Stefan Löfven Blames Everything Else

From the Swedish original by Rebecca Weidmo Uvell.

Get It Try It

It wasn't a responsible prime minister who talked at Rosenbad today. It was the angry chairman of the Social Democratic Party.



We're up in one of the worst political scandals since the 1980s. And yet Stefan Löfven still won't take responsibility.

This lack of humility has been telling during his entire term in office, but today it became cringeworthy. To have such low popularity and to lead the weakest and worst government we've ever had: it isn't something to be proud of.

Ever since this mess became known to the public, Stefan Löfven has ignored his responsibility and instead blamed everything else. Blamed privatisation, blamed outsourcing, blamed the conservative Alliance, blamed undersecretary Erik Bromander.

It's understandable that it's uncomfortable for a party chairman who lives by the slogan 'power above all' to suddenly have to deal with an opposition that does what an opposition should be doing.

But it's not the opposition's responsibility to make things easy for the prime minister. Finally they're doing their job.

But this isn't about the Alliance - it's about something else. So let's take this from the beginning.

Stefan Löfven's government hired Maria Ågren as General Director of the Transport Authority in February 2015. Stefan Löfven took the opportunity to appoint his personal close friend Elvy Söderström to the board of directors of the Transport Authority, and Margot Wallström's close associate and friend Rolf Annerberg to chairman of the board. So political affiliation is more important than anything else.

According to the preliminary investigation of the Security Police, the Department of Commerce had been informed of violations of the law. By autumn 2015, the Security Police wanted to pause the project for security reasons. They were ignored.

Defence Minister Hultqvist and Interior Minister Ygeman were informed in March 2016 that the safety of the realm was in jeopardy.

But it was first in January 2017, says Stefan Löfven, that he was informed by them.

This is what leaked:

The entire driving licence database, including health information, for 6.3 million people. The register of military vehicles. The register of people with protected identities. The register of all of the country's ports, bridges, and roads.

And let's not stop there. The government of Stefan Löfven lied in January 2017 about why Ågren was sacked. Instead of telling the truth, that she had broken the law and had been reported to the police, Stefan Löfven said it was over 'a difference of opinion'.

It was first this month, when Ågren was convicted and fined, that the truth came out.

The parliament was never informed. And when had Stefan Löfven planned to inform his own employers - the people of Sweden?

It's easy to get the impression that, had it not been for the media digging into this story, Stefan Löfven would have blacked out the news that top-secret intelligence had leaked.

Instead of acting the statesman, Stefan Löfven carries on with his political intrigues, ignoring parts of the no-confidence statements from the opposition.

And it doesn't matter that people like Hultqvist. He didn't inform the Defence Committee or his prime minister about the threat to the country - information he received already in March 2016.

He's mismanaged his job. It's irrelevant if he's done good things or has a cute accent.

The Alliance cannot on Wednesday demand his resignation and then back off, only because Stefan Löfven refuses to accept the fact that the parliament can sack cabinet ministers.

The Alliance should push forward and force Hultqvist out of office. Stefan Löfven is not the only one who runs Sweden.

In our democracy, it's the parliament which is our highest ruling authority, and the lack of respect shown by Stefan Löfven time after time is cringeworthy.

He doesn't offer a compromise. He's wielding power and engaging in political intrigue.

It's not a day too soon that the opposition takes responsibility for the country, a responsibility the current government obviously can't handle.