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indeed corrupt as well, Greece and Ireland being the 2 worst by far). In countries such as my own (Sweden) and others who have resisted bankster invasion, they still fight austerity programmes, BUT the centre-right generally have taken control, so they (the social democratic left) are put on the defensive.
The Swedish Social Democrats have not had great leadership since Olof Palme was assassinated in 1986, and are losing percentages each election. I myself switched parties in 2008 to the Greens, as they are much more dynamic and forward thinking, plus they also hold an overall anti-EU stance, something I share to a high degree. In the 2010 elections, Miljöpartiet de Gröna (Green Party of Sweden) had huge gains, and are now the 3rd biggest party in our Riksdag.
here is the Green Party Platform:
Raise quality within welfare, invest in educationtion
1. No-one should be without insurance
Everyone should be covered by secure and modern health insurance. We want sickness benefit to be available for as long as people are ill and we want to get rid of the health insurance ceiling. Society has a particular responsibility for providing effective rehabilitation. Everyone should be covered by general unemployment insurance.
2. Shorter working hours
We want to reduce normal working hours to 35 hours a week to give people more time and increase their quality of life. As an initial step we want to introduce support for parents of young children to allow them to reduce their hours, and we want to reintroduce the sabbatical year. We want to introduce more flexibility around retirement age and create opportunities to reduce working hours as people approach retirement.
3. Diversity at school
While at school children are entitled to learn the skills that they will need as they enter adult life. Parents and children will have good opportunities to influence teaching and be able to choose a method that suits the child. All children will have the attention and time that they need with adults in school and at nursery. Quality in Swedish nurseries and primary and secondary schools therefore needs to be improved. We need to increase the teacher-pupil ratio, reduce class sizes and increase the amount of scheduled teaching time. We want to protect diversity in schools, teaching and educational focus. We want to strengthen pupil democracy and invest in pupil healthcare.
4. Let children be children
A playful and safe childhood should be a universal right. A society that is good for children is good for everyone. We want to boost children’s rights and incorporate the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into Swedish law.
5. Preventive care
Healthcare and nursing need to adopt a preventive approach that promotes healthy living. Healthcare will be equal for all and be located close to citizens. It will be characterised by teamwork and broad medical and psychosocial expertise. Special initiatives are required in order to reduce mental ill-health and improve elderly care. Checks and monitoring will be enhanced to reduce cases of incorrect use of medication.
6. Good food
We want to improve the quality of food in schools, hospitals and homes for the elderly. Children, older people and sick people will be served freshly cooked meals from local kitchens in schools, homes and hospitals instead of heated up food that is driven long distances. When procuring services the focus will be on organic ingredients and locally produced food, which is why the law on public procurement needs to be reviewed to allow the promotion of local purchasing. Tasty and nutritional food is a natural aspect of welfare.
7. A strong higher education system and increased student grants
The education system is a key aspect of a modern knowledge-based society. Quality in higher education institutions will be improved by increasing the amount of contact time for the students and a greater focus on good teaching methods. We want to offer people new opportunities and to make it easier to study at all stages in life. That’s why we want to raise the student grant and improve students’ social safety net. Cooperation will be strengthened between universities/higher education institutions and the business sector.
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A just and sustainable world is possible
1. Active global climate policy
We must reduce global emissions of greenhouse gases. We want to campaign globally to phase out all subsidies on coal, oil and nuclear power. We want to introduce environmental control charges for fossil fuels within international airline and shipping operations to cover the cost of climate initiatives in poor countries. We must increase international support for climate measures in developing countries.
2. Tackle poverty
We want to work for fair trade that takes account of the needs of the poor countries. The level of aid given by Sweden will be at least one percent of GNI. Sweden will campaign to write off illegitimate debts and ensure that poor countries do not fall into debt traps. Tackling poverty will be a key element of foreign, trade and development aid policy.
3. Phase out export of arms
We want to phase out the export of arms. An initial step will be to toughen up regulations for Swedish weapons exports. It is unacceptable for Swedish weapons to be exported to countries that are involved in human rights abuses. We say no to investing additional billions in a new, upgraded version of the JAS fighter plane. Sweden should remain outside NATO. We must step up efforts to establish peace in the world. We also want to prohibit the manufacture of mines and cluster bombs in Sweden.
