The Green Party of Sweden Party Program

Adopted by the Party Congresses in 1982 and amended in Party

Congresses in 1985, 1987 and 1988

 

INTRODUCTION

 

1.               Sweden is a rich country with unusually great possibilities.  Our material standard is very high compared with the past and with most other countries.  Many people in Sweden are knowledgeable and politically conscious.  Our national freedom of action is still quite large thanks to a peaceful modern history and alliance-free foreign policy.

2.               The efforts which have gone into building up our welfare are worth a great deal of respect.  But somewhere along the road we lost sight of our fine goals; the goals of freedom, justice, solidarity, security, and influence.  A constantly increasing economic growth came to be a goal in itself, first and foremost in order to attain a high material standard of living.

3.               Our anxiety about the future is great; anxiety over our own powerlessness, anxiety about not being able to influence the conditions of our existence, anxiety that mankind seems to be on the road to a collective suicide.

4.               Economic and social differences in the world are increasing.  Oppression is spreading and competition for scarce raw materials is growing.  This is further increasing the risks for a devastating great world war.

5.               The global destruction of soil, air and water is threatening the very basis for our existence.  Famine and mass poverty are a grim reality in large parts of the world.

6.               Our anxiety also concerns conditions In Sweden:

-the poisoning of the living environment

-growing unemployment

-our increasing dependency on abroad

-the processes of social exclusion

-large-scale and vulnerable technology

-the impoverishment of the countryside

-expanding bureaucracy in companies and administration.

7.               The problems are not, however, irrevocable.  They are the

result of the current economic systems in the West and East, with their narrow-minded pursuit of economic growth which does not take human needs, the earth's finite resources or nature's balance into account.

8.               But there are alternatives!

9.               More and more people have doubts about the present way of dealing with political and economic questions in different countries and are trying instead to create alternatives.  Attempts with cooperative movements, alternative production, experiments with housing and life-styles give us models. The environmental movement, the women's movement, the peace movement, the opposition to nuclear power, and other alternative movements gather, develop and spread knowledge about the alternatives.  More and more researchers are working along the same lines.

10.            At the same time more and more people are experiencing political homelessness.  The old parties are too tied up with traditions and prestige.  Thus, they cannot press for the essential change of course with enough will and strength.

11.            Therefore, we decided on the 20th of September 1981 to found Miljöpartiet (The Environmental Party).  One the 5th of January 1985, we decided to change our name to Miljöpartiet de Gröna (The Environmental Green Party).  Miljöpartiet de Gröna will work independently of bloc politics and not be tied to the traditional left-right pattern.

 

Our Fundamental Ideas

 

1.               Those of us living today have a natural responsibility to preserve the basic living conditions for ourselves, our children, grandchildren and forthcoming generations.

2.               Therefore, we must:

-stop the destruction of earth, air and water

-stop squandering our natural resources

-reduce society's vulnerability

-do away with nuclear power

-disarm and create peace

-help our badly-off fellow humans.

3.               To achieve these goals we must choose different ways of

social development from the ones we are following today.

4.               Our social structure must be based on:

-people's spiritual and physical health

-nature's balance

-social and global solidarity

-self-reliance in basic necessities

-technology which is suited to the environment and fellow     humans

-meaningful work for all

-equality between the sex

-social and economic equalization

-self-determination and personal responsibility

-small-scale and local self-administration

-a balanced economy which does not waste the earths finite    resources

-cultural diversity and freedom.

5.               In order to create an alternative social structure, democracy must develop within all areas of society, not least within trade and industry and the economy in general.

6.               We want to create a self-administered democracy, where peoples many decisions as possible at the local level.

7.               Our conception of society is based on the conviction that at heart people are active and that they want to, and can take responsibility, and have opportunities for positive development.

8.               It goes without saying that all people are of equal worth, irrespective of race, gender, age, etc.

9.               We will work for a society which gives opportunities for a good quality of life.  Certain material and emotional basic needs must be satisfied so that people can lead a contented life.  Everyone needs a secure childhood together with caring adults.  Everyone needs to be able to develop his inherent potential and use it in a way that is meaningful.

10.            Such a society is characterized by ecological balance, social solidarity and cultural diversity.

11.            Our suggestion presupposes changes in the economic, the political and the international system.  Such a society can also be created through idealistic work like that being carried out by the environmental movement, the peace movement, the women's movement, the movement for solidarity with the third world, and so on.  It can also be created by people's everyday actions: attempts at cooperatives, alternative production, new ways of living and life-styles, direct non-violent action, etc.  Miljöpartiet de Gröna and the non-parliamentary movements serve to complement one another.

12.            We will work for a small-scale, balanced economy with neither a private nor a public concentration of power, where citizens in different ways, e.g. cooperatives, employee-run or private, have direct influence over production and their working conditions.

13.            We will pursue an active Swedish peace policy with the aim of bringing about a new economic and political world order where violence will be completely done away with in the relations between state and people.

 

SWEDEN IN THE WORLD

 

Solidarity with people of the third world

 

1.               Today development is going on which Is increasing the unjust division of resources in the world.  Everyone's security is threatened by the crises and wars which the injustices create.

2.               A large part of Sweden's material standard is built on exploiting poor countries, helped by an unjust world trade, among other factors.  We must change our economic policies and trade policies so that a Just division Of the world's incomes and capital can be achieved.

3.               A just distribution of the earth's resources Means a reduced material living standard for us, something we must accept.

4.               Sweden will actively work for a strong and democratic UN with increased peace-keeping pavers

5.               Sweden will work for an end of the-death penalty, torture and other brutalities all over the world.

6.               A UN organization on renewable energy sources ought to be created.

7.               Swedish aid policy must not be seen in isolation, but rather in a holistic perspective, taking our economic policy, agricultural policy and foreign policy into consideration

8.               Our development aid has not led to a chance of direction.  It ought to constitute a help towards self-help and aim at the recipients developing a stable agriculture and small-scale industry, firstly for self-reliance.

9.   Aid will be given primarily in the form of human experience and knowledge, with support from experts and skillful professionals of all sorts.  The pure economic aid must be connected to some form of control that no individual or group exploits the resources for their own gain.

10.            Swedish aid will increase annually, calculated In real value, and it will be untied aid.

11.            The aid will also help to protect the environment in the long-term and must not break existing social patterns in the recipient's society.  The poor countries will not be tempted into the same devastating large scale industrial development which the industrialized nations vent through.

12.            International aid will, in the long-term, be designed as an international tax.

13.            The aid to social and national liberation movements will continue.

 

Active Swedish Peace Policy

 

1.               Today in the most militarized epoch in humanity's history, a period which has been imbued with a colossal build-up of arms technology all over the world.  Tens of thousands of rockets and guided missiles, with nuclear, chemical or bacterial warheads are ready for immediate use, with the whole world within range.

2.               The Superpowers endeavor to dominate the world economically and politically are the cause of the arms race and represent the greatest danger of a new world war.  Such an event could very well be staged in Europe.  There are smaller hot-beds of war in various quarters of the world despite the efforts of the UN peace-keeping forces.

