Conclusion

TALMANNEN

Honorable members! As we now summarize the autumn of 2022, some of us have a parliamentary term behind us like no other in the Riksdag. Others are new to the role of member. But we have all, in some way, during the past years, experienced the trials of the pandemic and been horrified by Russia's shameful war against Ukraine. We have all, in our different roles, been part of the election and the subsequent formation of the government. We have all during the autumn worked on finding our footing in our assignments and positions, regardless of whether they are completely new or not.

You have all been entrusted with one of democracy's most important missions – to be an elected member of Sweden's Riksdag. It will give you much, but it is also demanding. I want to remind you that there is a lot of support and help to be had from everyone who works in the Riksdag. You were 95 new members who took your seats here after the election and the formation of the government and who were welcomed together with all of you who were re-elected. Those of you who are new have been introduced to parliamentary work and much more during the autumn. I remember myself how tough it could be to get up to speed on all the new things, but I hope that you have found your way well.

Now new challenges lie ahead of us, and we can certainly look forward to another exciting and eventful mandate period and an exciting and eventful year.

Sweden will become the chair of the EU next half-year, a large and important task for both the Riksdag and the government. The Riksdag is responsible for the parliamentary dimension of the presidency, and there will be a lot of activity here in the Riksdag building. The Riksdag is hosting eight interparliamentary conferences with parliamentarians from the other EU countries, the candidate countries and some other countries - six conferences here in the Riksdag building, one digital conference and one conference in cooperation with the European Parliament. The latter takes place in Brussels.

When I was elected Speaker in September 2018, I decided on three guiding principles with the aim of indicating a direction for how I believed the Riksdag as an institution should develop in what can be called areas close to the Speaker - in contrast to pure administrative issues, which I will return to shortly. The guiding principles were democracy, the committees, and long-term perspective.

I have, of course, reflected on whether I should formulate new guiding principles for this mandate period or retain the old ones.

Democracy has been and will continue to be a given theme and a guiding principle for me also during this election period. During the past four years, we celebrated that it had been 100 years since the great suffrage reform which largely gave us universal and equal suffrage for women and men in Sweden.

Next year, Sweden celebrates 500 years as an independent nation-state, following the dissolution of the Kalmar Union through the election of Gustav Vasa as king on June 6, 1523. It will serve as an entry point for our communication next year regarding democracy with the heading Riksdagen under 500 years. The historical jubilee will be a good opportunity to describe how our country's system of government has evolved, from the election in Strängnäs in 1523 to today's modern democratic constitution. The hope is that we will contribute to increased knowledge and understanding of how our system of government has shaped today's Sweden.

During 2024 and onwards, the idea is that we shall continue to speak about democracy from the Riksdag's side but with different signs.

The second keyword that remains, the committees, is of course about your committee members and the parliamentary work. The committees have always played a central role in the parliamentary process. With this keyword, I wanted to signal an ambition to continue contributing to strengthening and developing the committee chairs, the committees, and the committee secretariats. I took the initiative, for example, for a leadership development program for the chairs during the previous term. I believe that leadership in the committees is important for a good working environment and good results. The leadership program continues, and so does the work in the chair conference with the aim that the committees should learn more from one another.

The third guiding word I chose in 2018 was long-term perspective, and I believe the meaning of it is still valid and relevant. However, I have decided to replace it with the pair of concepts history and future as a guiding word because they describe in a clearer way what I wanted to say with the possibly somewhat ambiguous word long-term perspective.

I think that we are sometimes so focused on the current events that we forget both where we come from and where we are headed. We need to both look back and take into account that we are managing an institution with centuries of history and pay attention to those who have gone before us, and at the same time look forward and constantly be ready to develop and change the Riksdag's work with a focus not solely on what is here and now, but perhaps five, ten, or twenty years into the future.

Speaking of long-term perspective, the Riksdag Board decided a week ago on the strategic plan for the Riksdag Administration's work for the period 2023-2027. Having a strategic plan is an important part of a long-term way of working.

The Riksdag Board, where the Speaker is the chairperson and which additionally consists of ten members of Parliament, assesses that five areas are particularly important to meet the needs and challenges that the parliamentary work faces. The priorities concern digitalization, security, real estate, skills supply, and economy.

To say something further about this, one can state that the security work continues to be central. The Riksdag Administration works continuously with security issues but will invest in more long-term measures. It concerns both your personal security and the impact from the security situation in the outside world.

Regarding digitalization, it can, as is well known, if used in the right way, make ways of working and processes more efficient. It is about working with services that facilitate parliamentary work, but also about administrative support efforts.

The long-term work of renovating and operationally adapting the Riksdag's buildings, which falls under the heading "The Future's Riksdag House", is prioritized even moving forward. Recently we inaugurated the new members' house, and after the election, it was move-in for some of your members. It has been a large and complex renovation with substantial challenges. Now the idea is that during this parliamentary period we shall tackle the Cephalus House.

Honorable members! As is well known, Santa Claus comes not only with soft but also with hard packages. Those who have been here before know that I have sometimes, in my Christmas speeches, contributed a number of finger-wagging points – "moral cookies" they have been called by one or another witty person. I only intended to give a few small reminders and pointers ahead of the coming year.

