(cont. from § 13) Culture, media, religious communities and leisure (cont. KrU1)

Roland Utbult (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I support the committee's proposal in the report in its entirety.

Culture arises in the encounter between people and is created by all of us together. We Christian Democrats see culture as a carrier of important values that give meaning to both the local community and society as a whole. It provides meaning and inspiration in a restless time and can contribute to education, create understanding for our history, and contribute to engagement and joy. It creates important communities. At the same time, loneliness is increasing, and we need more community with warmth and inclusion.

When I prepared for this debate, I thought of the horrific terror attack in 2017 on Drottninggatan. I visited the site where it happened shortly afterwards, quite close to the Riksdag. There was a solemn and respectful atmosphere, much like after a funeral. People had responded to the terror with a sea of flowers in memory of those affected. Police cars were covered with flowers. There were no sharp elbows, but rather warm glances and reflection on the fragility of life. What is life worth, and how do you move forward?

When we look around, it looks dark. There are shootings, gang fights, increased mental ill-health, wars in the world, poverty and misery. And we ask ourselves: How did we end up here? Or perhaps even more importantly: How do we get out of this? Is there a future and hope? Culture can be an important part in creating a warmer and more inclusive context.

Mr. Speaker! During the autumn, we have had continued high inflation which has hit and continues to hit households, companies, municipalities, and regions powerfully. That is the reality, and we therefore need to direct resources to strengthen welfare, schools, healthcare, and elderly care and dampen inflation and in this way support households.

Making economic priorities during a tough time is natural. For us Christian Democrats, culture is important, and therefore the government makes important investments in the area in the budget for 2024. The government extends the grants to the culture school by 100 million kronor per year 2024-2026.

The cultural schools in Sweden are unique in the world because the idea is that everyone should be able to afford to let their children learn to play an instrument or engage in other cultural activities, regardless of background or economic circumstances. We see it as immensely valuable to safeguard this activity.

I have personal experience of the culture school and have seen what it means for my family and for others, but there are still many children who do not get to enjoy the culture school with its skilled and committed teachers. This is sad when one knows what it can mean to learn to handle a musical instrument.

Mr. Speaker! The Government is also providing new permanent support to civil society organizations of 100 million SEK per year 2024-2026. Civil society constitutes both an indispensable prerequisite for a vibrant social life and an expression of an open, democratic society that is larger than the state. Civil society makes valuable contributions for people in various situations of vulnerability. This I can attest to after having worked for ten years within Göteborgs Räddningsmission with homelessness.

The field workers were my heroes, who lifted people out of poverty and misery when they sought them out and gave them shelter. Additionally, there were the volunteers – the voluntary efforts – who, with strong compassion, invested their free time and strength for the homeless. I also met children and young people affected in vulnerable families. This has forever left a mark on my life.

Without civil society, Sweden stands still, and now the government wants to strengthen the civil society's conditions to act for vulnerable people in the long term.

We are also strengthening the folk high schools with 100 million SEK per year 2024-2026. The Christian Democrats are warm advocates of Swedish folk education, which includes both folk high schools and study associations. Therefore, the state grant to folk education remains strong in the government's budget, but the government has prioritized the connection to the labor market to a greater extent through the investment in the folk high schools.

The strained economic situation requires priorities. The government has chosen to redistribute money to the folk high schools and adult education because they have a clear connection to increased employment, which is important to support right now. We Christian Democrats will continue to see the importance that study associations have in society and monitor whether the support can be increased when there is room in the budget.

Folkbildningen shall continue to be a way for people to form community and build knowledge. This is extremely important, and therefore we in Kristdemokraterna will continue to work for more folkbildning.

Mr. Speaker! For us Christian Democrats, families with children are those who should be prioritized in tougher times. Children should not have to feel economic stress or pay the price because their parents are struggling to pay the bills. Therefore, we have fought hard in the government to, alongside other targeted reforms, introduce a leisure card.

The leisure card shall contain a value that can be used as payment for children and young people in the ages of eight to sixteen for leisure activities within, for example, the sports movement, outdoor organizations, or other organizations within civil society and the cultural sphere. The size of the amount will have a differentiated design in order to specifically support children and young people from socioeconomically disadvantaged households in participating in leisure activities. We are pleased that what we Christian Democrats have fought for for so long will be implemented next year.

I have persistently advocated for the leisure card here for several years. It is, as someone said, one of the issues we have debated the most here. First it was called the leisure allowance and was actually aimed only at children in vulnerable families. It was met quite coldly by the opposition, who said they wanted to invest in so-called general welfare, i.e., that everyone should get a share of it. We listened, and now we are here: All children between the ages of eight and sixteen get to receive the leisure card.

I sense a, shall we say, certain superficial hesitation. One cannot simply accept the Christian Democrats' idea without reservation. A little displayed opposition does no harm, but at the same time, I believe most realize that the leisure card can be a great help for many children to get into various leisure activities within sports, leisure, and culture of different kinds. It should be possible even if mom and dad are having it tough financially at the moment. It is an important relief in a tough time.

I believe that we will meet politically next year - when the time is right.

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

Amanda Lind (MP)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Roland Utbult, for the contribution. I think that in many ways it highlights the importance of culture and education in our society, and that pleases me.

I note that Roland Utbult, both in his speech and in a debate article in today's newspaper Dagen, reflects on the cuts to folkbildningen, and I sense a certain ambivalence here from the Kristdemokraterna.

It is clear that the member claims that this prioritization is made because one wants to invest in other types of educational forms. But at the same time, one highlights that one sees the importance of study associations in society, that one is a warm supporter of study associations, and that one will also continue to monitor whether the support can be increased when there is room in the budget.

Mr. Speaker! It cannot be funny for the Christian Democrats to hear these tones from the coalition parties, where one is proud and happy to be able to cut back on study associations concretely. That is not what I hear Member Utbult saying. And that makes me happy.

