Saturday, September 10, 2005
Regionalism a la Suede
The Swedish Government’s inquiry on a new political and administrative organisation in Sweden was supposed to deliver its first report on its findings in May this year (the final report in 2007). As far as I have been able to determine, no report was presented at that time. Why? Could it be that the largest political party in power, the Social Democrats, has changed its position on the subject? It looks that way, which reinforces my suspicion that the main purpose of public inquiries is to confirm and legitimise decisions already taken by the Government. It must obviously be very hard for an inquiry chairman to present his findings if the government opinion changes 180 degrees in the middle of his work period.
In December 2004 the responsible minister in the Government, Sven-Erik Österberg voiced his opinion that “the Scanian regional self-government is a threat to a strong Sweden”. Generally speaking the minister expressed a certain unwillingness to support the idea of a regional self-government for the future.
In the last six months something has happened in the hallways of power in the Government. This month the same minister publishes a debate article in Sydsvenskan in which he expresses his (new?) opinion that the regions (particularly in Skåne) has worked well and that the “regional trial” should be expanded to more areas of Sweden. That’s good!
In another newspaper article the minister concludes again that the regional experiment in Skåne has ”worked well” and that an elected regional government with the right of direct taxation is needed for the future. Again, that’s good!
But there is a fly in the ointment. He goes on to say that there are too many county councils in Sweden, twenty-one of them, in fact. The number has to be reduced to 8-10, he says. Then, typically of the Swedish anti-cultural establishment, he suggest that the regional government (of Skåne) should expand and include one half of Halland and one half of neighbouring Småland (The Kronoborg county). Sweden is probably the only state in Europe to come up with the idea of cutting old historic regions into pieces and hand them over to their neighbours. Mr. Minister, if there is a beautiful regional division, why create an ugly one? And one more thing, Mr Minister. Former French President Mr Mitterand gave us one good advice before he passed away: “If there in one thing the history of Europe has taught us and that is never to play with borders”. Halland has almost one-thousand years history with Skåne and Blekinge. Doesn’t that account for anything?
In December 2004 the responsible minister in the Government, Sven-Erik Österberg voiced his opinion that “the Scanian regional self-government is a threat to a strong Sweden”. Generally speaking the minister expressed a certain unwillingness to support the idea of a regional self-government for the future.
In the last six months something has happened in the hallways of power in the Government. This month the same minister publishes a debate article in Sydsvenskan in which he expresses his (new?) opinion that the regions (particularly in Skåne) has worked well and that the “regional trial” should be expanded to more areas of Sweden. That’s good!
In another newspaper article the minister concludes again that the regional experiment in Skåne has ”worked well” and that an elected regional government with the right of direct taxation is needed for the future. Again, that’s good!
But there is a fly in the ointment. He goes on to say that there are too many county councils in Sweden, twenty-one of them, in fact. The number has to be reduced to 8-10, he says. Then, typically of the Swedish anti-cultural establishment, he suggest that the regional government (of Skåne) should expand and include one half of Halland and one half of neighbouring Småland (The Kronoborg county). Sweden is probably the only state in Europe to come up with the idea of cutting old historic regions into pieces and hand them over to their neighbours. Mr. Minister, if there is a beautiful regional division, why create an ugly one? And one more thing, Mr Minister. Former French President Mr Mitterand gave us one good advice before he passed away: “If there in one thing the history of Europe has taught us and that is never to play with borders”. Halland has almost one-thousand years history with Skåne and Blekinge. Doesn’t that account for anything?
