Social_democratic

The following articles have been tagged with "Social_democratic":

'Inflexible welfare model keeping young Swedes out of work'

Analysis & Opinion: 5 Mar 10
An excessively rigid labour market is at the root of Sweden's high youth unemployment and helps explain the recent proliferation of young people in early retirement schemes, argues Nima Sanandaji, CEO of the Captus think tank. READ »

Man jailed for Malmö Davis Cup riot

National: 25 Feb 10
A 23-year-old man from Stockholm has been sentenced to six months imprisonment for rioting in connection with a Davis Cup match between Sweden and Israel in Malmö last spring. READ »

Justice Minister reluctant to store data

National: 4 Feb 10
The European Court of Justice has told Sweden that it must implement a 2006 measure requiring telecom operators to store information about their customers’ phone calls and emails. But Justice Minister Beatrice Ask remains sceptical. READ »

Homeless anger at MPs' sleeping bag charity

Society: 3 Feb 10
Stockholm's homeless have reacted in anger at a move by a group of Christian members of parliament to launch a sleeping bag collection on their behalf. READ »

Taxes and jobs dominate party leader debate

Politics: 1 Feb 10
Sunday's televised debate between the five leaders of Sweden's major political parties was dominated by taxes and labour market policy, while exposing divisions within the opposing blocs. READ »

Reinfeldt: no burqa ban in Sweden

Politics: 28 Jan 10
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said definitively on Thursday that he is against introducing legislation which would ban women from wearing burqas. READ »

Sweden reacts with joy and caution to Saab sale

National: 27 Jan 10
Unbridled enthusiasm and cautious optimism, along with a dash of outright scepticism, marked the editorial pages of Swedish newspapers on Wednesday in reaction to news of Saab Automobile’s sale to Spyker Cars. READ »

Wallström voters' pick for Prime Minister: poll

Politics: 9 Jan 10
Social Democrat Margot Wallström is a more popular choice than Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt to lead the country, according to a new poll. The result follows speculation surrounding a secret plan to oust opposition leader Mona Sahlin. READ »

Swedish group eyes Saab sale: report

National: 8 Jan 10
A group led by a Swedish truck industry veteran and a former government minister has expressed an interest in buying Saab Automobile from US owner General Motors. READ »

More Swedes favour euro over krona: poll

National: 15 Dec 09
A majority of Swedes would favour switching from the krona to the euro if a referendum on whether Sweden should adopt the common European currency were held today, a new poll shows. READ »

Opposition extends poll lead to achieve majority

Politics: 13 Dec 09
Sweden’s three centre-left opposition political parties have enough voter support to form their own majority, according to a new poll, which also shows the far-right Sweden Democrats with enough support to gain a spot in the Riksdag. READ »

Riksdag sets tougher limits for sick benefits

Business & Money: 10 Dec 09
The Swedish parliament on Wednesday passed controversial new limits on sickness benefits designed to get more people back into the workforce. READ »

Gap widening between rich and poor: study

National: 8 Dec 09
The gap between the rich and poor in Sweden has grown considerably in recent years, according to a new report from the country's largest labour group. READ »

Elin Nordegren's mother in surprise US trip: report

Society: 7 Dec 09
Barbro Holmberg, the mother of golfer Tiger Woods’ Swedish wife Elin Nordegren, has unexpectedly cleared her schedule for the week and traveled to the United States, according to Swedish media reports. READ »

Top feminist takes political gamble on Swedish reality TV

Politics: 3 Dec 09
Gudrun Schyman, spokeswoman for the Feminist Initiative (FI) political party, hopes participating in the Let’s Dance reality television show will help her waltz right into the Swedish parliament. READ »

Dutch luxury carmaker confirms interest in Saab

National: 2 Dec 09
A second niche luxury sports carmaker, Spyker, has confirmed it is interested in buying Saab Automobile. READ »

Malmström Sweden's new EU commissioner

Politics: 17 Nov 09
Cecilia Malmström, currently Sweden's EU affairs minister, has been nominated as the successor to the country's outgoing EU commissioner, Margot Wallström. READ »

