commercialism of the (Swedish Socialist Party) SWEDEN'S social democratic government has fallen in the heaviest defeat suffered by the workers movement since 1928.
The heaviest defeat was suffered by the social democrats, whose vote fell by more than 5% since the 1988 elections. The market-orientated right will now form the government for the first time in more than 60 years.
It was also a defeat for the Left Party (LP). The former Left Party of Communists lost 72,000 votes, but the principal defeat was political - their abject failure to attract those workers disillusioned by social democratic austerity.
'Reasonablé'
Instead, MPs have been pressing the party to be more reasonable and 'responsible', arguing that this must be the conclusion of the fall of 'actualIy existing socialism'.
In the few days immediately before the election on September 15, this developed into a full-blown witch hunt, aimed at driving the communists out of parliament'.
Despite their public opposition to the coup, LP leaders were unable to challenge the identification of socialism with stalinism. Confronted against 'stone dead socialism, 'leaders tried to avoid the debate.
No answer Thus in 4e minutes of questioning on telévision, the party clear answer to the question 'Do you support the ideal of communism or not?' The clear winners were the Conservative Party, Christian Democracy and New Democracy Conservative leader Carl Bildt will now form the next government. The election also saw a rise in the racist vote, where an election campaign on the slogan 'Stop immigration' won 7% of the vote in some areas.
This was also a theme of the far right New Democracy, much feted as a novelty by the Swedish media. Their populist campaign, focusing attacks on the social democrat bureaucracy, attracted audiences of thousands.
Inroads made by New Democracy into the working class vote, combined with a high abstention rate, cut considerable swathes from the Social democrat/ Left vote.
Local exceptions to what was bee ubbed the right Siedishe poss occurred in a revolution by Swedish press occurred in a few towns, i where local branches of social democrats had criticised their party from the left.
Unity candidates
The Socialist Party, Swedish section of the Fourth International, ran unity candidates with the LP in half a dozen towns. SP candidates were elected in Umea and Nacka outside Stockholm.
But the overall balance sheet is clear. This is the biggest defeat of the labour movement in Sweden for over 50 years, que tative internt de on 'bourgeois interlude 1976-82. The SP has called on the left to unite in resistance to the rise of the hard right.