I know that many are concerned about the consequences of the current reduction in next year's budget of 250 million kronor, but they are also concerned about the two coming years and the announced further cut of 250 million kronor.

My concrete question is: Will the Christian Democrats actively work to stop the continued cuts to popular education? That would be an important announcement.

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

Roland Utbult (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I thank Member Amanda Lind for the question. I highlight the Christian Democrats' policy here in the debate, actually without any consideration taken to what others are highlighting. I focus on what the Christian Democrats have for a vision and view on society here.

I have seen what it means with study associations and with folk high schools. It is impossible to escape the fact that it is completely fundamental in our society that people get to meet in community in groups. Therefore, I see an enormous value in the study associations and in the folk high schools.

But I must say that I stand behind the reduction of 250 million kronor. That is because there has been so much fraud that the Swedish National Audit Office has reacted. Therefore, Studieförbunden i samverkan has been forced to initiate a reform process with 18 points. They have thus taken measures and in that way stated that they agree that it has not functioned fully. I stand behind this reduction of 250 million kronor and a transfer of 100 million kronor of them to the folk high schools.

I do not think this stands in opposition to our view that studieförbund are important. We cannot accept cheating, and this is a consequence of that.

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

Amanda Lind (MP)

Mr. Speaker! I think it is unfortunate that the Christian Democrats and Roland Utbult are bringing up the cheating as a reason to make this draconian cut.

Yes, there have been both problems and fraud within the activities of the study associations, and a reform process has taken place over several years. After the turn of the year, a completely new model for the payment of this support to the study associations will be launched. The study associations themselves have taken the initiative for several change processes, and furthermore, they are now listening to the National Audit Office's criticism. But nowhere is there anything that suggests there is fraud on par with the half billion that the Tidö parties plan to cut.

I return to my question to Member Utbult because I hear that there is a tendency to still want to say that one values the activities of the study associations, contrary to what, for example, the Sweden Democrats highlight in their statement.

I know that there are people listening to this debate who would like to have an answer, not about next year's budget but about the budget for year two and three - about the continued savings.

When the Christian Democrats say that they will follow the issue and see if there is financial room to think differently forward, does it mean concretely that the Christian Democrats will actively work to stop the continued cuts to student unions? I believe that many of us want this announcement here today.

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

Roland Utbult (KD)

Mr. Speaker! It sounds like we are now making a draconian cut. That was the expression used. Just student unions receive 1.7 billion kronor next year, the year after 1.6 billion kronor, and the year after that 1.5 billion kronor. And it is true that it is a cut.

I want to say that it is impossible for me to promise anything here regarding how we will position ourselves moving forward. This is fixed. Then it is a question of compensation and so on.

The day before yesterday, I met a leading person from the study associations. I hear that people believe in the Christian Democrats and in the will that we have. What it will result in, we shall see. It is not just me who is driving this. But the party stands behind the study associations and the folk high schools.

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

Lawen Redar (S)

Mr. Speaker! I must begin this exchange of remarks with certain corrections. I have, in fact, made a mistake in the speaker's chair during a previous exchange of remarks. I said that the person who was Minister for Culture during the preparation of the 1974 culture bill was Bengt Göransson. That was not the case at all. It was the then Minister for Education, Bertil Zachrisson. It was later that a separate Ministry for Culture was established. It is important to provide correct information in the speaker's chair, and I regret this error.

But I will now pose a question to Member Utbult. I chuckle a little when we always talk about this leisure card, because it has been an eternal debate between us. But I do not chuckle at the commitment that Member Roland Utbult has to strengthen children's and young people's opportunities to participate in active cultural and sporting activities.

We are following the development of this leisure card with great interest. This year, the government allocated 50 million kronor to get this in place. In the coming year, the proposal for the leisure card is to be implemented. My question is: Will this be put in place given that many agencies are expressing a considerable amount of concerns?

In this very acute time for Sweden's finances regarding obtaining increased resources to ensure that children and young people can participate in cultural and leisure life, I believe that one is very slow in moving forward with this reform. In the first partial report that Statens kulturråd and MUCF have submitted, several risks are also highlighted, not least the commercialization of children's and young people's leisure time. How does the member view this partial report?

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

Roland Utbult (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I thank Member Lawen Redar for the question. It is naturally always a bit tricky to give guarantees for things, especially when it comes to time perspectives. But during 2024, the leisure card will be in place. It is a number of authorities that are now working on and designing it - the Public Health Agency, the Swedish Arts Council and several others. It is quite complicated.

I think the member and I are very much in agreement when it comes to the situation of children and young people and how important it is that they get the opportunity to participate in sports and culture of various kinds. There, I believe that we still find common ground. We agree that it is so important for our society that children and young people get a good start.

We have listened regarding this matter of general welfare and that everyone should receive a share of this. I know that the Social Democrats are very much for everyone receiving a share of it. At one time, the leisure allowance was only for vulnerable families. But now this is for everyone who is doing reasonably well. And those who are struggling with their finances shall be given the opportunity to receive a higher amount. If the leisure card becomes 500 kronor, then it might become 2,500 kronor for a child living in a family in vulnerability. This warms the heart.

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

Lawen Redar (S)

Mr. Speaker! We are following the development of the reform with interest. For us Social Democrats, it is important that the reform contributes to ensuring that all children and young people have access to sports and cultural life, not just children who are already active. That is the entire idea behind a universal welfare policy. Even if some groups may not need it, because the family already has good economic conditions, universal welfare policy has meant that both the poorest and those who are better off economically get to share in the common good. But most of all, it benefits those families who have it hardest economically.

The member's reflection makes this sound more like a child allowance. One could devote time to expanding that, but now one chooses to introduce this leisure card. The question is how it should be done without it becoming too administratively heavy and so that it does not become a reform that enables cheating from actors who perhaps want to create activities for young people. Again, for us, it is about ensuring that the culture built on freedom, voluntarism, and the commitment of non-profit forces, and the sports movement built on a strong association life, is not replaced by any form of commercialization.