Swedish town restricts 'immigrant weddings'

Society: 16 Nov 09
A local politician from Landskrona in southern Sweden has decreed that only one “immigrant wedding” can be held at the town’s local community centre every month. READ »

Reinfeldt reclaims top spot in Sweden power rankings

National: 6 Nov 09
Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt can once again lay claim to the title of Sweden’s most power person, having nudged his own finance minister Anders Borg from the top spot in a new ranking released on Thursday. READ »

Wallström: EU president 'should be a woman'

Politics: 27 Oct 09
Amid discussions by EU foreign ministers about the need for strong leadership, Swedish EU commissioner Margot Wallström has called for the appointment of a woman to serve as EU president. READ »

Stockholmers 'fund the rest of Sweden': report

Politics: 21 Oct 09
Stockholm-area taxpayers help fund the rest of Sweden to the tune of 14 billion kronor ($2 billion) a year to put the country’s municipalities on an equal financial footing. READ »

Dole drops Bananas!* lawsuit

Business & Money: 15 Oct 09
Dole Foods was withdrawn its lawsuit against Swedish filmmaker Fredrik Gertten over a documentary film which the company claimed contained falsehoods which harmed the US food giant. READ »

Anna Anka conjures bygone era of Bad Girls and Mad Men

Analysis & Opinion: 13 Oct 09
An outspoken Hollywood housewife prompts The Local's Jeanne Rudbeck to weigh up her options: stay a wage slave to the grave or get back to bitchin' in the kitchen. READ »

Bodström under fire for missed Riksdag votes

Politics: 12 Oct 09
Former Social Democratic justice minister Thomas Bodström has been accused of abandoning his duties as a member of the Riksdag in favour of high paying engagements as a trial attorney. READ »

Irish 'Yes' paves way for two new Swedish MEPs

National: 4 Oct 09
The Irish "Yes" vote to the Lisbon treaty means that two further Swedes are set to take their place in an expanded EU Parliament - provided that the Irish vote is backed up by the Czechs. READ »

Swedish integration policies 'a failure'

Politics: 23 Sep 09
Immigrants to Sweden continue to flock to a few, high-immigrant concentration areas, new statistics show, prompting one politician to conclude the country's integration politics have failed. READ »

Beyond the insults: Swedish Model 2.0

Analysis & Opinion: 16 Sep 09
As Sweden takes a battering in the US health care debate, Swedish Institute chief Olle Wästberg examines two of the insults most frequently flung: that Sweden is rampantly socialist, and that it's the poster child for neo-liberal market excesses. READ »

Swedish town mulls low pay for bad teachers

Education: 10 Sep 09
A municipality in southern Sweden has moved one step closer to implementing a proposal which would tie teachers’ pay to students’ performance on national standardized tests. READ »

Swedish politician mulls Thai bows to counter swine flu

Politics: 8 Sep 09
A Swedish politician is proposing a novel measure to prevent the spread of swine flu - the introduction of traditional Thai greetings in an effort to reduce direct contact. READ »

Government maintains popular approval: poll

Politics: 7 Sep 09
A large majority of Swedes maintain confidence in the four-party centre-right Alliance government, according to a new Skop poll. READ »

Sweden to close New York and LA consulates

National: 23 Jul 09
The Swedish foreign ministry announced on Thursday it was closing its consulates general in New York and Los Angeles due to budget constraints. READ »

Anders Borg: Sweden's long-haired maverick minister

Analysis & Opinion: 22 Jul 09
With Anders Borg, Sweden’s pony-tailed Minister of Finance, now helping the EU navigate through the global economic slump, the AFP’s Marc Preel takes a look back at the rise of this self-described pragmatist. READ »

'Sahlin more hetero than Obama': Stockholm Pride

Society: 19 Jul 09
Social Democrat leader Mona Sahlin is more heterosexual than US President Barack Obama, at least if a new survey by Stockholm Pride is to be believed. READ »

Privatisation leads to profitability: report

Business & Money: 29 Jun 09
Sweden's former state-owned enterprises have become more profitable and effective when privatised, according to a new government report. READ »

