The Sweden Democrats and Neoliberalism's Discontent
The far-right Sweden Democrats (SD) have emerged as a decisive political force. The Dissatisfaction Party capitalizes on the dissatisfaction that many Swedes feel with neoliberalism. Neoliberalism brings cutbacks, layoffs, market solutions, deregulation and privatization. In recent decades, this has led to widening gaps between rich and poor. Many ordinary citizens have experienced long-term unemployment, nightmarish stress at work, worse salary development, sick leave, out insurance, reduced security and increased social problems as a direct consequence of neoliberalism. Indeed now we must stop SD's troll factory!
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Blame the Immigrants
SD has skilfully exploited this dissatisfaction. The party points the blame for society's problems at immigrants. But the party has portrayed immigration as the main cause of economic and social challenges. This perspective is misleading. According to the political scientist Peo Hansen in the book "The migration myth” immigration, when it is regulated and the labor market is forced to offer collective bargaining wages, contributes to economic growth. But even the neoliberal Sweden of 2015 experienced growth due to mass immigration at the time. Immigrants often fill important roles in the labor market and can contribute to a country's wealth by increasing labor and consumption.
Trollfabrik - A Democratic Peril
The Sweden Democrats (SD) have long mass-produced vicious disinformation and propaganda. TV4's report in 2024 revealed how SD created and runs a troll factory to spread misinformation and divide public opinion. These digital tools manipulate public opinion. It directs the people's frustrations at immigration and other minorities, instead of focusing on the real threats to all citizens' opportunities for the good life and to realize their dreams.
SD's deeply undemocratic troll factory spreads false information and hate propaganda and risks making people vote against their own interests. It is about basic rights such as good jobs, reasonable rents and housing, pensions, unemployment insurance and sickness benefits. Instead, the troll factory makes citizens focus on immigration as a scapegoat. In the end, this favors the most privileged and deepens the divisions in society.
SD's activities also promote racism. It further divides society and creates an unsafe environment for everyone. Because now we have to stop SD's troll factory !
Reinfeldt and the Alliance's Neoliberal Austerity
During Fredrik Reinfeldt's first term with the bourgeois Alliance 2006–2010, he intensified neoliberal reforms. This led to significant austerity in welfare. These cuts deepened social divisions and created a breeding ground for discontent. During the financial crisis, SD was able for the first time to create a decisive place on the political scene as a clear party of discontent. It would capitalize on the growing frustration and become a major parliamentary party from the 2010 parliamentary election.
Shift towards the Right
SD shows a clear pull to the right and a policy that favors a class society rather than social democratic solidarity. After meeting representatives from Timbro, a think tank for the Swedish right, SD has changed its positions on several issues. They have abandoned the demand to nationalize the school, a position that was previously part of their platform. They have also begun to abandon their opposition to market rents and have dropped their demands for protection a-kassen. In addition, SD has begun to support deteriorations in health insurance.
More examples of right-wing politics
SD has also proven to be an extreme right-wing party. The party is trying to get people to accept greater differences between rich and poor. For example, they have:
- Support tax cuts for high income earners. This increases the gaps in society even more.
- Defended labor market reforms that make it harder for unions to protect their members.
- Supported proposal to reduce grants for the most vulnerable groups in society.
SD is not a party for ordinary people. They have had power through the Tidö Agreement since 2022 and boast that the agreement gave them “great political influence” and a central role in Swedish politics. The government and SD also describe the Tidö Agreement itself as “the most comprehensive reform agenda in modern times”. It is therefore not reasonable to let SD pretend to stand by. They own politics. (Sverigedemo Craterna)
Safety slaughter
The worst thing is the security slaughter. The unemployment insurance fund and activity support have been made tougher and more phasing out. The government itself describes how activity support is phasing out after 300 days and can fall to 365 kronor per day. The Labour Party recently reported that 62,000 unemployed people were notified of reduced benefits under the new rules. This does not apply to “benefit cheats”. It applies to people who have become ill, elderly, exhausted, laid off or live where there are no jobs. (Government Offices)
At the same time, the Tidölaget has made medicines more expensive. The high-cost protection for medicines was increased to 3,800 kronor and patients will have to pay more themselves. The government's own calculation says that the co-payments will increase by approximately 540 million kronor in 2025, 2,16 billion in 2026 and 2,7 billion in 2027. It is a direct fee on illness. Not on luxury. On insulin, heart medicine, pain relief, psychotropic drugs and other things that keep people going. (Government Offices)
Tax cuts and cuts
They have prioritized tax cuts over welfare and security. The 2025 budget strengthened the earned income tax credit for people with earned income above approximately SEK 190,500 per year, and the reporting on the budget showed that high-income earners gained the most, including through a higher cut-off point and changes to the ISK. It is the old right-wing formula: a little relief across the board, mostly for those who are already doing best, and then tougher conditions for the unemployed, the sick and the poor. (Parliament)
