(Sweden) THIS ELECTION has been CANCELLED. Next departure in 2018.

[ingemann]

In Finland Finländare means the all people living in Finland and Finska meaning Finnish-speaking Finns. I thought you would have plethora of words explaining complicated relationship between subject and Queen. How you call people in realm of Danmark (Greenland, Holstein, Virgin Island etc.)

There isn't and has never been a common name for neither the subjects of the old Oldenburg conglomerate monarchy, nor the modern Community of the Realm.

Generally subjects of conglomerate states didn't have common names, there were no Habsburgians etc.

That's basicly correct, but it was a little more complex, while it was said that Denmark-Norway was made up of three nations; Danes, Holsteiner and Norwegian (include Icelanders, Faroese and Greenlanders, the last because people at the time believed they was descendent of the lost Norse settlers, they had changed colour because they had become pagans ). Sometimes they instead talked about two different ethnic groups Nordics and Germans.

But at the same time the term Danes was developing into a catch all for all the European subjects of the Oldenburg possessions. Of course the rise of German nationalism in Holstein in the 1820-30ties slowed down that process, but it was only after 1864, that Danish really took its modern national-ethnic character. If Denmark had survived as a multi-ethnic Danish-German state, we would likely talk about Dano-Germans and Dano-Scandinavians today, to distinct between the two groups.

[ingemann]

Charismatic former Social Democrat prime minister Göran Persson

LOL

Don't deny your love for Göran!

He may be charismatic for Swedes, but it really doesn't translate well, at least not into Danish.

[Nortexius]

Charismatic former Social Democrat prime minister Göran Persson

LOL

Don't deny your love for Göran!

He may be charismatic for Swedes, but it really doesn't translate well, at least not into Danish.

Göran has a way of dominating the conversation completely without raising his voice, he has massive amounts of confidence bordering on arrogance which some people might find off-putting but i personally find very reassuring.

[Swedish Rainbow Capitalist Cheese]

Göran has a way of dominating the conversation completely without raising his voice, he has massive amounts of confidence bordering on arrogance which some people might find off-putting but i personally find very reassuring.

Boarding? I do think a lot of people would argue that the "boarding on" should not be in front of the "arrogance" part.    

Anyway Göran Persson has had a huge up-swing in popularity post-premiership in Sweden. Both among the left and the right funnily enough. The Left because they see him as a competent and strong leader capable of winning elections, something they haven't had since him, and the right because he was a rather right-wing and fiscally responsible Social Democrat who doesn't mind calling out the Left Party and the Greens.

A boost of popularity once a politician is out of office is however nothing unusual. Everything is better viewed through nostalgic glasses. But it should be remembered that one of the major factors of the centre-left loss in 2006 was how sick the general public was of Göran Persson and especially his arrogance.

I should mention that I despised the man with a passion back in '06, but I'm one of those who've come around to him in later years, when he's removed far from power and is only brought out to deliver one-line zingers to his own party and their support troops.    

[jaichind]

Sweden’s two govt parties and Left Party ally would get 44.1% of votes if election held today vs 40.8% for four-party opposition in Dagens Nyheter/Ipsos poll.

Social Democrats, Green Party and Left Party backed by 44.1% vs 43.6% in Sept. 14 election; four-party opposition supported by 40.8% vs 39.4%

Social Democrats of PM Stefan Loefven backed by 32% vs 31% in election, Green Party by 6.7% vs 6.9%, Left Party by 5.4% vs 5.7%

Opposition Moderates backed by 26.3% vs 23.3%, Liberal Party by 5.6% vs 5.4%, Center Party by 5.1% vs 6.1%, Christian Democrats by 3.9% vs 4.6%

Sweden Democrats  backed by 12.5% vs 12.9%

Ipsos poll of 1,403 people was conducted from Dec. 8-15

[Swedish Rainbow Capitalist Cheese]

Sweden’s two govt parties and Left Party ally would get 44.1% of votes if election held today vs 40.8% for four-party opposition in Dagens Nyheter/Ipsos poll.

