State-owned enterprises' opinion-building activities

The plan highlights Systembolaget as a good example of how shared ownership takes responsibility for complex problems and wants to see restrictive regulation of alcohol, which speaks against limiting the company's ability to defend that order. The plan instead wants shared enterprises to be actively used to drive social change. To require review and limitation of their advocacy work therefore goes against the plan's ownership view.

• Systembolaget as modeldecisive»är ett bra exempel på hur vi genom gemensamt ägande kan ta ansvar« (party programme ↗)“is a good example of how through shared ownership we can take responsibility”
• restrictive alcohol policy»Vi vill se en restriktiv reglering av alkohol och tobak.« (party programme ↗)“We want to see restrictive regulation of alcohol and tobacco.”
• shared ownership drives change»Gemensamt ägda verksamheter kan användas för att driva förändring« (party programme ↗)“Shared enterprises can be used to drive change”
• public benefit as ownership goal»Vi vill att de verksamheter vi äger tillsammans drivs med fokus på den« (party programme ↗)“We want the enterprises we own together to be run with focus on”

The plan does not address public companies' opinion-forming. The nearest-lying principles are prevention of improper influence, public principle in all publicly financed activity and that economic interests shall not set limits for democracy. A review with ongoing reporting of the companies' opinion-forming is consistent with that transparency line, why the counter-proposal is supported weakly.

• against improper influencedecisive»Förhindrande av korruption och otillbörlig påverkan.« (party programme ↗)“Prevention of corruption and improper influence.”
• transparency in public activity»Offentlighetsprincip i all offentligt finansierad verksamhet.« (party programme ↗)“Public principle in all publicly financed activity.”
• democracy supreme»Ekonomiska intressen ska inte sätta gränser för demokratin.« (party programme ↗)“Economic interests shall not set limits for democracy.”
• public interest in state-owned companies»Stärkt samhällsintresse i styrningen av de statliga bolagen.« (party programme ↗)“Strengthened public interest in the governance of state-owned companies.”

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 plan says nothing about state-owned companies' opinion-shaping. The closest principle is that state-owned companies should be directed towards societal goals rather than solely returns, and that the right to participate in democratic dialogue is defended even with unpopular opinions. Limiting companies' opinion-shaping to core business contradicts this, which is why the plan essentially rejects the demand.

• state-owned companies have societal missiondecisive»Statliga bolag och myndigheter inom järnvägssektorn ska styras mot klimatmålen och krav på avkastning ska nedprioriteras.« (party programme ↗)“State-owned companies and authorities in the railway sector should be directed towards climate goals and return requirements should be deprioritized.”
• broad freedom of expression»Miljöpartiet står upp för rätten att uttrycka sig i det demokratiska samtalet, även med åsikter som är illa omtyckta av andra.« (party programme ↗)“The Green Party stands up for the right to express oneself in democratic dialogue, even with opinions that are unpopular with others.”
• regulated lobbying»Lobbyismen behöver därför regleras och begränsas.« (party programme ↗)“Lobbying therefore needs to be regulated and limited.”

The election manifesto requires Sweden to become even more transparent, with stricter rules against corruption and a lobby register, and the party programme makes openness and transparency basic prerequisites to prevent corruption. A state company conducting advocacy to parliament members on the question of farm sales—a reform the plan explicitly demands—is precisely the kind of influence that should be reported openly. The counter-proposal's demand for review and ongoing reporting thus has support.

• lobby register and transparencydecisive»Sverige ska bli ännu mer transparent. Vi vill inrätta en antikorruptionsmyndighet, skärpa regler mot korruption och införa ett lobbyregister.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden should become even more transparent. We want to establish an anti-corruption authority, tighten rules against corruption and introduce a lobby register.”
• allow farm sales»Det är orimligt att lokala producenter av alkoholhaltiga drycker inte kan sälja sina produkter till besökare. Tillåt gårdsförsäljning av alkohol för att stärka besöksnäringen och utveckla landsbygden.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It is unreasonable that local producers of alcoholic beverages cannot sell their products to visitors. Allow farm sales of alcohol to strengthen the tourism industry and develop rural areas.”
• openness against corruption»Öppenhet och transparens är grundförutsättningar för frihet, demokrati och för att förhindra korruption och övergrepp.« (party programme ↗)“Openness and transparency are basic prerequisites for freedom, democracy and to prevent corruption and abuse.”
• limited role of the state»Staten är till för människan, inte tvärtom.« (party programme ↗)“The state exists for people, not the other way around.”

