Gotland Traffic

The plan demands that socially important activities and infrastructure that have been privatized be taken back into public ownership, and particularly identifies infrastructure as a key sector for strengthened public ownership. Gotland Traffic is such socially important transport infrastructure, and the counter-proposal's demand for state operation therefore follows directly from the plan. The plan furthermore demands that public transport be made cheaper and more accessible throughout the country, which speaks against significantly raised ticket prices under contracted operation.

• reclaim privatized infrastructuredecisive»Det är hög tid att agera och ta tillbaka den samhällsviktiga verksamhet och infrastruktur som har privatiserats.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It is high time to act and take back the socially important activities and infrastructure that have been privatized.”
• public ownership in key sectors»I nyckelsektorer som finans, infrastruktur, bostäder och energiförsörjning« (party programme ↗)“In key sectors such as finance, infrastructure, housing and energy supply”
• cheaper public transport»För att såväl öka alla människors rörelsefrihet som för att minska utsläppen av växthusgaser så behöver även kollektivtrafiken byggas ut och göras billigare och mer tillgänglig i hela landet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“In order to both increase all people's freedom of movement and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, public transport must also be expanded and made cheaper and more accessible throughout the country.”
• societal services throughout the country»Välfärden måste vara till för alla och finnas överallt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Welfare must be available to everyone and exist everywhere.”

The plan's core commitment is democratic control over society-critical functions and that operation and maintenance of transport infrastructure should primarily take place under state control, which is exactly what the counter-proposal requires for Gotland traffic. That public transport should be reliable and affordable bears the objection to sharply increased ticket prices, and the requirement for strong infrastructure for preparedness captures the total defence argument. Gotland traffic is not explicitly addressed in the documents.

• public governance of key functionsdecisive»Demokratisk kontroll över välfärden och samhällsviktiga funktioner.« (party programme ↗)“Democratic control over welfare and society-critical functions.”
• transport infrastructure under state control»Förbättrat underhåll av vägar och järnvägar, huvudsakligen i statlig regi.« (party programme ↗)“Improved maintenance of roads and railways, primarily under state control.”
• affordable public transport»Kollektivtrafik som är välfungerande, pålitlig, hållbar och prisvärd.« (party programme ↗)“Public transport that is well-functioning, reliable, sustainable and affordable.”
• infrastructure for total defence»Stark infrastruktur för stärkt beredskap.« (party programme ↗)“Strong infrastructure for strengthened preparedness.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The party programme explicitly opens for the state to own and run business operations when there are grounds for it, and wants the transport system to be partially re-regulated to function optimally and sustainably. Society shall itself control and stand for infrastructure, and collective travel shall become cheaper – which bears the counter-proposal's demand that Gotland Transport be counted as infrastructure and run in state ownership when ticket prices have risen sharply. The plan therefore supports the requirement.

• state ownership when grounds existdecisive»I vissa fall kan det dock finnas skäl för staten eller en kommun att äga och driva affärsverksamheter.« (party programme ↗)“In certain cases there may however be grounds for the state or a municipality to own and run business operations.”
• re-regulation of transport system»Järnvägssystemet behöver ses över och till vissa delar återregleras för att få ett optimalt och långsiktigt fungerande transportsystem.« (party programme ↗)“The railway system needs to be reviewed and partly re-regulated to achieve an optimal and sustainably functioning transport system.”
• society responsible for infrastructure»Samhället måste själv styra och stå för utbyggnad av infrastruktursystemen.« (party programme ↗)“Society must itself control and stand for development of infrastructure systems.”
• cheaper public transport»bygga ut kollektivtrafiken i hela landet, och gör det billigare att åka buss och tåg, särskilt för unga och pensionärer.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“expand public transport nationwide, and make it cheaper to travel by bus and train, especially for young people and pensioners.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The counter-proposal requires that the state itself operates Gotland traffic, while the plan is based on a market economy free from planned economy directives and on public activities being preferably subject to competition rather than carried out in-house. The plan's concern for accessibility throughout the country and decentralized decision-making justify requirements for traffic quality and price, but not state-run monopoly. The plan therefore speaks against the counter-proposal's requirement in substance.

• competition ahead of in-house operationsdecisive»Offentlig verksamhet kan med fördel konkurrensutsättas för att ge det privata näringslivet möjlighet att skapa« (party programme ↗)“Public activities can preferably be subject to competition in order to give the private business sector the opportunity to create”
• accessibility throughout the country»Hela landet behövs, från förort till industriort, från storstad till landsbygd. Alla delar av Sverige ska se ökad frihet, trygghet och tillgänglighet nästa mandatperiod.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The whole country is needed, from suburb to industrial town, from big city to countryside. All parts of Sweden should see increased freedom, security and accessibility next term.”
• decentralized decision-making»Decentralisera mera. Människor ska få bestämma mer själva, och politiska beslut ska fattas nära dem som berörs.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Decentralize more. People should decide more for themselves, and political decisions should be made close to those affected.”

flags: citat_blockerat

The plan establishes that the public sector shall only run business activities when there is a strong public interest and that the state shall not own companies such as airlines, banks and telecom companies. The counter-proposal instead wants the state to run Gotland Transport in its own administration. The plan sees maritime transport as important infrastructure, but the path it points to is procurement and private operators, not state operation.

