Sweden's left-wing government collapses over immigration policy

The left-of-center government of Prime Minister Stefan Lofven has been forced to call new elections less than three months after taking office. Unable to pass a budget through the Rikstag (parliament), Lofven faced a choice of either resigning or calling snap elections, slated for March 22, 2015. Although the budget was the trigger, most observers believe that immigration policy is at the root of the fall. David Crouch of the U.K. Guardian explains:

Sweden’s far right plunged the country into unprecedented political upheaval on Wednesday by forcing the government to gamble on fresh elections in the spring after the centre-left coalition failed to push through its budget.

The anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats, the country’s third largest party with 13% of the vote, portrayed the new elections in March as “a de facto referendum” on immigration, currently at near-record highs as refugees flee conflict in Syria, Iraq and Somalia.

“We will focus entirely on the issue,” said Mattias Karlsson, the Sweden Democrats’ parliamentary group leader.

The far right forced the crisis to a head when they broke with established tradition and voted with the centre-right opposition instead of abstaining after their own budget proposal had fallen, ensuring the government’s defeat on this key legislation. In bitter remarks aimed at the centre-right, who had refused to compromise, prime minister Stefan Löfven admitted the Sweden Democrats now had a veto over Swedish politics, leaving him no choice but to call elections just six months after the country went to the polls in September.

Lofven, who earlier decided to recognize Palestine as a sovereign state, has pushed a left-wing agenda.

The anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats, the country’s third largest party with 13% of the vote, portrayed the new elections in March as “a de facto referendum” on immigration, currently at near-record highs as refugees flee conflict in Syria, Iraq and Somalia.

How about the pro-Sweden Sweden Democrats. The idea that immigration to any country is a right is nonsense. Using this loaded language is typical of the left. Swedish citizens have the right to decide how many and what kind of immigrants they will accept.

I heard a professor on the radio making the argument to scrap our Constitution and go with the Parliamentary system.

One of his arguments was that Obama would have lost a No-Confidence vote long ago, and we would have moved on.

He almost had me sold on that alone.

Americans would be at the polls every month if it worked that way here.

The Parliamentary system was specifically taken off the table by the founders for that reason. However, look at the bright side. A Parliament would have no-confidenced Barack Hussein Obama out of office years ago.

Swedes work although some of it is make up work from the gov’t ,for example, one Swedes take care of babies while the mothers take care of the sitters elderly parents. But these foreigners in Sweden don’t even bother to work and just collect welfare. That is what is getting the natives pissed off. The foreigners are violating the social contract behind the welfare state.

It is an entirely different form of government. When a government is formed with a majority of legislative members, they vote in lockstep. The majority rules.

As long as the government can count on a majority voting with it in the legislature, they stay in power. If the US had a parliamentary form of government and the House of Representatives was that parliament, Obama would have lost his job in 2010.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.