4. Stop overfishing in our seas
All subsidies must be removed that contribute towards overfishing. Cod and other species of fish in our seas should not be fished if their numbers fall below safe levels. Strong measures are required to tackle illegal fishing. We will also review Sweden’s trade policy to help reduce overfishing in other seas around the world.
5. Respect for human rights in refugee policy
We want to create more legal routes for migration to the EU. A more humane refugee policy is needed. There have long been deficiencies in the Swedish migration process, which is why we want to carry out an amnesty for all those without papers. The best interests of the child will be prioritised in the assessment of all refugee cases. Those without papers should be entitled to healthcare and have the right to attend school.
6. No to EMU
We want Sweden to keep its own currency and not join the EMU. The EU must be more democratic and less centralised. The EU should not have a common defence policy
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An equal society increases freedom
1. Equality at home and on the board
Both parents are entitled to be at home with their children and the child has the right to be with both parents. We want parental insurance to be divided into three periods, with the parents each being assigned a certain number of days and the third period being divided up as they choose. This will improve opportunities to divide up parental leave in an equal manner. We want to introduce a law on quotas for the number of women on the boards of listed companies and public sector companies.
2. Women’s safety is freedom
We want to increase resources to women’s refuges working with domestic violence. The justice system must handle cases with skill and respect. Rape laws will be strengthened to guarantee sexual integrity. Children who have witnessed violence in the home will be regarded as victims of crime. People who are convicted of assault will be forced to undergo treatment. Violence against men and violence within same sex relationships must also be given attention. More resources are needed to tackle prostitution and human trafficking.
3. Equal rights for all
Discrimination legislation needs to be toughened up. We want to promote equal rights at companies and government agencies. Local anti-discrimination agencies will be strengthened. We want to continue to campaign for the rights of homosexual, bisexual and transsexual people. Efforts to tackle hate crime will be stepped up. Everyone will have the opportunity to participate fully in society. We want lack of access to be classed as discrimination against people with disabilities under the law.
4. Learning using native language
One of the most efficient ways of improving school results for children whose native language is not Swedish is to invest more in native language teaching. We want to extend the right to native language teaching to cover the entire compulsory schooling period. We also want to increase subject teaching in children’s native language.
5. Jobs and training for newcomers
Newcomers to Sweden will be offered opportunities to learn Swedish quickly, validate or supplement their training and get a job. We want Swedish language studies to be combined with practical experience. We want to improve quality in Swedish as a second language. We want universities and higher education institutions to offer courses in Swedish for people coming to Sweden with an academic education.
6. Defend the right to a private life
People’s right to a private life is being restricted across society. We want to strengthen the regulations regarding camera surveillance so that individual integrity is taken into consideration. The state will not be able to register all Internet user traffic in Sweden. We want to abolish the FRA law on changes to defence intelligence activities.
7. A free internet and balanced copyright legislation
We want to protect the rule of law and integrity on the internet by making changes to the IPRED law on file sharing. We want to modernise copyright law and decriminalise file sharing for private use. Net neutrality is an important principle that must be defended.
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New jobs, entrepreneurship and small companies
1. Reduced VAT for service companies
We want to encourage growth in the service sector by reducing VAT within several industries. It will be cheaper to repair broken items, eat at restaurants, go to the hairdresser and fix a bicycle. Sustainable consumption of services must be encouraged and we want to take an initial step towards achieving this during the mandate period.
2. Reduced tax for small companies
We want to reduce payroll tax for small companies by ten percentage points. We want sole traders to have an additional reduction for the first employee during the first year of operation.
3. Venture capital for SMEs
We want to introduce a state venture capital fund to make it easier for more small and medium-sized companies to have access to venture capital. The fund will be financed from dividends from the state companies.