Can the member promise that the ambition is about children and young people and not about changing today's cultural life, which is based on associative democracy, so that it is replaced with commercialization?

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

Roland Utbult (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I feel confident that nothing will be commercialized from this. The basic idea is, in any case, not that. But the question is, as the member says, how one constructs this card - if it even becomes a card or something else. There are, of course, criminal elements that see opportunities even here, and they must be countered.

I believe that approximately five agencies are working on developing this, and that alone costs 50 million. Then there is an investment of 780 million per year - I might not have the figures exactly right here - and that is a lot of money to create this opportunity.

Now that we are talking, I still feel that we are united in the view that it is important for children to get moving and that this can be an opportunity. There may still be a small hesitation that must be overcome, but I expect that the Social Democrats and other parties will be on board with this in 2024 when it really matters.

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

Vasiliki Tsouplaki (V)

Mr. Speaker! To understand what effect the government's budget will have on Swedish association life and the Swedish cultural sector next year, it is not enough to read expenditure area 17, which is to be debated here today. Therefore, I intend to partly dwell on the problems with the government's entire budget proposal and at the same time touch upon part of the Left Party's proposal which is contained within this expenditure area. We are allocating nearly 2.2 billion more to it than the government does.

Mr. Speaker! A large part of today's cultural, sporting, and association life is supported by municipalities and regions. They are responsible for, for example, libraries, cultural schools, county theaters, museums, orchestras, sports halls, swimming halls, youth centers, and association grants.

Even this year, the economic situation has been very tough, and next year looks set to be even tougher. All potential reserves are exhausted. There is, therefore, a lack of large sums. All around the country, municipal and regional politicians are tearing their hair out.

How can anything be done about the school results? There are many students who do not receive the support they need.

How can we do something about the queues in healthcare? Sick people have the right to receive the care they need.

Some feel forced to raise the tax, but in many parts of the country, the municipal tax is already high, and it feels tough when one knows that many households are in a difficult economic situation.

In this situation, many operations within culture and sports are facing cuts. Yesterday, the Kulturskolerådet released a report based on responses from 200 municipalities. Nearly half of the kulturskolor expect fewer resources in the coming years. The other half expect to remain at the same grant level despite increased expenses for rents, wages, and so on. The money will not be enough for as many educators. The long queues to the kulturskolor will become even longer.

It is good that the government has decided to put back the 100 million in the state support. It gives the cultural schools the opportunity to develop parts of their activities. But when there is a lack of money for the basics, that is to say premises, the educators' salaries and so on, it ultimately results in less cultural activity for children all around our country.

Mr. Speaker! In the Left Party's budget, there are funds for municipalities and regions so that they can maintain a good welfare for the country's inhabitants. Ahead of the autumn budget work, Sveriges Kommuner och Regioner, SKR, stated that 28 billion were needed just to maintain the current service level - and it is a level that many inhabitants consider to be far too low. They want a stronger welfare. The Left Party has therefore allocated 30 billion in general support and a large number of targeted supports to, for example, social services, school, and preventive measures.

We must give all children a good start in life and have rapid interventions ready for those who are heading in the wrong direction, into crime or substance abuse. Rapid interventions are also needed for those who are falling behind in school.

We mean that culture is also an important part of a strong welfare. In addition to the general state grants, we therefore add, for example, an extra 100 million for the cultural schools to strengthen development and 300 million so that fees can be removed. We know that the fees in many municipalities today are so high that they exclude children from economically disadvantaged families. We also allocate targeted funds to public libraries and invest in school libraries.

Previously, many proudly said that Sweden should be a knowledge nation, but that concept is being increasingly eroded. We must make knowledge accessible in many ways. Popular education and libraries should have an obvious place in more places in the country, not fewer. In recent decades, municipalities have been forced to close hundreds of library branches, and this creates high thresholds for, for example, stressed families with small children who have to travel to a completely different part of the municipality to borrow books. If they also need to make the journey by public transport, which can be both expensive and have poor frequency, it once again becomes a class issue who takes part in culture – in this case, the libraries' offerings.

The government wants to invest in reading and school libraries, they say. But even in this case, one is only making a small targeted effort. One is putting a nice roof on a rotten house. Here, the house parallels are recurring again.

Yesterday I listened to Åsa Fahlén, who is the chairperson of the trade union Sveriges Lärare, who described how the preschool educators - who are actually those who have the opportunity to introduce books and reading into children's lives - work in far too large children's groups. Skolverket's recommendation for the size of children's groups is exceeded in 10,000 cases today. Between 85 and 90 percent of the staff work in far too large children's groups.

The teachers in primary school have difficulty finding the time to help everyone who has not cracked the reading code and who would need extra support. It is only in grade 9, when it is time for the final grades, that the largest proportion of special pedagogical interventions are implemented. That is when the children have years of school failures behind them! I am terribly provoked when I see liberal and moderate ministers waving books, talking about folders instead of screens, and beating their chests because one should introduce reading lists and a cultural canon for teachers to use. They should be given tips on which books to purchase and have the students read. I think that is far too far from the reality that today's students and teachers live in. One actually becomes a bit terrified.

We need more resources for the country's schools and preschools, and teachers need to get new colleagues, including in the form of school librarians and cultural educators. Legislation is needed regarding all students' right to staffed school libraries. More places are also needed at universities to train school librarians and support for the municipalities to establish the physical libraries that are missing in schools across the country. If the children who are learning to read are to read on a learning tablet, listen to an audiobook, or read in a physical book, I do not think that meddlesome ministers should decide.