3.               Sweden must do everything possible to stop the arms race and support peaceful solutions to conflicts between nations.  We work for global disarmament as our end goal.  A nuclear weapon-free Nordic area is an important step along the way to a nuclear-free Europe.

4.               We support the growing expressions of peace which are a reaction to, and stem from, re-armament and the threat of nuclear weapons, and therefore we are working for a new and active Swedish peace policy.

5.               We feel that greater economic support ought to go to peace movements and peace research.

6.               Sweden will conduct an active and firm foreign policy which guards our national self-determination and our independent position outside of military alliances.

7.               A decentralized defence in a decentralized society Is a basic prerequisite for preparedness in the event of war in Sweden or in our neighborhood.

8.               Therefore, we must aim at building up a regional stand-by force, which can support us at different levels if catastrophe

strikes.

9.                  Greater resources will be given towards research for a build-up of civil defence and self-reliance in Sweden.

10.                Present defence resources must be re-distributed from the most vulnerable and technological parts of the conventional defense to:

 

- economic defence (e.g. self-reliance in basic goods)

- civil defence (e.g. shelters and safety masks)

- psychological defence (e.,g. defensive will, "democratic

  temperament")

- a well prepared and organized civil resistance

- international peace work.

11.                Teaching about our fellow human global solidarity and positive ways of settling conflicts will be included in school curricula.

 12.               All citizens will be educated in self-reliance, civil resistance and civil defense. Instead of general military service for men, some form of social service for men and women ought to be introduced, with military duty only ONE of SEVERAL types of activity.  Selection for the different types of social services will be done by combining personal wishes with appropriate assessments and society's needs for different services.  Those who do not wish to bear arms will have the right to be excused.

13.                Swedish arms exports and arms imports will be phased out.

14.                The current defence organization must be democratized.  Those doing compulsory military service ought to have the right to negotiate over their conditions.

 

NATURE

 

Environmental protection

 

1.                  Human society ought to try to attain a balance with nature, built on knowledge about the ecological systems.

2.                  Our goal is endurance, all-round and stable production using methods which, as far as possible, are in harmony with nature's own processes.  Industrial production must be built on closed processes without environmentally harmful waste.

3.                  We must economize better with limited resources.  It is important to re-cycle non-renewable raw materials and all waste where technically possible.  The use of non-reusable products must be greatly reduced.

4.                  We must have a quick change-over to clean and environmentally-friendly energy.

5.                  We can no longer use short-sighted employment and profit arguments in defence of life-threatening and long-lasting environmental destruction.

6.                  Our aim is for environmentally dangerous production to cease.  Production which in spite of everything leaves waste which is harmful to the environment, must not be begun before the question of waste management has been dealt with.

7.                  All environmental laws will be coordinated to support the environment.  Greatly increased resources will be brought in to prevent crimes against the environment.

8.                  Greater efforts will be made to restore living conditions and fertility to devastated areas.

9.                  Production which can be dangerous to the environment will not be set-up before the risks are known and small enough, and the treatment of waste products is solved.  We call for extensive cleaning of discharges to the air, soil and vater.  Our goal is that all environmentally harmful materials be already removed in the manufacturing process.

10.                We must invest more in research on injuries of a chemical nature, radiation and noise.

11.                We will fight against noise pollution.  That includes the whole frequency range, from infra-sonic to ultra-sonic sound.

12.                We must immediately draw up plans against the acidification caused by coal and oil-fire burning in Swedish and foreign industry and housing, and that which is caused by traffic, artificial fertilizers in the earth and in forests, and by non-renewable coniferous tree cultivation.

13.                Production controls must be made more stringent.  Information on products containing poison must be improved.

14.                Contents declarations will be introduced for all chemical products.  Municipalities will have the right, for health and environmental reasons, to forbid the sale of products within the municipality-even if these products are permitted in other parts of the country.

15.                We will have much more teaching of ecology, environmental care and biology all the way from preschool to university.

16.                Tighter safety and environmental controls must be introduced as soon as possible for carriers of harmful environmental products, especially oil tankers.  Strict safety regulations must be drawn up for both sea and land carriers of radioactive waste from nuclear power stations.

17.                We want there to be complete and total insurance for every stage in the nuclear power process, with no ceiling on the highest amount of compensation and with no time limit.

 

Nature Conservation

 

1.                  Different species of animals and plants, and different types of nature must be protected, irrespective of whether or not they are of use to humans.

2.                  Endangered types of nature and species will be given living space, and a diverse landscape will be guaranteed by legislation.

3.                  All areas, national or county, which are of interest for conservation, landscape cultivation and outdoor pursuits, will be protected and looked after in an appropriate manner.

4.                  Vulnerable areas of nature must be protected against further privatization for example, by leisure complexes.

5.                  Completely protected reserve lands are needed to protect areas of virgin forest, especially in southern Sweden.

6.                  Representative marshlands will be protected.

7.                  Those remaining, undeveloped, rivers and stretches of rivers must not be destroyed by, for example, hydro-electric power stations.

8.                  We will protect "common law" and our obligations in connection with this.

 

Farming and Forestry

 

1.                  The goal for the country's production of foodstuffs will be total self-sufficiency in basic foodstuffs.

2.                  The capacity of agricultural lands for producing foodstuffs must be preserved.

3.                  Legislation against speculation in agricultural land will be tightened.

4.                  Conditions for small-scale farmers must be improved.  The amalgamation of smaller production areas must not be forced.

5.                  Part-time farming and farming cooperatives will be encouraged.

6.                  Farming settlements will no longer be tied to the wages of industrial workers.

7.                  Poison-free farming is our goal.  We will achieve this partly through encouraging poison-free cultivation, and partly through significant investment in research, education and development.

8.                  Firm steps must be taken as soon as possible to remove cadium from artificial fertilizers.  The use of artificial fertilizers, especially nitrogen, must be brought to an end as soon as possible.

9.                  Meat production will be concentrated on grazing animals which help in keeping the landscape open.

10.                The concentration of power and the building of monopolies within the retail food sector must be broken.  Instead, alternative types of production and distribution will be encouraged.

11.                Domestic production of poison-free garden produce will be stimulated.

12.                All radioactive irradiation of food stuffs and the importation of irradiated food stuffs will be forbidden.

13.                All speculation in forest lands will be prevented.

14.                The number of deciduous trees in coniferous forests must be increased.

15.                Logging will be carried out with due regard to biological conditions and be suited to the terrain and geographic conditions.  We are therefore against large-scale clear-cutting as the only permitted type of logging.  Clear-cutting and coarse-thinning near the tree line should be stopped immediately.

16.                Increased logging by selective cutting will be encouraged.

17.                The use of horses in forestry ought to be increased.

18.                Poisons and artificial fertilizing in forests will be forbidden.  Slash-ploughing will be stopped and the use of heavy forest machinery restricted.