Acceptance of market rents
They are also pushing Sweden towards more expensive housing. The Moderates' "security rents" are in practice a path towards market rents. The Tenants' Association's calculations show that market rents would leave tenants in several cities with thousands of kronor less each month; a single preschool teacher would have around 2,200 kronor less to live on on average. It is class politics with soft elevator music in the background. (Via TT)
Immigration profitable
In the area of migration, the SD has pushed through a policy that harms both people and the Swedish economy. The new rules for labor immigration raise the salary requirement to 90 percent of the median salary, currently 33,390 kronor, with certain exceptions. It sounds “orderly”, but it hits industries that need people and people who work, pay taxes and already live here. When Sweden also makes life more uncertain for international talent, the country’s attractiveness decreases. (Migration Board)
And here comes the important thing: modern research does not do the SD's horror story justice. Immigration is not a burden on Swedes. It can increase productivity, fill shortages, increase the tax base through increased consumption and production, create companies, strengthen welfare and get native workers to move on to less manual and more qualified jobs. Foged and Peri's well-known study of refugee immigration in Denmark found positive effects on the wages, employment and occupational mobility of low-skilled natives. (American Economic Association)
Improved integration
Employment for foreign-born people has went much better than the gloomy debate often suggests. It is still lower than for the native-born, 74 percent compared to 84 percent in 2025, and the foreign-born have higher unemployment and long-term unemployment. But the gap has narrowed significantly, especially for women. Refugees are also finding jobs more quickly than before: of those who arrived in the early 2000s, 43 percent had a job after seven years, while the corresponding figure for the refugee year 2015 was 65 percent. Sweden is also above the eurozone average for employment of the foreign-born, despite receiving more refugees. The foreign-born who work work about the same number of hours as the native-born. The picture is therefore twofold but clearly forward-looking: the problems remain, but integration into the labor market is going faster and better than many people think.
The time to work has also improved in several parts of the system. Many local models achieve employment within a few years. In 2026, SvD reported on an example where 87 percent of new arrivals in Laxå found jobs within two years. The employment agency model “Matching from day one” provided jobs to 44 percent of participants in a pilot study, 23 percent more than the control group. (SvD)
Female immigrants affected
For women it often takes longer, but even there, recent analyses show that employment usually increases noticeably after just over five years. The obstacles are often related to late interventions, weak SFI, childcare, discrimination and lack of contacts – not that people “don’t want to”. OECD analysts in SvD point out that structures in reception, not women’s values, often explain the problems. (Almega)
SD did not become the victim's friend as they promised
The stark conclusion: SD has sold itself as the defender of workers, pensioners and ordinary people. In power, they have supported policies that make unemployment poorer, illness more expensive, rental life more insecure, welfare more scarce and immigrant labor less welcome. At the same time, research and recent statistics show that immigration, properly managed, strengthens Sweden and can also help native workers get better jobs. SD's project is therefore not about ordinary people. It is about exchanging class politics for scapegoats.
The Sweden Democrats' origins in Nazism
The Sweden Democrats (SD) emerged in 988 with roots in nationalist and far-right movements. Several of the early members had connections to neo-Nazi groups and white power movements, including Bevara Sverige Svenskt (BSS). BSS was an organization with openly racist and Nazi ideologies. The party's origins have much of an ideology of xenophobia and racism.
Nazi Connections in Modern Times
Even more recently, SD members have had contact with Nazism and the extreme right. Several examples confirm this:
- The party secretary Richard Jomshof have said "Because Sweden is not Hungary, because we are not in government (yet) and because the media in Sweden does not work like the media in Hungary, we have to adapt to the reality that prevails here. This means, not least, that we have to adapt our rhetoric to the current situation."
- Peter Lundgren, former EU parliamentarian for SD, has been accused of expressing sympathy for far-right ideas.
- Kent Ekeroth, former Member of Parliament, has been criticized for participating in white supremacy events and having links to Nazi groups.
- Several local SD politicians have had to leave their posts after being exposed for having spread racist and Nazi material on social media.
These events show that the party is still struggling to distance itself from its far-right heritage.
European Parties' Links to Russia
Several European right-wing populist parties have proven links to Russia. These are manifested through political support and sometimes financial ties. Another worrying aspect is that several SD members, including one revealed as recently as May 2023, have had links to Putin and Russia. These connections threaten Sweden's national security and undermine our independence. SD claims that they stand for Swedish security. But their actions contradict this by collaborating with a foreign power that is also profoundly undemocratic. International examples of Russia connections:
- Front National (now Rassemblement National) in France, which received loans from Russian banks.
- Lega North in Italy, which often shows support for Russia, especially in matters of sanctions.
- AfD (Alternative for Germany) in Germany, which has also expressed sympathies for Russian positions.
