svensk politik Archives • Page 3 of 10 • SwedeInternational

What’s a government?

**You won. Now have fun.**
*Source: shutterstock https://tinyurl.com/5xw4r9d7*

As we wait for the newly elected right block in Sweden to “get its government together,” many non-Swedish born people are wondering and worried about how this process works.

What is a government?

The government is the Prime Minister and the Ministers he/she/they appoint to the various departments. It’s not the members of parliament.
This is how it goes: The parliament is elected by the people; the block that commands the biggest percentage in the parliament gets to try to form a government; within that block it is decided who gets to be Prime Minister and who will sit in the government.

Didn’t he come in third?

Because the Moderate party leader Ulf Kristersson has the support of the majority in parliament – even though “he came in third” – he will be Prime Minister. He’s now figuring out who he wants to be Minister of Defense, Minister of Infrastructure, Minister of Justice, Minister of Energy, etc. It is this group of people who will be “the government.” It is here that the Sweden Democrats will not be sitting – they won’t be in the government. At least I don’t think so.

When this government proposes something, they can expect that their block members in parliament support them. When they need the support of SD to get something passed, the government will be dependent on them. If they don’t need the support from SD – if, by chance, an equally large number of parliamentarians agree with what the government is proposing – they won’t be dependent on SD. If, say, the government proposes something that the Social Democrats agree with and will vote for, they won’t need SD.

Can SD change the law so that – oh, for example, foreign nationals can get kicked out of the country for jaywalking? The answer to that is no, not alone. SD, like any other party sitting in parliament, would need to convince the majority of parliament to vote for its motion. Being a member of the ruling block gives access and know-how: These are advantageous tools but they don’t change the procedure.

The worry is that SD, having access and know-how and leverage, can influence the government and the laws it proposes (called propositions). This is a real peril: Self-censure is real. The lust for continued power is real. And compromise is necessary for any government.

Who is the “talman” and why do we care?

Currently, the different parties are in a twist over the position of talman (speaker). The talman is a non-political position and does not even vote. On the other hand, the talman is the highest position a person can be elected to and is officially only subordinate to the king. The talman is the face of the parliament, and leads its daily work. As a sop for not being in the government, SD thinks this would be a nice position to hold. It’s very public, and is a huge step from SD’s past pariah status.

That kind of recognition is simply too much for many members of parliament. Ergo, some parties of the left block have come out to say that they would accept, and vote in favor of, another Moderate party member to have that role. For the moment though, SD is not letting go.

For Kristersson, he’s not even actually Prime Minister yet but he has to deal with the realities of having accepted SD into the block. The fact is that the position of talman is not an important vote-bearing or proposition-making position. In that sense it would be an easy give to SD. But if the Social Democrats say they’ll accept a Moderate party member, then votes-wise Kristersson doesn’t need to give it to SD. He isn’t dependent on SD for this vote. This would be a good way of standing up to SD and not allowing it to dictate anything – while also alienating SD and jeopardizing future cooperation.

Harbinger, anyone?

15 Oct. – Turkey gets a cold Swedish shoulder

not going anywhere
pic: bruninginternational.com

Turkey’s ambassador expressed how disappointed he was in Sweden yesterday, and today he’s sure to be even more disappointed: The government decided today to stop all war materiel exports to Turkey. Sweden’s exports to Turkey have already been discussed here, but to recap, the numbers regarding how much Swedish exports, what it exports, and in what year, differ.

According to Sweden’s Inspection for Strategic Products (ISP, or Inspektionen för strategiska produkter) Sweden has no weapons system exports to Turkey, but has exported some gunpowder and other explosives (DN.se/weapons). These exports were part of agreements made several years ago, that Swedish companies will now renege on. No new agreements have been signed on war materiel since 2017.

The most part of the shipments were, according to SvD, other things like electronics, plating, machine parts, programs and technical assistance. Also, as Expressen already reported, things like bandages and first aid kits were a part of the exports.