Mr. Speaker! Let me analyze more closely another area we are addressing in today's budget: sports. Even here, the government would like to highlight its investments in sports in disadvantaged areas. We recently spoke here about the leisure card. I think these are good measures, but they are not sufficient. It is good that a new approach is now being taken so that more children can be active in a sports club. I know that it is Roland Utbult and Kristdemokraterna who have pushed for this. For many families, it is not possible to let children participate in organized sports due to high fees and costs for equipment and travel.

But what is also missing in many parts of the country is space for training and competition. Associations already have to say no to many children who want to join because there is no space to accommodate them. The risk is now great that the leisure card will only become a subsidy for those who are already in the association life, who already have the means and who are in a team or are involved in sports or culture. Perhaps there won't be as many new active participants as was intended. I would like this to be taken a new look at.

From Vänsterpartiet, we have for many years submitted motions and presented budget proposals that would mean providing support to associations and municipalities to create more places for sports, for example through a state investment fund and a national support function that can help with designing the activity areas of the future. Many of us have been to Denmark and seen fine examples of how they, with the help of experts and architects, have been able to think anew regarding activity halls. In our proposal, there are 425 million more for sports initiatives, plus these investment funds. We want to direct a part of these funds directly to para-sports so that people with disabilities can find a sport they enjoy.

Mr. Speaker! Now I have spoken for a long time about the problems that exist in the public cultural sector and in sports and must focus for a moment on what is being done within civil society. The non-profit organizations offer people the opportunity for an active and richer life through culture, education, sports, outdoor life, crafts, environmental work, or involvement in social activities. It is in the association life that everyone can find a social context and break the loneliness, learn a new language, or practice some other activity that makes one gain a strengthened self-confidence. Millions of inhabitants are active in one or more associations, and this rich engagement is an essential ingredient in our democracy. It is there that people in practice get to practice association democracy, argue, and take up space. These organizations also function as voices for those who otherwise would not be able to make themselves heard and as experts when we are to enact new laws or make changes at the local and regional level.

In addition to these cuts to the student unions, I am now concerned that a number of other organizations will also lose their grants, such as consumer associations and ethnic organizations. You are also, as the previous speaker has pointed out, making it more difficult for the lotteries. There are already very complicated regulations and expensive certification processes for the public benefit lotteries. Now, you want to make it more difficult for parties to participate in lottery activities. These are several different parts that we see will hit civil society hard. I think it is very unfortunate.

Mr. Speaker! I have exceeded my speaking time a little bit, but I still believe that I need to spend some time talking about this issue of cheating within the student unions. We who sit here in the chamber have had this debate very many times, but for those who are listening for the first time, I need to contradict some of what has been presented as fact from the rostrum. It is becoming something like a modern urban legend with these cheating figures.

It started with Alexander Christiansson here in the speaker's chair claiming that student unions would cheat in 44 percent of the activities. There is no audit that shows this. Either he has not read the Riksrevisionen's report, or he reads it like someone reads the Bible, as the saying goes.

A few years ago, it was the case that study associations were subjected to fraud. People registered study circles with several study associations in an improper way to obtain compensation. It is a type of fraud that the study associations have been subjected to. They did not have sufficiently good control systems. Since then, the IT system that Amanda Lind spoke about has been established, where registers can be cross-referenced. They have introduced controls and requirements for logging in with BankID. They have, therefore, done a number of things to address the gaps that have existed and close the holes. This is a type of cross-referencing that I know many authorities would gladly like to have in order to be able to find people who try to exploit the system and cheat.

I return to what the Swedish National Audit Office writes in its report. What they have done, among other things, is to look at a specific type of arrangement where adult education is organized together with another organization. That part concerns around 3-5 percent of the total budget for adult education within the study associations. They looked at a specific month when they conducted their audit. During that month, it concerns about a hundred arrangements, and for 44 percent of them, there was insufficient documentation – receipts, verifications, and so on.

So, that is where the figure of 44 percent comes from. They have looked at 3 percent of the operations over one month. That is a very small part. It is therefore not about that this operation has not been carried out, but about the fact that there has not been proper documentation to be able to pay out the money. It is wrong; that is not how one should do it. But it does not mean that 44 percent of the study associations' operations are fraud and can be cut, and that one in any way should punish these organizations when it is people who have subjected the system to fraud.

Mr. Speaker! Now I may perhaps be satisfied. I assume that I will receive some replies, so that we have the chance to continue talking about this.

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

Kristina Axén Olin (M)

Mr. Speaker! The Left Party speaks worryingly about the feared cuts to the cultural school. I believe we are many, Mr. Speaker, who are fond of our dear cultural school and think that it is an incredibly important activity for our children and young people. It is certainly one of the reasons why we have such a fantastic music industry as we do.

What Vasiliki is referring to is the report that the Arts Council has presented. Approximately half of those who responded to the survey are afraid that there will be cuts to the arts school. Now, Mr. Speaker, we have not seen these cuts yet, but this is what some municipalities have said – approximately half of those who responded in the municipalities fear a reduction. We have to wait and see. Last year, Mr. Speaker, the municipalities spent 2.9 billion on the arts school. That is more than ever. Even though cuts have also been feared previously, it has not happened. We in the Moderaterna believe that the arts school is important.

Then one must remember that, after all, it is only 11 percent of the children who attend the cultural school in Sweden. Sometimes when we discuss the cultural school, one gets the impression that it is 100 percent. As a music teacher, I would have wished that it were, but that is not actually the case.

Mr. Speaker! I requested the floor primarily because the Left Party and Vasiliki speak so warmly about this issue of more sports areas and how important it is. There is a fear that they will become fewer. Then I wonder: How can it be that the Social Democrats, the Left Party, and the Green Party on the city planning committee in the City of Stockholm on Thursday decided to build a four-story building and thereby close a riding school with 740 members, of which 400 girls ride every week? The Social Democrats, the Left Party, and the Green Party have decided that it is more important to build a four-story building than for 400 girls to be able to continue with riding activities. Is it, Mr. Speaker, to safeguard sports for children and young people?

