expressed a positive attitude towards forbidding veils in schools. For both these suggestions she was called many uncomplimentary names, but she failed to budge on her opinions. It is precisely that straight spine that many of her followers appreciate (as long as they agree, naturally).