Whatever they were, they aren’t anymore. Things are moving very fast in Syria, and surprisingly fast in Sweden as well. Everyone’s mad at Turkey, so decisions like these are admittedly low-hanging fruit, and Erdogan’s fans don’t vote here. Sweden will continue to work towards an EU-wide ban of war materiel exports, no doubt making the Turkish ambassador still more disappointed.

14 Oct. – Löfven reported – again

the hot seat of a KU committee interview
pic: axisimagingnews.com

Moderate party leader Ulf Kristersson has reported Prime Mininster Stefan Löfven to the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (konstitutionsutskottet). When Stefan Löfven said in an interview the other day that Sweden needed to take in fewer refugees, coalition partner the Green Party hit the roof: Taking in fewer refugees is not their party line at all, so how could Löfven have said that? Löfven responded that he was only speaking as party leader of the Social Democrats at that particular moment.

“But who would know that?” is the Moderate party question. As Prime Minister, Löfven speaks for the government. In all that he says, goes the the thought, one “should be able to count on that the statements coming from the Prime Minister are correct” (fplus.se). To Expressen, migration policy spokesperson Maria Malmer Stenergard from the Moderate party said that she would not have reported it if she hadn’t believed that a wrong had been committed (fplus.se).

A report to the Committee on Constitutional Affairs sounds serious, perhaps, and it should be, but it’s not, really. The committee is made up of 17 parliament representatives from all the parties, supported by an small office of civil servants. Their job is to review the performance of government ministries and the handling of government affairs. (They also go through documents from the various government offices to make sure that laws and praxes were followed in all cases.)

When someone is reported, they interview the person. These interviews are public, so they can be awkward. Most of the time, that’s the point. However, if a charge is leveled then it goes directly to the Swedish supreme court. This has happened exactly once since the mid 1800’s. Generally, someone gets mildly slapped on the wrist and told not to do whatever it was again, but in a next-to-worst-case, a committee report can be used as the basis for a non-confidence vote.

According to Expressen, Stefan Löfven was reported to the committee (KU-anmäld) 27 times before he’d even completed a full term of office (Expressen.se/KULöfven). Most of the reporting has been leveled at him from the Moderate party, naturally enough. But every party except the Green Party has reported him at least once. In his ten years of office, ex-Prime Minister Göran Persson was reported “only” 26 times, so we’re talking about a huge increase in reporting especially in the last few years.

This has, of course, watered down the seriousness of being reported significantly, and seems now mostly just a show for public consumption – well, what’s more likely is that it’s a show for privately disgruntled and frustrated opposition party members. The public, at this point, is mostly just rolling their eyes.

13 Oct. – Swedes in Syria

Around 800 prisoners in the Kurdish-controlled camp of Ain Issa have escaped due to the invasion of Turkish forces in north-east Syria. This disturbing news item is included in this blog on Swedish politics because there were Swedes in that group, as well as Norwegians and many other Europeans (DN.se/AinIssa). Other reports say only 100 prisoners escaped, but, all were agreed that the situation is pretty much sheer chaos.

Bringing back the Swedish children and their families who are living in the refugee camps and prisons is now even more difficult due to the Turkish offensive. Not that it was ever easy, as the government had yet to formulate a position on it even before the invasion. Hopes have been held out, ever since the camps were set up, that the European Union would do something – then Sweden wouldn’t have to figure out the right thing to do on it’s own – but so far it’s been nada from the EU.

Back in April, then-Minister for Foreign Affairs Margot Wallström said that the children of Swedish IS terrorists would be taken home. But besides the 7 Swedish orphans that were flown back to Sweden due to the well-publicized, and on-site, efforts of the children’s grandfather, nothing else has been done that has made it to the papers. There are estimated to be about 57 Swedish children, plus their mothers who joined IS back in the day, in the camps. Most of them are in the Al-Hol camp in the north east. Until now, the Kurds have shouldered the responsibility to run these camps, but now that will likely fall to the Turks, assuming their take over continues.

