“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…
Category: Class struggle
From the public home to the financial crisis
Anders Borg's confession and the false burden of debt In 2005, Anders Borg admitted that it was not welfare that caused the 1990s crisis, but a misvalued exchange rate and poorly managed macroeconomic policy. Despite this, welfare was left to bear the blame. The Moderates used this narrative to push through attacks on wage earners, privatizations and cuts. Already in 2006, when Fredrik Reinfeldt won the election,…
Saving the world starts with local protests
How do we save democracy, world peace, the climate and nature? Democracy wins the people and vulnerable groups through local protests historically. If they are of sufficient public interest, they spread. Today's capital is built on fragile international systems such as just-in-time. These are very sensitive to disruptions. If local protests spread, this could have a major effect. Could red-green…
Threat to democracy with private universities
Private universities – are they really better just because they are self-governing? The Liberals are now proposing, in a first step that I suspect will be taken against private universities, that more universities should become foundations. The stated noble purpose is to secure the academic freedom of higher education institutions. There is a widespread belief that privatization automatically leads to higher quality…
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 worst consequences of neoliberalism - from economic to social disaster
The consequences of neoliberalism are profound and devastating. From greedflation and right-wing extremism to the risk of global war and climate catastrophe, this ideology undermines society's stability, health and future. Economic inequality and reduced democratic rights threaten future social cohesion and global peace. Greedflation after 2020 Companies raise prices well above their cost increases to maximize profits. This phenomenon,…
Wage gaps in business not productive
The report "Reining in CEO Compensation and Curbing the Rise of Inequality" by Dean Baker, Josh Bivens and Jessica Schieder shows how the increase in executive pay since the 1970s has widened income gaps in the US. High salaries for company leaders lead to other senior managers also being paid more, while the salaries of the employees in the middle and at the bottom…
Taiwan and China are part of globalization
The tension between Taiwan and China is a charged issue that could have major global consequences. Sweden, like many other countries, follows the USA's "one-China policy", which recognizes the People's Republic of China but not Taiwan as an independent state, although at the same time it maintains unofficial ties with Taiwan. China, on the other hand, claims that the “one-China policy” and their own “one-China principle” are equivalent, which means…
The hope of the future, great visions of freedom and solidarity
Bigger left visions of need The hope of the future is big visions. Political labels have lost their meaning and often replace critical thinking. In Europe, left-wing parties have become less revolutionary and more reformist. The reforms are also very cautious at that. It started when the oil and overproduction crisis in the 1970s led to capital managing to misinform politicians that…
Private property a social construct
Property and the Origin of Wealth At the outset, it is important to understand that property, as we know it today, has not always existed. In early human history, land, resources and property were common assets, without fixed boundaries or personal ownership. The concept of private property has developed over time and is not a given; it is rather a social…