The Liberals and the Sweden Democrats in Norrtälje actually came stumbling close to saving local cooperation. When the SD municipal council and party board member Andrea Kronvall promised that the party would not start any more anonymous accounts, her liberal counterpart Robert Beronius said he was satisfied. The Sweden Democrats centrally confirmed that the settlement applied to the entire country.
For a couple of hours all was peace and joy. Until SD’s communications manager Joakim Wallerstein kicked Andrea Kronvall’s legs away, by announcing that the ban on anonymous accounts only applied for three days. With the result that the Norrtälje Liberals left the cooperation table for good.
Cheered up to fire Wallerstein
It is clear that even SD’s national partners expected a more traditional crisis management after Kalla fakta’s revelation of SD’s troll factory. L, M and KD initially clearly pointed the ball up for Jimmie Åkesson to kick Joakim Wallerstein.
“Serious problems in the communications department,” said Ulf Kristersson.
“The Sweden Democrats must clean up!” exclaimed Ebba Busch.
But instead, the Sweden Democrats invested the entire Tidö collaboration in saving the communications manager. After that, Wallerstein has apparently only strengthened his position.
Three reasons why the party keeps him
There are three reasons why the party is so keen to keep him.
1. Wallerstein does what the party wants. Just like the American right, the Sweden Democrats are convinced that traditional media do not give them the space they deserve. Therefore, they want to have their own way to the voters’ ears at all costs.
2. Wallerstein has been successful. SD has had a phenomenal opinion development, especially among young men. This is also why the party has difficulty ending anonymous accounts. The party does not think it would do as well without its troll factory.
3. Wallerstein knows where the skeletons are buried. In Kalla fakta’s recordings, he gives the order to punish Alice Teodorescu Måwe on social media. He overlooks how SD’s anonymous accounts are used to “shit on the moderates”. Cold facts have probably only scratched the surface anyway. Who knows what Wallerstein might tell if he was fired?
All of this means that the SD’s communications manager can cost himself a lot of money. Despite the fact that, according to some Sweden Democrats, it cost the party both a lousy EU election and local cooperation.