AS COUNTRIES GO THESE days, you can’t get much more respectable than Sweden. Didn’t the Swedes remain (more or less) neutral during both World Wars? Don’t they spend more than almost any other people on foreign aid? And wasn’t it a Swede who created the Nobel Peace Prize? But Alfred Nobel also invented dynamite, and last weekend’s parliamentary election with its lurch to the “respectable right” is the most explosive in recent memory.
Things started out very well for conservative minister president Fredrik Reinfeldt, who hoped to walk back to power after a successful four years at the head of this traditionally social democratic country. But at the last minute his coalition with the pro-business People’s Party, the Center Party, and the Christian Democrats failed to gain an absolute majority. The reason? Sweden’s once marginal right-wing party, the Sweden Democrats, cleared the four percent hurdle for the first time and picked up 5.7 of the vote and thus twenty seats in the Riksdag. The word is out: not only is it okay to hate immigrants openly, it's also respectable to vote for openly racist political parties.
Right to the top:
Jimmie Åkesson, leader of the Sweden Democrats
(Source: etc.se)
The cleverly named Sweden Democrats under thirty-one year-old party leader Jimmie Åkesson have a checkered pedigree, having emerged from the “Keep Sweden Swedish Movement” and other racist and neo-Nazi movements in 1988. Since the 2006 election, where they received only 2.93 percent of the vote nationwide although considerably more in their southern Swedish stronghold, the SD have steered a nationalist and non-racist – i.e. “respectable” – course, demanding reductions in immigration, the preservation of Swedish culture and the Swedish language, rejection of the European Union and other transnational organizations, and resistance to gay marriage. In the American context they are somewhere to the left of the Republican Party and the “Tea Party.” The party’s code of principles is one that I suspect most Americans these days would not hesitate to sign onto:
The most important factor in a secure, harmonious, and solidarity-based society is a common identity, which in turn depends on a high degree of ethical and cultural similarity among the population. From this it follows that the nationalist principle – the principle of one state, one nation – is fundamental for the Sweden Democrats’ policies.
But the Swedish press – including the late best selling author Stieg Larsson, creator of the Millennium series, in his anti-racist journal Expo – have worked hard to uncover their links to neo-Nazi organizations past and present along with dozens of bizarre and downright offensive more or less candid statements. In 2004, journalists uncovered that the party had accepted campaign assistance from the Belgian neo-Nazi Bernhard Mengel. Last year, Expressen and Expo revealed that six SD politicians had supported Nazi organizations, including the radical Nationalsocialistisk Front. At a party meeting in Gothenburg last year, an SD leader told his followers that he would never let his son invite a Somali classmate home, since “then I would have to replace the entire floor.” Moreover, journalists report that SD members sing openly racist and neo-fascist songs and even a song celebrating the 1986 assassination of Minister President Olof Palme at their meetings.
Security and tradition (rather than freedom and justice),
the hallmarks of the Right:
What's not to love?
As it is, Reinfeldt’s conservative coalition has 173 out of the 349 seats in the Riksdag, just squeaking ahead of the left (i.e. the Social Democrats – who, at 30.8 percent, showed their worst result in a century – along with the Greens and the Left Party) with its 156 seats. Still, he is likely to remain in power. The only way to topple him would be for the leftist parties to join with the Sweden Democrats in a constructive vote of no confidence, and the left has no desire to do so. The will to power makes for strange fellows, but not that strange – at least not yet.
And so the rightward trend continues. The corks are popping all across Europe, particularly in Germany, where the creation of a new respectable right-wing party could be imminent. The Social Democrats’ win represents one small step for a right wing party and a giant leap in prestige for Europe’s new New Right.
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Comments
But I tend to think (hating myself for it) that a great influx of immigrants, particularly Muslims, doesn't bode well for European countries' continuation of their openness and freedom. Don't want to, even theoretically, align with Nazi thought. And, besides, the Jews weren't a threat to European culture - quite the opposite. But Muslims are another matter, especially since many if not most of the Muslim immigrants are not middle-class, educated, moderate people, but really poor and very traditional, from the backwoods of Turkey (not Istanboul sophisticates, who are happy where they are).
I suppose you might see a parallel with the immigration of Mexicans into the U.S., as they too are of the poorer and uneducated sector, but their Catholicism doesn't (it seems to me) have the same problems as the religion and customs of the lower-class Muslims (who go in for veils, honor killings, etc. - maybe only a few, but a few is too many..and they intimidate the rest of the citizens, as in the cartoon schmozzle).
Perhaps the 2nd and 3rd generations will get 'corrupted' enough by western ways to eliminate this threat...
--Whoa there, cracker jack...'most Americans'? Easy with those generalities. I don't know if you have checked the numbers, but 'ethnic and cultural' similarities in the United States is, say it with me, Impossible. We are a nation of mutts.
Despite the loud voices of Arizona being stuck undoing their own damage for going the cheap route for labor (aka illegal labor), we have just a tad bit more experience with the immigration picture. While certainly our mistakes and prejudices are glaringly obvious, I wouldn't be so quick to make generalities about it until you've steeped in a few more decades.
The growing cramps of open EU borders and new cultural mixes is hitting Norway hard as well. There is also a rise in weirdo freakazoid xenophobic garbage...and I can see, without a doubt, it has little to do with 'looking like everyone else' (ethnic/cultural similarity). The second an immigrant opens their mouth and fails to deliver a flawless dialect, they are pegged as wanting. End of story.
