Mona Sahlin’s ”Summer speech” in Fittja

You can read my web-editorial about Mona Sahlin’s Summer Speech in Fittja here [in Swedish].

Week of politics – a political (s)ummary

The week of politics in Almedalen [Wikipedia in English here] is over and I now have two wonderful weeks of vacation (that will be spent in Sweden due to a veeery pregnant sister). But first: Some conclusions from Almedalen for y’all who follow Swedish politics through this blog.

Mona Sahlin held a very good speech, focusing on young people and youth issues, but quite a few people seem to have missed the true importance of her speech. This is my take on it.

Since she became party leader in March, the popularity of both her and the party has been increasing steadily. But at some time, the curve has to start flattening, so she needed yet another boost in Almedalen. Her problem is that she cannot really present new political positions, since we are bottom-up political party where members decide (i.e. she will never have a mandate to change the party’s policies only with a small gang of advisers, as Fredrik Reinfeldt did). But at the same time she needed to sound fresh and find a topic that could introduce all the things she wants to represent. A difficult equation.

The solution: A speech about young people, and I think that was a very smart move. To ignore a discussion about children and young people growing up in poverty is much more difficult than ignoring discussion about class and poverty in general. And when you start discussing issues such as a second chance in school, affordable housing, or good working conditions when you are employed for the first time, you will per definition get a good and needed policy discussion about left and right in politics.

During the speech, two members of Social Democratic Youth were allowed onto the stage, and they both held short speeches. During the congress in March, a song sampling a speech by Olof Palme was played during Mona Sahlin’s speech. By allowing two SSU-members to speak, Mona Sahlin showed once again the she is willing to break with rigid traditions and do politics the way she wants to. Moreover, young people always represent the future.

Thus: A speech about young people became the natural entry to a speech about all things that Mona Sahlin wants to stand for: Future, renewal, new traditions in the party where the light must not be on the party leader all the time, a modern center-left party.

The solution to the difficult equation she was facing when entering the stage was in my view smarter than most people have given her credit for. When she had delivered the speech, she had shouldered the prestigious social democratic tradition connected to the week of politics in Almedalen. A tradition initiated by her idol (Olof Palme), continued by her mentor (Ingvar Carlsson), and – for the summer of 2003 – associated with her close friend (and then favorite to become new party leader) Anna Lindh.

* * *

Some additional social democratic observations:

The social democratic party had an economic seminar just as always, this time about taxes and tax reform. The seminar was hosted by Pär Nuder (previous Minister of Finance) and during the seminar it was implied that the tax cuts for low earning workers, introduced by Reinfeldt’s government, ought to be accepted by social democrats (I agree). And an idea about changing and limiting the taxes municipalities collect was floated, and all of a sudden social democrats started to disagree. That is great; we need a battle of new ideas in opposition.

* * *

After the defeat in the elections of 2006, the social democratic party will change and update its policies in a broad process of consultation with party members and other groups in society. A new party platform will eventually be decided during a congress in 2009, and the party will have loads of meeting in this broad process before then. In Almedalen, during the week of politics, the first of these consultation processes was presented.

The topic is school policies, from kindergarten to complementary education for adults, and I hope that the debate will be open, vivid, and include people outside the party, but also others than the usual crowd already crazy about school issues (i.e. average party members as well as experts inside and outside the party). Now, the social democratic party is inviting people to discuss the policy the party should stand for, and remember that if you don’t participate you don’t have the right to complain.

* * *

Last, we have the government. They did not act as an “alliance” in Almedalen, which probably was a big mistake. What we saw was four political parties with bad poll numbers. And the best seminar during the week, organized by Fokus, Synovate Temo and Södertörns Högskola, stated two things. One the hand, the Reinfeldt government has a better situation on paper compared with the right-wing coalition governments of 1976-1982 and 1991-1994 (the economy is better, the parties are more united, the parliamentary situation is more stable).

On the other hand, their situation in the polls is really really bad; center-left winds are blowing in Sweden. The economy might have had its peak, and the Social Democratic Party is always great at adapting and bouncing back.

So, all is good? Not at all, it is still early and we will have three more “Weeks of politics” in Almedalen before the next general election in 2010.

Reinfeldt goes to Washington, where the GOP ends up as Godfather IV

As all Swedes know -- guess that no one else noticed -- Swedish Prime Minister Reinfeldt has visited his fellow IDU-party brother George W. Bush. Here is my take on it (editorial in Aktuellt i Politiken).

