The right's double standards
Scrutiny of politicians should not primarily be about who administers the country best bureaucratically. Politics is not just a question of efficiency – it is about power, responsibility and whether the people or the elite should be well off. It is about the left realizing how Sweden's strength as an ecological country and a strong industrial nation is connected to the country's welfare. The case of Henrik Landerholm shows precisely how the right likes to talk about being "the adults in the room", but in practice protects its own with a loyalty that exceeds all responsibility.
Kristersson and the right's self-image
In debates against Stefan Löfven, Ulf Kristersson has called himself “the adult in the room.” This is based on the right-wing self-image that their politics are more rational and responsible than the left. But what does “adulthood” actually mean in their world? Well, to defend the interests of capital and to give power and privileges to the already rich and influential.
When it comes to ownership, this is justified as scientifically and economically necessary. But all ownership is an appropriation of common resources. It is only legitimate if it is done with the acceptance of the people and used for the common good. If instead it is a matter of a small elite taking action without regard for the rest of society, then it is a form of theft.
Friendship corruption and amateurism
This is where the Landerholm case becomes so revealing. He got his top position without the position being advertised – a textbook example of cronyism. He has scattered important, classified papers around and even lost classified documents. He has left his phone at the Hungarian embassy and his notebook in a taxi.
Not only that – he himself has bragged that he didn't study or delve into his subjects.I am a child of nature.", he has said. And this was Kristersson's big prestige project, his man to lead Sweden's national security work.
SD's silence reveals their betrayal
The Sweden Democrats have long marketed themselves as a party that "takes responsibility", stands on the side of the people and demands accountability for civil servants. But when one of the government's most important men turns out to be an incompetent security risk - then the SD is silent.
Where is Jimmie Åkesson's criticism? Where are the demands for resignation? Where is the talk that corruption must be fought? The Sweden Democrats have become part of the establishment they claim to oppose.
The double standard in the right-wing's exercise of power
Imagine if a left-wing politician had done this. The scandal would have been enormous. The media would have been in a frenzy for weeks, bourgeois debaters would have called for his resignation, the right would have spoken of incompetence and the left's "inability to lead."
But when it comes to one of Kristersson's own - then there is talk of "carelessness".
The right's exercise of power is about protecting its own, no matter how gross the mistakes. It's about keeping the establishment together and ensuring that those who already have power and money can keep it. Accountability for them is not about justice or holding everyone accountable, but about preserving privilege.
Kristersson's "adulthood" turns out to be something other than responsibility. It is a shield to defend power for the already powerful, even when they prove incapable of doing their job.
The fascinating thing is that politicians can only be harmed if they violate *their* own alleged norms, because these are the ones they were elected on.
The Argentine military junta fell because the crazy mothers proved that they did not cherish the family, as they themselves had claimed. And social democrats have always been more sensitive to corruption scandals than moderates have been – simply because for moderate core voters it is correct to profit.
Exposed hypocrites fall, while pure villains remain. Just as it is always more devastating to be exposed as an idiot than as a villain.
O tempora, o mores.