Olof Palme

[Small Geezer]

Olof Palme, the leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 1969 to 1986 (when he was assassinated) and prime minister during this same period.

He was critical of both the US and the USSR during this time, and according to the wikipedia article led the charge for sanctions against Apartheid South Africa.

His administration also, according to the same wikipedia article, funded the PLO, ANC, FMLN and the FSLN.

What are your views? And could you please recommend some articles?

[Tavarisch_Mike]

I think that Palme have been made to a martyr since he was murdered, he did some reactionary statements, like when he condemmed the miners strike in the state owned company LKAB in 1969. He was far more left then any politician that we have today in the swedish parliment and if he would see what his party have becommed today, he woul probably want to die again immidiatly. He wasnt perfect, like some kind of saint, that some people want to belive, but i would rather see politicians like him at the power anny day.

[Dimentio]

It was during Palme's time that a serious socialisation attempt happened with the failed referendum on the employee funds. He also had a pretty anti-imperialistic foreign policy regarding the third world. At the same time, communists and some unionists were repressed and harassed.

There are streets in a lot of third world nations named after him, and he is still fondly remembered in for example South Africa.

Of course, some people suspect a conspiracy behind the assassination of him.

Today, he would be considered an extreme leftist.

[maskerade]

He created a law that would tax companies, and the taxes would be used to buy shares in the companies to be given to the workers...if he hadn't died, one could speculate that Sweden would be a very different place today...

There is a street named after him in Maputo, Mozambique.

He also cut diplomatic ties with the states like 3 times during his stint as Swedish prime minister

[Sentinel]

if he would see what his party have becommed today, he woul probably want to die again immidiatly.


Indeed! He would spin in his grave. I was too young to understand much when he was in power, although I remember when he was murdered -- one of my first memories in life, I was born in 1980 -- and when they started looking for his killer (they still are).

To those of you who don't know: he was shot in the back on the street when he was going to the movies with his wife and without bodyguards, and the killer was never caught. Although several people have been suspected and at least one person has even been convicted for the crime, they have all later been released.

There are a lot of conspiracy theories about his murder, and I don't believe in any particular one. But I very much doubt that it was done by any lonely maniac, Palme had enemies in very high up places.

TM and Dimentio are correct in their description of Palme's politics. He was a decent anti-imperialist and would today belong to the furthernmost left fringe of his old party, but he was still a social democrat prime minister and no 'revolutionary leftist'.

[Dimentio]

If the employee funds had been instituted, in year 2000 most of the Swedish larger companies would have been under virtual worker's control. Though it must be stated that it was the social democratic union and not the social democratic party which was the driving force behind that proposal.

[Sentinel]

He was far more left then any politician that we have today in the swedish parliment


I assume you mean in the Social Democratic Party..? There are still some people in the parliament far to the left of any social democrat, in the Left Party. I'm speaking about certain individual members of that party of course, there are some wastes of space in there too.

Also, on another note, the pedant in me finally has to point out to the OP that his name was correctly spelled Olof, not Olaf. ;)

Sven Olof Joachim Palme (30 January 1927 – 1 March 1986) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olof_Palme)

[NecroCommie]

He didn't worship Stalin so I hate him.

Nääh! Just kidding! :D It is just a shame how these modern "social democrats" think he is somehow like them, or that they would be equally left. As far as I understand, modern vänsterpartie (how do you spell those names?! :confused:) would fit his politics better.

Correct me if I am wrong.

[Honggweilo]

He didn't worship Stalin so I hate him.

Nääh! Just kidding! :D It is just a shame how these modern "social democrats" think he is somehow like them, or that they would be equally left. As far as I understand, modern vänsterpartie (how do you spell those names?! :confused:) would fit his politics better.

Correct me if I am wrong.

no actually that would be a pretty acturate description, most ex-communist "democratic left" parties try to replace old 70's social democracy in nothern europe by reviving the idealism of the social democratic hayday's (we see the dutch SP reviving the image of Joop den Uyl alot, which wasnt as leftwing as Palme).

[RadioRaheem84]

Where would Palme be on the spectrum today? Like a Hugo Chavez?

Break it down for us non-Swedish folk. :)

[Tavarisch_Mike]

After some thinking, yeah Chavez seems to be the guy that you can compare (among the currently ruling ones), never thought about it before, but with less military stuff, Palme tried to avoid that stuff as much as possible, like when soviet submarines had been in swedish water, he just ignorred it, wich made the right-wingers furious.
I should be menthioned that during his ruling time, we had the lowest incomme differences ever in our history (think it was in the mid 70s, unfortunatley cant find the article i read it in).

[Red Commissar]

I've heard about these "employee funds" before when Olof Palme and this period was brought up. What method were they planning to achieve those? I know there was a strong opposition to it from the usual crowd of industrialists and what not, so I could guess this meant they had a workable model to implement this and as such they felt threatened by the potential of their businesses actually being truly socialized?

