During her six months as Prime Minister, Magdalena Andersson has, among other things, had to deal with the corona crisis, the war in Ukraine, the NATO issue and the declaration of no confidence in the Minister of Justice Morgan Johansson.
In between, she has directly and indirectly discussed class, and workers’ conditions. Last Friday, the Prime Minister visited a preschool in Tynnered, Gothenburg. She played with the children, posed for selfies and group photos. Above all, she had a roundtable discussion with the educators, about their work situation.
Then she spoke at Kommunal’s congress. There were more selfies and group photos, but also a political outing.
She gave the audience a promise: To work for paid work shoes.
The Prime Minister received resounding applause.
Broadly traded the speech about what seems to be Andersson’s favorite group in society: Ordinary people.
She spoke warmly about the group at the LO congress last autumn, on a visit to Social Democratic party districts, during the May Day celebrations.
DN asks Magdalena Andersson who is included in that concept.
– The vast majority in Sweden who work and pay taxes or who want to work and try to enter the labor market. It’s a big part of the Swedish people I think of, she says.
Who then are “unusual people”?
– For example, people who have very high incomes, large fortunes and who may be able to live on their capital.
So when you talk about ordinary people, do you mean everyone except the rich?
– Yes, so all but the richest. We see how the richest have moved on.
Magdalena Andersson thinks that “Reinfeldt years’ policy” has benefited Swedes with the very highest incomes.
– The richest percentage has taken off in a way that is completely unreasonable and that damages cohesion in Sweden, which we are proud of when we go abroad.
“Sweden’s strength”, says Andersson, is a broad cohesion.
– When the working class and middle class together can be involved in pushing political proposals, then it will be good for very broad groups.
When DN asks the S-leader about her view of Swedish class society, she focuses on the economic gaps.
– It is bad for the individuals affected, it is bad for our whole country.
Economic inequality has increased since 1980. According to statistics, the poor have not become poorer.
The rich, on the other hand, have become richer.
The gaps have widened due to stock market ownership and housing.
– Very much of what most Swedes love about Sweden, which we are proud of, it is based on the gaps not being too big.
– It is about community, trust in each other, that we are a common society.
This is threatened, according to the S-leader, when the gaps increase.
At the same time, S has been in government for 29 of the 42 years that have passed since 1980, the year when the gaps in Sweden were at their smallest.
Magdalena Andersson was Minister of Finance from 2014 until 2021, when she became Prime Minister.
From the left, the government has, among other things, been criticized for, in violation of LO, having worsened employment protection, abolished the protection tax and privatized the Public Employment Service.
What responsibility does the Social Democracy have for the widening gaps?
– We see an international trend in how the economy develops throughout the western world. There seems to be an underlying trend that the gaps are widening. We have seen this in large parts of the western world.
Then she returns to the effects of the coalition government’s policy.
Three S-points for equality
In social democratic politics, there are, according to Magdalena Andersson, three parts that build an equal welfare society.
1. Everyone who can should work – and do so with a decent salary and decent working conditions: “It is the basis for being able to live a good life.”
2. A functioning welfare that provides a strong redistributive force: “It does not work well enough, but the idea is that it should.”
3. Progressive taxation and social safety nets: “We need to increase the tax on capital and strengthen our insurance systems.”
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– They pursued a policy that consciously stated that people with low incomes would get worse and people with high incomes would get better.
– All the budgets that I laid during my years as Minister of Finance, except when we abolished the defense tax, pushed in the opposite direction.
Magdalena Andersson says that she had wanted to do more, but that her economic policy has been blocked by the right-wing majority in the Riksdag.
– Given that, we have still got through good and important reforms for Swedish workers and for employees.
The S-leader highlights a couple of reforms that she is proud of.
– We have strengthened the unemployment insurance fund, we have strengthened the health insurance, we have removed the precipice now from the turn of the year. We have significantly improved the financial conditions for those who have sickness and activity compensation.
In several of theirs In recent speeches, Andersson has raised the high unemployment rate among foreign-born women. And it is largely immigrants who have low-wage occupations in the gigecom, where all jobs are temporary.
Has the working class been ethnicized, so that the lower strata of society are dominated by foreign-born? Magdalena Andersson answers both yes and no to that question.
She answers no, because she does not want to forget the Swedish-born people who “work for a far too low salary and with far too poor conditions”.
She answers yes, because Fredrik Reinfeldt’s coalition government introduced what the S-leader claims is the world’s most generous labor immigration.
– Many people come to Sweden who are also cheated and exploited. I think it’s awful.
Many people come to Sweden who are also deceived and exploited. I think it’s awful.
The Social Democrats instead want a so-called labor market test.
– Of course, people should be able to come to Sweden and work if we do not find people who are here who can take those jobs.
Now we have rather people who live in “bad conditions”, work with “very low wages” and who also do not always receive the wages that have been promised, according to Andersson.
– It is bad for those people, but it is also a source of funding for organized crime.
What responsibility does the individual have for his situation?
– All people must of course make an effort and do their duty, but there must also be a society that stands there and protects you when you need it.
Magdalena Andersson sees “duty and right” as the basis of social democratic politics.
– So obvious: you have to get an education, you have to look for a job, you have to join the union, you have to join the unemployment insurance fund.
Magdalena Andersson mentions unions as a key to overcoming low wages.
– It is about union organization and that everyone really joins the union so that the union can be strengthened.
For the fourth time in just over a quarter of an hour, the interview lasts, Magdalena Andersson chooses to attack the alliance government’s policy.
– The union lost members during the Reinfeldt years when a policy was pursued to weaken the unions.
The Sweden Democrats have, in recent years, won a significant proportion of men with LO occupations. Every third worker today sympathizes with SD, according to Statistics Sweden’s party sympathy survey in May.
Andersson admits that the Social Democrats have failed to reach that group.
– Yes, obviously, because there are several of them who sympathize with other parties, not least with the Sweden Democrats. I think we have been too bad at problem formulation, to say how it is.
How is it then?
– We see a working life crime that really makes it difficult for many who work in LO professions. And also for those who run companies in, for example, Construction.
The S-leader means that too many companies are unserious and bring here foreign labor who are allowed to work under poor conditions.
– Then serious companies try to compete with them. It is difficult to cope.
Is there anything concrete you could do to attract back the male workers’ electorate?
– We must be a broad party for all people who work and do the right thing for themselves in our country.
– The LO men are a central part of the people in Sweden who could benefit from a social democratic policy.
According to Magdalena Andersson, during this term of office it has become “very clear” that SD is a right-wing party.
– And a right-wing party will never pursue a policy that is good for ordinary people in our country.
Read more:
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Ewa Stenberg: Andersson lets Kristersson drive from the back seat
Sympathy for S is growing rapidly among C voters
Anna Kinberg Batra: Reinfeldt’s time was the strongest in modern times
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