Euro support hits six-year high: poll

Business & Money: 23 Jun 09
Support for Sweden joining the eurozone has reached its highest point since the 2003 referendum, with voters in favour of retaining the krona maintaining a lead of just one percentage point in a new poll. READ »

Minister proposes ankle bracelets for young criminals

National: 22 Jun 09
Sweden’s justice minister says she’s open to monitoring young offenders with ankle bracelets rather than keeping them locked up. READ »

Swedish politician sings Hitler's praises

Politics: 18 Jun 09
A local Christian Democratic politician in northern Sweden is in hot water after praising Adolf Hitler for his skill in solving economic crises. READ »

Social Democratic backslide as June List surges: poll

Politics: 6 Jun 09
The Social Democrats have lost significant ground ahead of Sunday's EU-parliamentary elections, while the June List party saw an unexpected surge in voter support, according to a new poll. READ »

Computers stolen from Social Democrats' HQ

Politics: 4 Jun 09
Burglars made off with some 20 computers during a raid on the Social Democratic party's headquarters in central Stockholm on Wednesday night. READ »

Hillevi Larsson: an egalitarian voice from the south

Analysis & Opinion: 28 May 09
It was a high school’s broken ventilation system that started Hillevi Larsson’s career in politics – something she now calls a fortunate series of events, which drastically affected her life. READ »

Sweden sued over EU data directive inaction

Politics: 26 May 09
Sweden’s government is being sued by the European Commission for refusing to implement a 2006 measure requiring telecom operators to store information about their customers’ phone calls and emails. READ »

Most Swedes favour new vote on the euro

Business & Money: 19 May 09
A majority of Swedes, 51 percent, are in favour of holding another referendum on whether or not Sweden should exchange the krona for the common European currency. READ »

Crisis and EU dominate party leader debate

Politics: 18 May 09
The financial crisis and its effects dominated the debate between the seven parliamentary party leaders on national Swedish television on Sunday evening. Party leaders would have liked more time to discuss the EU elections. READ »

Social Democrats and Moderates top new EU pre-election poll

National: 9 May 09
The Social Democratic Party and the Moderate Party both emerged clear leaders ahead of elections to the European Parliament in the latest Sifo opinion poll. READ »

Call for probe into Sweden-CIA terror links

Politics: 8 May 09
Two prominent Left Party politicians are calling for Sweden to set up an independent truth commission to look into how Sweden cooperated with the United States during the war on terror. READ »

Reinfeldt extracts EU presidency 'truce' from opposition

Politics: 6 May 09
Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt on Tuesday urged party leaders from the political opposition to agree to a truce on contentious domestic issues during Sweden’s upcoming European Union (EU) presidency. READ »

EU commissioner Wallström praises Swedish government

Politics: 4 May 09
The Alliance government is doing a better job in the EU than the previous Social Democratic government headed by Göran Persson, the Swedish EU commissioner and Social Democrat Margot Wallström has said. READ »

Sahlin promises assistance to pensioners

Politics: 2 May 09
Swedish Social Democratic Party leader Mona Sahlin promised to work for increased unemployment benefits in her May Day speech on Friday, particularly addressing the issues facing pensioners. READ »

May Day nuptials for same-sex couples

National: 2 May 09
The first same-sex couple to be granted the same legal status as their heterosexual counterparts married in Stockholm on May Day. READ »

'Make conscription mandatory for women': Social Democrats

Politics: 28 Apr 09
The Social Democrats want make it mandatory for Swedish women to register for military conscription, rather than allowing them to do so voluntarily. READ »

Little voter confidence in opposition policies: poll

Politics: 15 Apr 09
Healthcare is the only policy area that the Social Democrats and their fellow opposition parties would handle better than the current centre-right Alliance government, a new poll shows. READ »

Sahlin hit by massive crisis of confidence

Politics: 8 Apr 09
Sweden's Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt enjoys almost twice as much voter support as Social Democratic leader Mona Sahlin, according to a new survey. READ »