Social Democrats, Green Party and Left Party backed by 44.1% vs 43.6% in Sept. 14 election; four-party opposition supported by 40.8% vs 39.4%

Social Democrats of PM Stefan Loefven backed by 32% vs 31% in election, Green Party by 6.7% vs 6.9%, Left Party by 5.4% vs 5.7%

Opposition Moderates backed by 26.3% vs 23.3%, Liberal Party by 5.6% vs 5.4%, Center Party by 5.1% vs 6.1%, Christian Democrats by 3.9% vs 4.6%

Sweden Democrats  backed by 12.5% vs 12.9%

Ipsos poll of 1,403 people was conducted from Dec. 8-15

Considering Ipsos last poll before the September election gave the centre-left 52,1%... I consider this very good news. 

[Nortexius]

Ipsos chef opinion analyst admitted in DNs article about their poll that they hadn't changed their polling methods since the last elections to compensate for the underestimation of SD as Yougov and Novus have. No serious person can believe that SD has had 12,5% support 3 months in a row as Ipsos claims.

[Gustaf]

For the record, I read both the interview with Söder and the follow-up interview with him in Aftonbladet where he defends himself and the man is a nasty piece of work. If I was wearing a kippa and met him in a dark alley I'd be scared for my life.

Saying his words were twisted is odd when he got to read the interview before publishing and validated what was said. When defending himself he repeats the statement that Jews aren't Swedes.

These guys give me the shivers. :/

[politicus]

According to Expressen the election is called off after the government and the Alliance have agreed on a budget. Press briefing at 10.30 am local time today (in half an hour).

http://www.expressen.se/nyheter/klart-det-blir-inget-extra-val/

[politicus]

And it is confirmed by Stefan Löfven. What an anticlimax.

http://www.expressen.se/nyheter/lofven-bekraftar-det-blir-inget-extra-val/

[Famous Mortimer]

So basically Sweden is now governed by a grand coalition in all but name.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Strong far-right party, utterly hapless Social Democrats, chronic ungovernability and snap elections... It's official: Sweden has now turned into Denmark.

[politicus]

Strong far-right party, utterly hapless Social Democrats, chronic ungovernability and snap elections... It's official: Sweden has now turned into Denmark.

Denmark is far from ungovernable and besides the 2007 election we haven't had a genuinely early election since 1990. 1994, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2011 and the coming one in 2015 were/are all basically full term elections with the PM sometimes trying to take advantage of a situation and calling it half a year early.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Strong far-right party, utterly hapless Social Democrats, chronic ungovernability and snap elections... It's official: Sweden has now turned into Denmark.

Denmark is far from ungovernable and besides the 2007 election we haven't had a genuinely early election since 1990. 1994, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2011 and the coming one in 2015 were/are all basically full term elections with the PM sometimes trying to take advantage of a situation and calling it half a year early.

Well OK, 1970s Denmark.

[Swedish Rainbow Capitalist Cheese]

I was shocked when the early elections were called. I was even more shocked when they were called off. But this is a relief for 7 out of 9 parties, so we should be happy.

[politicus]

I was shocked when the early elections were called. I was even more shocked when they were called off. But this is a relief for 7 out of 9 parties, so we should be happy.

Apart from SD which one is the second non-relieved party? V?

[Swedish Rainbow Capitalist Cheese]

I was shocked when the early elections were called. I was even more shocked when they were called off. But this is a relief for 7 out of 9 parties, so we should be happy.

Apart from SD which one is the second non-relieved party? V?

I was thinking about FI. This was their second chance getting into Parliament. When 2018 rolls around there's a serious risk they've fallen into oblivion once more. 

[Tender Branson]

Good.

The only thing that would have come out of this election: stronger SD and another stalemate.

Also, the parties probably realized that another campaign just after a major election would hurt their party finances and literally leave them broke for the next years (especially the smaller parties).

The more important thing will be now if the "government" can pass anything important in the next years (and with whom), or if it will fall apart at just a later point once again ...

[Swedish Rainbow Capitalist Cheese]

The more important thing will be now if the "government" can pass anything important in the next years (and with whom), or if it will fall apart at just a later point once again ...

Well the deal struck between the Government and the Alliance is that they will not obstruct the government's budget. (Meaning the government will be able to raise taxes and so on)

They will also have broad bipartisan negotiations on Pensions, Defense, and Energy between the six parties.

There are also a few minor policy changes that the government might have good realistic chances of passing with the help of jumping majorities, but a lot of their policies will still be wing-clipped.   

[Tender Branson]

The more important thing will be now if the "government" can pass anything important in the next years (and with whom), or if it will fall apart at just a later point once again ...

