From clear conflicts of interest, ignoring the pressing issues of our time and a bi-partisan push to end Sweden’s policy of neutrality

The votes have been counted in the Swedish election and the right-wing block has clinched a surprise win. Looking back, the results in Sweden could very well be the poster child for what we in DiEM25 are fighting against.

From clear conflicts of interest, ignoring the pressing issues of our time and a bi-partisan push to end Sweden’s policy of neutrality, there is cause for concern across the board.

In late August, the TV programme ‘Kalla Fakta’ exposed five of the eight parties sitting in Sweden’s parliament trying to circumvent donation rules.

The soon-to-be prime minister of Sweden, Ulf Kristersson, co-owns a vacation house with one of Sweden’s most notorious lobbyists, Peje Emilsson, who openly brags how he texts the soon to be prime minister when he thinks he did a good job.

The largest left-wing party in Sweden, the Social Democrats, folds for the right-wing push for NATO membership, ending a 200-year-old policy of neutrality.

For decades, NATO membership has been promoted by the right-wing parties but with little support from the Swedish people. However, Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine there has been a shift of opinion towards the pro-NATO side. With an election coming up, the most democratic and sensible way would have been to wait to after the outcome. As it turned out, the right-wing pushed hard for membership and the Social Democrats followed leaving.

All right-wing parties (and the Social Democrats) push for more nuclear power leading to a very one-sided debate.

There has been little room for debating the implications of nuclear or the fact that we actually have a surplus of electricity (to such an extent that we are the leading exporter in Europe).

During 2021, Sweden produced 166 TWh (68% from renewable sources) and consumes about 140 TWh leaving 22 TWh for export. The last eight months of this year has seen Sweden export more than 16 TWh. Compared to France, the leading producer of energy in Europe last year, Sweden imported energy this summer because their ‘reliable’ nuclear power plants have gone offline (due to maintenance and to prevent rivers from overheating).

Climate change, one of the most urgent topics of them all, has been completely overlooked by the political establishment and by the media. And the list goes on…

So even here in the far north, the political discourse is dictated by the oligarchs. However, DiEM25 in Sweden are ready to take the fight.

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