No ban on mobile billboards for Stockholm strip clubs

Society: 27 Mar 09
Sweden’s parliament has chosen not to act to stop Stockholm-area strip clubs from driving mobile billboards around the streets of the country’s capital. READ »

'No bonuses at state-owned companies'

Business & Money: 24 Mar 09
The Swedish government has said it wants to end bonuses and variable compensation for executives at state-owned companies. READ »

Record high voter confidence for Reinfeldt: poll

Politics: 18 Mar 09
Confidence in Fredrik Reinfeldt has climbed by more than 10 percentage points in the last 12 months, with a record high 52 percent of voters supporting the Swedish prime minister. READ »

Reinfeldt calls SEB pay raises 'indulgent'

Politics: 12 Mar 09
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has joined Social Democratic leader Mona Sahlin in lashing out against the SEB banking group over a decision to hike executive pay. READ »

Malmö calm as Davis Cup gets underway

Sport: 7 Mar 09
As the dust settled on the morning after the first day of competition in the Davis Cup match between Sweden and Israel in Malmö, none of the predictions of trouble and fighting had been fulfilled. READ »

Outrage over politican's high-priced home rental

Society: 5 Mar 09
A Social Democratic politician and former Swedish reality TV star has sparked a backlash over plans to charge what many characterized as exorbitant fees for the rental of two separate properties. READ »

Saab workers stage demonstration

National: 27 Feb 09
Saab employees filled a main thoroughfare in the company’s home base of Trollhättan in central Sweden on Thursday night to show their faith in the future of the beleaguered automaker. READ »

'Nazi' signs rile local politicians

Society: 26 Feb 09
A local power utility in the small town of Övertorneå in northern Sweden has riled local politicians with a campaign directed at the local branch of the Social Democrat party. READ »

Swedish parliament passes copyright bill

Politics: 25 Feb 09
As expected, the Riksdag passed a controversial new measure on Wednesday designed to make it easier to investigate suspected cases of illegal file sharing. READ »

Papers give royal engagement a lukewarm reception

Society: 25 Feb 09
Sweden’s newspapers had mixed reactions to the news of Crown Princess Victoria’s engagement to Daniel Westling. READ »

Daniel 'wasn't sure of a yes'

National: 24 Feb 09
Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria has announced her engagement to Daniel Westling. The pair are to marry in the summer of 2010. READ »

Israel tennis match to remain in Malmö

Sport: 24 Feb 09
Officials in Stockholm announced Monday night that there was not enough time for the city to make arrangements to host Sweden’s upcoming Davis Cup tennis match against Israel. READ »

Saab laments 'mixed messages' from Sweden

Business & Money: 23 Feb 09
Tensions were high during a debate between Sweden’s enterprise minister Maud Olofsson and the CEO of Saab Automobile televised on Sveriges Television Sunday night. READ »

Nuder to leave Riksdag

Politics: 23 Feb 09
Pär Nuder, a prominent Social Democrat and former finance minister, has announced he won’t seek re-election to the Riksdag in 2010. READ »

No fans allowed for Israel tennis match

Sport: 18 Feb 09
Sweden's upcoming Davis Cup tennis match against Israel will be held behind closed doors, Malmö city council ruled on Wednesday. READ »

Swedes approved secret Nazi loan: report

National: 15 Feb 09
New documents have emerged indicating that Swedish finance minister, Ernst Wigforss, approved secret Swedish bank credits to Nazi Germany in 1941. READ »

Swedish town debates ban on 'racist' clothing

Society: 13 Feb 09
A youth recreation centre in Bromölla in southern Sweden has decided to ban anyone wearing clothing that could be considered racist from entering the facility. READ »

Most Swedes favour more nuclear power

Politics: 13 Feb 09
As energy policy talks between the government and opposition parties continue, a new poll shows that six of ten Swedes are in favour of building new nuclear power plants. READ »

'Anti-Semitism on the rise in Sweden'

Analysis & Opinion: 9 Feb 09
An ugly wave of anti-Semitism is on the rise in Sweden, and politicians who compare Israel with Nazi Germany or apartheid-era South Africa cannot claim to be free of responsibility, writes David Stavrou, a freelance Israeli journalist based in Sweden. READ »

