This is how racism & right-wing politics were normalized despite voters wanting equal welfare: deregulation and healthcare choices created insecurity; surplus labor kept wages down; “winner-takes-all” in the Riksdag; S shot at the market in 2010. The anxiety became the fuel for the right. M attracts voters who like insecurity and SD attracts voters who like security. S is outmaneuvered when they don’t want to go…
Category: Austerity policy
Societies collapse when the elite withdraw
Societies collapse when the elite refuses to accept the right of the state to demand socio-economic responsibility from them. If the rich also refuse to invest in sustainable production, the problems increase significantly. Progressive taxation and protection for equal working, career and living conditions are needed. Read the article on Gemensam.
Anti-racism and equality policies must complement each other among the Democrats
Summary of the article “Kamala Harris Didn't Lose Because of Racism” (Jacobin, 2025-06-18): Kamala Harris did not lose the 2024 presidential election solely because of racism or sexism. Touré F. Reed argues that it is simplistic moralizing to claim that, and that it obscures more fundamental problems in Democratic politics and American class society. Harris did not primarily underperform…
Emergency laws with legislative power
The government wants to be able to bypass parliament in peacetime and enact laws on its own in times of “crisis”. It is said to be about preparedness – but resembles dangerous emergency laws that have historically led to abuse of power. The government’s proposal for emergency laws thus echoes worryingly with history. It was precisely such “temporary powers” that enabled the Nazis to seize power in Germany in 1933 – after…
Freedom, work, housing and social mobility now
Indeed, the Social Democrats must deliver freedom, work, housing and social mobility – not just manage neoliberalism, say three Social Democrats. So I say that we need a systemic shift back to welfare with a humane refugee policy, labor immigration to shortage occupations, improved pensions, a green transition, free dental care, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, restored social insurance, etc. There is rumbling among the grassroots For people is…
Sufficient childbearing is a matter of security
Sweden's fertility rate has fallen to a historic low of 1,43 children per woman, well below the replacement level of 2,1. Karin Engdahl believes that political reforms are urgently needed to restore young people's faith in the future. She suggests reducing working hours, especially for parents of young children. Without more secure jobs, cheap, good and beautiful housing and investments in saving the climate. and stronger welfare…
Life expectancy and class gaps within it are increasing
Despite increased life expectancy since the 1950s, large differences between groups are increasing. The average life expectancy for men in Sweden is 82,3 years. For women, it is 85,4, which is 3,1 years more than for men. For example, the average life expectancy in the 1950s, calculated from birth, was around 74 years for women and 71 years for men. Nowadays, infant mortality is lower…
“Goody, Goody Two Shoes” – the perfect swear word
“Goody, Goody Two Shoes” – the perfect insult for anyone who wants to take someone down a notch. And not just anyone, but the type who seems to float through life on a wave of superior excellence. We all know someone – or at least we’ve come across them. But where does this come from…
Cooperation, care and human success - from the Stone Age to today
Stone Age Stone Age people survived not because they were the strongest or fastest, but because they could cooperate and care for each other in unlimited numbers. Researchers have found graves that show that even people with disabilities were cared for and buried with respect. This tells us that society depended on everyone…
The Mother of Bubbles 2025 – a comment on Cervenka
The mother of bubbles – but what is the basis? Economic journalist Andreas Cervenka accurately points to the risk of a Mother of Bubbles in 2025 after the US AI fever in 2024. The stock market is run by a few companies such as Apple and Nvidia. The "mother of all bubbles" is starting to be warned about, and history teaches us that bubbles burst sooner or later. Often every eight years…