The Economist tar livet av svensk socialdemokrati

The Economist behandlar det svenska valet i två läsvärda artiklar. Ledaren The strange death of social-democratic Sweden hyllar regeringen Reinfeldt samtidigt som den avlivar socialdemokratins traditionella lösningar.

Many had hoped that the financial crisis would lead to a renaissance
of the left, because the perceived failure of free-market capitalism
would pull voters back into supporting a bigger role for the state. And
yet Sweden’s election will confirm that this is not happening. In
Denmark and Finland (even, lately, in Norway) the left is falling back.
Across much of Europe, with the exception of France, the crisis has so
far seemed to help the right more than the left.

Competence and moderation have been hallmarks of Mr Reinfeldt’s
government. Other countries are interested, not least Britain. The Tory
leader, David Cameron, a friend of Mr Reinfeldt’s, is also in coalition
with the liberals. British public-sector reformers now look to Sweden
for examples of greater competition and more private provision. So the
Swedish model still appeals-but to the right, not the left. That is a
mark of how far the Swedish Social Democrats have fallen.

Korrespondenten i Stockholm fortsätter i artikeln Moderate and happy.

Ms Sahlin is heading for a dreadful result. The Social Democrats’
poll rating is below 30%, compared with the 40-45% of former times. Her
predecessor as leader, Goran Persson, has already said that to get under
30% would be a “disaster”. It is hard to see Ms Sahlin staying on as
leader unless she does better than this-although she has no obvious
successor.

In truth, Ms Sahlin is not solely to blame for her party’s woes. The
Social Democrats’ glory days are long gone and look increasingly
unlikely to return. Swedes are less enamoured of the welfare state than
they were. Concerns about jobs and immigration are now more to the fore
than love of equality. And voters seem to put a premium on competence.
This election may suggest that the Moderates, not the Social Democrats,
have become the natural party of government in Sweden.