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TALMANNEN

I would like to make a quiet observation that we use both first and last names when we speak to one another in the chamber and that this is a debate in the Riksdag and not in the municipal council.

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Vasiliki Tsouplaki (V)

Mr. Speaker! It is very difficult for me to answer what has happened in the city of Stockholm. I know that many municipal politicians have it very tough when it comes to the housing shortage but also the shortage of cultural premises and sports areas.

That is why we propose that the state should step in and help with both investment support for housing construction and the investment fund for sports facilities. We also know that many municipalities have sports halls that are in very poor condition. They would need to be made accessible and renovated. We also think that the state could support this in this situation. These are some of the proposals that we have put forward.

We have also looked at the provisions in the Planning and Building Act where the word sport is not included today. If one were to change it so that it is not just about, for example, being forced to construct cycle paths, but instead write that sport shall be included in the checklists when municipalities are to plan areas, one can include sports areas in a natural way already at the planning stage.

I know that many metropolitan regions have a difficult time when there is a housing shortage and at the same time one is trying to secure spaces for recreation. We believe it would be good if it were clarified in the Planning and Building Act that sports should be included at the planning stage.

When it comes to the cultural school, it is a concern that so few children have access, and the queues are very long. It is regrettable that there was a turn during the last parliamentary term when the government's budget did not pass, but rather it was the opposition's budget that passed. Then the investment in Kulturskoleklivet disappeared. Only half remained.

That initiative would enable more people to become cultural school educators. There is a teacher shortage. One cannot accept all the students who are in the queue today. Are there any plans from the government to look into expanding the number of places for cultural school educators?

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Kristina Axén Olin (M)

Mr. Speaker! I thank Vasiliki Tsouplaki very much for the answer. It is pleasing if the Left Party in the Riksdag does not support decisions that have been made in the city of Stockholm which reduce the number of sports venues and in particular for girls.

When it comes to creating more places and more children attending cultural schools, I believe we agree that it is a whole chain of things that must be done. Just as Vasiliki Tsouplaki herself says, the municipalities have a very strained economy.

It is clear that it is difficult for us in the Riksdag to decide on the cultural school, which is a municipal activity, and say how the municipalities should proceed. We must assume that the municipalities make the wisest decisions.

The government is now adding 10 billion next year to the municipal sector. Hopefully, many municipalities will choose not to make any cuts to the culture school but instead try to find various creative solutions to retain the culture school, which is an important activity.

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Vasiliki Tsouplaki (V)

Mr. Speaker! I do not quite know if I received an answer to my question. But now I am perhaps here to answer Kristina Axén Olin's questions, so I will in any case do my best.

Then to the question of moving operations. I hope that the City of Stockholm has thought about finding a new location for the riding hall. It is very important that there is space for equestrian sports. I myself, as a municipal politician, have made that type of decision to move riding activities for residential construction.

It is important that one does it in dialogue with the association it concerns. It is always tough to find new locations. But sometimes one may need to make that type of decision. I do not want to say that anyone has done right or wrong when I have not read the underlying documents or familiarized myself with that activity.

When it comes to the municipalities' finances, my basic criticism in my speech was that the government and the Sweden Democrats are not providing sufficient funds. SKR has described that 28 billion are needed for municipalities and regions just to remain at today's level.

If one, for example, wants an increase in ambition for the cultural school, one needs to provide extra funds. I know that the municipalities prefer general state grants. We have tried to make a small combination. We propose a high proportion of general support in our budget but also some targeted support specifically for the national mandate.

It is also about supporting municipalities that want to remove the fee for the culture school. We know that it is a barrier. Many children do not even take the form to their parents when there is an opportunity to register for the culture school because they know that the parents cannot afford it. It is just painful to see the disappointment of the parents when they have to say no.

It is that reality that many children have today. There, we need the state to support the municipalities with the general state subsidies but also support targeted for children's and young people's cultural and sports activities.

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

Robert Hannah (L)

Mr. Speaker! We have a literacy crisis in Sweden. It is clearly evident in the international study on literacy called Pirls. Even the Pisa study that came out this week points to a knowledge collapse in Swedish schools. We cannot have it this way. Sweden is a knowledge nation. Our wealth as a nation is built on the fact that we have had a school where all children, regardless of background, have learned to read, write, and count.

There has, above all, been a marked increase in young people who are at a very low level in reading. The number of students at this low level has increased by 60 percent in Sweden since 2016. If the trend were to continue, we will have a fairly large proportion of young Swedes who are functional illiterates. Very many in this group are, like me, second-generation Swedes.

Exclusion in Sweden is not just about socioeconomics. It is primarily about an emotional and cultural exclusion that we must address as politicians. Far too many young people with a foreign background do not feel like Swedes. They do not experience themselves as being part of the construction of society here.

They do not participate in sports clubs to any great extent. They also do not attend culture schools to any great extent – such schools often do not exist in disadvantaged areas. They do not go to the theater and art life unless the school takes them there. They are not bathed in our classic books from childhood. They are rarely members of the Scouts, Friluftsfrämjandet, or any of our other fantastic civil society organizations.

Mr. Speaker! All children growing up in Sweden must be given access to Swedish culture and the Swedish language. Many within the cultural world have expressed themselves strongly negatively towards a cultural canon since the proposal was presented in the Tidö Agreement. It is easy to mock a cultural canon when one belongs to the cultural elite oneself. But instead, I mean, Mr. Speaker, that it reveals a form of stinginess.

The cultural elite possesses a massive cultural capital which they, with self-evidence, convey to their own children, who thereby gain a head start in being able to successfully navigate Swedish society. Why do the youth in the suburbs lack the power of culture, Mr. Speaker? That is my question.

