Nooshi Dadgostar put on a construction helmet and reflective vest and changed the focus of the Left Party – from identity politics to industrial politics. Today, she continues on that track and wants to re-regulate Swedish railway policy – for the sake of the industry. But the glowing class struggle rhetoric was absent in her Almedal speech.
Left-wing party leaders don’t usually deny themselves in Almedalen. There are usually glowing speeches about society’s injustices and lack of equality, and certainly there were traces of this in Nooshi Dadgostar’s speech this year as well. But the main focus was on cracks in the systems and the need to restore the strong society. A few jabs at welfare capitalism and privatization nevertheless created a left-wing fund in her speech and the fairly sparse audience was enthusiastic. Perhaps it also depends on the railways.
Going home to the cottages
The proposal to re-nationalise railways and increase control of ticket prices is sure to hit home in many cabins after last year’s alarming reports of bad trains, delays and chaos with ticket releases. As often with proposals from smaller parties, full concreteness was lacking, and it was not clear in what WAY the state will be able to force private train operators to lower ticket prices, but according to the party leader, it should lead to 20 percent cheaper tickets.
With the railway proposal, the left-wing party continues in part on the path it has embarked on since Dadgostar became party leader – to break into new voter groups and fish in the waters of the Sweden Democrats. During the spring, SD also pushed a political proposal that parts of the railway maintenance should be nationalized. This is how the parties think along similar lines.
Controversial strategy
But the V strategy has not been uncontroversial, it has led to defections from the party and angered the party’s left. And the party’s election analysis showed that it did not lead to any influx of voters from new voter groups, on the contrary. The conclusion there, however, was to continue on the track you started on. The fact that the opinion figures have gone up since the election has certainly strengthened the party leadership. The party is moving, if not like a train, then at least steadily forward towards the next election.