Opposition presses ahead with anti-nuke stance

Politics: 9 Feb 09
Sweden’s three opposition political parties plan on arriving at government energy talks on Thursday armed with a common position, the parties announced on Monday. READ »

Moderates gain as opposition support drops: poll

Politics: 30 Jan 09
The opposition has hit a two year low in voter support, while the Moderate Party has reached heights not seen since the month following Sweden’s last election, according to a new survey. READ »

'Boycott Israel in Davis Cup': Social Democrat

Sport: 13 Jan 09
A prominent member of Sweden's largest political party likened Israel to apartheid South Africa and Nazi Germany in calling for a boycott of Sweden’s upcoming Davis Cup tennis match against the Middle Eastern country. READ »

Opposition parties to build coalition

Politics: 7 Dec 08
Sweden’s opposition political parties have announces plans to build a united coalition government following the 2010 Riksdag elections. READ »

Swedish texts 'filled with ideological bias'

Education: 4 Dec 08
Several books used to teach Swedish as a second language are plagued with ideological bias, according to a recent academic study. READ »

Opposition urges state car industry takeover

Business & Money: 2 Dec 08
Leading government ministers have angered unions and the opposition by ruling out the possibility of a state takeover of Volvo Cars should owner Ford elect to sell its Swedish subsidiary. READ »

Borg tops in Sweden power rankings

National: 14 Nov 08
Finance minister Anders Borg has surpassed prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt as Sweden’s most influential powerbroker, according to a new ranking. READ »

Free trade fears cloud Sweden's embrace of Obama

Politics: 5 Nov 08
Amid the excitement in Sweden over Barack Obama’s victory, there remains real concern among members of the political and business establishment over how the US president-elect will approach the issue of free trade. READ »

'Time to toss out' Swedish for Immigrants

Politics: 28 Oct 08
A group of Moderate Party politicians wants to scrap Sweden’s current programme for teaching introductory Swedish to newly arrived immigrants in favour of courses more closely tied to the job market. READ »

'Meat mountain' ex-minister slams Swedish security service

Politics: 22 Oct 08
Sweden's former Finance Minister Pär Nuder has criticized the country's security service over its failure to protect assassinated Foreign Minister Anna Lindh. READ »

Poll: Finance crisis boosts Moderates

Politics: 18 Oct 08
Fredrik Reinfeldt's Moderate party has gained voter support during the financial crisis, a new poll indicates. The Moderates now have the support of 24 percent of voters, a 2.4 point climb. READ »

Reinfeldt and Sahlin spar in debate

Politics: 15 Oct 08
Questions Sweden's future government as well as the current economic crisis occupied much of a televised debate between prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and Social Democratic party leader Mona Sahlin on Tuesday night. READ »

Sweden to set up new bank crisis fund

Politics: 14 Oct 08
Sweden's Financial Markets Minister Mats Odell said on Tuesday the government was planning to unveil plans for a new fund to help bail out banks in the event of a financial emergency. READ »

Stagnation in your Swedish town? Blame Florida

Analysis & Opinion: 14 Oct 08
Which comes first: urban creativity or sound economic growth? Nima Sanandaji aims to separate the chickens from the eggs as he examines the influence on Swedish policy-makers of US urban theorist Richard Florida. READ »

Economy and the Left dominate party debate

Politics: 13 Oct 08
Following a week of downbeat news about the economy and speculation about the Left Party's role in a future Social Democratic-led government, leaders of Sweden's seven major political parties squared off in a televised debate on Sunday night. READ »

Sahlin says 'door open' to Left Party

Politics: 10 Oct 08
Responding to a storm of criticism, Social Democratic party leader Mona Sahlin backtracked on Friday, saying she would no longer rule out including the Left Party in an eventual governing coalition. READ »

Outcry after Sahlin's Left Party snub

Politics: 9 Oct 08
Mona Sahlin has come in for withering criticism from both labour groups and members of her own Social Democratic Party following a decision to embrace the Greens at the expense of further cooperation with Sweden’s Left Party. READ »