“It is very, very olyckligt” said Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde yesterday. Olycklig can be translated many ways – unfortunate, wretched, infelicitous, unlucky, grievous, sad, unhappy, dismal – reader’ choice. “We want to bring the children home” she continued. “But it is much, much more difficult than we thought. Partly because there are laws that say one can’t take a child from its mother, or take a child from a Swedish mother whose father comes from another country. Partly also we have international law. There are so many obstacles – which I don’t think we knew about in the beginning” (DN.se/AnnLinde). According to Linde, other European countries are having the exact same problems. “Furthermore, it isn’t always easy to be certain of their identities, or who the child’s parents are” (SvD.se/AnnLinde).

For others, however, it seems identity is not at all an issue. SvD was in touch with a man in Sweden whose daughter and grandchildren are in the Al-Hol camp. In a conversation with his daughter last week, she expressed fears that the Kurdish forces will leave to fight the Turks, and leave the camp on its own. “The fear is that they just open the doors, and it will be up to each person to make their own way. How women and children will make it, out in the countryside, in an aggressive environment, I have no idea” said the anonymous man. “My daughter wants to get out of there. The question is how one does that (SvD.se/daughter).

That is the question. In a recent poll instituted by Save the Children, Sweden, 42% of respondents thought that the children, together with their mothers, should be allowed to return to Sweden – if, that is, the mothers’ possible crimes and their suitability as guardians were investigated. 11% thought the children alone should be brought back to Sweden, while 29% felt that both mothers and their children should remain in Syria. 18% said they didn’t know (SvD.se/ISpoll). This was before Turkey invaded, so that percentage that is for bringing them back to Sweden has likely risen.

10 Oct. – Danish border controls, and more

Hi, why’re you coming to Denmark today?
pic: thelocal.dk

Going from Sweden to Denmark? Bring some good ID, because new border controls are on the way. In response to an uptick in explosions in the Copenhagen area (13 this year, according to DN today), the Danish government will be instituting random ID checks on train, ferry and car crossing points starting November 12th.

This is only one measure in a packet of measures to combat crime that were announced in Denmark today. Although the Danes are not saying that Sweden is the source of their crime wave, they were certainly not pleased that at least two serious crimes were committed by Swedes criminals in Denmark recently (see this post).

Swedish police have been checking the IDs of travelers from Denmark to Sweden since 2015, in the beginning because of immigration issues with non-Danes, not Danish criminality. The border controls have since been justified as a way of averting terror attacks. Minister for Home Affairs Mikael Damberg said he welcomed Danish efforts to fight crime in the Öresund region, and took the opportunity to mention that, by the by, house break-ins went down in south Sweden after Sweden instituted its border controls (SvD.se/Damberg). (They did?)

Among other things, the new Danish measures will allow more cameras, will allow digital recognition of license plates, and make an attack on an official building also an attack on the Danish state. Also the punishment for possession of explosive material will be more severe.

Damberg, being part of the more right-wing flank of the Social Democratic party, might just be looking a little more green than red when looking at the Danish measures. Similar (if less strong) crime-fighting ideas for Sweden were dashed when the multi-party talks failed in mid September (see posts here and here).

Having border controls between two EU countries goes against EU rules, and exceptions like the Swedish-Danish border must be approved and be temporary. The current Swedish border controls expire on November 11th – (coincidentally?) the day before Denmark’s are supposed to kick in. Sweden has had border controls for Denmark and Germany in place for four years, but it’s getting harder to keep justifying them, even for terror reasons. Government coalition partner the Green party is opposed to the border controls.

Still, Sweden and Denmark are hardly alone in re-constructing borders within the previously border-less EU. According to a roundup by DN here, France has a 4 meter high fence in Calais to prevent migrants gaining access to the Channel Tunnel. There are also fences of various construction along Hungary’s southern border, between Austria and Slovenia, between Slovenia and Croatia and between North Macedonia and Greece.

More than ever, Sweden’s own Ylva Johansson, the likely EU Home Affairs Commissioner, will have her work cut out for her on the issue of migration.

