SUMMARY IN ENGLISH

CONTRA # 2 2001

The State of the World is Excellent
by Tommy Hansson

"Global warming" is a permanent question for discussion among environmental activists and scientists. The UN climate panel IPCC has concluded that there is a risk of warming the earth by 1.5­6 degrees centigrade (2.7­10.8 degrees Fahrenheit] during the next century. During the past winter however, we had record lows in Mongolia and Siberia ­ as well as in Mid-Sweden. In Idre in the province of Dalecarlia the temperature dropped to minus 44 centigrade (-47 degrees Fahrenheit), the coldest in Mid Sweden for more than a hundred years!

There are good reasons to conclude that alarmists exaggerate the threat to the climate. At least Danish journalist Bjørn Lomborg makes that conclusion in his book Verdens sande tilstand, in which he refutes several of the favourite myths of environmentalism.

Electric Energy Gone by the Wind

The Swedish Government has commissioned a study on wind power, which has proposed a concentrated effort to promote the use of wind power. The efforts should include 4 000 windmills on land and 1 500 in the sea. A more and more outspoken opposition protests against the effects on the nature that would be caused by the proposed program.

Swedish Follies

Under the headline "Swedish Follies" Contra will tell true stories on awkward government regulations in Sweden during the 20th century. Some regulations as odd that it is hard to believe that they really have been in effect. The first part in the series tells about "The Authority of Establishment Control for Bank Branches". During the 1960s and 1970s any bank needed a permit in order to establish a new branch office, as the government wanted to counteract the "overestablishment" of exclusively designed branches. Today banks choose to close down a lot of branches as customers turn to internet banking

Restrictions for Free Speech in Sweden
by C G Holm

Free Speech is part of the Swedish Constitution. The Press Act especially emphasize the importance of free speech in printed media. But it is not given to anyone to produce printed media. And even fewer to distribute what is printed. Internet thus has grown into an important alternative to traditional technologies. But both the traditional technologies and internet are victims of government restrictions. Of course restrictions are caused by technology and finance. But there are other restrictions as well, three questionable examples are given in this article.

Heroes of the Cold War: Jeanne J. Kirkpatrick
by Tommy Hansson

Our series "Heroes of the Cold War" is now starting its seventh (!) year. This time we present the first ­ but not the last ­ woman in the series, US ambassador to the UN Jeane J. Kirkpatrick. She was one of the most important cabinet members during the first term of President Ronald Reagan. Kirkpatrick's deep knowledge of totalitarian ideologies contributed to success of the Reagan administration.

Hate Campaigns of US Liberals

When George W. Bush appointed his cabinet, revenge seeking Democrats tried to stop at least two of the Bush nominees ­ the present Attorney General John Ashcroft and the nominated Secretary of Labor Linda Chavez. Liberals were appalled by the ideological conservatism of the nominees. Ashcroft was confirmed by the Senate in spite of tough Democratic opposition, while the candidacy of Linda Chavez was withdrawn.

Stellan Arvidson - the Gravedigger of the Swedish School
by Tommy Hansson

Stellan Arvidson (1902­97) was called the "father of the comprehensive school". He had a PhD in Swedish literature and was a left-leaning Social Democrat. He used to be chairman of both the Swedish Author's League and The Friendship Association Sweden and the GDR [Communist occupied Eastern Germany]. In spite of this background he was the "Chief Architect" of the present Swedish school system.

Ethics, Politics and Euthanasia
by Alf Enerström

The twentieth century was one of the most destructive in world history. It included an accelerating secularization and also an accelerating intellectual primitivity. When the Netherlands now are legalizing euthanasia, Alf Enerström (MD) discusses the links between ethics, politicas and euthanasia.

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