The December Agreement must be abolished

The December Agreement must be abolished
In December 2014 the Swedish government (Social Democrats and Greens) made an agreement with the four major opposition parties (Moderates, Liberals, Centre and Christian Democrats). The agreement was a formula for managing the government budget in a situation where both the major groups in Swedish politics lack majority of their own. As the populist Sweden Democrats voted against the budget put forward by the government, the government prepared to call for new elections, which very likely would give the same results as the last election. Here the six parties agreed on accepting the budget proposal of the group with relative majority, not bothering about the view of the balancing party, the Sweden Democrats, with 13 per cent of the seats in parliament. The Sweden Democrats promised to vote against any budget not including their top issue, cutting back immigration, irrespective of the contents in other parts of the budget. We thus have a situation where seven out of eight parties have promised to vote against their own policies when it come to votes in parliament. Only the eighth party, the tiny ex-communist party, stands firm.

The electorate should have the right to expect that their representatives vote according to the mandate given them!

The government hits hard against employment, by C G Holm

The new Swedish government has a hard-hitting principle in its policies – to take measures to cut back high employment ratios. The former governments principle of work instead of welfare payments, is attacked and the society is heading back towards welfare instead of work. However, it will take some time, as the government lost the budget vote in the parliament in December 2014 and has to govern in accordance with the budget proposed by the opposition.

Oil rich Venezuela without toilet paper
by Kjell Albin Abrahamson

Oil rich Venezuela is close to a financial collapse. Inflation is galloping and shelves in stores are empty. A new law gives soldiers authority to fire at demonstrations. Dictatorial President Nicolás Maduro, 52, becomes more dogmatic and desperate, according to foreign correspondent and author Kjell Albin Abrahamson.

Did Muhammad exist?
by C G Holm

Did Muhammad exist? Robert Spencer means, in a recent book, that there are reasonable grounds for doubt. It is odd that a person claimed to be responsible for the start of the Arab conquest of the Middle East and North Africa never is mentioned in contemporary documents.

Contra 40 years!

With this issue Contra is concluding its 40th year. At year-end 1974 the first issue was mimeographed. At a time when the Social Democrats had been in power for 42 years in Sweden. Within two years the leader of The Centre Party, Thorbjörn Fälldin, was Prime Minister.

Let’s modernize the Swedish National Anthem by Sten Dybeck

The suggestion is put forward by a distant relative of the man who wrote the original lyrics in 1844, Richard Dybeck. The lyrics need to be adjusted to the contemporary society, Sten Dybeck means.

Plurality – a Troyan horse
by David Stavenheim

Who decided to turn Sweden from a homogenous to a heterogeneous nation full of ”plurality”? And do we have something to gain from the shift? No means sociologist Göran Adamson.

”Identity politics” –
the politically correct version of racism

More and more is discussed about ”identity policies” in Sweden today. The term is new and is used to describe the link between the identity of a person and his/hers political views in matters especially linked to the group. This has turned into a tool to exclude the majority from discussion of vital issues. Only people with black ancestry are allowed to discuss racism, only women gender policies and so on. In practice it is used by leftists to exclude conservatives from parts of the political discussion. (Black conservatives may be discarded as traitors to their race)

When American Society is called racist – to what is it being compared?
by Allan C. Brownfeld

Around the world it is claimed (often with the help of American institutions) that racism is an important factor in the United States. Racism against black Americans. But never has a country showed less racism than what is found in the US today.

Equality in Sweden,
by C G Holm

Now and then reports on increasing inequality in Sweden are published. Most of these reports are based on a dubious term called ”relative poverty” (income under 60 per cent of the median income). At the same time as absolute poverty decreases ”relative poverty” can still increase and give room for odd reports. If every poor man gets better off, but a few rich guys get even better off, this is called increased poverty in the relative sense. Look through the humbug of relative poverty!

The Khorasan terrorists are the worst
by Filip Björner

”Khorasan”, in the shadow of IS and other more well-known terror groups, are the most dangerous terrorists today, if considering the risks for terrorism in Europe.