My basic argument in the editorial is that these guys are essentially brothers in arms; they belong to the same international of right-wing political parties. Therefore, it might not have been surprising that Reinfeldt did not comment on Iraq, Guantanámo, the Iraqi refugees coming to Sweden. However, that shows a basic shift in Swedish foreign policy, and if Reinfeldt tries to hide behind the environment when implementing this shift, he needs to do a lot better. Besides, Swedish media was in general awfully nice when reporting about this event (blinded by the light and power?). And I cannot help thinking that it could have been Al Gore and Mona Sahlin sitting there...

* * *

And over in Washington DC, the GOP is in a lot of trouble on various fronts. You have hopefully heard of the “Gonzo hearings” (Post coverage here). When you know what it is about, watch this hilarious YouTube-video, have a great laugh, and then look forward to episode V of this Godfather saga (about Paul Wolfowitz).

[Thanks for the link Mike]

First of May coming up

Aktuellt i Politiken is a Royal newspaper this week. In my editorial I link Ségo with Mona and stress their work with internal democracy in their respective party. These two women can be put in contrast to Sarkozy and the likely new leader of Sweden’s ”liberal” party, Mr Jan Björklund. Both these angry men thought it was a-ok to invade Iraq without support in the UN. Moreover, I support Mona’s effort to shape up the social democratic policy on education, an important move that should not be confused with Jan Björklund’s populist rhetoric.

You can also read a longer text about election night on Rue de Solférino, and an analysis on why Royal can win. Hey, Jacques Delors is now urging all centrists to vote for her.

* * *

First of May tomorrow. I am the main speaker in the city of Hudiksvall, a great little town on the east coast of Sweden, a good three-hour drive north of Stockholm. I am very much looking forward to it and I will travel up there with my good friends Henrik and Torbjörn this afternoon (they agreed to turn this into a road-trip and drive me up there - thanks guys). Music and a nice scenery along the way, dinner in Hudiksvall tonight, and red flags, banners and big speech tomorrow. (List of all speakers here).

* * *

A new interesting blogger seems to be entering the blogosphere. Welcome, Mr. Schori.

Back at work

After a few wonderful days in Paris everything went back to normal; loads of work to do and things to write – and Liverpool cannot score away against Chelski. Anaway, a few shorties:

If you read Swedish; don’t miss all the good stuff in AiP this week (editorial, interview with Mona Sahlin, my article about France, Arvid's article about France).

* * *

ECOSY – Young European Socialist – has started a campaign for freedom in Burma (more info). The European Union has to take a stronger stand towards the regime in Burma that continuous to violate basic human rights, and the European Parliament is about to discuss this issue. Read and sign the petition here.

* * *

Rudy Guiliani, the former New York City Mayor, is accused by Democrats for politicizing September 11th in his 2008 presidential bid. Here’s what he said at a recent campaign stop in New Hampshire:

”If a Democrat is elected president in 2008, America will be at risk for another terrorist attack on the scale of Sept. 11, 2001... Never ever again will this country ever be on defense waiting for (terrorists) to attack us if I have anything to say about it. And make no mistake, the Democrats want to put us back on defense!”

That was not nice, smart or true.

* * *

At least the present Mayor of the world’s coolest city – Michael Bloomberg – keeps his mind straight; time for congestion charges in NYC!?

In French media, and on YouTube!

I was just interviewed over e-mail by a French newspaper in Lille and since a lot of us are following the French election, my answers are posted below:

1‑Do you have a lot of news in the Swedish media about the French election? If yes, what kind of articles or reports?
Yes, the reporting is rather extensive, both on TV, radio and in newspapers. Many pieces of news are about the election in general (the candidates etc), quite a few have been focusing on Ségolène Royal being a strong woman in the male world of French politics. More difficult subjects, such as the campaign about homelessness, Le Pen, integration, Sarkozys comment about young immigrants, have been reported as well.

2‑What do you think of the French candidates?
If I had the right to vote I would vote for Ségolène Royal since she combines a strong social agenda with rather sound economic policies. Sarkozy scares me, mostly since I do not believe that force is the solution to social problems. Le Pen is a talented populist in terms of winning votes, but I have no sympathy at all for his political position since I believe in multi-ethnic societies.