The bourgeois government is now presenting proposals for measures to tackle the literacy crisis. Measures are needed both to increase reading for children and to integrate adults who today have not succeeded in entering society.

A total of 1.8 billion kronor will be spent during the mandate period to get children to start reading and to move from screen to binder. I want to give some examples of the Liberals' initiatives for increased reading and to reduce the reading gap between vulnerable areas and Sweden's carpets.

There have been too many screens and too few books for small children. This government with the Liberals is overturning the previous government's completely uncritical digitalization. We are allocating half a billion kronor every year to textbooks, real textbooks. I look forward to seeing children carrying the textbooks home from school.

We have given a mandate to Skolverket to produce reading lists that are to be a support for teachers, and we will produce a cultural canon during the mandate period regardless of what the cultural elite says.

All students shall have access to staffed school libraries. Well-functioning school libraries can have an enormous effect on reading in schools. The initiative will be rolled out during the mandate period.

An increased investment is being made in the public libraries' work with reading promotion for children. 40 million will be allocated in the coming years.

We provide an increased contribution to the Swedish Children's Book Institute.

We continue the national initiative with book start for younger children.

We are extending the investment in resource libraries for our national minorities. It is important to include them.

Furthermore, we Liberals are proud of the investment in sports in vulnerable areas. Now, the 100 million are being rolled out. In every one of our 61 vulnerable areas, there are sports clubs today that will be able to share in those funds. They are real, and they will make a difference. Additionally, the leisure card for young people will become a reality during the next year.

Every child and every young person in Sweden will be able to choose a leisure interest to participate in themselves, and the parents will not be able to use the money for anything else. With these investments, we are reducing the gap between the children who can afford it and the children who refrain because their parents cannot pay for leisure activities.

Mr. Speaker! Swedish culture is not actually financed primarily by taxpayers but through voluntary forces, through entrepreneurs who sponsor, and through private individuals who pay for culture, sports, or leisure activities. Adults need to have incomes to be able to pay for their own and for their children's participation. The Government is therefore making a number of investments for adults to reduce exclusion and get more to become a part of society.

First and foremost, the folk high school has received a general increase in support of 100 million kronor. It plays an important role in the Swedish education system, primarily to provide opportunities for those who did not quite find their way in the regular Swedish school. In an innovative and different way, they gain a stronger self-esteem and motivation for education in the folk high school. This is not least about the opportunity to complete the general course, which then allows them to obtain eligibility to continue their studies in some form of post-secondary education, university, and so on.

In the budget, it is also proposed that more than 1.3 billion kronor shall be allocated to strengthen regional vocational adult education and that closer to 400 million kronor shall be allocated for vocational college educations.

Mr. Speaker! When one makes investments in young people's reading, young people's sports and young people's leisure activities and in folk high schools, vocational adult education and universities of applied sciences, one must as a politician also choose to reduce support for other things.

The student unions, which received 2.5 billion from the state, regions, and municipalities in 2023, will receive a reduced support of 250 million the coming year. But the student unions also receive other grants and have their own revenues. In total, approximately 3.5 billion was received by the student unions in 2021, when it was last calculated. It is therefore a saving that occurs, but hardly any slaughter, as has been claimed in the media. And I have not even included Sisu, which is the athletes' educational association, in these funds.

Folkbildningen lies very close to the Liberals' DNA. The female citizens' school at Fogelstad, which was run by liberal women's rights activists, was one of the reasons why we made enormous progress for equality and democracy in Sweden. Unfortunately, however, folkbildningen has been a source of scandals in recent years. The National Audit Office's reports show that nearly half of the grants they have audited lacked cost documentation. This is completely unacceptable. It is fraud with tax money, which no one in this chamber should be able to stand behind.

Sweden shall continue to have a strong folk education. But the infrastructure of democracy shall not in the future be able to be exploited by non-democrats or criminal elements. We shall stop the grant fraud that has existed within folk education. That said: This is not the reason why the Liberals have been involved in making this saving. It is the investments in everything else that is the reason why the Liberals are involved in making the saving on folk education.

In conclusion, I also want to emphasize the importance of Jewish life in Sweden. The antisemitism that exists in Sweden has worsened after Hamas's terror attack against Israel. It is abhorrent that Swedish Jews should have to be afraid to wear their Star of David or have to hide their identity from others. To combat antisemitism, measures need to be taken on many different fronts. The Government has allocated funds for folk high school initiatives that strengthen knowledge of Jewish life and Jewish culture in Sweden, and we have increased the funds to protect Jewish congregations and schools. We will do more if required.

Mr. Speaker! The Liberals move for approval of the bourgeois government's and the Sweden Democrats' budget proposal within expenditure area 17 Culture, media, religious communities and leisure.

(Applause)

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

Lawen Redar (S)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Robert Hannah, for the commitment to the children and young people growing up in Sweden's 59 vulnerable areas! These have become fewer, but it is quite right that they are still far too many. The development we have seen is not only that the vulnerable areas are many, but that the proportion of risk areas and particularly vulnerable areas has increased.

What is described here with a cultural canon, I believe, is an over-reliance on its possibilities to create cultural community and linguistic strengthening progression for children and young people. The literacy crisis surely has to do with a failed school market that sorts out the children with the greatest compensatory needs? In Sweden, we have an inverted compensatory intervention, that is to say that the children who have the least need of the school's equality agenda, on the contrary, receive more interventions, and those who need significantly more interventions receive less and less.

I thought it was liberating to hear the Minister for Education dare to express that one wants to do something about this and that one sees the market failures that the past policy has entailed.

My question to the member, however, is how a cultural canon can compensate for children's lack of reading. Is it not an over-reliance on this reform that is being presented here when one believes that it can lead to some form of cultural and linguistic cohesion? I believe significantly more in the general welfare's efforts to strengthen the language at an early age for children and young people, and I believe in solid investments in Swedish school.

