Märta Stenevi on the 2022 election: “The Green Party is not leaving”

The Green Party’s future in the Riksdag hangs on a very fragile thread and the opinion figures are bleak.

Språkrøret Märta Stenevi does not praise how hard it is.

– It is tough and frustrating.

She has been a member of the Green Party since 2012 and in January last year, former party secretary Märta Stenevi, 46, was elected as the new spokesperson. It was undeniably an eventful first period when the Green Party, as you know, chose to leave the government cooperation after the opposition’s budget was hammered through in the Riksdag in November.

Now the autumn elections are fast approaching and despite the fact that the Green Party is in many surveys below the Riksdag barrier, she is in good spirits.

– My gut tells me that it will go well, but I am, on the other hand, very frustrated that the climate issue is not becoming political. I have been politically engaged for ten years and what was talked about then we see happening now. You can’t just say it’s important, you also have to do something about it.

Since climate and the environment have become such a general and big issue, you should hurry, who have it so high on the agenda?

– The absolute simplest answer is probably that completely different issues have dominated the debate very much, such as law and order and security issues. And not least the war in Ukraine and NATO.

If we are to return to the climate. How do you think we should achieve the goals?

– Away with all fossil subsidies in the industry. We need a strong transport sector that runs on electricity and we must speed up the transition that has begun. This applies not least in sparsely populated areas where people are much more dependent on cars.

There is a lot of talk about the fact that all rechargeable cars will mean that you get rid of a lot of electricity. How do you solve that equation?

– We must use the right energy in the right place. Especially for cars, electricity is great. But when it comes to heating a house, for example, electricity is not a good solution. Just look at all the horror examples from last winter. We need to find efficient heating and not direct-acting electricity. Above all, we need to see offshore wind power.

We cannot get away from the fact that you have concrete proposals for solutions. What are you doing wrong because you don’t have higher numbers?

– We have a massive resistance. There is also no doubt that there is also an incredible resistance to wind power, which I find strange. We also encounter a lot of hateful images that we think people should start driving horse and cart. If we say energy efficiency, there is always some right-wing politician shouting that we want pensioners to freeze. It’s nonsense!

Could your history be a problem and that you simply came across as somewhat geeky in the past? You’ve heard the term “environmental muppets”.

– Lol! Yes, I think so. But it is also a very simple question of power politics. It is clear that blue-brown parties have a lot to gain from us falling out of the Riksdag. It would be bad for them because it would then be difficult to form an S-led government.

This is how the Green Party will solve its bad figures

In SVT and Novus’ June survey, you got 3.3 percent. How does it feel?

– Tough, of course. It is frustrating, but also spurring. I have not gotten involved in politics for career reasons. I do it because the social issues we raise are super urgent. It is about both climate and environment, but also equality issues. We have areas where the entire population is singled out as gang criminals, although the vast majority go to work and pay taxes and make an effort like everyone else.

But how are you going to solve your risky numbers?

– I think the realization must sink in with more voters. There will be no environmental and climate policy to talk about if we are not allowed to remain in the Riksdag.

What happens if you fall out of parliament?

– We don’t do that.

It was a confident answer.

– Yes, but I really don’t think we do. I feel safe in that, but hardly want to think about what it would mean if we get a government led by Ulf Kristersson where Jimmie Åkesson will sit and pull the puppet strings. We need to get a red-green majority government so there will be some steering speed in this country. The past six months have been a circus and I am impressed that there are even people who have the courage to respond to opinion polls. It’s disaster.

Speaking of the circus, Ulf Kristersson, among others, testifies that there is a lot of arguing about who you can talk to and who you can’t. Doesn’t it all tend to become a bit kindergarten?

– The actual policy is the central thing and therefore we will never participate in giving SD any influence. A number of years ago, Ulf was also aware that it was about the political content. But power has become very important to M and the only possibility for a power shift is to have SD on the team. Then the actual politics become uninteresting and you let go of your ideology in order to reach power.

