The more ferocious the alliance against the xenophobes is, the more a swathe of voters may come to see them as the only alternative to a political cartel they think out of touch
Save time by listening to our audio articles as you multitaskIf the name of the party with most votes came as no surprise, that of the runner-up did: the Sweden Democrats , an outfit with roots in the neo-Nazi movement. Having campaigned to “make Sweden great again” , it snagged second place from the centre-right Moderates. It was the first time in a dozen elections over four decades that a party had gatecrashed the established political order in Sweden.
In all likelihood the them-versus-us strategy will take yet another big knock later this month when Italians vote. Giorgia Meloni of the Brothers of Italy, a party with neo-fascist roots and plenty of bile aimed at foreigners, looks set to come top. Unlike Mr Akesson, she has the allies needed to become prime minister. If that happens it will be the first time in decades a westernmay do some good. The ban has often hobbled the fight against intolerance, not bolstered it.
Bringing xenophobes into government is not a sure-fire way of draining the abscess. But it can work. Some have floundered in office when they joined ruling coalitions: in Austria and the Netherlands, nationalist groups in power collapsed under the weight of their ineptitude. In Norway the populist Progress Party mellowed after first getting ministerial briefs a decade ago.
. Campaigning vocally against populist ideas to siphon votes away from the nasties is laudable. Denying them influence once the results are in is not. In a democracy, a political party receiving broad electoral support with nothing to show for it should be a source of civic embarrassment, not pride. Voters have been treating nationalist parties as “normal” for a long time. If politicians do not do the same, they can expect to be punished.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Populist anti-immigration leader claims victory in Swedish electionsThe current Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson has already accepted defeat, saying 'the preliminary result is clear enough to draw a conclusion' she had lost power
Read more »
Sweden's PM Magdalena Andersson resigns as resurgent right-wing look set to take power'I see your concern and I share it,' the outgoing Prime Minister said, with her successor likely relying on the far-right Sweden Democrats for support
Read more »
50 Questions With Ben CobbAs his collaboration with Tiger of Sweden is launched, the editor of ES Magazine is faced with a barrage of invasive questions by AnOther Magazine
Read more »
Hospital-treated infections in early- and mid-life and risk of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A nationwide nested case-control study in SwedenIn a nested case-control study, Jiangwei Sun and colleagues investigate the relationship between hospital-treated infections and risk of a diagnosis for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and ALS using nationwide registry data from 1970-2016 in Sweden.
Read more »
Mucosal antibodies in the airways protect against omicron infectionHigh levels of mucosal antibodies in the airways reduce the risk of being infected by omicron, but many people do not receive detectable antibodies in the airways despite three doses of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. These are the findings of a study published today in The New England Journal of Medicine, led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Danderyd Hospital in Sweden.
Read more »