19.                Where possible, sheep-grazing ought to be used in order to combat undergrowth.

20.                The transport of timber by water and railways will be given priority over road transport.

21.                Timber production will not have a monopoly in the forests.  Conservation, leisure, and other values must also be taken into consideration.

22.                Vigorous efforts will be made to save endangered species of fish.  Greater resources will be given to the cultivation of mussels, algae and other water farming.

23.                General support will be introduced in order to make it easier to have fishing as a part-time job.

 

The Rural Areas

 

1.                  The countryside will be re-shaped through the development of basic industries so that they fulfill our basic needs for foodstuffs, textiles, energy and housing.  In so doing many opportunities for work in the countryside will be created.

2.                  The production of foodstuffs will be planned with local production as the goal.

3.                  The production of textiles will be supported by, among other things, an increased use of Swedish wool in clothes production.

4.                  We will invest in so-called Industrial regions, where every region's characteristics are developed, and every region develops according to its own conditions.

 

The Protection of Animals and Livestock

 

1.                  All animals have the right to develop In conditions suited to their species, under the conditions which prevail in their natural environment, and Irrespective of the benefit for humans.  We are therefore opposed to all types of cruelty to animals.

2.                  Animal experiments must be kept to the absolute minimum and be replaced by other methods, for example, cell cultivation, where technically possible.

3.                  The commercial production of animals will be stopped, especially production which injures the animals physically and mentally.

4.                  In the breeding of animals, the animals, health and well-being must be put before increased milk, meat and egg production.

5.                  Antibiotics must not be used to induce faster growth etc, In animals.

 

Land Use

 

1.                  All land usage must be thoroughly planned.  In doing so all ed parties will be consulted.  Nature inventories will be included in this planning.

2.                  Housing and trade and industry will be decentralized in order to get built-up areas well spread out.

3.                  Work, housing, and services will be situated close to one another so that travelling needs are reduced.

4.   Knowledge about ecology must be used as a guide for political decisions.  The municipalities shall consult ecologists.

5.                  Municipalities shall have a veto-right in environmental questions.

 

Energy

 

1.                  Large supplies of cheap energy have locked us Into a great energy-devouring society and to a way of living which is based on consumption.  Sweden's and the other industrialized countries' high energy consumption is unjust when looked at from a global perspective.  The great dependence on oil Is currently being substituted with dependence on nuclear power and coal, both of which are based on large central energy systems.

 

Nuclear power is closely connected with big industry and a vulnerable society - a large-scale society which is hard to comprehend, and which is completely incompatible with our basic values. Nuclear power carries big risks.

 

Supplies of fossil fuels are restricted and they pollute the environment when burned.  Therefore, It is necessary that we have a quick and purposeful change-over to renewable energy sources which do not harm the environment.  The technology for this already exists to a large extent and is continually developing.

2.                  By utilizing energy more effectively and by economizing better with it, we can reduce energy consumption significantly.

3.                  In order to replace the production of electricity in nuclear power stations we must develop thermal power, countervailing power and wind power.  The electrical energy we have already must be utilized better.  The development of direct-acting electric heating must be stopped and the work in developing low-electricity consuming machinery and processes will be supported.

4.  Dependence on oil will be reduced by:

 

- increasing the amount of renewable energy-sources and domestic fuels, for example, forest waste, surplus hardwood and surplus straw

- using thermal pumps to utilize thermal waste and stored solar heat from the air, lakes, seas and land

- strong support for work in the development of "energy forests", solar panels, solar units, passive solar energy and other renewable energy, along with the storing of surplus energy

- choosing close-range heating, such as panel heaters and low temperature systems, so that it will be easier to introduce renewable energy.

5.                  We will not allow a change-over from oil to coal where oil can be replaced instead by renewable energy sources.

6.                  Tougher environmental restrictions must be placed on coalpower stations.

7.                  Methods for a better burning of oil, coal and other solid fuels is a common nordic concern if we are to reduce acidification and set an example for the rest of Europe.  A vigorous nordic research program ought to be worked out in order to draw up such methods.

8.                  The shutting down of nuclear power will begin immediately and be completely finished within a three-year period.  The Barseback power station will be taken out of operation immediately.  A plan for the quick shut-down of other nuclear power stations will be drawn up.

9.                  Heat-producing nuclear power stations (of the Forsmark tunnel type), hot water pipes from nuclear power stations, uranium mining and the export of nuclear-power technology will be forbidden.

10.                The problem of handling radioactive waste has not been solved.  The waste must be stored where it can be supervised and regularly checked since there is no safe final storage method.

 

Transportation

 

1.                  A very large part of transport needs has been created through social planning where housing, work-places and services are spread out far away from one another.  The uncritically accepted free market system and low energy costs have also contributed to the unreasonably large expansion of the traffic sector.

2.                  Society will be planned so that transport needs will be reduced to a minimum.

3.                  We will invest in collective transport-trains, city rail lines and buses, etc.-in order to gradually reduce the amount of driving.

4.                  We will invest in a road, rail and terminal network suited to the environment, which can cope with heavy environmental restrictions.

5.                  Protected paths for foot and cycle traffic must be built up.

6.                  With the help of economic and other steering instruments, we

will invest in a better distribution and use of different types of transport, which are more environmentally friendly, more frugal with energy, and safer than today's.

7.                  Goods will, to a greater extent than now, be transported via railways and waterways.

8.                  Car-free zones will be extended in city centers, housing

areas and vulnerable areas of nature.

9.                  Pay-tolls for cars may be a suitable way of financing improved environmental and safety measures.

10.                No more motorway construction will be permitted.  New large traffic constructions may be built only if it means that traffic safety is thereby improved.  A reduction in the speed limit ought to be put into effect, from a maximum of 110 to 90 km/h in the whole country, and to a maximum of 70 km/h in areas where a great strain is put on the environment.

11.                More stringent safety and environmental demands must be placed on transporters of oil and other environmentally dangerous products, on land as well as at sea.

12.                We must invest more in research and development of environmentally-friendly vehicles.

 

Technology

1.                  The development and use of technology today seldom takes into account nature, our human environment, the earth's finite resources or people's well-being.  Large, highly developed technological systems are strange phenomena for most people - and hard to comprehend and control.

2.                  We seek a technology which is built on ecological care and leads to a higher quality of life.

3.                  Our own production within Sweden will contribute to greaterself-reliance.

4.                  Technology will be used in the production of goods which satisfy people's basic human needs.

5.                  The products will be durable, repairable and recyclable.  The development of technology must be based on better economizing of raw materials and energy.  The producer will be responsible for making sure that the raw materials can be recycled.

6.                  Technology will be used as an aid to creating healthy working environments and meaningful and varied jobs.

7.                  Research and development of technology will, among other things, be aimed at facilitating smaller production units.

8.                  The position of inventors will be strengthened.  Collective invention workshops, which can be used by all those who are interested in such activities, will be introduced.