The Riksdag Administration is, as mentioned, working to take advantage of digitalization, and I hope that you have all had the IT tool activated that makes it possible to certify digitally. Otherwise, it can be a tip. An interpellation or written question can be submitted via the intranet. In order to be able to sign the document, you need to have a special app which, if needed, you can get help activating at servicecenter-it in Bankhallen. All to facilitate and streamline our work.

I understand that in the heat of debate it can be difficult to remember the rules for speaking in the chamber, regardless of whether one is new or has been here for a while. I welcome, together with the Speaker's presidency, that the person who has the floor addresses their speech to the Speaker. Sometimes I think you complicate it a bit unnecessarily with complicated formulations about members here and there. My basic tip is that if you get the instinct to say "you", replace it with the first and last name of the person you are addressing, and you have solved the whole thing. It is not harder than that.

Since then, I also have a small message from our dear protocol office, which works hard to ensure that everything said in the chamber is transcribed. Just so you can see what a great job they do, I can tell you that when we had a debate in the chamber until 11 p.m. on Monday evening, they continued until 5 a.m. to complete the minutes. So they put in a great deal of work after we have gone home.

(Applause)

One can make their lives a bit easier by, if one has a pre-written speech on one's computer, emailing it to the protocol office in advance. It would save many hours of work if everyone did it that way. Information about the email address and other things can be found on the intranet. It was, therefore, a small addition.

But enough with the finger-wagging and reminders - now you have earned your Christmas break. I hope that you all have a lovely and restful Christmas in the company of loved ones. I want to thank each and every one of you for the work you have put in for the Riksdag and for Sweden.

I also want to extend a warm thanks to the Speaker's Presidium, the group leaders, and the members of the Committee on the Constitution for good cooperation.

A warm thank you also to the Director General of the Riksdag and all employees in the Riksdag Administration! You have, as always, taken on everything that needed to be handled and done so with commitment, joy, and professionalism - together for the best of the Riksdag.

The employees at the party offices are also necessary for the political work to be carried out. A warm thank you to you as well!

Honorable members! The winter solstice, the darkest day of the year, falls today, December 21. It is certainly dark, but now it turns. And in anticipation of brighter times, we light candles in Christmas trees and candle holders.

I want to conclude with a few stanzas from Harry Martinson's poem Christmas in Thule, originally introduced in the Christmas magazine Sotarens jul 1946. It has, one could say, a slightly ironic distance to what we do at this time of year. Some stanzas from it sound like this, at least:

It is cold in Thule. The cold lingers for half a year. One's longing stretches with effort until spring. Hard is the winter every year.

In order not to be taken by such a frost-tale, humanity must create glow, play, feast and abundance.

And we light a thousand lights all around in all houses. Lifting ourselves by the hair we go out into the winter air.

Now everyone - a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Tomas Eneroth (S)

Mr. Speaker! It is part of the tradition that the Speaker of the House of Commons thanks the Speaker and the Deputy Speakers for their good work and wishes them a peaceful Christmas holiday. I know that on behalf of all Members of Parliament, I can do this. We are incredibly grateful for the fantastic job you do – all the work you have put into the Speaker's office during this parliamentary year.

You have had the assignment to handle both new cabinet ministers and members of parliament as well as old cabinet ministers and members of parliament, each with specific views on how it actually should work in the Riksdag—on how debates should be conducted, when plenary weeks should occur or, for that matter, how many matters are required for it to be necessary to carry out a vote.

But with patience, good pedagogical skill and, not least in the case of the Speaker, I would still like to say, a good portion – what shall we call it? – constitutional humor, you have steered us forward to the now-awaiting Christmas break.

And as we have waited! I believe that we all, after a year of nomination meetings, election campaigning and not least all the new roles we have taken on during the autumn, long for a peaceful Christmas holiday.

We may have different opinions on political issues in this chamber, as well as regarding values and perhaps ways of campaigning. But we are all elected members of Parliament, with the expectations that party colleagues, voters, and the surrounding society have of us, and the performance requirements, working hours, and travel that the mandate also demands. In that regard, we are quite similar. And I actually believe that we all do our very best – perhaps not always to understand each other's arguments, but if not that, to understand and be able to present our own arguments in the best possible way.

I believe that now at Christmas time it is important that we remember that after the heated debate, the tough Twitter duel, or a close, important and sensitive vote, we can still see the incredibly fine and beautiful thing in that we in Sweden have a functioning democracy. We argue, vote and execute, with respect for each other's opinions.

On behalf of all members, I wish the Speaker and the Deputy Speakers, and not least the entire Riksdag Administration and everyone who works here in the fantastic Parliament House, a very peaceful Christmas holiday. May you sleep well, eat well, read well, and have a good time!

As tradition dictates, I conclude with a poem that I have put together myself. From all of us to you, dear Speaker's Presidium!

The Speaker's chair's style is harsh They certainly want to save every hour When I as a member speak on a contract, the Speaker's eyes begin to glint But we just want to say one last proposal, an addition, a rule, a tiny little law! We can certainly debate more, we still have time to vote!

So hours, days and weeks pass by, with debate and decisions in our democracy But then suddenly the Christmas peace stands ajar How fast the autumn went! How has it happened? There have been many working plenaries in a row and now the snow shines white on the roofs Now peace descends over the chamber Merry Christmas, Speaker, the presidency, now we are going home!

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)