3‑Do you think that there are some similitarities between Ségolène Royal and Mona Sahlin?
There are a lot of similarities. They are both talented, experienced, charismatic women with similar political programs – the parties they represent (PS and SAP) are part of the same political family.

4‑Do you think that the French media are right to considered the Scandinavian countries as a model or do you think that the French media know nothing about the Scandinavian reality?
Tthere is plenty of research suggesting that the Scandinavian welfare model is competitive and well equipped to handle globalization. What should be said in the reporting is that the model is built on market economy, strong and responsible trade unions, and extensive and smart welfare systems – I hope that the French left will do their homework about this model and especially accept the first one (market economy, balanced and made more human and effective by trade unionism and generous welfare). Moreover, the new right-wing government in Sweden is currently cutting taxes and welfare and they are also trying to weaken the trade unions. So the Nordic model is being dismantled in Sweden as we speak.

5‑According to you who will win the French election? Do you have a preference?
I think that Sarkozy and Royal will end up in the second round, where Royal will win by 50,5 against 49,5. The main reason why Royal will win is because French people want change, and not five more years with a guy from Chirac’s party. And obviously I have a preference for Royal.

6‑ Do you think that this election can have an influence on the European Union? If yes, how? (for example the European constitution, the European economy…)
Since France is one of the four big in the EU, the election is very important. I believe that we need to create a social Europe that helps working people and balances the freedoms of the internal market – social dumping will not make Europe competitive in the long run. I also hope that Turkey can be part of the EU one day. I think that the EU should be more than only neo-economic integration. In all these areas, I believe more in Royal than in Sarkozy. But when elected president, Royal needs to engage in European issues in the same way as French European socialists Mitterrand and Delors did. That remians to be proven.

7‑What is the look that Swedish people have on France?
The stereotype, I guess: A charming but snobby country with a great capital, good food and wine, and beautiful countryside. But also: a struggling economy, huge problems with integration, and lack of efficiency in many fields.

8‑Can you just present yourself in few words?
I am 33 years old and the editor in chief of the weekly social democratic newspaper ”Aktuellt i Politiken”. I live in Stockholm with my girlfriend and my main interests are politics, football and music. In 1998 I lived in Tours the whole summer, and after that I studied economic history and international relations at Université Paul Valery in Montpellier for a year. I miss the weather and the food in southern France a lot!

* * *

And don’t you miss the interview with Mona Sahlin on the Social Democratic party's new home on YouTube!

Mona again...

Mona Sahlin is now starting to reform the internal work of the party, and the first article describing these changes can (of course) be read at aip.nu.

More about the congress and Mona Sahlin...

It’s Wednesday and I still get a smile on my face when I think about the congress last weekend. There is some stuff to read at aip.nu; editorial, a summary of the political debate, Ingvar Carlsson’s pieces of advice to Mona, but also an essay about US politics written by my friend Kevin Croke.

Also: Here is photo of me and my girlfriend Emma during the party Saturday evening. A fun and historic night [thanks for the photo Nisha].

* * *

The documentaries about Göran Persson’s 11 years in power are like a car wreck; it is impossible not to watch. My basic analysis after the first two episodes is that this only confirms the two sides of Persson. One the hand, an enormously skillful politician. On the other hand, a harsh and blunt man who apparently says things in front of a camera that other people would not say alone in the bathtub. Third episode tomorrow Thursday.

Welcome, Mona, very much welcome

One thing was bad with this weekend’s congress: the wireless network did not work in the congress hall, where I spent most of the time. And this was a historic congress, so I wanted to be in the congress hall, listening and watching and writing articles [hey, I was working the whole weekend]. Finally, some reflections:

1. This party did recently obtain its worst election result since 1914, but the ambiance was extremely positive during the whole weekend. You could see in peoples’ faces that they were happy about the election of Mona Sahlin. The reason was that a fresh but familiar wind swept through Folkets Hus in Stockholm, the building once designed by Sven Markelius. People breathed, and smiles followed.

2. The wind was fresh because the world’s most successful labor party – traditionally male, stubborn and hierarchic – has elected a woman for the first time. As readers of this blog know, I really like Mona and I had high expectations this weekend. But she did not only meet expectations, she really took command, exceeded high hopes, and the fresh wind came.

