Unfaithfulness discussed in Sweden

In the "free" Sweden the private life of celebrities and politicians is usually not very much discussed or exposed. Apart from certain magazines. There is definately a big contrast towards the US where a marriage is an important part of a PR - facade, and where a sidestep can meen the end of the carreers of politicians, media profiles and other celebrities.

As it has become known that Tiger Woods have been cheated on his Swedish wife Elin Nordegren, daugther of the governor (former Minister of immigration) Barbro Holmberg and the journalist Thomas Nordegren (known from the Swedish radiochannel 1) - source Wikipedia - the private life of an american celebrity has become hot stuff in Sweden. This time it is not any american scandal, but this time a Swedish woman is involved. And therefore someone who Swedish people feel more sympathy for. And, besides, it is not every day a Swedish woman has been cheeted on by a mega-celebrity (Aftonbladet) and also asks for 2 miljard crowns if there would be a divorce (Expressen).

So the phenomenon is suddenly widely discussed by columnists and writers also in the more respectable Swedish press and media. Dagens Nyheter is writing about sex-addiction as a problem where there is also treatment to get.

I hope this will mean a renewed debate on relational problems. The tragic in this particular case is that Tiger Woods does not seem to realize the problem and take responsibility for all the side-steps he has done. Obviously he has built up an entire enterprise in order to cover up his side-steps. Very costsome, bur all is not possible to buy with money! I beleive that a family is one of the greatest riches to find here on earth. Something that has to be stewarded, and something not to be taken for granted. Now, there are always to parts in a relationship. Elin Nordegren does not either seem to have a very good education in how to keep a family together - her parents being divorced and her father Thomas married for the third time. But if you need help there is to get! My absolute convincement is that there are no hopeless cases, if you just want to and try hard. And more should do, not least for the sake of the children!

Fatal mistakes by the Norwegian centre

Unfortunately my fears about the Norwegian election where fulfilled and the leftist government was reelected. The two parties Kristelig Folkeparti ("Christian Democrats") and Venstre ("Liberals") has not been able to adopt from the situation 1997-2005 where they succesfully ruled Norway under the Christian Democratic prime minister Kjell Magne Bondevik. Instead they have kept working against the biggest right-wing party Fremskrittspartiet. Now the voters have given their verdict, and Venstre is left with only two mandates in the Parliament "Stortinget" and their leader Sponheim has announced his resignment (VG).

Now I hope that during the coming four years the right - wing parties will be able to do a better job to open way for a non-socialist government in the future! Erna Solberg, the party leader of Høyre (the Conservatives) has so far seemed to be the only one aiming for this. It is tragic that in a country like Norway with a strong non-socialist majority, the socialistic parties anyway can stay in government, with the help of the Senterpartiet.

In Sweden, thank God, the situation is the opposite! I hope that the Swedish governing alliance will succeed as well as the Norwegian in the elections next year!

Media: DN 1,2,3, SvD 1,2,3 , VG 1,2,3,4,5,6

The Israeli government is right and wrong

The in Sweden so called Israel-affair is growing off limits, and Foreign Minister Carl Bildt is trying to defend his point in his blog. I beleive that you have to look at things out of two perspectives.

On one hand the Israeli Government, which is asking for an official apology by the Swedish government, and even wants to stop Swedish journalists from working in Israel (see Dagen, DN). One can definately understand the viewpoints of Israel. I would also react if someone accused me, or the Swedish army, to steal organs from assasinated enemies and sell them in the black market. Even if it is a kind of war going on, and palestinians are being killed that is far away from the idea of an army of a democratic state ripping corpses and selling the contents. This is definately an illustration of a demonization of Israel which in this case has reached even into the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet. Anders Gerdmar, a theologian that I know has written about this, in Swedish, at Newsmill and he can really confirm this idea of demonization of Israel.

It is also a fact that Israel is a country in the Middle East. In the Middle East people do not express demselves as modestly as we do in Scandinavia! No, they react strongly and loudly, especially in a situation where you feel intimidated. We in Sweden often concider Israel a part of the Western world, but the greater part of the population is of oriental origin, or has at least grown up there. Therefor it is easy to see parallels (not in the level of violence though) to the reactions in the Middle East towards the Mohamed cartoons.

On the other hand I do agree with Carl Bildt and the Swedish government in the promotion of the Swedish freedom of press. The fact that Aftonbladet has published a badly underbuilt article which is an example of bad journalism deserves attacs in the public debate - even on the pages of Aftonbladet itself. Israel should objectively reproach the attac perhaps whith an article in Aftonbladet. Facts and objectivity will also win in the end - because it is the Truth that set us free!

The swedish government should pick up the work done by former Prime Minister Göran Persson and initiate a new Holocaust conference in Stockholm. This is suggested by Tomas Sandell, director of European coalition for Israel (ViD). There is definately need for a bettering of the Swedish reputation after this article in Aftonbladet, and the events concerning the Davis Cup-match in Malmö recently.

DN 1,2,3,4,5, SvD 1,2,3,4 Dagen 1,2,3

Debate on circumcision

In Sweden there is now going on a debate on circumcision. In the Swedish cristian newspaper "Dagen" there was the other day an article about the Uppsalaresident Hans Rosling, Professor in public health who is the man behind http://www.gapminder.org/, who says there are no medical reasons not to practice circumcision. Those who claim that are "either not updated or lying". Gunnar Götberg and Yngve Hofvander are two doctors in Sweden who have been trying to abolish male circumcision.

I think it is allright that the public health system also offer male circumcision, especially when there is a risk that it otherwise is made in an insecure way. As long as you pay for it I concider it uncontroversial. What does it matter if you have foreskin or not?

In the Uppsala county board I recently supported to follow the recommendations by SKL that every county should offer circumcision.

Also Peter Wolodarsky at DN means that Gunnar Götberg and others should update on what recent research is saying on the subject.

Claiming the Parliament

On the upper picture you can see a majority of the Swedish Christian Democratic candidates in the election for the European Parliament, and below myself in front of the parliament building in Brussells. Unfortunately not all of us can be elected, since Sweden only have 18 seats in the parliament right now. But we will do all we can so that as many as possible can be elected, and so that we can make a bigger impact with Christian Democratic values and politics.

It is great to be a part of a movement, the biggest party (EPP-ED) in the parliament, which is built on a firm basis of values. Stewardship, subsidiarity and the intrinsic value of human life are some of our great principles that should last a good part of our roadway to the parliament!

Snowmen demonstrating

This week there was a unique demonstration in Uppsala. Below the castle there were a group of snowmen demonstrating under the parole "Snowmen demand ordinary weather". A challeging cry in todays climate-change debate. One of the snowmen held the sign "warm weather means mealing, I don´t want to die!"

The King

Today my daughter Edel Irén showed me a Youtube-clip that she had seen at Chapel in School this morning. A wonderful speech by S.M. Lockridge!

Back to work

This week I am back at work as political secretary at the county administration. Since 2006 I have first been fulfilling the task of county commissioner for the Christian Democratic Party for 1 1/2 year, and then, last year I have mainly been on parental leave. So, this week we have spent two days planning for the coming year, the 10 fulltimeworkers of the political majority. Today I have been working with preparations for a coming visit of our Party leader Göran Hägglund.

At the turn of the year, the one working for me during my parental leave, Steven Crosson, moved to Örebro, and I had to go back to work. So my wife quit her job teaching at a high school, and started working at our day-care cooperative.

It feels a bit odd coming home and finding everthing tidy and in order, and once again fullfilling the task of a political secretary. So I am now looking forward to the rest of the spring.

(picture of Uppsala castle where the county council used to hold it´s meetings in the old days)