These parties have often voted against sanctions against Russia and for policies that undermine EU unity against Russian aggression. During the spring of 2024, SD wanted to limit support for Ukraine's war against Russia.
SD's Climate Hostility and Workers' Interests
SD's climate policy does not benefit the working class. The party has consistently opposed ambitious climate action. SD is skeptical of the scientific consensus on climate change. This is problematic for the working class for several reasons:
- Health and Environment: Climate change mainly affects the most vulnerable. That includes low- and middle-income earners. Increased air pollution and extreme weather affect these groups the hardest.
- Financial security: A delay in climate change can lead to greater financial costs in the future. This affects the labor market and social safety nets directly.
A Red Green Climate Change
A red-green climate transition could secure the welfare of low- and middle-income earners through several measures:
- Investment in Green Energy: Create good jobs in renewable energy and sustainable technology.
- Social justice: Implement climate policy that includes just transition. Workers from vulnerable industries can be supported to retrain and social security systems must be improved.
- Public transport: Expanded public transport reduces carbon dioxide emissions and creates accessible transport for everyone.
- Energy and housing support: Introduce support for energy efficiency in housing. It reduces both emissions and energy costs for households.
By combining environmental protection with social measures, a red-green policy can both combat climate change and improve the standard of living for the most vulnerable in society.
Conclusion
SD's history and politics show clear features of extreme right and nationalism. The party still has its roots in Nazism. Even in modern times, members have shown links to Nazi and far-right movements. Their anti-climate attitude does not benefit the working class. Instead, it deepens social and economic divides. A red-green climate transition offers a way forward that both protects the environment and improves the quality of life for low- and middle-income earners.
SD has thus successfully used the dissatisfaction with the effects of neoliberalism to win support. But the party's policies clearly show that they do not strive for social justice. Instead, they try to single out immigrants as scapegoats. This is misguided economics and misguided politics. SD.'s policy deepens rather than solves the problems that many Swedes experience.
It is a bit depressing that after the revelations about SD-branded troll factories, the entire system-critical opposition is now defending the political establishment that has imposed the neoliberal system shift on us. The reason why so many still like SD's lies is that they don't care if they are lies, the main thing is that they hit the establishment in the middle of the solar plexus.
The ruthless criticism should come from the left, but doesn't. As it should also come organization from there.
The stabbing, to speak with Åkesson, is about the country, and the entire North Atlantic region, having been looted by a few hundred billionaires, with liberal and social democratic participation. There is such internal criticism, but oh how polite it is! See e.g. https://gemensam.wordpress.com/2021/12/10/socialdemokratiska-regeringars-nedskarningspolitik-beror-knappast-pa-dumhet/
In some ways. SD lives on the dissatisfaction with the Social Democrats' neoliberalism, but at the same time SD wants even more neoliberalism. There is hope for a left-wing reform of the Social Democrats or at least of the Left Party. The same is not true of SD.
We may have different views on the possibility of reforming S and V. I think they are quite driven, they have a social base that makes change unlikely. But by all means, stranger things have happened.
Although the possibility of SD becoming less neoliberal, more democratic and more anti-racist than S and V I find small.
No, but I don't claim that either.
I claim that S and V since about 1990 have behaved in such a way that many find SD's attack completely justified. In that situation, it is pointless to defend S and V and thereby take responsibility for their rotten politics.
It is better to formulate an alternative of your own that attacks S and V (and of course SD) for their neoliberal capitulation policy and for the damage it has actually caused and continues to cause us all.
I don't find that this is done with even half the nerve SD still puts into their criticism. Then it is another thing that they thematize up the walls. But it's just a matter of making it better then, dammit.
Yes, it is not entirely easy to create a new party yourself.
No, but it may not be necessary. I believe that any party that is not closely tied to and indeed dependent on some sort of social movement is quickly corrupted by fortune seekers. As S and Bf were dependent until the 60s.
But that does not prevent those who comment, for example, on SD's witchcraft scandal, from avoiding singling out the traditional parties. They deserve a beating. But they deserve an honorable beating, not SD's version.
Sweden is a sham democracy so to vote at all is to legitimize the anti-democratic forces that rule the country. I consider NATO and the DCA agreement to be a palace revolution, where a small clique of professional politicians with the help of the media (NATO Stratcom) run over democracy and make Sweden a US vassal state, where US citizens obey other laws on Swedish soil.
Countries with different laws for different peoples are usually called unequal, and even "apartheid states".
That is what these politicians have done with Sweden, completely without asking the people.
So SD or not: The problem is much bigger than Nazis in suits., I think.
So criticism of SD, however well-deserved it may be, becomes like a diverting maneuver that completely diverts the focus from the real problem – that Sweden has become a sham democracy and that the people are so thoroughly deceived that they let the politicians run over democracy.
Agree but V is still better than SD.
You have clarified a major imbalance that has prevailed in Sweden. Something that parties on the left have turned a blind eye to.