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 plan wants to simplify rules for farm sales, that is precisely the question where the state-owned company conducted public advocacy against parliament. It also limits public business activities to cases with strong societal interest and requires openness and transparency in publicly financed activity. A review of the companies' public advocacy as reported continuously is therefore in line with the plan.

• simplified farm salesdecisive»Krav på matservering för alkoholservering på restaurang ska tas bort och reglerna för gårdsförsäljning ska förenklas.« (party programme ↗)“Requirements for food service with alcohol service at restaurants shall be removed and rules for farm sales shall be simplified.”
• limited state business»Det offentliga ska endast driva affärsverksamhet om det finns ett starkt samhällsintresse.« (party programme ↗)“The public shall only conduct business activities if there is strong societal interest.”
• openness in public bodies»Samma regler ska gälla för organisationen Sveriges Kommuner och Regioner (SKR), som också bör präglas av mer öppenhet och transparens.« (party programme ↗)“The same rules shall apply to the organization Swedish Municipalities and Regions (SKR), which should also be characterized by more openness and transparency.”
• transparency and scrutiny»Offentlighetsprincipen har en grundläggande betydelse för att förankra och fördjupa folkstyret, och är en förutsättning för granskning och debatt.« (party programme ↗)“The principle of public access is of fundamental importance for anchoring and deepening democracy, and is a prerequisite for scrutiny and debate.”

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 requires effective means against abuse of power and power concentration and makes evaluation and quality control an important political task. A recurring reporting of state-owned companies' opinion-forming work is such a control of publicly owned power and is in line with the public principle's requirement for transparency. That the plan in substance wants to value the sales monopoly for alcohol does not change the assessment, since the requirement concerns transparency in companies' influence work and not the monopoly. The requirement is supported.

• means against abuse of powerdecisive»Det måste finnas effektiva medel mot maktmissbruk och maktkoncentration.« (party programme ↗)“There must be effective means against abuse of power and power concentration.”
• monitoring and control»Politikernas uppgift är i första hand att ta tillvara medborgarnas intresse. Utvärdering, kostnadsuppföljning och kvalitetskontroll är därför viktiga politiska uppgifter.« (party programme ↗)“Politicians' task is first and foremost to safeguard citizens' interest. Evaluation, cost monitoring and quality control are therefore important political tasks.”
• publicity and transparency»Offentlighetsprincipen, det vill säga tillgången till allmänna handlingar, är central för en öppen och vital demokrati.« (party programme ↗)“The public principle, that is access to public documents, is central to an open and vital democracy.”
• restrictive alcohol policy»Genom generella och särskilda åtgärder som information, en aktiv prispolitik, försäljningsmonopol och en restriktiv lagstiftning, skapas förutsättningar för att minska skadeverkningarna.« (party programme ↗)“Through general and specific measures such as information, an active price policy, sales monopoly and restrictive legislation, conditions are created to reduce harmful effects.”

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 states that the state shall act with impartiality and integrity, prioritise its core mandate and that a large state leads to a weaker society. That state-owned companies conduct opinion-making outside core operations contradicts that role division. The plan's requirement that taxpayers get value for their money also supports that operations be reported continuously.

• impartial state activitydecisive»och den agerar med opartiskhet och integritet.« (party programme ↗)“and it acts with impartiality and integrity.”
• limited state role»En stor stat leder till ett svagare samhälle.« (party programme ↗)“A large state leads to a weaker society.”
• value for tax money»Du som betalar in skatt ska också få valuta för dina inbetalade skattepengar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“You who pay in tax shall also get value from your paid tax money.”
• combat waste»Offentligt slöseri i alla former ska bekämpas.« (party programme ↗)“All forms of public waste shall be combated.”

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 plan wants to reduce the state's or large companies' ability to influence information flows for political reasons and criticizes that public funds go to staff who pursue activist symbol politics. The counter-proposal's demand for a review of state-owned companies' opinion-forming work with continuous reporting is a direct application of this, reinforced by the plan's requirement for accountability and clear results for every public investment.

• no state opinion influencedecisive»Minska möjligheten för staten eller privata storbolag att påverka informationsflöden utifrån politiska intressen« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Reduce the state's or private large companies' ability to influence information flows for political reasons”
• against activist symbol politics»anställning av personal på myndigheter som driver aktivistisk symbolpolitik« (2022 manifesto ↗)“employment of staff at authorities that pursue activist symbol politics”
• accountability»Sverigedemokraterna vill stärka möjligheter för ansvarsutkrävande när hanteringen av de offentliga resurserna brister.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden Democrats want to strengthen opportunities for accountability when handling public resources is lacking.”
• result requirements and reporting»Begära tydliga resultat för varje offentlig satsning« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Demand clear results for every public investment”