[MD] Dynamic Development at all costs?

[Christoffer Ivarsson]

> [Chris]
> Hello Krimel. It's depressing, but you are right. This kind of no-arguing, 
> I
> imagine it makes me understand Lenin somewhat better.

> [Krimel]
> Do you even have this kind of right wing wackos in Sweden? I always 
> thought
> Scandinavians were saner than folks in most other places.

[Chris]
Oh, we have our few extremists here too, every country have I think, but in 
the real political debate, even the right wing parties and the 
Christian-democrats would be considered too far to the left were they to 
promote their agendas in America. The political climate or culture in a 
country has many different sources and roots, but the main theme in 
Scandinavian politics has been that of the development of a stable welfare 
state, in both Sweden, Denmark and Norway based on a broad cooperation 
between social democrats and agricultural-parties. Simply put, the 
development of the democratic system has for different reasons been one 
where the broad masses of the people have been a very active part in the 
formation of the state - especially during the 50's and 60's, and this has 
produced a tradition where the state is seen not as a unreachable, hostile 
entity, but a part of peoples lives that is natural. This I think, and many 
would agree, has to do with the democratic tradition. When the democratic 
tradition is a natural thing that reaches down through all of society to 
work at all levels people feel that they can affect the social patterns 
around them, and so this democratic tradition is quite probably the most 
important thing to explain the emergence of the Nordic Model.  In the case 
of Sweden this tradition have suffered somewhat over the last 20 years or 
so, young people have lost interest, and don't feel connected or don't have 
faith in the system. Most probably this has an intimate connection with the 
unemployment rate, something that in turn is in direct relation to 
international business cycles , oil crisis etc. Thus people feel alienated 
and left out, and within the political Establishment argues over how to 
handle this; by regulating the market in the old fashioned way or by 
allowing more privatisation and liberal free market ways. Everybody is quite 
agreed about the need for moderation and balance though - you will find it 
very hard to find a real political party who wants to have a completely free 
market without welfare policies.

Also I am inclined to agree with those analysis's who say that the youth 
today, having grown up within this system and not knowing it's historical 
development take it far too much for granted, and only when the current 
right wing government starts to change things around to much does people 
wake up and see all the things that has actually been built up during the 
years. That is just a personal parenthesis from my side though.


 - You have to forgive me if I bore you to death, the thing is that I have 
just been reading a lot about all of this, and I find it all quite 
interesting, and also useful to line things out like this.

Regards
Chris