 

Computer Technology

 

1.                  Computers and computer technology Is being used more and more, both to facilitate and sometimes to simplify people's work, but also to replace people in certain jobs.  This development and the increased use of computers is called computerization.

2.                  What is crucial, is upon whose terms the .computerization is carried out and what the guiding principles are.  Up until now economic and technological reasons have been the,controlling ones to far too great an extent.  People have not taken enough consideration of social values. our basic demand is that all use of computer technology will make people's life and work easier.

3.                  We must invest more in research about the social importance and effects of computer technology.  For example, how can those who are to use computer technology be given greater Influence in the development and introduction of computer systems? And: What effect have computer systems on the working environment, organization and society? Just now research is too biased, concentrating on technical questions.

4.                  We must have a broader general education dealing with what computer-technology is and its possibilities and risks, so that people need not feel alienated from computer technology.

5.                  Education In computer technology will give a holistic view of computer technology's role in society.  All those who are developing, designing, or introducing computer technology or who will make decisions on this, will have the possibility to see in advance what effects the use of computer technology can have in different areas of society.

6.                  The power and responsibility for the introduction and use of computer technology will be spread to those groups of people who are most closely affected.

7.                  Strong demands ought to be placed on computer systems which are brought into the working life.  The systems must be user-friendly, easy to comprehend and easy to change.  Computer systems will be designed so that peoples jobs are not impoverished or broken down into routine and specialized parts, where people can only use a part of their abilities.  It is important that people's professional skills are not lost.  Computer technology should not lead to a worse working community or reduced personal contact.  Working pace must not be controlled by a computer or robot.

8.                  Computerization must not be carried out in such a way that people are thrown out of working life.  The introduction of computer technology must be coordinated so that those people who get new jobs or whose jobs are changed, can also get qualified and trained for these.  The labor-saving which arises within those areas where computer technology has been brought in to help, ought to profit all in the form of reduced working hours.

9.                  Present taxes on wages (income tax and employers levies) strongly encourage computerization, since computers are not burdened with these taxes.  The tax system must be reorganized so that computerization does not benefit from a decreased tax burden.  When computerization occurs, a charge will be made in order to pay for training etc, needed by those people who must change their jobs on account of computerization.

10.                The legislated democratic rights of public access must not be restricted because of the costs or the design of the computer systems.  Computer systems serving societal needs must be constructed so that the information they contain is more easily obtainable.

11.                The introduction of computer-technology aids for social contacts and information (especially one-way contacts) will be done cautiously and with regard to the social effects.  This applies also to the introduction of computer technology aids in the home.

12.                We believe that computer technology should not be used to supervise and control people's efficiency or personal relations.

13.                Information on private individuals will be kept in commercial data registers only If the individuals desire It.

14.                Large computer systems ought to be made as decentralized as possible, so that they become less vulnerable.

15.                Foreign dependency will be reduced by an increased Swedish manufacture of computer components and the development of computer programs.

 

SOCIAL POLICY

 

Equality

 

1.                  In times gone by it was practical with a society divided into masculine and feminine duties.  Economic, technological and medical developments during industrialization have, to a great extent, made the hereditary sex-role models obsolete and inappropriate.

2.                  Up until now social development has followed men's priorities.  Now the masculine community of interest surrounding power in society must be forced back, partly for the benefit of the traditionally oppressed feminine elements and partly in the face of modernity, which transcends the obsolete sex-role models.

3.                  By emphasizing a message about a considerate attitude to life, fellow humans and nature, we will work against hierarchical power structures, the competitive mentality and social exclusion.  We want a humane technology and system shaped within the bounds of normal people's comprehension.  Men's imagination and creativity will no longer be allowed to be used destructively, for example, through military re-armament and environmental destruction.  A society will be created where one and all will be able to live according to their deepest beliefs, without being locked in the system or blinded by the ambition for power and money.  In such a society women ill not be able to be bought.

4.                  The power of the masculine element must be broken, even if it happens to be exercised by a woman.  We need much more feminine thinking just now, even among men.  Strong measures must be taken within traditional conservative and male dominated employment sectors.

5.                  We shall be engaged much more than before in the fight against the violence, porn, and dream industries which steal our dignity from us every day - men as well as women.

6.                  We are striving for an equal division of responsibility between women and men so that women can have a meaningful place in working life and in decision-making bodies and so that men have greater possibilities of sharing in the work with family and children.

7. This emancipation can be attained by, among other things, a six hour working day and the possibility of flex-time for all.  Average working hours ought to be lowered in stages, primarily for the parents of small children, with a gradual change over to a six hour day.

8.                  Parental insurance will be divided between the parents so that the man can also stay at home with the children.

9.                  In order to bring about equality we want a gender-quota in elections to committees, decision-making bodies and places in education, so that neither of the sexes can have a representation of lover than 40%.

10.                Gainful employment must be a natural right for all.  Laws on equal wages for equal work must be brought into effect and observed.

11.                We will retain the present right to free abortion but greater resources shall be set aside for counseling before, and following-up after, an abortion.  We will also work for a more child-friendly society and support an increase in sexual and contraceptive counselling so that the number of abortions is reduced.

12.                Outreach activities (like the Malmö-project) will be extended and strongly reinforced in order to prevent and combat prostitution

13.                Women who have been raped must have access to a lay-ombudsman at police inquiries and trials.

14.                All physical abuse, even that which occurs in the home, will be considered as criminal and therefore be subject to general prosecution.  More attention must be paid to bad relations within marriage and the family.

15.                More women's refuges should be built so that the women's movement's own activities get greater political and economic support.

16.                The release of men from their accustomed sex role model will be supported in different ways.

17.                Sex clubs will be forbidden.

18.                We will fight against the degradation of people in connection with all pornography.

19.                All teaching material used in schools will be examined for instances of sex-stereotyping, so that open or concealed discrimination against women in lessons cannot occur.

20.                The traditional and constant sex-role models which appear in advertising and the mass media will be counteracted.

21.                Girls and boys will be able to follow their respective sporting interests under the same conditions.  Time and resources will be divided up fairly.

22. The weaknesses in the masculine sex-role pattern, for example, social exclusion, alcoholism, being worn out, suicide and untimely death, must be given more attention.  Political and economic support will go to movements which work to change men's role.

23.                We will encourage cross-scientific research into gender, gender-roles and the inter-action between women and men.  Strong measures will be taken so that women can undertake research on their terms and not on men's.

 

Children and youth 0-18 years old

 

This section deals with the environment in which children and young people grow-up.  The section on school deals with the educational content of different types of schools, starting with preschool.

 

The Current Situation

 

1.                  Children and young people often get brushed aside in today's society.  It has become too much of a grown-up's world, lacking a holistic perspective which takes people of all ages and their needs and interests into consideration.

2.                  Many children are badly treated today, in some homes, at some child-minders, in some preschools and schools, and also in the social environment in general.

3.                  Many families are broken and many children have no brothers

or sisters, and no contact with their grandparents either.

4.                  Parents have too little time for, and too little knowledge about, children.  There is seldom a natural social network for contact in today's housing areas.

