2011-the fall of democracy?

Just back from one week of Legoland and one week without news, TV and internet, the slide back into reality is exhausting. I hoped to see some positiv development on some of the world's biggest issues: Greece for EU, Libya for UN and Syria for the middle-east, not to forget Fukushima for Asia. Well, sorry my friends, there is not even a glimpse of optimism in the air, instead situations have become worse or, even worse, all forgotten in media.

People in Greece are demonstrating and protesting about severe cuts in greek economics to rescue Greece and the EURO-cooperation. Many wonder about how a general strike can be of any assistance in Greece's difficult situation. Well, do not forget that the greek people are the once who have paid for quiete a long time. The problem is that the money has not served greek economy but the pocket of a few leaders. Let me give you an example. My sister married 26 years ago in Greece. At that time the greek govenmernt started up construction of the motorway between Thessaloniki (Greece's 2:nd biggest city) and Athens and they started to demand road taxes to finance this big projekt. The government claimed the taxes and.... nothing happened... not until Athens was appointed as host for the OS. The motorway was finished right before year 2004, 19 years after that taxes had been demanded from all travellers between those two cities. and the construction was mainly financed by loans. So: where did all of the money go? THIS is what makes the greek people angry and disappointed and now they will have to suffer for those who have earned a lot and built up personal wealth thanks to greek taxes. No wonder that the people demand a payback. Greece, the cradle of democracy, falls due to egoistic desires of earlier governments. Democracy? I do not hink so!

In Syria, a spokesperson for a human rights group got the possibility to have a talk with one of the inofficial leaders of the Syrian opposition. Very surprisingly this opponent started to defend the Syrian government and the Syrian army as soon as questions about the latest happenings in Syria were asked: Syrian opposition at their way towards democracy? I dont think so! A couple of weeks ago I wrote that democracy needs time and education. I still think so and I do not believe that the Syrian people are fit for the cause. How can the people of a country believe that they will receive democracy if their own opposition follow the president's lead and defend military actions against their own people? Democracy? I do not think so!

The news regarding happenings in Libya are at the same time very spare in western media. There is now an order to arrest Ghaddafi, well, if they catch him, but the military engagement of the UN that was supposed to last a couple of days, is now into a couple of months and an end is still not in sight. At the same time USA started to retreat from Afghanistan and Obama promised to bring home 30 000 soldiers... well, maybe he will find a new task for them in Libya? Democracy? I do not think so!

Fukushima started to leak again. After so long time news are difficult to find and even if there are some short articles, most of the information is actually coming from Japanese Electricity company Tepco and Japanes nuclear authority Nisa. The same sources that immediatly and persistantly denied that the accident actually was a nuclear meltdown. Will we ever get to know how bad the situation actually is? How bad it hit the japanese people? Or will we have to wait a couple of years, when we see how the amount of cancer-diseases rais, how more and more newborns are malformed and sick and how more people die because of nuclear exposion? The handling of information in Japan is undermining all kind of democratic reporting. Democracy? I do not think so!

And last but not least, even here in Sweden, we can see democray going wrong when a right wing municipal leader in Swedish Laholm actually plans to take away the citizens' possibility to engage directly into political action through citizen proposition. He thinks that it is to complicated and does not lead to any fruitful ideas and suggestions. You should know that actually 1/4, this is 25% of all propositions actually lead to a resolution. Well, this politician does not believe that this is productive.... Democratic thinking? I do not htink so!

Substancial patience: National pride

Substancial patience: National pride: "Today two of my kids had their last schoolday for this semester with 2 months of great summerholiday awaiting them. The school had a big cel..."

National pride

Today two of my kids had their last schoolday for this semester with 2 months of great summerholiday awaiting them. The school had a big celebration, as every year, with the children of different grades singing, a nice rector's speech and I do not think the eyes of any parent were dry when they saw their loved onces up on the stage. In the middle of this ceremony, right before the rector's speech, two nine-graders sang the Swedish national anthem, together with the background choir of all of the parents and the other children. THIS is an ordinary Swedish tradtion. This has been done forever and you can see how proud everyone, Swedish or not, is about the country we live in.

At the same time, in media, it is always discussed wether or not, it should be allowed to sing the Swedish national anthem during school ending ceremonies. The reasons listed include everything from xenophobia to equality. I really canot see this problem. I, myself, am an EU-immigrant to Sweden. My husband is an immgirant form outer-EU and my children are called 2:n generation immigrants. Still, I am very proud to call myself Swedish. I am thankful to live here in Sweden and I want that my children feel the same. With my German background I know what it means not to be able to love and cherrish and be proud of once one country. As German you are immediately called a Nazi if you say that you love Germany or that you are proud to be German. Growing up in Germany I missed this national identity, I felt European. But with the absence of national identity, one cannot demand engagement and loyality towards a country. So, I was not sorry to leave Germany, just sorry to miss my friends.

My point is: let the children sing the national anthem, let them feel the pride to live in Sweden, no matter their own nationality. Because: the national anthem should be enjoyable to any kind of nationality. Be proud to live in Sweden, to be able to enjoy the long summer days and to cuddle with candlelights during the long cold winter nights. Be proud to enjoy one of the world's best healthcare and schools, to be able to study at any age without having to pay for it, to be able to find work and if not, to have a social security net. Be proud to be able to give our children a future in peace and with a great feeling of freedom and equality. Because this is what Sweden stands for in my eyes. And for this: yes, I do too sing the Swedish national anthem on my children's last schoolday! ... and am proud of it!