9 Oct. – no such thing as free coffee

A lot of the news is centered in Stockholm – ask anyone who lives outside of Stockholm. Also Brussels is a news hog, since the laws we live under here have to comply with laws created there. Today’s blog, though, goes up north to Kiruna, even as it also goes to the very heart of this coffee-loving nation.

First, some background. Schools around the country are going to have to make do with less money in the new budget year. Kiruna municipality is cutting the number of its student assistants from 75 to 25 as one of its cost-cutting measures, Aftonbladet reports. Then, one of it’s municipality workers posted on facebook: maybe spend the money we spend on coffee on student assistants instead? “Many people think offering a coffee is about the only thing the municipality does, and we need it. But we work here anyway so maybe we can afford to bring our own coffee” she said to Norrköping newspapers.

Kiruna spends just over a million kronor a year on coffee in its office machines. And it’s true that a million kronor would pay for a couple of student assistants for a year. But it’s not going to solve the budget problem, nor are municipality workers living high on the hog at the workplace. Coffee is likely the one perk they have, and no one needs coffee like a teacher. Making coffee a scapegoat for budget problems isn’t the way to go.

8 Oct. – Johansson: the verdict, later today

commissioner-to-be? Ylva Johansson
pic: europeaninterest.eu

Ylva Johansson, Sweden’s candidate to the European Commission, will find out today if she has to return to sit before the EU parliament for further questioning, or whether her written answers were good enough. Johansson is up for the position of Commissioner for Employment and Integration, a posting that has got to be one of the most difficult and visible positions in the commission.

After the initial 3-hour long interview a week ago, there were several disgruntled listeners. Johansson was accused of being unclear on several points, from asylum and migration goals to human rights and security issues. Only the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats party (S&D – in which group Sweden’s Social Democratic party belongs) and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE) gave her the thumbs up right away. After the interview, she was given a list of questions to answer in written form, and 48 hours in which to answer them. These answers were sent to the committees for each EU party (who are different than Sweden’s party constellation) for their consideration.

We’ll find out later today if her answers are sufficient.

Update: her answers were sufficient, so Johansson wasn’t asked to come back for a second round of grilling. This means that she is on track for approval, when, on October 23, the EU parliament votes thumbs up or down on Ursula von der Leyen’s entire slate of commissioners.

7 Oct. – a royal fuss

The Royal Family always makes the headlines in Germany
pic: gala.de

The political news for the day is that the court of His Majesty the King of Sweden Carl XVI Gustaf announced today that some of his grandkids, the children of Princess Madeleine and of Prince Carl Philip, will no longer officially be considered Royal Highnesses.

They’re still part of the royal family, of course, but not in the official sense whereby they must work for Sweden and represent in some way. When they go somewhere, it will be as regular people and not official representation with expenses covered by tax payers. They’ll still retain their various duchess and duke titles (although their future children won’t), but now they are free to actually work, and even join a political party and run for office. Just like everybody else, sort of (SvD.se).

As head of state, the King receives compensation for the work he does representing the country. This money comes in the form of a lump sum which he can distribute among the family as he will. Since 2013, the Royal Court has had to account for its income and expenses, but within that reckoning, they do not have to account for what are private expenses and what the expenses are associated with their representation.

In the larger scheme of things, like the state budget, the royal apanage is not much more than a drop in the bucket – but to many people it’s a completely unnecessary drop that doesn’t fit with the modern democratic society that Sweden otherwise prides itself on being. For others however, the Royal Family is charming and traditional and a bit of color in an otherwise not so exciting state apparatus. These folk will be happy that at least Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland remains the heir apparent to the Swedish throne for whenever her father decides it’s time to step down. Victoria and her family, plus her parents His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf and Her Majesty Queen Silvia of course, remain officially royal.

The decision, a pretty unique one in the history of royalty apparently, is likely a way of circumventing a more visible debate on the status of the Royal Family in Sweden. Although a committee hadn’t yet been put together, a decision to form one, and look over the apanage, was taken by Parliament earlier this year (DN.se/apanage). It’s unclear whether the King’s decision will obviate such a committee. Word is, that the apanage amount won’t now be reduced either. Representation costs and duties are as high as ever, reports Marshall of the Realm (riksmarskalk) Fredrik Wersäll (SvD.se).