5.                  Commercial powers are keeping young people from meaningful leisure activities.  Children and young people especially, are exposed to the influence of violence, pornography and terrifying films, serials, television, videos etc.  Watching too much television and films has the effect of blunting the imagination and steals time from natural contact and play.

6.                  Children and young people are often exposed to adults who are bad examples, for instance, in coarse and degrading posters, sex-discriminatory advertising and such like.  This has a devastating effect and creates norms which make the chances of creating balanced relations more difficult later on In life.

7.                  There is still not enough preschool and after school leisure center capacity.  Furthermore, we still have not found any good type of support for families with children living in thinly populated areas.

8.                  It is hard to provide for a family with many children on a normal income. It is even more difficult for a single parent and families where one of the parents is working in the home.

 

Our Goals and Visions

 

9.                  All Social planning must take children and youth into consideration . We must invest more resources so that their needs, rights, and interests are fulfilled, for example, in housing, traffic questions, and in cases involved in child abuse and disputes over custody.

10.                We feel that work with children and young people is very important, and it will be valued higher.

11.                Children's needs for care, protection, security, and love, will always form the basis for child care. Children need people  to love, and people who will love them. They need stability and lasting relationships with their parents. No child should be left without loving adult contact if for some reason or another the parents can't take responsibility for them.

12.                All children need to meet other children and to develop in a stimulating environment. They must be able to feel that they are needed and that they can exert influence and take responsibility. They need help in setting limits but also need to free themselves gradually from their dependence on their parents. All child-care must be built on respect and on the wish to take care of, and develop, children's own abilities.                                                                                                      13.                All children should be able to grow up with adults who have a good knowledge of children and all adults who look after children will have the security that this knowledge brings.

14.                All children will have the right to good pre-school (nursery or part-time care) and after school leisure centers.

15.                A six-hour working day for all, especially for parents of children between 0-16 years old. Adults must be stimulated and be given possibilities of setting aside more time for being together with their own and other's children.

 

Children musts not be left in their own isolated world where they become exposed to commercial powers, which in different ways, fill up the empty spaces which isolation from the adult world creates. Children must be drawn into a society which is the same for all, and which gives meaning, substance, and ideals.

16.                Parents will have the possibility to choose how to raise their children (Pre-school, parents working at home, or family day-care/three family system of sharing child-care)l. This shall not be guided as it is now by economic reasons and/or because of where one lives.

17.                All young people will have the chance of meaningful activities after school.  After nine years of compulsory comprehensive schooling they will be offered further education, training or employment.

 

Our Plans and Proposals

 

18.                Parental education will always be recurrently offered to BOTH parents, through a cooperative effort by the counties and municipalities.  The education will be tied to maternity and child-care centers.

19.                We will greatly increase teaching about children, home and personal relationships in all types of school.

20.                In order to guard children's rights and interests we will introduce a children's ombudsman In all municipalities.

21.                We want a plan for the continued extension of preschools and leisure centers ratified by parliament.  Within a five year period all children from the age of three years old will have the chance of three to five hours pre-school a day.  Both municipal solutions and parental cooperatives will be encouraged.

22.                Duality is also one of our aims.  Staff in preschools and leisure centers will be offered further education, and staff in family day-care centers and the three family system will be offered basic education.  By improving the working environment we will reduce staff turn-over.

23.                Parents who choose professional or skilled work and whose children do not have a place at a pre-school/leisure center, will be offered municipal family day-care or the three family system.

24.                We will in the first place introduce a six hour working day with some form of economic compensation for parents of children between the ages of 0-8 years old.

25.                We will improve the economic situation of families with children through an overhaul of the tax system.  This will mean that the maintenance burden for different types of families with children will be taken into account directly on the taxation of income (depending on the number of children and the number of gainfully employed parents).

26.                We will take children and young people seriously and teach them to develop an all-round preparedness for dealing with life.  This can be brought about, in association with adults, in schools and housing areas etc, by carrying out, and taking responsibility for different practical duties, such as, decorating, maintenance work, cleaning and repairs, cooking, looking after gardens and care-work.

27.                We propose that youth counselling centers be opened (on the

these centers young people will be helped to come to grips with all sorts of problems - practical, physical, and spiritual.

 

The Aged

 

1.                  Pensioners will be treated with the same consideration and respect as everyone else in social situation.

3.                  We propose a flexible retirement age of between 60 and 70 years.  We will give everyone the right to a part-time pension between the ages of 60 and 70 years, with the right to keep their normal type of employment.

4.                  We also propose that those who are taking care of older relatives in the home get compensation from the social insurance office (of the same type as parental insurance).

 

The Sami People

 

1.                  The Samis are a native people in Sweden, with their own history, their own traditions, their own culture and their own language.  From time immemorial the Samis have supported themselves by hunting, fishing, reindeer herding and other traditional Industries In the North.

2.                  We feel that the Samis have a natural right to retain and develop their own way of life.  They must have the right to develop their trade and industries, their culture, and their societies on their own terms for themselves, their children, grandchildren and forthcoming generations.

3.                  We propose special legislation which gives the Samis protection against exploitation in their areas.  The laws will give the Samis the right to administer their natural resources, for example, reindeer grazing land and fishing waters.  The law will furthermore give the Samis a veto-right in questions which are of fundamental importance to their existence and way of life, as well as guarantees that their language and culture can live on.

 

Immigrants

 

1.                  The antagonisms which exist between Swedes, immigrants and other small national groups are needless and harmful.

2.                  It is important that Swedish children and immigrant children have positive contact with one another as early as possible.

3.                  Newspapers and TV ought to give objective and accounts of the positive significance of immigrants for Sweden in the past and present.  Immigrants and Swedes must have better possibilities of getting to know and respect one another.  It is especially important to break the isolation which befalls the women in immigrant groups.

4.                  We must put a stop to all forms of discrimination against immigrants and other small national groups with the help of stricter regulations.  We propose that all matters concerning refugees be dealt with more quickly and that all who seek political asylum get legal help.

5.                  The rules for residence permits and citizenship will be reviewed so that immigrants who are socially rooted in Sweden will be guaranteed the right to stay here.

6.                  We will counteract inadequate fluency problems which give immigrant children a lover self-esteem and lack of identity.  Home language tuition must be improved.

7.                  We will forbid the taking into custody of children in connection with immigration matters.  When it is necessary to detain parents in custody, and the children can suffer from being separated from their parents, the children and parents ought to be detained together in a more open way.

 

The Handicapped

 

1.                  We will plan society in such a way that handicapped people can choose education, housing and employment.  It must become easier for handicapped people to be involved in cultural and political activities and all other communal activities.

2.                  Many people are insecure when they meet handicapped people and are ignorant of their conditions.  We must work together to change this.  Here, school and mass media have an important task to fulfill.

3.                  Young handicapped people have the right to live and function amongst people of their own age group and will not be looked after in long-term institutions.