[Dimentio]

Where would Palme be on the spectrum today? Like a Hugo Chavez?

Break it down for us non-Swedish folk. :)

Somewhat to the right of Chàvez and somewhat left of Robert Fico I would say.

But for the 1970's, he was just slightly left of the middle in Swedish politics.

He partook in protests against the Vietnam war, gave money to the PLO, the ANC and some other movements, frequently met Third World leaders, verbally attacked the USA and USSR and an attempt to socialise the large corporations were made during his term.

Social-democratic Sweden was semi-semi-authoritarian, with a national media monopoly, a large and very influential national labour organisation which was associated to the ruling party, left-wing agitprop in children's programmes and comics, and generally "free most things". At the same time, the social democrats had a secret and illegal security service called the Information Bureau, which ensured that communists couldn't gain leadership positions in the unions, that they were harassed with losing their jobs, bullied and even had threatening phone calls and yellow snowballs thrown at their windows.

Palme angered many people in Sweden, not so much because of his policies as because of his belligerent personality. In Sweden, you are simply a bad person if you don't try to reach consensus, and Palme loved debates and loved to own his opponents. He was an exceptionally good debater. Many right-wing extremists also hated him and saw him as a marxist-influenced puppet. In some way, his leadership style was a little unique and made him either loved or hated. People thought he was too loudmouthed.

When he died, it was a complete shock for Sweden, and people actually started to realise who they had lost and how Palme was as a person and a leader. In some parts of the Third World, grief was actually larger than in Sweden.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3ZebXTWN-0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM2cH3NIPVw&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntYFZEgsQ0Q&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMuf1HD6INg&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNhNeCTCcxc&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3neQib1njNM&feature=related

[maskerade]

Olof Palme is very well respected in Africa, in particular Mozambique, as he created a middle ground between the USSR and the US for third world leaders. It is because of Palme that the USSRs social imperialism in Mozambique ended, mostly because he, along with Norway, decided to give lots of aid to the Frelimo government. He was adamant about letting third world countries decide their own fate, something which has almost completely disappeared from the political spectrum today.

[Honggweilo]

Where would Palme be on the spectrum today? Like a Hugo Chavez?

Break it down for us non-Swedish folk. :)

No that would be a pretty far stretch, i would say Ken Livingston

[Wanted Man]

Somewhat to the right of Chàvez and somewhat left of Robert Fico I would say.

But for the 1970's, he was just slightly left of the middle in Swedish politics.

He partook in protests against the Vietnam war, gave money to the PLO, the ANC and some other movements, frequently met Third World leaders, verbally attacked the USA and USSR and an attempt to socialise the large corporations were made during his term.

That's pretty interesting. The most "left-wing" Labour-led governments that we've ever had was still fiercely Atlanticist as far as I know.

[Sentinel]

I translated the condemnation of the war in Vietnam by Palme, which temporarily broke diplomatic relations between Sweden and USA:


"Man bör kalla saker och ting vid deras rätta namn och det som pågår idag i Vietnam, det är en form av tortyr. Det man nu gör, det är att plåga människor. Plåga en nation för att förödmjuka den, tvinga den till underkastelse under maktspråk. Och därför är bombningarna ett illdåd. Och av det har vi många exempel i den moderna historien. Och de är i allmänhet förbundna med ett namn: Guernica (http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guernica), Oradour (http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oradour-sur-Glane), Babij Jar (http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babij_Jar), Katyń (http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katy%C5%84), Lidice (http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lidice), Sharpeville (http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpeville), Treblinka (http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treblinka). Där har våldet triumferat. Men eftervärldens dom har fallit hård över dem som burit ansvaret. Nu fogas ett nytt namn till raden: Hanoi, julen 1972."

Translation:

"One should call things by their right names, and what is going on in Vietnam is a form of torture. What is being done right now, is tormenting of human beings. Tormenting a nation to humiliate it, to force it into submission. Thus the bombings are an atrocity. We have seen many examples of such in modern history. And they are usually connected to a name: Guernica, Oradour, Babij Jar, Katyn, Lidice, Sharpeville, Treblinka. There the violence has triumfed. But the judgement of those coming after has always fallen hard over those responsible. Now a new name is added to the row: Hanoi, Christmas 1972."

Like it has been said, Palme was a decent anti-imperialist.

[Dimentio]

That's pretty interesting. The most "left-wing" Labour-led governments that we've ever had was still fiercely Atlanticist as far as I know.

Sweden was officially neutral and not a member of NATO.

[Small Geezer]

So any decent articles on Palme that you could recommend?

[Small Geezer]

*Bump* So any articles on Palme to recommend?

[Dimentio]

Most of the material I know about is on Swedish.

[Great1917Revolution]

Palme is a true hero and my personal influence. Both USSR and USA led dehumanizing policies.

[Dimentio]

Palme is a true hero and my personal influence. Both USSR and USA led dehumanizing policies.

*cough* I.B *cough*