The performance of the Sweden Democrats in today’s election exceeded all expectation, and may even constitute an earthquake in Swedish politics. Henrik Ræder Clausen watched this evening’s results on Danish and Swedish television, and compiled the following report for Gates of Vienna.
Election results after 83% of the vote had been counted
(See the bottom of this post for a key to the parties)
A Swedish political earthquake
by Henrik Ræder Clausen
It was expected that the immigration-critical party Sverigedemokraterna (“The Sweden Democrats”, SD) would do well in today’s Swedish elections. Now that the results are in, SD won 13% of the vote (48 seats in the Swedish parliament Riksdagen), up from 5.7% (20 seats). They beat all expectations, severely shaking up the Swedish political and media establishment. The party is now the third largest in Sweden, twice as large as the fourth largest (the environmentalist party Miljøpartiet, 24 seats).
During the election, much effort had been put into denigrating and demonizing Sverigedemokraterna. This includes the refusal to talk to them at debate meetings, a media refusal to run their paid advertisements, and the issuance of a warning that Sweden risks a descent to the “State of Denmark” — that is, discussing the harmful effects of immigration. In the last days before the election, the media and politicians dictated to the voters: “Don’t vote for Sverigedemokraterna!” For what the establishment truly feared was to break the Swedish silence on the key topics: Islam and immigration.
Apparently, this attitude has caused a significant Streisand Effect in the elections. Danish media, just across the strait of Øresund, has picked up on the decline of Swedish democracy. In particular, Jyllands-Posten has carried crass opinion pieces and editorials about the collapse of due democratic process in Sweden, and the famous Swedish welfare going down in flames. But the fresh results seem to challenge the notion of that decline.
It’s not that the establishment isn’t trying. The hard left Vänsterpartiet was shouting anti-racist slogans at their election party (again focusing more on SD than on their own political ideas), and the veteran Social Democrat Mona Sahlin stressed the most important election result: “87% did not vote for SD”. Efforts are underway to form a Swedish government (most likely under the Socialists, with Mona Sahlin as prime minister) void of SD influence — that is the stated priority of the political establishment — but due to the fact that the two ‘left’- and ‘right’-wing blocks will both come in well under 50% in the new parliament, that will be difficult.
Not to mention dealing with even stronger Streisand Effects.
Looking forward, one may expect the political correct establishment to renounce any form of cooperation with SD. Then, the words ‘Immigration’ and ‘Integration’ are being used over and again to explain (away) the election results, it will become hard to erase those from the political agenda. Stunning crime rates and the decay of the welfare system are other topics are also mentioned, and when the established political parties routinely swear off the SD influence, one can expect them to discreetly pick some of up them anyway, in order to stall the progress of SD, and probably even use the 48 SD votes in parliament for some political deals somewhat down the road.
Miscellaneous notes:
- Islamists have been distributing anti-democratic flyers, as could be expected.
- Note also Feministiskt initiativ, the only explicitly feminist party I ever heard of, is below the electoral limit at 3.1%.
- Alliansen, “The Alliance”, the blend of right-wing parties that formed a government together in the last period, also aimed at keeping SD out of influence.
- Voter turnout is estimated at 86%, an increase over the previous election.
- Vänsterpartiet was shouting “No Racists in our Streets!” at their election party when they saw the SD results. That’s an Antifa slogan.
- The Social Democrat leader Stefan Löfven promises Keynes-style economic policies. He gets his most powerful applause when he stresses “No working with SD!”. Everything else seems less important. Stopping Sverigedemokraterna is the top political priority.
A key to the parties shown in the election results:
| C | Centerpartiet | Center Party | ||
| FI | Feministiskt initiativ | Feminist Initiative | ||
| FP | Folkpartiet | People’s Party (Center Right, Liberal) | ||
| KD | Kristdemokraterna | Christian Democrats | ||
| M | Moderaterna | Moderates (“Conservatives”) | ||
| MP | Miljöpartiet | Environment Party (Greens) | ||
| S | Socialdemokraterna | Social Democrats | ||
| SD | Sverigedemokraterna | Sweden Democrats | ||
| V | Vänsterpartiet | Left Party (Hard Left) |
I had read that something like this was in the wind … (even though the guy writing the article seems a bit of a tool)
http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/fraser-nelson/2014/09/shock-election-in-sweden-as-far-right-sweden-democrats-become-no3-party/
It appears that the political pendulum has stopped swinging for now in Sweden. It will be interesting to see which way it will take up moving when it resumes to swing. Good news for now.
