V party leader: Magdalena Andersson is shooting herself in the foot

Daniel Bernmar says Magdalena Andersson is “shooting herself in the foot” by flirting with the Christian Democrats and Centre Party. The Left Party politician warns that Sweden could be heading toward a new January Agreement, bringing what he describes as more right-wing policies, chaotic privatizations and tax cuts for the wealthy.

The Left Party has made its position clear, Bernmar says: it will support only a government that includes the party itself. He belongs to the group that has spent two years preparing the party to enter government, drawing partly on its experience governing with the Social Democrats and Greens in Gothenburg under a separate agreement with the Centre Party.

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Magdalena Andersson is shooting herself in the foot with her flirting with the Christian Democrats and the Centre Party. We risk getting a repeat of the January Agreement, which in practice means more right-wing politics, chaotic privatizations and lower taxes for the rich.

In a debate article published Wednesday, Bernmar attacked what he called the Centre Party’s “pure right-wing politics” at the national level. He argued that voters who want the Social Democrats’ campaign promises implemented “must vote for the Left Party.” He interpreted a poll showing a sharp fall for the Social Democrats and an increase for the Left Party as a form of confirmation.

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The congress decision ultimately became extremely clear. We have seen the consequences of what happened in 2018, and we will not make that journey again.

Bernmar is leaving Gothenburg’s municipal politics after 16 years and will speak at the city council for the final time on Thursday. The 43-year-old administrative-law specialist joined the Left Party’s executive committee in May. He is running for parliament and is considered a possible minister if the party enters a government led by Andersson.

Andersson recently dismissed the Left Party’s proposed billionaire tax, saying it sounded like “a fantasy sum.” Bernmar replied that the exact revenue would depend on how the tax was designed, and that whether it raised 48 billion or 52 billion kronor was “almost an academic question.” Andersson has also said the Left Party still has a long way to go before joining a government, with little time remaining before the election.

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Exactly how much a billionaire tax would generate depends on its design, and that has to be agreed. Whether it is 48 or 52 billion kronor is almost an academic question.