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18 comments on Link roundup: Oil-free Sweden and We Luv Public Transportation

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Agric on January 27, 2006 - 8:04pm

Thanks for that analysis of Swedish politics on this issue, Magnus. I hope you will keep us informed as the Swedish elections near and perhaps post some useful news sites (in english if possible) - there isn't much decent news on Swedish politics and events in the ones I use.

Biomass ought to be a good route for Sweden. It could add industry and employment in country areas and there is a fair bit of marginal agricultural land that could be more profitable if used for biomass crops.

Though I am more socialist at heart than many in UK seem to be, I would probably be close to centre in the swedish population, I don't like government micromanaging nearly everything. I totally agree with your final paragraph.

I liked your comment: "Both sides have a strong tendency to listen to well argued scientific reasoning." Perhaps you don't appreciate how lucky you are! When you look around this planet can you honestly say that of any other government or political system?

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Magnus Redin on January 27, 2006 - 9:03pm

I should add that listening to well argued scietific reasoning only works well if it is about non ideological matters. Making something into a symbolic and politically important issue can make it harder to resolve in a logical way.

But sometimes problems get big enough to overcome that. Our pension system were destined to go bankrupt in about 20 years. All parties did almost quietly reform it into one that wont go bankrupt with a bang but rather scale down and slowly make most retirees poorer when the growth no longer can cover the old promises. This will now be done automatically withouth any further political decisions. Half our population got screwed with a fairly quiet "we realy have to do this". On the other hand, the system will not crash as for instance the current German pension system.

The fringe parties do from my point of view listen less to logical reasoning and that is probably one of the forces moving voters from the socialist party to the opposition. The logical voters have a lot of patience for stupid arguments tailored to attract the most mobile voters, the last 5-10% that decide the outcome of the election. But too much stupidity for too long to attract the fringe and keep fringe parties happy and the logical part of the core voters will start to move.