The workshop facilitated the exchange of experiences and strategies among the parties.
The workshop facilitated the exchange of experiences and strategies among the parties.

“Security and the Left” – Impact Workshop

Event ReportOn 8-9 June 2023 the Brussels Office of the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung (RLS) hosted a workshop in Malmö to facilitate the exchange of experiences and strategies between several left-wing parties grappling with the issue of security policy, particularly in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The event was held face-to-face and invitation-only to guarantee an atmosphere of trust and confidentiality to participants. The workshop brought together 20 party activists and decision-makers from the political left in Sweden, ...
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Supporters of the Swedish Left Party march through Malmö on International Workers’ Day, 1 May 2023.
Supporters of the Swedish Left Party march through Malmö on International Workers’ Day, 1 May 2023.IMAGO / TT

Sweden in NATO — And Then What?

In late March of this year, the Swedish Parliament voted by a large majority to join NATO and abandon the country’s traditional policy of military non-alignment. Only the Left and Green parties voted against the move. Outside parliament, a majority of the Swedish people also favour joining NATO. Next door, Finland’s NATO membership is already a fact. The immediate reason for this shift is clear: NATO supporters have a superior campaigner for their cause in Vladimir Putin. Russia’s invasion and occupation of parts of Ukraine has shifted public opinion ...
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Impact workshop: “The Left in Power”, Copenhagen 9-10 June

In June 2022, the Brussels Office of Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung hosted a workshop in Copenhagen to better understand and compare the central issues, experiences and strategies of left-wing parties’ participation in, or support of, governments in the region. The event was face-to-face and by-invitation only to guarantee an atmosphere of trust and confidentiality to participants. The workshop brought together 30 party activists and decision-makers from among the political left in Sweden, Denmark and Germany.[1] Participation ...
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Ballots for the general elections at a polling station in Malmo, Sweden September 11, 2022. MALMO SWEDEN x50090x *** Bal
Ballots for the general elections at a polling station in Malmo, Sweden September 11, 2022. MALMO SWEDEN x50090x *** BalCopyright: Johanx Nilsson / IMAGO

Sweden’s new government – a dystopian nightmare

The political results of the Swedish election are in, and they bear all the hallmarks of a bad dystopian novel. The new government will be comprised of the Moderates, the Christian Democrats and the Liberals, and – in all ways except appointed ministers – the far-right Sweden Democrats. Broadly speaking, the Moderates get all the central functions of government, including the role of Prime Minister, ministers of finance, justice, and foreign affairs, while the Christian Democrats get social issues and health care, with the Liberals ...
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Sweden: right-wing coalition wins election by the narrowest of margins

With almost all votes counted from Sunday’s election, it looks like Sweden’s right-wing parties are set to take power with a razor-thin majority, ending eight years of social democratic government. For the first time, this conservative coalition also includes the far-right Sweden Democrats, who have emerged as the country’s second largest party, despite their roots in Sweden’s neo-Nazi movement. The result is an evident decline for the progressive spectrum of Swedish politics as a whole and the Left party in ...
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A Caring State?

Welfare State Retrenchment, the Effects on Women, and Feminist Responses in SwedenAbout the book From an international perspective, the Nordic model can easily be seen as an ideal welfare state. Additionally, more than any other welfare state model, the Nordic model is not just a label applied by welfare state analysts; it has also been used with pride by Nordic governments and citizens (Lister 2009). The striving for equality and the high degree of universalism have been regarded as proof of the superiority of the Nordic model (Anttonen 2002). The concept of universalism is ...
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How Sweden gave up the world’s most generous pension scheme to become a nation of unwilling fund brokers

“I’m sure that our actions will not be popular in 20 years’ time when retirees realise what we have done.” Göran Persson, leader of the Social Democrats and Prime Minister of Sweden was speaking with his characteristic candour during a visit to Australia in 2005. It was only six years after the launch of the new national Swedish pension system. And the leader of the biggest party behind the reform was already certain that the outcome would be widespread misery for all ...
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Don’t Panic

Analysis and Strategy on Right-Wing PopulismThe book is available for download here! Over the past decade, many countries have seen the rise and consolidation of support for right-wing populist movements and parties. This development is being increasingly reflected in parliaments and governments alike and now poses a serious challenge, both to parties of the left and to the values at the heart of liberal democracy. For the past two years, the Copenhagen-based Democracy in Europe Organisation (DEO) has teamed up with the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung Brussels Office (RLS) on a ...
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Epidemic Economy: A Left Perspective

The coronavirus pandemic has triggered a global economic recession whose consequences will continue to be felt for years to come, but what comes next? Will we see greater monopolisation and concentration of market power? What, if anything, have we learned since the last financial crisis in 2009? Can the left take advantage of the crisis to win popular support for a new course, for a more social and sustainable alternative? On 10 June, the Copenhagen-based Democracy in Europe Organisation (DEO) partnered with the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung Brussels Office to...
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Nordic Socialism During and After the COVID-19 Crisis

On 27 May, the Copenhagen-based Democracy in Europe Organisation (DEO), together with the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung Brussels Office, hosted a debate with Pelle Dragsted, former MP for Danish left-wing party Enhedslisten and author of the new book Nordisk socialisme: PĂ„ vej mod en demokratisk Ăžkonomi (‘Nordic Socialism: Towards an economic democracy’). The past year-and-a-half has been extraordinary. The global coronavirus pandemic has caused millions of deaths and triggered an economic crisis on a scale not seen in generations.  ...
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