holds, this means the next Swedish general elections won't be until 2018.

You have to go look for it, and Scandinavia is so orderly most of the time.

bemildred

For the most part most of scandinavia have a rather orderly political landcape - it kinds like a glacier - everyting goes as it allways has been - and then sudently something happend - and the glascier are not in the game anymore - like the swedish SD who no one else want to play with - but who want a government position more than everything, but this time around it got snuffed away - and hopefully it wil not be more treath about early elections until next time its planned a election....

And another "fun facts" In Norway - it is not even allowed for early elections - it have never happend that not someone, somewhere in the political landscape have not taken over the help as government - so in our political system - it is no room for political early elections as we know it other places - either the government orginaly given the job have to stay in the job until next general elections - or someone else who have a governing minority in the Parliament have to take the helm - at the kings table (Our king kind of still have something to say - even if it is just informal) and try to work it all out - case for case - if nessesary... And its there this glascier thing comes into play again - nothing goes fast around - but it works...

Diclotican

I always read your posts.


I like your system. I think when governments fail or fall, then it's time to give the electorate another shot. Otherwise you continue to the next scheduled election. The one thing you don't do is install a "new" government without the legitimacy that an election gives (if done right.) That is a recipe for trouble.

I am not a fan of rapid change either, it makes trouble, change needs to be gradual and managed with care. So I like "glacial" change.

bemildred

I think it was designed from the start - to be like that, at least after the parliamentary system was enacted in 1884-88 - to make things happened not in a hurry - but to make it in a orderly fashion - it help when people most understand things takes time to work itself out - and most of the time it works very good - and people got used to new things as they happend...

To install a new government, who do not have the legitimacy of the people are a recipe for trouble for sure - just ask Vidkun Quisling - who was given a form of government - on the top of german bayonets - and had not much support from people in Norway - and got shot in 1946 after a trial where he was judged as a traitor

I think a system where changes is made when it is time to do it, not before - is maybe the best way to do it - even if it from the outside can look like a glacier thing - where just tiny things changes from day to day...

Diclotican

The faster you are going, the harder it is to make corrections, and the faster you accelerate, the faster you are going faster, so it's a recipe for crashes.

And that explains a lot, doesn't it?

bemildred

It indeed explain a lot..

Diclotican

Norway was willing to send certain forces to Afghanistan and IMO, as liberal as they are with all their social programs, are much more willing to be taken up by a climate of fear and become manipulated by outside forces.

Its a lot easier for the West to deal with Norway rather than Sweden so I see this as a positive, rejecting the right wing government who will bring economic disaster on the people just as it has done in America.

I suppose. The Swedes appear to have been supine when it came to Snowden, and they have been freaking out in the Baltic about subs and whatnot too, and they appear to have some complicity in Cheney's torture and rendition program (which might account for the complicity about Snowden, heh).

Anywhere you see neolib cheap labor policies, I expect to see troubles over immigrants too.

And some people just don't want to be around anybody that is different than they are.

But I tend to like Norway better.

along with right wing extremism. Compatriots on a train those two. The Americans have the Norskis afraid of the Russians again, the only way to get them to cooperate.

The society is well prepared with social programs for immigrants and programs to help Norwegians get along with immigrants and surprisingly far less xenophobic than the much more integrated USA. Norway has a more open society than Sweden but I don't prefer one over the other. It just has always been that the Swedes have not been taken in by the neo-cons so easily.

Breivik? Scary thing is he only got 21 years and will be out in about 15. The Norwegian justice system has worked for every type but him.

nilesobek

Breivik - he wil not get out after 21 years - as I have tried to explain before - he wil sit there for 21 years as the jugment was calling for - and then if nessesary - keept in protective custody either in a prison - or in a mental institution who can care for him - for the rest of his natural life - at 3 year in his setence he have not shown any remorse whats so ever for the crimes he did - and have been somewhat of a pain in the ass for the correction officers who have had acess to him - in fact he have regulary been sendt to different prisons all over the country - to make sure correction officers are not overworked - or break down with mental sickness - as he is said to be "somewhat intens in his views" as one spokeman for the Correction division at Ila (where he originally was put after setence) have told the large news papers once this year... I doubt he wil be a candidate for early release anytime soon to be honest - not in 15 years time - not later either for that matter.... But the 21 year prison sentence who IS the maximum you can be keept in a prison in Norway - was meant for anyone else than HIM - our correctional system was to be honest - never designed for anything like him - he is a "oddball" in our justice system...