 

Health Care and Medical Services

 

Medical science's one-sided technological direction has limited the medical service's possibilities of developing.  Politicians have lost their grip of medical and health care services, which are controlled by experts and administrators while staff and patients only have little influence.  Commercial interests in the drug industry and the manufacturing of high technology medical service equipment, for example, have too much influence over health and medical care.

 

Alternatives to traditional medical services are discriminated against.  The effort toward a centralization of medical care and services has brought with it an impoverishment of medical care and services in thinly populated areas.  Extensive specialization has meant that we have lost the holistic perspective.  In spite of a spiralling increase in the total costs of medical care and services we have not got a better level of national health.

 

1.                  The resources for health care and medical services should be used for preventative health care to a greater extent.  Information must be greatly increased about the influence of lifestyles, eating habits and the effect of environmental factors on the state of people's health.  We must design a living environment which makes it easier to live a healthy and meaningful life in the long term.  An environment and medical service which is built on, and takes account of, people's entire situation, physical, spiritual and social.

2.                  In treating illnesses, the person must be seen in a holistic perspective.  Psycho-social factors must be stressed more than has been the case up till now.

3.                  Health and medical services ought to be localized as near as possible to patients' every-day environment, for example, through an increased element of home-health care, home visiting and small medical and health centers.  Decentralization ought to be aimed for, including even hospitals .

4.                  Technological equipment must not be allowed to replace competent and dedicated care-personnel if important human qualities are thus neglected.

5.                  Maternity care will be human and positive without neglecting the safety of mothers and children.  Further centralization of maternity care shall be opposed.

6.                  Psychiatric care ought to be centered to a greater extent outside of institutions and in a natural social environment.  We support the aim within psychiatry to minimize the use of psycho-pharmacological drugs.  Psychotherapy ordered by doctors, performed by approved psychotherapists, will be paid for out of national health insurance.

7.                  Those who look after long-term ill people in the home shall have economic compensation and social benefits.

8.                  So that alternative forms of treatment will be able to be

evaluated, society ought to support research into the effects of such types of treatment.  Treatment which has been shown to be effective will be introduced into state-supported medical care.  The professional knowledge which a number of alternative practitioners possess ought be made use of and possibilities.

9.                  County council owned health homes ought to be established in the whole county and teaching within health care ought to be completely independent of the drug industry and other commercial interests.  Neither will such interests be allowed to steer health care.

10.                The education of all health and medical service personnel must be broadened, especially concerning food, lifestyles and environmental questions.  Experts in alternative medicine shall give orientation courses on their specialties in both the basic doctor's education as well as in other health care and service educations.

11.                On all levels within health care organizations, information ought to be disseminated on how the use of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs influence the state of people's health.  The importance of the staff's own attitudes In these questions must be stressed.

12.                State supported education in preventative health care as well as personal-health care shall be given to children, young people and adults.

134.             Sexual and contraceptive counselling shall be available for all and be combined with counselling on questions about personal relationships.

14.                No one will need to be exposed to tobacco-smoke against his will.  Work places and public places especially, must be made smoke-free.  At the very minimum we demand that the Tobacco Committee's suggestions on smoke-free areas must be carried into effect as quickly as possible.

16.                In the final stages of life no one shall be subject to life-sustaining intensive care measures against his will, but rather be guaranteed effective pain-relief.  It will be made easier for those who wish to stay In their home environment during their last days.  This can contribute to creating a more positive attitude towards death.

 

Drug Use

 

1.                  The consumption of drugs must be greatly reduced.  We must attack the problem simultaneously on several different levels, by taking measures to:

- solve social problems and reduce the process of social exclusion

- create a living and working environment which gives people good contact with one another - fight actively against criminal drug-dealing - help users and those closest to them with support and care, etc.

- operate a restrictive drugs policy.

2.                  We shall fight all use of narcotics.  All illegal transactions with narcotics will be punished.

3.                  Users will preferably enter treatment of their own free-

will, but the possibility of compulsory care must exist.

4.                  We will carry out a campaign for a voluntary reduction in alcohol consumption.  If this is not successful, we will introduce alcohol rationing.

5.                  More alcohol-free localities will be introduced, with nonalcoholic official entertaining and a ban on drinking in public places, and so on.

6.                  More tobacco-free localities will be Introduced, with a ban on smoking in public places, and so on.  At work places there will be campaigns for greater consideration to be given to people who suffer due to tobacco smoke.

 

Crime

 

1.                  We feel that crime must be forestalled and fought simultaneously on several different levels:

 

- through social changes in general which provide a good community spirit where people live and work - through effective measures for crime prevention - through more appropriate treatment of those who have committed crimes, for example, by giving them the chance to put things right and reduce the harmful effects of their crime

2.                  Economic and organized crime and environmental crimes must be fought in an efficient way and the necessary resources required for this have to be invested.  The same applies to violent crimes.  Here we also include physical abuse, certain forms of Incest, rape and sexual attacks on children.

3.                  The penal system must be more humane.  It will influence people not to commit crimes, and to perform positive social deeds instead.  Prison sentences and detention will be used as little as possible, and will be under conditions fit for human beings, and always have a time-limit.

4.                  We will Invest greater resources to plan and carry out the transition to a more positive life for those who have been convicted.

 

School

 

1.                  All teaching must be built on a holistic view of people's development.  This will apply to all types of school, from preschool to higher education and other adult education.

2.                  The task of the schools will be to give children knowledge about ourselves, we who share an ecological, historical and cultural whole.  The children will be encouraged to use and develop their thinking capacity, their feelings, their will, their energy and their imagination.  Teaching will be a reciprocal mixture of theory and practice, and will give the children knowledge which is rooted in reality.  The goals and direction of the teaching curricula are good but they cannot be carried out without a change in social values since school is a mirror of society.

3.                  Everyone will have the right to an equally good education from preschool to adult education, no matter where he lives.  We must establish a common framework in order to guarantee a good and democratic education.  Within this framework teachers, pupils and parents will themselves be able to decide the type and content of school work.

4.                  We will plan for smaller, and self-governing, schools.  Every school ought to have a management committee of pupils, parents, teachers and other school staff.

5.                  The pupils shall be involved in and share responsibility for work in the school.  They will, for example teach, cook, clean, and repair with the help of specialist advisors.

6.                  We call for much more teaching of ecology, environmental care and biology all the way from preschool, with vegetable gardening, for example, as part of the practical work.

7.                  We must transform the education of teachers.  For instance, the training will be commenced by an extended period of teaching practice.  Alternative pedagogues and methodology will be included in teachers' education.

8.                  We must encourage development and renewal of educational pedagogues in all types of school.

9.                  So that many children will get a place in alternative schools, these schools will receive state and municipal assistance.

 

Housing

 

1.                  Good possibilities for social contact will exist in areas where people live.

2.                  Housing areas will be varied and small-scale and characteristic of the surroundings.

3.                  Segregation will be counteracted.  People will be able to live in the same housing area, no matter what their nationality, age, or social circumstances.