I am wondering just how bad it has to get before a majority of Swedes wake up to their slow, quick-sand-like, demographic demise? How much more crime, rapes, no-go zones, and creeping Sharia will it take? The mind reels at how these people have absolutely no sense of folk, tradition, and nation.
Merlin, They have been rendered semi conscious by marxism and while they know right from left they no longer know right from wrong. The next time the Vikings attack European shores, they will be shouting “allahu ackbar.”
Not just Sweden. This comment could easily apply to every country in the Christian west. What makes formerly rational minds do reels and jigs is that our politicians of every persuasion, (gays and feminists included), are selling our populations out faster than the Saudis can get the cash into their current accounts. Who knows with this “my sell out is bigger than your sell out” insanity the Swedes may do better than most. The times they are a changin’
It looks like many people in Europe are becoming disappointed with the ruling elites. That may be a good sign.
On y va.
Pleased but not that surprised… isn’t much of the rest of Islam-poisoned Europe going in the same direction?
It’s those darned unintended consequences again. The EU-inspired Islamification of Europe is creating an EU-wide response in opposition to it – it’s a kind of European integration but not as the EU had hoped. The plan was to have Europe united in support of the EU (and all its trappings) but what’s happening is that Europe is uniting against the EU (and all its trappings). The irony is truly beautiful.
Yeah, but Sweden is uniquely hard core in that it is impermissible to discuss immigration. The privately owned media only survive through taxpayer subsidy; so they toe the government line: Islam is wonderful for making Sweden so diverse. Rape? What rape? Welfare fraud, crime, no-go zones – ditto. Also when Antifas violently assault Sweden Democrat event attendees the police stand by idle. Oh and bureaucrats illegally pass the home addresses of SD party officials and members to Antifas – who then visit them with TV crews in tow.
Just because the establishment won’t allow public discussion of certain issues doesn’t necessarily mean that those issues aren’t on the public’s mind or aren’t aired in more private arenas.
Of course Sweden’s powers-that-be engage in underhand methods to maintain their position of authority – what else would anyone expect of them. They’ll do whatever they have to do… But even that is encouraging. If things were going their way they’d not have to say or do anything because everyone would have swallowed the story hook, line, and sinker. People aren’t allowed to talk about immigration because if they did they’d not be telling it how the establishment would want them to.
The longer the “Christian” west delves into social justice, rather than the saving of souls, the longer they will wander through the wilderness with Marxist and Islamic death cults on their heels.
That ship’s already sailed, and not all of us would want to see it return.
But others might.
And if saving souls is passe in some way, the (government-centered) striving for social justice is something that can be profitably abandoned.
Personally, I’m sick of hearing what leftist simpletons think is “social justice” and I am for sure sick of their paying no heed to the consequences of giving more and more power to the state. That ship has turned around and is heading back to port!
Hmmm…it’s really “social” “justice” because genuine justice is gone. Fled or dead, I’m not sure but its absence is indeed glaring. What would unsocial justice look like, do you think?
Kinda reminds me of the circumlocution to be found in “social disease”. More accurate to call it a disease of ardor? “Arduous Disease” has a certain je ne sais quoi, non?
There is a turning point when Swedish citizens realize that their country is turning into a mess. No matter how much the politicians tell the Swedish citizenry to ignore the riots and drain on their country. No matter how much the gov’t sponsored media try to clamp down on the mayhem, the Swedish citizen living his every day life is impacted by his govt’s decisions.
I know I was.
All the left worldwide haveing graduated from the Comintern-KGB-Alinsky University, the Dirty Tricks Department of Swedish Socialism is already at work overtime, throwing mud at SD, hoping some will stick:
http://www.thelocal.se/20140912/sweden-democrats-in-new-secret-film-scandal
Why have sane people ever let this madness get so far? Why are we free peoples committing cultural suicide? I suppose the Jews were asking this in 1939. 2014 is OUR shame.