Facts: What Jimmie Åkesson says about…
… that SD got large parts of its migration policy into the Tidö agreement?
— Well, we were probably a little surprised. Considering how it had sounded for a number of weeks, and then we went to this boarding school (at Tidö castle), and then everything just let go.
— In principle, it is everything that we recorded in the negotiations that then became the final result, and we might not have expected that.
… the risk of a whistleblower society if the obligation to report undocumented persons is introduced?
— No, I’m more afraid of the shadow society we have today.
… what will be difficult in government cooperation going forward?
— I am not worried about the collaboration as such, there is mutual respect. The difficult thing is the crises we are in, for example an extremely uncertain economic situation and what is happening in the outside world.
— For us as a party, it is the fuel prices that are our big challenge, it will be the tough negotiation when there are new budget negotiations, to bring down the costs of fuel. It is an important priority for us.
… possible issues of contention ahead?
— It will be four years of negotiations. The view on climate policy is one such issue.
… that SD can choose to stand outside certain politics, in order to pursue its own line?
— It might be a point not to be there. It is a balance we have to make in individual matters.
— At the same time, it is very worthwhile to have a direct influence on the government. I feel that we have good access to all government ministers. Our influence is broad. We want to be involved as much as possible in order to prepare for full-fledged government cooperation after the next election at the latest.
The Sweden Democrats have in principle got their entire migration policy through in the Tidö Agreement, which is the basis for government cooperation with the Moderates, the Christian Democrats and the Liberals. Immigration must be reduced sharply and asylum immigration must not be more generous at any point than what the EU or international agreements require.
Many individual proposals have received harsh criticism. For example, that the four parties want to investigate whether it is possible to reintroduce the possibility of deportation due to a lack of character.
“Basically, the problem is that today it is very difficult to deport people who should not be here, as long as they are not prosecuted for crimes. Here it’s about finding other opportunities, to simply be able to get rid of people who shouldn’t be here, says Jimmie Åkesson.
Examples given of a lack of conduct include being involved in criminal networks, prostitution and substance abuse.
Critics object that prostitutes should be seen as victims of crime and not risk deportation.
— For me, it doesn’t really matter how they are viewed. There is no reason for them to live in Sweden anyway, unless they have a reason to, says Åkesson.
Destructive life
Even “unequivocally stated remarks regarding the way of life” can be classified as a lack of character, according to SD.
TT: What does that mean?
– It could be that you have a criminal lifestyle or move in criminal circles without being prosecuted for any crime yourself, or that you generally live a destructive life that does not contribute to society, says Åkesson.
TT: A destructive life? Like abusing?
— Yes, it can also be a reason why there is no reason to stay in Sweden.
It is also said that foreign nationals “must not disrespect the population in action”. According to the SD leader, it is primarily aimed at Islamists “who are engaged in almost seditious activities”.
But Åkesson cannot answer exactly how the proposal should work. The details must be answered by an investigation.
Report undocumented
Another disputed point in the Tidö agreement is that employees in municipalities and authorities are proposed to be required to provide information if they come across people without a residence permit. Teachers, health workers and social workers have protested and said they do not intend to act as whistleblowers.
Jimmie Åkesson doesn’t think so either.
— To put that burden on the individual, for example a teacher, I don’t think is desirable. On the other hand, there are other officials, at a higher level in the administration, who should have that responsibility, he says.
Here, too, the details must be investigated, he says. And this also applies to the proposal that permanent residence permits should be patterned out and converted.
For example, what should happen to those who have permanent residence permits and do not want or are unable to become Swedish citizens. According to the Swedish Migration Agency, many of the around 300,000 who currently have permanent permits are contacting us and are worried.
TT: Should they be worried?
— No, if you have reason to be in Sweden and are interested in being part of Swedish society, you have no reason to be worried. But it is not a human right to live in Sweden, says Åkesson.
SD’s party leader Jimmie Åkesson himself is a little surprised at how much of the party’s migration policy is included in the Tidö agreement.
TT: Are you worried that the migration proposals will ultimately not be as sharp as SD wants, that they will be watered down in investigations?
— No, because we will not accept it. The government has been able to take office because of the Tidö Agreement and then it must also be implemented, otherwise the government no longer has a mandate. My view is that the government has the same opinion, says Åkesson.
“Don’t look away”
The SD has assured itself of influence over all investigations to be appointed. How the directives are written and who will investigate. And the Sweden Democrats work in the coordination office together with the government parties.
— This means that it is not possible to check away or water down what we have agreed on, says Åkesson.
When the 2026 election approaches, it is on migration and criminal policy that the SD will be evaluated by the voters, believes Åkesson. But what happens to fuel prices will also be important.
In the election campaign, SD promised that the diesel price would be reduced by SEK 10 per liter. So far it has been 40 öre at the pump. Åkesson believes that the voters understand that everything cannot happen in a few weeks.
– We are working on being able to bring forward the reduction of the reduction obligation, so that it will be removed already next year, he says.
The government’s announcement is that the reduction obligation must go down to the EU’s minimum level by 2024.