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

Robert Hannah (L)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Lawen Redar, for your question! It is correct that there have become 59 areas, and that includes three categories: risk areas, vulnerable areas and particularly vulnerable areas. All of these together are, therefore, vulnerable areas.

The investment we are now making with money for sports in vulnerable areas applies to all areas that are vulnerable and have been vulnerable in recent years. It therefore applies to more than 61, if one is to be honest. A number that have been removed may remain in the investment. Furthermore, it applies to adjacent areas if the police and the County Administrative Board—I believe that is the case—deem it justified. Most often, it is these areas that risk subsequently becoming vulnerable.

Regarding the cultural canon, it is part of a very large package; I mentioned seven different things where we invest in reading. But I believe de facto that it is a major cultural difference whether one gets to grow up with Alfons Åberg and Pippi Långstrump or not. By having reading lists, by having a cultural canon, by investing in better and earlier interventions in preschool when it comes to reading, and by investing in reading specialists in preschool, we will see a much greater difference.

I share Lawen Redar's opinion that a cultural canon is not enough. It is about what you do with it, and it is about what other measures you take. We will make major efforts. It is about everything from using the Social Democrats' old initiative Bokstart to using more educators early on.

Regarding school segregation, I can say that I come from Tynnered in Gothenburg. 70 percent of Swedish segregation is due to where one lives. Regardless of whether there are independent schools or not, it is de facto that in the school in Tynnered, almost everyone is second-generation Swedes. Regardless of what one thinks about the independent schools - which we are to reform - other measures were needed in these schools specifically to lift school results and literacy. It needs to be done in any case.

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

Lawen Redar (S)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Robert Hannah, for the answer and the commitment! Reading lists are compiled today by the National Agency for Education, and there are few cultural actors in society who think that this seems to be something wise to invest resources, commitment, and time in.

The nearby example we have of a cultural canon is Denmark's. The former - decades ago - Minister of Culture described how the process took place and how the entire country was involved in it. Today, one cannot even find the Danish cultural canon on the Ministry of Culture's website.

In this time when the entire bourgeoisie describes how strained the economic situation is and that one must prioritize its efforts, I am astonished that it is this that one attaches great importance to.

I mean that reading lists are completely central. The children's integration into Swedish society is extremely important - hence the importance of investing in meaningful leisure activities, reading in school, and cultural activities in school that strengthen equality. But I am extremely skeptical about spending time and resources on a cultural canon. One might as well use those resources for preschool work and the open preschool. They can be spent on primary school and so on and strengthen the social interventions there.

A cultural canon is actually something imposed by power. It will be defined by power what it is that children and young people should read. I mean that it is the stimulation that one should devote time to, among other things through the investments that are now being made in school libraries. That too is a reform that can be strengthened when it comes to social interventions for children and young people and for the sake of literacy.

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

Robert Hannah (L)

Mr. Speaker! I think the measures that Lawen Redar proposes are good. I believe, however, that we must address another fundamental problem, and that is the norm shift occurring in our vulnerable areas where people other than the state or the law-abiding citizens set the agenda.

We can look at some of Gothenburg's vulnerable areas. A study just came out from there that looked at, for example, norms of virginity. It turned out that a large proportion of the girls who live and grow up in Gothenburg's vulnerable areas have a norm of virginity. They are expected to be virgins. They are expected to have a different type of future when it comes to what they are allowed to do, how they are allowed to live, and what they are allowed to study. It is clear that it will be liberating if they get to read certain common texts that the rest of the country reads, which are about Pippi Longstocking who frees herself.

There is a power in knowing our most important texts. Then it will not be enough to have a cultural canon; Denmark shows this, for example. It must be followed up better, it must be updated, and one must work more actively with it. Fundamentally, it is one of very many components. I am not saying that it is the solution, but I am saying that it is needed as part of a solution.

If we get reading lists that work so that all children read a number of the most classic books, regardless of whether they are from Sweden or from another country, if we have an initiative on librarians and school libraries, if we have an initiative so that people actually have books at home and not screens, I believe that in the future we will succeed in raising the schools' results and the children's reading ability.

I don't actually think we disagree on what needs to be done. I think we disagree on what needs to be done in addition to that. We want to do more from the Liberals' side.

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

Amanda Lind (MP)

Mr. Speaker! My original intention in requesting a reply was to comment on Robert Hannah's speech regarding reading and popular education. I can start with that. A good thing in the government's budget that is not included in expenditure area 17 is the initiative for staffed school libraries. I think it is appropriate to state that. I know that Robert Hannah and the Liberal Party have worked hard for it. It was a reform we pushed together during the period with the January Agreement, and I am very pleased that it is finally being implemented and will, of course, follow the implementation closely. It is very important for all children's access to books and reading.

My question to the member concerns folkbildningen (popular education). It should honor Robert Hannah that he says it is not the cheating within folkbildningen that is the reason for the cut - the member Vasiliki Tsouplaki has also clearly pointed out that the figures used in that debate are incorrect - but that it is other things that make the Liberals stand behind this nonetheless.

As Robert Hannah says, popular education is close to the Liberals' heart. My question concerns the fact that one now chooses to distribute the state support in a different way through the new legislative change. Why is the large popular education inquiry, which the Liberal Christer Nylander is actually conducting now, not being awaited? I would like to hear how the Liberals stand on that.

But then I also have to comment on the rhetoric that Robert Hannah uses from the speaker's rostrum. When one speaks of a cultural elite, it is a rhetoric that surprises me that the Liberals' cultural policy spokesperson uses. It is a polarizing and contemptuous rhetoric that I thought the Liberals were too good for. I wonder if it is a rhetoric that the Liberals as a party really stand behind.