By the way, will you remain as spokesperson if you leave the Riksdag?

– I expect one hundred percent that we will stay. But otherwise it is a matter for the party.

Family discussion before she agreed to be a mouthpiece

If we’re going to turn to the private, are you good at letting go of work?

– The fact is that I am. But right now it’s very intense, I’ll admit.

Does it happen that your partner Peter sometimes asks if you can possibly talk about something else?

– Haha, absolutely. He is, on the other hand, very interested, even if he is not involved in party politics. We have many interesting conversations. But I’m still good at letting go of work and being here and now. It also helps that I have five kids and huge piles of laundry, there are a lot of notes to be submitted and development interviews to be booked. It becomes a fairly natural shift in focus when I’m at home with the children.

Did you have family advice before you agreed to become a spokesperson?

– Absolutely. It is a special situation because I am based in Malmö and therefore away a lot. Everything has to work in everyday life and it has to last over time. The kids don’t cheer that I’m gone that much, but they understood that I want to do this and said okay.

Does that mean that Peter gets to handle a large part of the ground service?

– Yes, but he is self-employed and can control his time quite a lot. However, he is allowed to be more present with the children. I have three children who are 10, 14 and 16 and my bonus children are 9 and 14. So we have five children in two litters and sometimes it gets quite interesting schedules…

Are we now to ask how the famous life puzzle works?

– It actually works better than expected, even if it is not without its challenges. We also have nice co-parents who are very present.

As I said, you have five kids. Are you, like Annie Lööf, stuck in the taco swamp?

– Oh, yes! On Fridays it will be veggie tacos. We also have Monday food when it is always pasta with veggie mince sauce.

You and Peter have been together for five years. How did you meet?

– We met on a dating site, it was on match.com. It was during the summer when we were both away with our respective children that we got in touch. We therefore could not meet for a long time and wrote and wrote. That’s how we got to know each other and it has its advantages, you deal with everything from everyday matters to big topics.

Had to leave his previous job at Bokus

Peter is constantly referred to as your partner. But we note that you have a ring on your finger?

– Lol! It was well scouted by you. We actually got engaged before the last election. Then a lot of things came in between, not least the pandemic. He thinks we can just get married while I want a big party. I don’t think such an opportunity to be able to have it should slip from one’s hands. But we have no plans for a wedding, but the time is coming.

You previously worked as marketing manager for Bokus but were forced to leave. What just happened?

– I had been there for a long time and we had different owners and very different goals. Every two years we would expand very much and every two years we would become profitable. This was when we had gotten our profitability in order and I had spent a lot of time on it. But my CEO and I had different views on what we needed to do going forward and then he reorganized me away.

Self-esteem must have taken a hit?

– Yes, at first I was very sad. It had absolutely nothing to do with the matter and it was nothing my boss knew about, but I was also newly pregnant with my second child which made it difficult. After a few weeks I started looking for new jobs and you could say it got harder. It shouldn’t matter, but it does.

– I think about that time quite often. It was very tough to be laid off when you had small children and a house. The horror of suddenly not having any livelihood… I also don’t think people realize what such announcements mean with grief work and powerlessness. But it was still a good experience and that kind of insight is important to have with you when you are a decision maker.

MÄRTA STENEVI ABOUT…

…to train together with your partner

– I thought it was very shady when we met. I want to jog myself. But I have come to appreciate it very much. You also get a natural and stable pace because you jog and talk at the same time. However, I would need to strength train a little more than I have done during this incredibly intense period.

…what she does when she’s not working

– I read a lot, especially on the train between Stockholm and Malmö. When I had been commuting for a while, I realized what fantastic possibilities there were to work and read for a few hours instead of idly surfing on the mobile phone.

…net hate she is forced to endure

– There will be shit, but I keep it away quite well and in this position you have an advantage as there is a system around you that can help clean it out a bit. But it is incredibly problematic with the tone that has become and how many people think it is reasonable to write certain things.

Facts

This is Märta Stenevi

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