4.                  Residents themselves will have influence over and responsibility for their immediate environment, for example, by looking after the administration, so-called self-management.

5.                  Different types of extended-family and collective-living will be supported.

6.                  Premises for community activities and recreation, for instance allotments and other such communal facilities, will exist in every housing area to facilitate contact between different age-groups, etc.  Old as well as young worker's contributions will be made use of for communal tasks.

7.                  Social support ought to be given to facilitate the growth of neighborhood groups.

8.                  Strong measures will be taken in order to reduce housing costs.  Those living on their own, through doing their own repairs and maintenance, will be able to contribute towards reduced costs.

9.                  During the 60's and 70's many sterile and dreary housing areas were built in the outskirts of the big cities, especially the high-rise housing areas.  Then it was more important to build quickly and cheaply than well and solidly.  Now the mistakes of the 60's and 70's housing policy must be put right.

10.                The economic and social consequences of re-development and demolition will be studied carefully. . ,

11.                Today's luxury standard in new housing and re-development will be replaced by a more energy-frugal standard which is suited to basic needs, for example, basic apartments and small houses, where it Is possible to complement the technical fittings oneself.

12.                Price regulation which makes sure that prices do not rise faster than inflation will be introduced for land, buildings, tenant-owners and cooperative apartments etc.

13.                Apartment sizes will be varied when constructing new buildings and re-developing so that people can remain in their housing area, if for example, their family circumstances change.

14.                Those who want to change housing within their neighborhood ought to have priority, for example, in moving to a larger, smaller or more handicapped-adapted apartment.  Priority ought also to be given to make it easier to care of children, handicapped or elderly people.

15.                The finance of housing must be reviewed in order to bring about a greater similarity in costs for different types and categories of housing.

16.                Those who live in tenant/cooperative association housing will sell their apartment back to the association if they move (occupants, obligatory re-sale) at cost, adjusted for inflation.

17.                Deductions on house-loan interest or tenant-owners association loan interest which can be written-off must be limited.  So that first-time house owners will not be ruined, the change-over must be made gradually.  The possibilities for an average wage earner to remain in normal-size housing must also be safeguarded.

18.                The rules governing loans when buying a house will be changed so that they do not favor buying a never or a newly built house over an old one.

19.                The rules for the lowest acceptable standards In inner-city re-development areas will be reviewed so that they do not lead to the destruction of social and cultural-historical housing areas of value.

20.                We will invest in education which concentrates on the renewal of areas and re-development.  This will result in a revival of certain crafts and trades, and so on.  The owners of private real-estate will be encouraged to refurbish their houses which are in decline.

21.                Possibilities for alternative heating will be made provided for new and re-built housing.  All houses will have a flue so that people will be able to choose between local heating and district heating.  Housing may not be heated solely by electricity.

 

Culture

 

1.                  During the last hundred years many people have been forced to sever their roots.  Many have lost their traditions and their cultural heritage.  People have been forced to settle in artificial and lifeless city areas.  People's own needs to create and experience the beautiful and the pleasing have been replaced by artificial and mass-produced "culture".

2.                  We are enticed into consuming lifeless music and art.  Books, newspapers, films and TV saturate us with violence and misanthropy. We are being led astray by advertising.  These superficial influences are preventing us from experiencing good art and culture such as will move us deeply, and give us perspective on our own lives and possibilities.  Children and young people are most exposed.

3.                  Culture will be a part of our daily life.  We must encourage self-creativity In schools, at work and during leisure.  Artists, authors and other people working with culture can act as guides and advisors.  We need workshops and exhibition halls for art, available to all.

4.                  We will increase cultural exchange with other countries.  The Sami people and immigrants' cultures must become a natural part of the culture common to all of us.

5.                  Libraries ought to be cultural centers for everyone.  We will guarantee the quality of libraries by law.

6.                  We will give "Litteraturframjandet" the possibility to develop into an independent quality publishing house which publishes "books for all" at low prices.

 

The Mass Media

1.                  Our constitutionally protected freedom of the press and freedom of speech are corner-stones of our democratic society.  Those who give information to the press will be guarded anonymity.  Their integrity will be fully guaranteed.

2.                  We will encourage the mass media to question society's power holders, for example, through investigative journalism.  All people will be able to establish contact with other people at the local level In many different ways.

3.                  We feel that the mass media should aim to be balanced and factual, and allow multifaceted debate.  The mass media must make it clear for readers/listeners/viewers what is news and what are comments.  We say "no" to advertising on radio and TV.  Those who do not wish to be connected to the cable TV network, shall not have to pay anything towards the costs of cable TV.

4.                  We will counteract violence in entertainment and the whole "violence culture", since violence and entertainment should be opposites.  We will invest in types of entertainment which stimulate people's creative abilities and lead to a stronger feeling of community and pleasure.

 

Religious Organizations

 

1.                  Religion constitutes the oldest type of human values which transcend the purely materialistic.  Society must make use of the positive values which religion represents.

2.                  We feel that religious organizations should get economic support on the same conditions that apply today to other idealistic, cultural and social activities.

 

ECONOMIC POLICY

 

The Current Situation

 

1.                  Looked at globally, mankind has reached the limits to growth in several areas.  In the poor countries there is a shortage of food, water and firewood.  Supplies of non-renewable energy are diminishing all the time.

2.                  The "Swedish Economic Model" no longer works.  The negative consequences of material growth have increased, and in recent times have often loomed larger than the advantages.

3.                  Ecological considerations have been suppressed.  Nature and animals have been abused and poisoned.  People's spiritual and physical health have been jeopardized.

4.                  We are now becoming aware of the social consequences of all this.  The migration of peoples, the impoverishment of thinly populated areas and a concentration of people in big cities has created loneliness and rootlessness amongst more and more people.  Many have been excluded from the labor market.  The risks of drug-abuse, crime, the splitting-up of families and other social problems have increased.

5.                  Cultural values have often been set to one side.  Life is valued in material terms, based on what people "have" instead of what they "are".

 

For many, consumption has degenerated Into a stimulating end in Itself.  Instead it ought to be an aid to fulfilling our basic human needs.

 

6.                  Power and Influence over the economy are concentrated in fewer and fewer hands, despite laws and agreements about co-determination.

7.                  Economic and social differences between people are still great.

8.                  Markets are controlled by one or a few companies for more and more products, despite people saying that they want competition and free enterprise.

9.                  The big companies have become bigger and bigger amalgamations, etc.  Small companies have been excluded at an ever-increasing pace, despite promises of decentralization and support for small companies.

10.                Sweden's ability to be self-sufficient has been reduced.  Society has become more vulnerable to disruptions and stoppages.  The control over our economy has been transferred more and more to multinational companies and international bodies.  All this has led to our national self-determination slowly but surely being eroded.

11.                Power over the economy is concentrated in fewer and fewer hands.  Power over production has been moved increasingly further away from those people who actually produce.  The influence of consumers has been chipped away by increasingly effective advertising and marketing.  People's influence is increasingly caught between the profit motive, bureaucratic rules and technical expertise.

