This article was first published in Stockholm News 2009-05-01.
The 1st of May in Stockholm means – as elsewhere- demonstrations on the streets. Social Democrats, Left Partists and other organsiations to the left marched on the street in a sunny Stockholm today.
Much attention where focused on the chairman of LO, Wanja-Lundby Wedin and the Social Democratic leader Mona Sahlin. They have both had a tough spring with weakening support in the opinion polls and the AMF scandal which undermined the trust for Lundby-Wedin.
On this very day, thirty-one local union leaders demanded the resignation of both Sahlin and Lundby-Wedin. One of the leaders for the ”uprising”, Dennis Bäckman, mentions the cooperation with the Greens as one reason. – Many people do not want to have anything to do with the Greens he says to DN. He claim that it is chaos in the labour movement at the moment and that many social democrats will never vote for Sahlin.
Despite, or maybe because of, the chaos (and the excellent weather) many thousand people had gathered at Norra Bantorget in Stockholm to listen to the Social Democratic front figure in Stockholm, Carin Jämtin and Mrs Lundby-Wedin herself. According to the organizers there were 12 500 people there, a number the police do not want to confirm.
When Lundby-Wedin spoke a small group tried to disturb her speech by booing. This was repeated a couple of times during her speech. Most of the listener seemed however more annoyed at those who booed. Lundby-Wedin criticized the center-right government for doing nothing to fight the “economic tsunami” that sweeps around the globe. She wanted for example more money from the state to the municipalities and more resources to education. She also criticized increasing salaries and bonuses in the business world, a subject many people wondered if she would dare to touch considering the AMF scandal.
Mona Sahlin spoke in Malmö and Lund. She said that retired people should not be taxed more than those who have a job. She referred to the “working deduction” that was implemented by the government a couple of years ago. To stimulate people to work more, salaries are taxed lower than other incomes. She also said that jobs are more important than lower taxes.
SvD writes that in the middle of her speech someone threw a Toblerone chocolate bar on the stage. The background is that Sahlin had to temporary leave politics in the 90ies when she had, among other things, bought Toblerone with the state’s credit card. For her critics, Toblerone is since then a symbol of Mona Sahlin.
Lars Ohly, chairman of the Left Party, spoke in Alingsås. He criticized both the government and the Social Democrats. He claimed that the pension system is horrible but that he still thinks it will be possible to cooperate with the Social Democrats if they win power.
In Stockholm the Left Party gathered in Kungsträdgården. Many different flags and symbols were visable at the meeting, presumable not all of them sanctioned by the party leadership.
At Sergels Torg, Kommunsitiska Partiet, (the Communist Party) happened to share space with a Christian coalition who will have a big manifestation in Stockholm tomorrow. Many of the young communists got coffee and cookies in the Christian tent.
All photos: Tommie Ullman