To be honest - if he even after 21 years in a prison was given his freedom - to many on the outside would love to have a few words with him - not over a beer or two - but rather in the woods or in a backalley without anyone else to witness it... He is maybe the worst candidate to be given his freedom ever to be put in a prison in Norway.... And we do have a few ones who is really bad in our system too.... But then, everything is relative I guess compared to some over there in US, even some of the worst are rather gentle compared...

Diclotican

nilesobek

The Center/right government at the time was mutch more willing to send forces to Afghanistan than Sweden - but the bulk of the pepole - and most of the Stortinget (Our Parliament) was dead against sending forces to Afghanistan - at least under the pretext the US orginally had - and the then Prime Minister had to tell the americans that "sorry we can't send forces to Afghanistan at this moment" - even if they sendt equipment - and it is rumored special ops to Afghanistan allready in 2001 - even if never aknowlegded by any of the governments following thereafter and I doubt we wil know anything before 20 or 30 years have passed anyway....

i Doubt also - that norwigians are that fearfully as you want us to be - we kind of showed that 22 of july 2011 - when instead of going all over the fields in treathing revenge and warmongering, as US did right after the attack of 11 sept 2001 - we walked in "rose-tog" to show support for our self - and for the ones who got killed by the lone murderer and terrorist Anders Breivik - who got life in prison for blowing up the government offices, and killing og 77 children... For what I understand - the ones who have admited to planned the attack are still not been in court to answer for his crimes - but keept in a prison at Gutanamo Bay

But unlike Sweden we are part of a larger alliance - who made for some strong desisions now and then - and even if the Parliament was split - and most of the pepole was dead against sending soldiers to Afghanistan - after NATO got involved there - the DOD desied to send soldiers to Afghanistan - with the purpose of making it posible for the afghans to build a better future for themself - and also be part of the alliances forces in the region - and untill the forces was leaving the area - where the noriwgian forces was stationed - it was some resemble of peace and stability - even the Taliban desied to have some respect for norwigian soldiers it looks like - and they seldom respect other forces as it is, it also helped maybe that it was one of the more peacefully areas in Afghanistan...

But I think it was a smart move for Sweden to turn its back on SD - and not let it in in the government offices - after all they just got 13 percent of the votes (who is rather huge in Sweden, as SD is a minority party) and they have more than treatend with trying to tople the government - becouse of the budget that they would veto... So if SD want to be asked to move into anything they have a long way to yet..... And even then might have trouble....

Diclotican

That doesn't ring true for me.

Learning something from US wingnuts?

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/02/us-sweden-government-idUSKCN0JG1OV20141202

thought, in many regards. Tiny minds think alike.

From what I'm gathering online, the SD's supporters are experiencing massive butthurt right now.

<

Most of think that the Swedish standard of living is anything but a 'coffin'.

Rhinodawg

I think it was a smart move - to keep SD out of power - its like in the early 1930s - when Hitlers NSDAP got a taste for the power they would be given - by Hindenburg no less (who then was dement - and should not have been in the office as President for Germany at all, he should had been denied the presidency - and let him go with some dignety...

Even though SD are not like NSDAP - it does have some straits from the 1980s and 1990s - who is far from cleaned up - as SD was a rather neo-nazi party back in the days... But did a lot to clean itself when they came into the swedish parliament to make themself more tastefully for the other parties - who dosen't even then wanted to have mutch with SD...

Diclotican

Asylum seekers in Sweden get quite high welfare checks, compared to other european nations. Also, housing is really scarce in Sweden. Immigrants are also more poorly integrated, and they stay unemployed and on the dole longer in Sweden than in other european nations.

Swedes are an extremely tolerant people, but it's clear they have had enough. Fredrik Reinfeldt (friend of Karl Rove) said, while he was Prime Minister, that there are going to be so many new asylum seekers that we won't have money to spend on much else, but that we need to open our hearts anyway.

No wonder his party lost! No wonder the nationalist party doubled in support!

I apologize.

My comment still stands.

Part of the right-wing EuroTea movement.

Ryan Fitzomething

At least part of the far right euro movement - I doubt we have anyhing resemble The Tea party movement in the US - and I think Europe as a whole is better off becouse of it...

Diclotican

in the case of a new election. The other political parties realized a new election would be a huge mistake, since Sweden Democrats are gaining support of the people.