Well the deal struck between the Government and the Alliance is that they will not obstruct the government's budget. (Meaning the government will be able to raise taxes and so on)

They will also have broad bipartisan negotiations on Pensions, Defense, and Energy between the six parties.

There are also a few minor policy changes that the government might have good realistic chances of passing with the help of jumping majorities, but a lot of their policies will still be wing-clipped.  

Good, that's better than the alternative. Let the SD stay on the sidelines, even if it means that they get stronger. Maybe they somehow self-destruct themselves at some point down the road.

[politicus]

I was shocked when the early elections were called. I was even more shocked when they were called off. But this is a relief for 7 out of 9 parties, so we should be happy.

Apart from SD which one is the second non-relieved party? V?

I was thinking about FI. This was their second chance getting into Parliament. When 2018 rolls around there's a serious risk they've fallen into oblivion once more.  

I thought about them, but then I figured that a double failure (which all the polls indicated) would kill them outright, while this cancellation gives them time to build up a national organization. Still, I suppose they're doomed anyway.

[ingemann]

Well it doesn't make a big difference, SD will continue to grow and it's interesting to see when it reach the size, where they can't be ignored anymore.

[DL]

So is Sweden becoming more and more like Austria where the major parties end up forming perpetual grand coalitions to keep out the neo-nazi racist party?

[Swedish Rainbow Capitalist Cheese]

Well it doesn't make a big difference, SD will continue to grow and it's interesting to see when it reach the size, where they can't be ignored anymore.

It is no secret the two of us have greatly differing opinions and ideological viewpoints on this issue Ingemann, but I will try to answer this as objectively as I can.   

If you ask me, they're already at the size were they can't be ignored. Everything that has happened politically in this country since the election has happened because of the Sweden Democrats. There hasn't been a single news story about politics since September that wasn't about the other parties' relation to them, how to handle them, or in any other way linked to the Sweden Democrats. The only political issue that is on the agenda today is immigration, even if the seven other parties tries to pretend otherwise. SD makes the political weather. That is not being ignored, and that is not being with-out influence. 

Now I understand, that what you mean is: how much more do the party grow before there has to be political concessions to them on immigration policy?   

The thing you have to understand, in order to understand why no party has been willing to rethink their immigration position to align themselves closer to SD is that in all parties there are people who really and truly believe SD are complete Nazis, and if you give them the finger, it is only a matter of time before we are handing out stars and pink triangles to people. Any sort of nearing towards the Sweden Democrats in their mind, is seen as equal to the parties in Weimar Germany allowing Hitler to take power.

While there are several politicians in at least five out of the seven other parliamentary parties who would openly or secretly welcome a similar development to Denmark, there are as many in the parties who would rather leave their party than stand any form of nearing to the Sweden Democrats because of this.

This means that a party would not only have to have a leadership that themselves are willing to take a Danish approach, they also have to be willing to split their own party in the process, and risk that their former coalition partners flee them. The benefit of the position change does in other words have to be great enough to weigh up huge internal fighting and negative press.     

I am sure you will think it is stupid. (You usually don't have very high regards of Swedish intelligence) But that is how it is viewed over on this side of Öresund, and that is the reason that the Swedish political elite treats this issue the way they do, and why there won't be any change in position in the near future. 

So is Sweden becoming more and more like Austria where the major parties end up forming perpetual grand coalitions to keep out the neo-nazi racist party?

Well as I'm sure you can understand DL, it is either going the Austrian way, or the Danish way. 

[politicus]

So is Sweden becoming more and more like Austria where the major parties end up forming perpetual grand coalitions to keep out the neo-nazi racist party?

Well as I'm sure you can understand DL, it is either going the Austrian way, or the Danish way.  

The Austrian Way on this issue includes the large conservative party being in government with the right wing populists for five years after which there is a split between fundis and moderates in the right wing populist party and the moderates subsequently wither away. So it is the result of a quite specific set of circumstances and not likely to repeat itself.

Sweden has a different party system with a far more fragmented centre-right than Austria and they lack anything close to the Kronen Zeitung to legitimize bigotry of all sorts (on the contrary even the popular Swedish press is quite PC). So Austria is not an apt comparison. SD is unlikely to grow to a similar strength and you lack the "we have tried working with these people and they are useless" experience on the centre-right.