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Martin Wicklin usually does great interviews. But on Sunday he completely failed when he met with Mattias Karlsson, the main ideologue of the Swedish Democrats.
Karlsson presented herself all the time as a sensitive mimosa. He was “terribly nervous” when he announced in the fall of 2014 in a long and well-prepared plea that SD intended to overthrow the government of Stefan Löfven. Today he has retired to his village of Småland because he did not even tolerate the suspicion that he will ever try to succeed Jimmie Åkesson. He’s so shy. Yes, and he’s a single parent.
Wicklin kept blurting it out.
Did not even react when Karlsson loudly declared his unshakable faith in both democracy and parliamentarism. Why not ask him about his opinion on the events in Hungary during Orbán? Doesn’t Karlsson share an opinion with SD party secretary Richard Jomshof, who would like to see today’s Hungary as the future of Sweden?
Tolerance towards right-wing extremism seems so great that there are reasons to see it as constitutive of the party.
It would have been so natural to remind Karlsson of his support for Donald Trump before the US election. Karlsson should be given an account of his views on the actions of Trump and his Republicans after the defeat. Obviously, they are trying to put democracy out of play. Does Karlsson still think Trump is a man to hold on to?
Asked about all the scandals with the SD members coming out with the most horrible opinions, Karlsson replied that there were chairs at all the parties. True, there are some. Recently, a moderate schoolboy had to leave his assignments, the Green Party has also had to deal with some bad eggs; yes, at all parties there are only a few chairs.
But the Swedish democrats are in complete distinction. It is constantly some representative of the party, until now highly respected, who is exposed with crude anti-Semitic statements or with pure Nazi sympathies. The curious thing is that SD, despite the solemnly proclaimed “zero tolerance”, had not the slightest suspicion of these types of addresses before they were revealed. Tolerance towards right-wing extremism seems so great that there are reasons to consider it constitutive of the party.
But Karlsson was left alone with his escape.
Living cultural life must be strangled and replaced by some kind of so-called populism
Nor was he pressured by cultural politics, despite the fact that he is the spokesman for his party there. We have a clear idea of what it is like at the municipal level, for example in Sölvesborg and, until very recently, in Hörby. The tracks are scary. Arm length does not apply here. Living cultural life must be strangled and replaced by some kind of so-called populism. What is particularly terrifying is the ignorance with which decisions are made and implemented. The staff is on the run.
Karlsson was also not asked about this.
It got even stranger when he was going to expose the conservatism that would permeate his Oikos think tank. He pointed out that all other countries have a conservative bloc, while so far in modern Sweden there are only socialists and liberals. It’s true only with the extremely broad definition of socialism and liberalism that SD moves with. In his eyes, they are all left liberals, unless they are Marxists.
But what is the core of Mattias Karlsson’s conservatism? It applies to Sweden, its traditions, its culture. There is not much to specify! Karlsson drew a blank Heidenstam quote, the one with the bow, and there was no more. On the other hand, he was allowed to speak calmly about the dangers that now threaten Sweden. The development has been catastrophic in recent decades, he explained. If it is not stopped, the Sweden Nation will perish.
The Others will soon form a majority, and what future then does Mattias Karlsson and his fellow party members define as Swedish culture?
We all know what Karlsson is and SD refers. It is immigration that will topple Sweden. That was the message of SD even when it was a small Nazi party, and it continues to be so. It is the same program as in Hungary and among Trump supporters in the United States. White hegemony is threatened! The Others will soon form a majority, and what future does it have then that Mattias Karlsson and his fellow party members define Swedish culture?
It is excellent that Mattias Karlsson is interviewed on the radio. But next time, the interrogator must have a thorough knowledge of both Swedish culture and Swedish history. Karlsson can be a sensitive soul. But you must bear this!
Read more:
Sven-Eric Liedman: Opinion should never be more important than knowledge
Sofia Lenninger: That’s why I became impossible at SD’s Sölvesborg
Mattias Karlsson awaits Trump in US elections