The German gossip papers were all over the news. The Swedish Royal Family is an enduring and popular page-filler for a dozen-odd papers. “What an upset!” ran Gala’s headline (Svd.se/Skrall). If you thought that the Nobel prize in medicine would top all news today, you’d be wrong.

6 Oct. – electricity bills are coming

It’s been written about on this blog before (this, this and even this), but here it is again. Electricity prices. Why are they so high? Who’s in charge? And why are the bills so hard to understand? Has anyone seen where Sweden is on a map?

All these questions have sort of a “Nobel prize in economics” character. But it’s being taken up again today, because although the electricity network fee you pay is likely to be lowered this year and the next few, the Swedish Kraftnät is about to raise their prices. This will affect you and your wallet, and not in a good way.

Kraftnät (“powernet” is the closest translation) is the state-owned enterprise that is responsible for the country’s national electricity grid. Its customers are electricity producers and grid owners who pay for transporting electricity on the national grid (svk.se). Electricity producers are actors like Vattenfall, E.On, Fortum and Sydkraft. Regional grid owners, like E.ON Distribution, Vattenfall Distribution and Ellevio pass on electricity to local grid owners or directly to large consumers. All in all, there are about 170 variously-sized grid companies, one of whom sends you a bill (swedishsmartgrid.se).

Of the ten different items your electricity bill is made up of, only one of them is your actual usage. Four other items are dependent on how much you use and 5 items are set fees you have no control over (I got this info here).

This isn’t wrong per se, of course – if complicated, and if the prices are justified. Because the Swedish government didn’t think the prices were justified, they stepped in earlier this year and told the local electrical companies they had to lower their prices. Some people could get up to 20% off their 2020 bills. But wait, there’s more.

First off, the EU is not at all happy about the government getting involved with market prices. The government might get slapped on the wrist and have to take it back.
Second, the electricity companies are not at all happy about the government getting involved in market prices and are suing (like they’ve done before, and won).
Third, now that Kraftnät is going to raise their prices, any reduction in price that might have happened may be moot (because the other companies aren’t going to just sit back and take it).

All in all, your coming winter electricity bills might not be the save-fest they might have been.

The meteorological winter in Sweden started already the 18th of September of this year (five days, no above-zero temps, in Tarfala, Norrland). According to the Farmer’s Almanac, thick hair on the nape of a cow’s neck is a sure sign of a hard winter on the way. Barring that, you might look for ants marching in a line, rather than meandering like it’s Sunday morning. Alternately, look for an unusual abundance of acorns. Whatever method you choose, in the immortal words of the Snows (see: Game of Thrones): Winter is coming.

4 Oct. – Ancient history’s back, but no one’s saying sorry

After widespread and ferocious critique, the Swedish National Agency for Education backed off on its proposal to scrap teaching ancient history. They’re not saying “sorry, our mistake, we take it back” though. They’re saying, instead, that “the support for the proposal wasn’t there” and that “the time problem remains.”

Although the debate was officially welcomed, Anna Westerholm from the National Agency thought it was a bit blown out of proportion. Some of the critics, she said, had an unrealistic picture of what students learn during the 11 or so hours in 7th grade when history is discussed. “It’s been like, this is how students learn about ancient history’s contribution to justice, drama, civilization and architecture – Which is quite an unrealistic expectation” Furthermore, she said, “elementary school is not the only time students study ancient history – it comes back in high school” (Svd.se).

As Maria Schottenius at DN points out, both shop (craft and woodwork), and art, get each 180 and 80 hours of instruction while history gets 70 hours. Perhaps there is something there we can have a debate about.

Since both math and physical education were given more hours of instruction fairly recently, the idea is now to increase the hours of history instruction. “History is a subject that only gets bigger with time” said Westerholm. ”More history means more hours, but that’s up to the government.”

The minister for Education is Anna Ekström, if you want to get in touch.