3. The reason why Mona did so well and spread happy smiles this weekend can be boiled down to two reasons; content and attitude. When it comes to the content of her first major speech as party leader, I must admit I was thrilled. In the beginning of her speech Mona asked the important question: what is social democracy really about? She answered the question in the best possible way: freedom. We are a movement stemming from the quest for freedom and liberation, a struggle that also demands equality, solidarity, and individual responsibility.

The political priorities that Mona focused on were timeless and modern: sustainable development, jobs, peace, and welfare. She was brave and did the right thing when emphasizing that the right to have a job (opportunity) also means that you should contribute as much as you can (responsibility). She also mentioned the word entrepreneur nine times, and that must be some kind of record in a social democratic speech.

Mona Sahlin underlined the important role of trade unions and collective bargaining in our political framework, and she put a lot of emphasis on the EU, globalization and international issues. She did this by putting the tradition of Olof Palme and Anna Lindh in the middle of a speech by a social democratic party leader, and boy that felt great. As I said, the wind was fresh but also familiar.














The second reason why her speech was great has to do with attitude. She spoke about the problems of young people in a way that moved the whole congress hall, and all of sudden the Swedish Social Democratic party was standing in the middle of our contemporary society again. The new attitude was also manifested when she said that ”the team is more important than the leader”, and revealed that a new international group will be lead by two of the party’s brightest stars; Jan Eliasson and Margot Wallström. And the attitude was never more present than during the party Saturday night, when we all danced together around midnight, the team and the leader and everyone else.

After the speech, a fellow blogger summed it all up in a good way: ”This was the party I joined”. Freedom, equality, human rights, sustainable development, gender equality, Africa, entrepreneurialism, LGTB-issues, and a modern Swedish model built on market economy, strong trade unions, and generous welfare.

I smiled as well, and I smile while writing this. Welcome Mona, very much welcome.

Hang in there, Finnish comrades

Parliamentary elections in Finland on Sunday and early this morning I got this text-message from my friend Esa:

”2 days left and polls suck. Center party leads by 1%, we come as 2nd and the right 0,7 behind and on the rise… Doesn’t look too good, but we will work as hard as we can.”

So, maybe we shouldn’t expect a social democratic PM in Finland anytime soon, but let’s hope that the fuzz about the TV-commercial will galvanize the blue-collar base. And don’t miss the SDP-commercials on YouTube (here, and here, and here). Hang in there, Finnish comrades. Work hard, they are just a little bit ahead!

* * *

Our own congress starts tomorrow Saturday. I will try to blog a little in English, but things will be hectic. When the delegates, guests and others arrive in the morning, they will get a copy of Aktuellt i Politiken (in its new layout) in their hand. Feels great to modernize the party newspaper on the historic day when will elect a fantastic woman – Mona Sahlin – as our party leader. Our website will not be totally re-done yet, but there will be some new content during the weekend.

* * *

Just a quick note: Don’t miss that Zapatero, Bush, and Giuliani all have problems.

Thanks/Welcome

Historic times are coming up, Göran Persson is about to step down and Mona Sahlin will become the first woman ever to lead our party. In my editorial this week I write about this transition, starting from a famous election poster from 1985… More here.

* * *

Last weekend was a lot a fun, on Saturday I was at THE party, and it was among the best parties I have been to in a long while [hey, a Swedish version of the Seegers Session’s Band played]. I will not blog about any details, but I can say that I felt very happy (and hip) to be a social democrat that night. As you have seen in the tabloids, a lot ”famous” people were there, and I hope the openness and mix of people that night will characterize our party in the future. It was probably the hippest event I have been to since I ended up at Stella McCartney’s party during the Notting Hill carnival in London in 1998...

* * *

Also made a new friend during the weekend; don’t miss his blog.

Mona and Bush’s SOTU

The best blog post I have read this week is about journalists, politics, and how the TV-show Agenda used their poll on Mona Sahlin last Sunday. Their big piece of news was that 26 percent of likely voters said they would be less inclined to vote social democratic with Mona Sahlin as party leader. But they ”forgot” to tell that their poll also said that 27 percent would be more inclined to vote for us with Mona as new leader of the party... Read Helena Markstedt’s take on this [Swedish], and don’t miss her collection of new, brilliant, center-left female politicians [English].

* * *

The Economist has a quite well-balanced view of Bush’s SOTU, and the Progress Report offers a more critical view and provides loads of links as always. I watched CNN the morning after and they were all so glad that he mentioned the word ”global climate change”. We don’t have high demands on that guy anymore.