State of complacency - Swedish election campaign 2014

Do they have the same tailor?

The Swedish elections for the parliament, government and municipalities are only 4 months away but the whole situation feels more like 4 years away. Not much of advertisements and publicity is seen or heard, speaking about Stockholm, the capital and for the rest of the country on radio and television. The spring proposals from the bigger parties whether they are to the right, the left or in the middle contains nothing but the usual, nothing implying that there is a coming fight about who's to govern this northern and cold country the next period. The press and media have observed the situation and started describing the "campaigning" as utterly bleak but doesn't seem very interested in doing a story about it, self coming out utterly meager and bleak. Two party leaders from Sweden's 2 major parties are seen in a press-photo taken after a debate. Both have lilac mono-colored ties over there shirts. Earlier the right-winger would sport the traditional blue color and the socialist the traditional red, now they are advised not show who they are!  Why have we become like this? Are there no issues left to burn for? Or is it for some reason completely impossible or suicidal to the stick out the snout concerning the poor becoming poorer, injustice, overfilled prisons, social welfare being taken down, the unemployment situation not changing, the young without a job and a place to live and so much more in our society that is in a state of putrefaction. Most old people does not have a possibility to get a place at an elderly living unless they are close to paralyzed or suffering from dementia becoming a living danger in society and if they for those reasons would succeed to get a bed in one of those they will be drugged down so they can be managed easy by a minimal staff and kept to a minimal cost. The Swedish defense has been cut down to the bare bones and is today tailored for foreign duty in some country invaded by the USA but not for defending Sweden anymore. It must be a laughing matter for leaders like Vladimir Putin when political voices in Sweden are raised for another build-up of the armed forces that could reach deterring strength somewhere 2024. Sweden stands with the pants deep down at the ankles and it will take 10 years to get them back up again. Ah, there are so many issues, big issues and nothing is really said and fought for.

What is wrong? Perhaps nothing? We may have been living in an ideal situation far from regions of unrest having a complacent life, a rich life with fairly low taxes, flooded with material products from the rest of the world (as almost nothing is produced here these days), a good supply of foods, even exotic foods, flourishing restaurant business, fine wines, fine champagnes, fine whiskies, fine cigars, coffees, tees and even good supply of drugs on the streets, in particular cocaine. The most popular television programs are the chef cook-out competitions, vagabond chefs, chefs going to planet Mars, talking about the good life you name it. I went to a big home supply depot the other day and the first thing I saw after having parked my car was a younger family loading up their car with a new grill and grill supplies like ten sacks of char coal, lighter liquid and other stuff needed. Barbecuing is everybody's weekend past-time these days and the whole neighborhood is under clouds of meat-smelling smoke from lit-up grills. The supermarkets have introduced well hung designer beef from select beef-cattle in boxes with special design and with a see-through window to cater for those special moments in the garden. This transformation of the Swedish society has gone very fast and we now have most of what the US American got already in the seventies, even obesity.

At the same time old Swedish values are quickly eroding away, especially solidarity. Unemployment support is constantly being cut, sick and disabled people are refused support and forced out to labor, scavengers looking for bottles in trash bins are constantly seen around metro-, train- and bus-stations, hordes of beggars everywhere and the out-casts without a place to live sleeping on park-benches or on the pavement. And Sweden is becoming down-right dirty with trash everywhere, empty soda containers and fast-food packages everywhere.

There is so much more that is wrong here and the last thing I will mention is that education in schools has fallen below standards in the the countries around us. I have been travelling the world, working in many countries abroad for longer periods and wherever I came I got acknowledged for having both broad and deep knowledge professionally as well as concerning my social knowledge about the world. Things I learned in Swedish schools and universities, I did not go to prestigious private schools, I was just a normal kid being educated together with other normal kids by the Swedish school system, coming out well educated and more knowing than any single North American colleague I ever had.

I will follow the election campaign with one corner of my eyes and irrespective of who will win I don't look forward with enthusiasm to the times coming after it.