Perhaps some extreme corners should be brought to light in these societies so that they get addressed. Shed light on the cockroaches and see them scuttle. In these current times of plenty, the only rise of forseeable repeat of history would be upon the desperation of the starving, just like before.
The immigrants won't stop coming and the politics involved won't get sorted for a while. It's just the way it is.
I have a difficult time accepting the rightward swing in much of the formerly democratic world, but I have no difficulty explaining it: Fear is always the greatest motivator
Liberals are mostly rich and avoid class warfare. In this vacuum, race and ethnic warfare are all that's left. This is why the Right wins during recessions when there is no highly organized, ruthless workers organization to meet them. The Left must reboot itself, before we can reboot the West.
Xenophobia is the last refuge of Capitalists afraid of Socialism.
Good god, man, you are usually pretty level-headed -- what's with this sweeping generalization:
"Liberals are mostly rich and avoid class warfare."
I assure you I am far, far from rich, and I am thisclose to the frontline of class warfare. In my experience, most Liberals are not rich precisely because they are Liberals and value other things far more than money -- reading, music, education, nature, etc, etc, etc. Most of the Conservatives I know are Conservatives because they want to protect their often ill-gotten gain while busying themselves trying to steal more legally or otherwise.
Guess I just generalized, too -- but was I wrong?
Still, I refuse to stop calling them anything but what they are, Fascists, and if that makes me a nut or gets me ignored then at least I will be able to say with all honesty that I tried.
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Don't hate yourself for understanding reality.
The things you said are accurate.
Only fools think that rich mexicans sneak over the border to pick beans.
They have no interest in leaving their comfortably fancy haciendas and nice cars, etc.
It's only the grungy wetbacks that do this.
This unwashed hordes invading Europe does not bode well for Europe collectively.
The true intention is to disrupt the entire European society and way of life.
You are correct about the veil wearers, honor killers, etc.
Hopefully, your last sentence will come to pass.
Wanting to continue our way of life and have a safe home does not make us racist or nazis.
Racists and nazis are the invaders who do the sneaking.
I live in an area that is predominantly liberal, and it has a decent median income ($51,232 in 2007)..... hardly rich. The fact of the matter is, most people in the area are educated beyond high school. These statistics on education are a few years old, but the current ones are close to them: 95.7% have a high school or higher education, 69.3% have a Bachelor's degree or higher, 39.4% have a graduate or a professional degree, and the unemployment rate is 4.2%.
So, based on that, one can see that a really good percentage of the population is educated beyond high school. This typically denotes a more liberal area, and people who go to college have a better chance of making more money than those who don't. Also, the area is very diverse, due to the existence of the University of Michigan. When people are more educated, they typically make more money, they are exposed to more ideas, and in this area, they are exposed to people and cultures from around the world.... as opposed to areas with very little or no diversity.
All of this lends people to be less fearful, whereas in areas of lower incomes with little or no diversity, there typically is more fear and hatred and ignorance. Poorer areas don't necessarily mean they are more conservative, however. We can use Detroit as an example of that.
The area I live in is considered very liberal compared to most, yet it is by far not a "rich" area. It's mainly middle class (as you can see by the median income) and also has lower class, upper middle class, and some upper class people.
All of the people I know who are liberal aren't rich by any means. In fact, I don't even know if I personally know anyone who is considered rich. And most of the people I know are liberals. I'd bet that way more rich people are conservatives rather than liberals.
I'm completely liberal, and my aspirations in life are to #1 — to be completely happy by following my passions (which don't involve making heaps of money but that involve enjoying hobbies.... music, art, leisure activities, hanging out with fun and inspiring people, exploring the world and meeting new people and experiencing other cultures, sports, animals, nature, natural wonders, ancient ruins, etc.), #2 — have more time to myself (less time spent making other people and companies rich), #3 — and to help those who are less fortunate than I am (and not just monetary-wise).
The problem is not muslims, though unfortunately anti-islamic bigotry prevails in the west, but the combination of ignorance, poverty and instability of one's home. Often, immigration stems from deeper problems on the international level. For instance, many of the economic laws that extreme capitalist politicians in Canada and the US have imposed on the rest of the Americas have been some of the main causes of mass migration from the poorer Latin countries, such as heavy subsidizing of US crops that make our food exports cheaper (which force the rest of America to import our crops), and foreign companies interfering with and pushing out farmers in Mexico. So the problems in the Americas, especially Central America, are much deeper and tangled than mere culture and religion. It's economic, political, and ethical.
Furthermore, your parallel to Mexican immigrants' religion is not pertinent because America is a Christian country, and already has a strong Catholic presence (despite Catholics and Protestants not being too keen with each other in the past).
Growing up as a muslim in the US, and going to Catholic school for most of my life, and my mother being an immigrant from Malaysia, I've actually found it to be quite pleasant here. None of the muslims I've encountered here, in my mom's country, or from middle eastern countries have shown any signs of "terrorism" that you imply is so inherent in the religion and respective cultures. And many of these friends, family and acquaintances are either middle class or poorer, and harmless if they're uneducated.
Finally, you say that the jews were not a threat to European culture (which I'm happy you stated), but you must also be aware that the jews were no innocent lambs during the early days of Israel. Read "Dawn" by Elie Wiesel, and you will see that terrorism and violence are inherent to all humans, not just lower class, uneducated muslims.
I hope that you reflect further on the fallacy of those beliefs you, and many others in the west seem to hold. If we all yearn to rid ourselves of ignorance, hypocrisy and hate, then this world would be a much better place.