12.                We have allowed our basic industries to shrink too much and become all the more vulnerable, for example in the farming, textile and clothing industries.

13.                The Swedish economy Is geared excessively to exports and large-scale operations.  We import products which can be manufactured In Sweden.  Rationalization has gone too far.  Thus, we have great unexploited supplies in the form of human knowledge, raw materials and equipment In Sweden.

14.                The labor market is unbalanced.  The total number of workers in decreasing in more and more sectors and in more and more areas.  It is harder to get work in certain areas than in others.  Technological developments have also influenced the labor market. For instance, the demand for specialist knowledge has increased.  All this means that many who seek work do not get any work at all.  Others cannot work where they want, or work with something they do not like.  This applies especially to youngsters, women, the handicapped and older people.

 

Our Goals and Visions

 

15.                It is high time we changed the economic course.  People's spiritual and physical health and nature's balance must be put before material growth.  The economy will be governed by democratic, ecological, cultural and social values.

16.                Ecological balance, increased self-reliance and reduced vulnerability will be important goals for all levels of economic activity, local, regional and in Sweden as a whole.  Firstly, we will have self-sufficiency when it comes to basic needs in food, clothing and energy.

17.                Our country's own resources in the form of people's knowledge and strength and our natural resources must constitute the basis of the Swedish economy.

18.                The production of goods and services must not be an end in itself; rather it should fulfill people's basic needs.

19.                Production must comply with a strict insistence on as little waste as possible and re-usability.  It must not be harmful to the environment, and must result in durable products.

20.                Sweden's dependence on abroad must be reduced. our traditional free market policy must be reshaped for those products which are vital to the country's provision of basic needs.  Nordic cooperation ought to be extended.

21.                A prerequisite for balanced development along the lines of proper human and ecological conditions is that economic activities are decentralized and redistributed over the whole country.

22.                Such a resource-preserving basic society must be built on small-scale production with greater possibilities for processing our raw materials, where all have influence over industrial production.

23.                In the long run we can balance public finances only through a small-scale balanced economy, through making greater social contributions and through carrying out "care work", which at the same time reduces our dependency on abroad.

24.                We will therefore move the economy out into a third sector, towards the so-called informal but legal economy.  We will lover working-hours in the formal sector so that people have time to

look after children, the old and the sick, and to work with cultural things and be Involved In society.  The traditional boundary between work and spare-time will be wiped out.

25.                Society must take an overall responsibility for making sure that everyone has meaningful work-everyone is needed. Individual Initiative must be encouraged.

26.                The economic and social cleavages between people will be closed.

 

Our Plans and Proposals

 

27.                So that we can create the best possible preservation of society's resources, democratic influence over production is required.

28.                Private, socially owned, cooperative, employee-run companies and other types of companies should be able to function side by side.  Free enterprise will be based on both traditional market mechanisms and on democratically decided plans.

29.                The economy will have an increased element of cooperative, wage-earner and citizen influence.

30.                The private as well as public concentration of power will be countered.  The position of small companies in relation to central authorities and big companies will be strengthened.

31.                We want democratic management of companies which are important for the country's economy and labor market.

32.                We feel that some type of locally established funds can be

introduced.  This to strengthen citizen influence and democracy in companies, etc, and In order to promote alternative and small-scale economic activity.

33.                We want stronger wage-earner influence in connection with technological changes and extended rights for trade union meeting during working-hours.

34.                Farming, forestry, fishing and alternative energy production will be given a greater importance In the Swedish economy.

35.                The right to acquire farms for individual or collective use will be facilitated.

36.                Necessary credit squeezing within the public sector will firstly be passed on to the strong groups and unnecessary bureaucracy, and not to the socially weak groups and fields involving social activities. Speculation and superfluous consumption will be taxed harder than incomes from work, likewise with energy and raw materials.

38.                We will concentrate social support for those who really need it and reduce the possibilities of welfare cheating by reviewing the system for payments, contributions and allowances. The tax laws will be changed so that they no longer favor borrowers and penalize savers.

39.                Taxation will be raised on luxury goods, energy and scarce raw materials, and on speculative profits.  Basic necessities will not be taxed.

40.                Activities which wreak havoc on the environment will be subject to extra taxation for the damages which they cause, until these damages cease or the activity is stopped.

41.                The State, regional governments and the municipalities will buy goods and services firstly from within the country.

42.                Working hours will be reduced, to a 6 hour working day.  We will introduce a 30 hour full-time working week, and at the same time employees will have the right to go down to 20 hours a week.  Legislation shall give workers the right to cut their working hours to 6 hour days.

43.                Young people will be guaranteed employment by law in the form of education, practical training or employment.

44.                The supervision of work-safety laws must be tightened and breaches in the law be punished harder.

 

POLITICAL DEMOCRACY AND THE SECURITY OF LIFE AND PROPERTY

 

1.                  We will create a self-administered democracy, with the people affected making as many decisions as possible locally. we will change laws and work practices of Parliament, regional governments and the municipalities, so that accountability between voters and voted will function.  We are striving towards a position where everyone has equal possibilities to participate in, and influence, social developments.  For instance:

 

- it will be easier for individuals to reach decision-makers - public offices will be spread over many people - public political question and answer sessions will be organized every politician will be accountable to the voters for how he or she has gone about looking after the task they were entrusted with

- meetings of political management groups, commissions and committees will be open to the general public - it should be possible to hold municipal decision-making and advisory referenda

- people will not be collectively affiliated to political parties.

2.                  Political work will be something which is entrusted, not a life-time occupation.  A politician should be allowed to sit for a maximum of 3 consecutive terms in a decision-making body.

3.                  The percentage hurdle at national and regional elections will be removed.

4.                  As many decision-making rights as possible will be transferred from state bodies to the municipalities.  Municipalities will have the right to divide themselves up into smaller municipalities which are partially self-managed.  Parliamentary, regional and municipal councils will steer the activities of civil servants, and take responsibility for them more actively than today.

3.                  The laws will be clear and concise so that people can read their rights and obligations.  Laws which go against the following principles will be changed or removed:

4.                  As many decision-making rights as possible will be transferred from state bodies to the municipalities. Municipalities will have the right to divide themselves up into smaller municipalities which are partially self-managed. Parliamentary, regional, and municipal councils will steer the activities of civil servants, and take responsibility for them more actively than today.

5.                  The laws will be clear and concise so people can read their rights and obligations. Laws which go against the following principles will be changed or removed:

 

-                    everyone is equal before the law

-                    no punishment without crime

-                    no one shall be sentenced without first being heard.

6.                  The rights and obligations of the authorities towards the citizens will be fixed in a special law.

7.                  Mistakes and negligence within public administration will be corrected and the measures made public.  All civil servants-high as well as low-ranking-will have the same responsibility before the law.

8.                  The Justice Ombudsman will be better equipped and made into an effective controlling organ for the public bureaucracy.