In a few weeks, September 13, Sweden holds elections. Today early voting opened, and as I will be working on election day (helping out with the election), I voted today. Sweden holds elections for municipality, regions, and national assemblies on the same day and the election period is 4 years.
The current majority is predicted to lose, in fact they have not had majority in the polls since the last election. The liberal and conservatives (M, KD, and L) negotiated an agreement with the national conservatives (SD) to form a government. They sold out on the climate agenda. The liberals, L, who held the post as climate minister for four years, are about to lose all their seats in the parliament.
When I was in Denmark two weeks ago, the gas price at the pump was 16,50 Danish crowns per litre. In Sweden it was 14,50 Swedish crowns, almost half with the current exchange rate. Neither country were close to revolution or bankruptcy. Both societies managed their daily business quite well. Danes complained about a wild wolf making kids and runners feel unsafe. Swedes complained about Russian spies disguised as Spanish tourists.
No wonder that the transition to fossil fuel free infrastructure has completely stalled in Sweden.
Clearly who we elect have an impact on how we deal with the challenges our societies face.
In a generation we can say that we saved the economy but lost the planet. Or we can elect and demand from our representatives that we make the changes now that are necessary for us to win long term, for our children to inherit a rich and marvellous planet instead of a large bank account.
Unfortunately, SD has a great marketing machine. Their posters speak to feelings and emotions. Who can be afraid of Jimmie with a big smile next to a bumble bee? While the people with the smart solutions to the hard problems fill their campaign posters with words that confuse the average voter. Or are pure dystopian.
The Swedish social democrats do exactly as the Danish social democrats did 16 years ago: The mirror right win rhetoric on immigration and crime. Send 14 year olds to prison. Require a test in “Swedish values” to be granted Swedish citizenship. Kick out those citizens who have lived here for decades but happen to not have a Swedish passport. What’s most important? Your bank account or human decency?
There is a crime we don’t hear about any more. Bank robberies. We solved that. It took a generation. We did not solve it by throwing bank robbers in prison for life. We solved that by moving to a cashless society. The solutions that are easy to sell are often expensive and ineffective. While good solutions are long term and subtle. But you need to win power first before you can wield it.
So let’s see what happens. I have cast my vote.