• restrictive public enterprisedecisive»Det offentliga ska endast driva affärsverksamhet om det finns ett starkt samhällsintresse.« (party programme ↗)“The public sector shall only run business activities if there is a strong public interest.”
• no state ownership of transport companies»Staten ska inte äga flygbolag, banker och telebolag.« (party programme ↗)“The state shall not own airlines, banks and telecom companies.”
• no crowding out of private operators»offentliga ska inte driva verksamheter som tränger ut fungerande privata alternativ eller försvårar« (party programme ↗)“the public shall not run activities that crowd out functioning private alternatives or complicate”
• maritime transport as part of infrastructure»Goda möjligheter till sjötransporter är ett viktigt inslag i infrastrukturen.« (party programme ↗)“Good opportunities for maritime transport are an important part of the infrastructure.”

The party programme explicitly states that the public is responsible for infrastructure while traffic itself should be conducted in competition, and that public activity as far as possible should be built on the absence of monopolies. The counter-proposal's demand that Gotland Traffic is run in state control goes directly against this. The plan allows state responsibility for traffic that does not come about commercially, but here traffic has been procured.

• traffic in competitiondecisive»Det offentliga samhället har ansvar för trafiksystemens utveckling och dess infrastruktur. Själva trafiken bör bedrivas i konkurrens.« (party programme ↗)“The public society has responsibility for the development of traffic systems and its infrastructure. Traffic itself should be conducted in competition.”
• absence of public monopolies»Den offentliga sektorns verksamhetsformer ska så långt möjligt bygga på frånvaro av monopol.« (party programme ↗)“The public sector's operations as far as possible shall be built on the absence of monopolies.”
• state responsibility for necessary traffic»Staten har ett ansvar att upprätthålla ett system av nationella och regionala flygplatser liksom regionalt betydelsefull flygtrafik som inte kommer till stånd på kommersiella grunder.« (party programme ↗)“The state has a responsibility to maintain a system of national and regional airports as well as regionally significant air traffic that does not come about on commercial grounds.”

The plan is built on a free business sector and on the state being strong in its core but not taking over what others can do; a large state is described as a weaker society. Having the state run Gotland Transport in its own operations instead of contracting it out contradicts that line. The plan therefore argues against the counter-proposal's demand.

• limited state spheredecisive»En stor stat leder till ett svagare samhälle.« (party programme ↗)“A large state leads to a weaker society.”
• free business sector»Moderaterna vill bygga ett land där ett fritt näringsliv skapar ett välstånd som kommer alla till del.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Moderates want to build a country where a free business sector creates a prosperity that benefits all.”
• business sector bears prosperity»Sveriges välstånd bygger på ett dynamiskt och livskraftigt näringsliv.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden's prosperity is built on a dynamic and vital business sector.”

The party programme establishes that essential parts of infrastructure should be under state control and that state and municipality must retain significant influence over infrastructure and public transport to guarantee public services at reasonable cost throughout the country. The counter-proposal's requirement that Gotlands Trafiken is counted as infrastructure and operated under state management follows from this. The plan's pragmatism about operating model mitigates but does not eliminate the requirement, as the traffic is pointed out as crucial for total defense.

• state control of infrastructuredecisive»centrala samhällsfunktioner såsom rättsväsende, försvar och väsentliga delar av vår infrastruktur bör stå under statlig kontroll« (party programme ↗)“central societal functions such as justice, defence and essential parts of our infrastructure should be under state control”
• public influence over public transport»måste stat och kommuner behålla ett betydande mått av inflytande över infrastruktur och kollektivtrafik« (party programme ↗)“state and municipalities must retain a significant degree of influence over infrastructure and public transport”
• the whole country shall thrive»Bedriva en politik för hela Sverige« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Conduct a policy for all of Sweden”
• pragmatic view of operating model»Det viktigaste för oss är i de flesta fall inte vem som utför en specifik uppgift utan att uppgiften utförs på ett sätt som renderar medborgarna största möjliga nytta till lägsta möjliga kostnad.« (party programme ↗)“The most important thing for us is in most cases not who performs a specific task but that the task is performed in a way that yields citizens the greatest possible benefit at the lowest possible cost.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.