4. Trade and industry at the forefront
A lot of new entrepreneurs are motivated by the desire to take greater ethical, social and environmental responsibility. This contributes towards sustainable development. We need to encourage this approach. We want to increase grants for innovation, product development and environmental technology development at small and medium-sized companies. The state and municipal companies will contribute towards new environmental technology, renewable energy and act as an example when it comes to reducing climate impact. Social and cooperative enterprise will be part of a green entrepreneur policy. We work to encourage more companies to start up in rural areas. We want to actively work to utilise and improve opportunities to take social, ethical and environmental aspects into consideration during the public procurement process.
5. Jobs and training for young people
We want to introduce a trainee programme in the welfare sector. We also need to invest more in professional training programmes and apprenticeships. More higher education institutions will offer work experience at companies and authorities as part of the training programme.
6. An open and varied cultural life
A vibrant and creative cultural life is a key success factor for health, quality of life and the development of society. We want to invest in culture so that everyone, particularly children and young people, is given the opportunity to participate in various different cultural activities, both actively and as a member of the audience. Schools of culture will be strengthened. Culture is a climate friendly alternative to material consumption.
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Invest in new jobs and reducing climate impact
1. Sweden will take its share of the responsibility
Sweden has to take its share of global responsibility. Emissions of greenhouse gases will decrease in accordance with researchers’ recommendations. Increases to green taxes will make it more expensive to use fossil fuels.
2. Double capacity in railway network
Climate-friendly transport policies across the country require major investments in the railway network. Capacity for passenger and goods trains will be doubled. We want to build high-speed railways and link the major Swedish cities Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö to Copenhagen and Oslo. We also want to link the main line with regional tracks to strengthen regional connections. It will be cheaper to travel by train than drive or fly.
3. Expand public transport
We want to invest in an extensive expansion of the public transport system, trams, regional trains, underground and buses, to create more climate-friendly cities. We want to double public transport’s share of transportation by 2020. There is no need for new motorways. Public transport should be accessible and usable for people with disabilities.
4. New fuels for cars
Many people in Sweden are dependent on a car. Fossil fuels need to be phased out for environmental and cost reasons. So everyone should be given the opportunity to fill up using renewable fuel. It should be cheaper to drive on renewable fuels instead of petrol. Domestic production and distribution of renewable fuels will be encouraged. It will be possible to fill up using biogas and recharge electric cars all over the country.
5. Make your own electricity
We want to make producing your own electricity profitable. An increasing number of people are keen to invest in renewable energy and contribute to reducing their climate impact. This also means that more people should be able to supply renewable electricity to the electricity network. We want to introduce a system of fixed prices for renewable electricity and allow net metering for small-scale electricity producers.
6. Invest in renewable energy and energy efficiency
We want to replace nuclear power and fossil fuels with wind power, biofuel, wave power and solar energy, and make investments to improve energy efficiency. We want to invest in rebuilding work that leads to reduced energy consumption. This will reduce energy costs. Uranium mining will be prohibited.
7. Repair Million Programme housing
We want to introduce a special investment grant for rebuilding and repairing run-down homes and urban centres, mainly in the suburbs. The investments will lead to improved home environments and reduced energy consumption.
8. More goods by train and boat
We want to introduce a tax on HGV transportation in order to improve road safety and reduce emissions. This will mean that it will make more financial sense to transport goods by train and boat instead of lorry.
9. Protect nature and biological diversity
Meadows and pastureland that are rich in species will be protected and the section on protection of coastal areas in the Swedish Environmental Code will be strengthened. Valuable natural forests will be protected. Sweden will provide long-term protection for robust stocks of the four major predators: wolves, lynxes, bears and wolverines. The spread of environmental toxins must be curtailed, for example by banning several brominated flame retardants and hormone disruptors. We want to preserve and recreate wetlands and provide legal protection for groundwater, which are all important to our water supply.
10. Farming and animal protection
The use of pesticides and commercial fertilizer will be minimised. Animal protection will be reinforced and we want to ban fur farming. We will protect the soil. We want to make it financially viable to pursue ecologically sustainable farming. Sweden will be at the helm within green industries such as ecotourism and small-scale food processing. We want to protect the soil from genetically modified crops.
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