Feminist party threatens to unseat Swedish premier

http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/story.jsp?story=627349

Sweden, where almost half of all MPs are women, is on the verge of striking a fresh blow for sexual equality as a newly formed feminist alliance is now tipped to unseat the Prime Minister.

The Feminist Initiative, launched earlier this week, is already eating into the support of the ruling Social Democrats and their Green and Left Party coalition allies. And, of those backing the group launched to fight for women's rights, more than one in three are men.

According to a survey published by the Swedish daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter, the embryonic feminist grouping has captured 7 per cent of the vote. That would be enough to spell severe trouble for the country's long-standing Social Democratic Prime Minister, Göran Perrson, in next year's elections, and might cost him his job.

The poll findings have rattled the coalition and given a spectacular boost to the Feminist Initiative, which has not yet officially become a party or said that it will contest the elections. Its current priority is to tour the country and maximise the considerable publicity surrounding its launch.

/sarcasm

"In a sign of his alarm, the Prime Minister has suggested that the supporters of the new feminist group could let the centre-right back into power by the back door."

Someone's been listening to Bliar's tactics to stop people voting for the Lib Dems...

Thanks again, *, and all your little friends.

makes me very jealous.

:yourock:

it says almost half the MPs are women, I mean that's pretty darn progressive and would seem to insure that women are on an equal playing field, or at least have equal representation.

So, and while I admit I have no intricate knowledge of swedish politics or women's issues there, what exactly are the burning feminists issues that are being so not addressed in a parliament almost half female that requires unseating a left of center PM?

I'm not saying that there arent issues, or "the battle's won" or anything, just seems a bit...aggressive for what appears to be in comparison to just about every other nation, a pretty equal setup at least if you judge by numbers of female MPs.

and Left Party would have pretty good feminist credentials.

...from the article

Officially the grouping has no leader, though its public face is Gudrun Schyman, who already enjoyed a high profile as a former leader of the Left Party. Ms Schyman is one of the country's most effective political operators, but her career has been marked by personal controversy. Not only has she fought a long and public battle against alcohol abuse, but she was also embroiled in a scandal over a tax return before having to resign as leader of the Left Party.