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

Robert Hannah (L)

Mr. Speaker! When it comes to the folkbildningsutredningen and folkbildningen, it is almost impossible for a government to wait for two or three years to introduce reforms when it comes to the type of audits that the Riksrevisionen provided. We have implemented a number of regulatory changes. In the regulatory letter, we have demanded that they should more clearly address the issues that the Riksrevisionen points out. Those are the measures we have taken because there was a lack of cost basis in 40 percent of the cases, so I still feel that I described the Riksrevisionens report correctly. Perhaps it was others who did not. We have taken the measures based on the Riksrevisionens report that we needed to take here and now.

For our part, the change in the budget is about a prioritization of reading and of universities of applied sciences, vocational training, and folk high schools. It is actually a shift from education and folk education to education and folk education that we are carrying out in my eyes – another prioritization, quite simply, from our side.

Then there was the question of whether or not to use the term cultural elite. It is a fact that there are many children and young people in Sweden who do not get access to Swedish culture. They do not participate in the cultural school. I didn't even know what the cultural school was when I grew up. In adulthood, when I entered the Riksdag, I learned about something called the cultural school. I did not read the most classic books when I grew up. I have read them as an adult. I participated in sports but not at all in the same extent and context as others.

When one sees how many debaters - I am not talking about anyone here in the chamber - are against all the measures that the conservative side proposes to ensure that these young people get access to the culture they have a right to, I think they are some kind of cultural elite who do not want to open up to see this problem and do something about the matter.

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

Amanda Lind (MP)

Mr. Speaker! To begin with the folkbildning, I can only regret that one does not choose to await the large-scale folkbildning inquiry, led by the Liberal Christer Nylander, just when it concerns the type of structural changes that the legislative change actually entails. There has been massive criticism from referral bodies that one is now interfering with the free and voluntary folkbildning. To at least await a holistic approach would have been appropriate.

In the cultural debate earlier this autumn, Norrköping's Moderate municipal councilor Sophia Jarl spoke about a spoiled cultural elite and used a type of rhetoric that has been strongly criticized, not least by the Moderates' own Minister for Culture. Now Robert Hannah is approaching that rhetoric, and I regret that. One must reasonably be able to have a discussion about a cultural canon's potential value for promoting reading without having epithets of that type slapped on.

I also want to remind that people who are involved in culture today, whether it is a leader of an agency or an individual cultural creator, are often those who then work day and night to reach more people with culture, not least children and young people. They are people who dedicate their lives to making culture reach more. I think we in our speaker's chair should refrain from making disparaging remarks about that type of person.

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

Robert Hannah (L)

Mr. Speaker! When it comes to the folkbildningsutredningen, I think it is very important. It has received new directives from the new bourgeois government. There is a difference between what the government and the Socialdemokraterna think regarding the budget basis, but I would be very surprised if the Socialdemokraterna themselves had not also made changes in, for example, the regulatory letter and demanded better follow-up. I believe that all responsible governments would have been forced to make changes in the regulatory letter.

Now we have disagreed on how much we should do. We have changed the regulations and divided them into two different ones. The national association of folk high schools – I don't remember the name; forgive me, Mr. Speaker – thought it was completely okay to do. The left-wing government – your government, Amanda Lind – had previously given specific support targeted at folk high schools. I don't really see the change here as any kind of super-large reform change. You did the same thing, but you did it in a different way. You gave extra measures to one or the other.

Then there was the question of using the term cultural elite. I have not called anyone a spoiled cultural elite, but I think it is problematic when one does not see the enormous challenges that so many young people today have in participating in the Swedish language, Swedish society, and the culture in Sweden. There are no cultural schools in most vulnerable areas. Sports participation is enormously low, and participation in leisure activities is likewise. Participation in theater and culture is also very low. In that case, I do not think it is so problematic to produce a cultural canon where one describes: This is the culture and the texts that others largely participate in and use in this country. They are important for our community. That is why I express those types of opinions.

(Applause)

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

Catarina Deremar (C)

Mr. Speaker! The cultural debate continues. It is the only one this autumn, and the long list of speakers shows that we in the committee truly feel called. We deal with many areas, from gaming issues to church antiquarian compensation. In between, we find culture of all kinds and colors, popular education, and not least sports.

We who are participating in the debate today believe that culture is important. But what is it like outside? Is culture taken for granted? Is a cultural policy debate even needed? My answer to the last question is: Yes, perhaps now more than ever.

For me, culture is about pushing boundaries, learning more, seeing the world through others' eyes, encountering the foreign, having time to reflect and learning something new – regardless of whether it is about visiting a theater where we see a classic play or an art exhibition with modern art.

Art is important in the public space. It can make a place safer. It is something one recognizes, something to cherish, and something that creates community.

Centerpartiet has, like several other parties, submitted a specific statement regarding expenditure area 17. There, we have a clear focus on popular education and civil society. Regarding popular education, the government has stepped completely wrong. It is surprising given that all government parties should safeguard free and voluntary popular education.

Why is it so important? Society is becoming increasingly complex. The tasks we have to solve together are becoming increasingly difficult. And we have an increasingly polarizing debate. Furthermore, as an individual, one has to sort through a constantly ongoing flow of information. We see that some have the power to raise their voices, but more and more people do not feel a sense of community with what is our common society.

A strong, living democracy is built on democratic dialogue. If it is to be sustained, we must have an educated population. I must admit that it hurts when I hear a responsible minister nonchalantly dismiss the important role of popular education for democratic dialogue.

In the government's budget, there are also legislative proposals regarding popular education. Now, the government is dividing the budget for the area into two parts. At the Government Offices, they shall decide how much money should go to the folk high schools and respectively the study associations and the student organizations. It is the wrong way to go if one wants to develop and take advantage of popular education. It is a way to build in incentives that do not promote the ecosystem that exists for the different types within popular education. It is a first step towards controlling free and voluntary popular education. We in the Center Party strongly reject this.

The other day I visited Uppsala Senioruniversitet. It is impossible not to be impressed by their activities. With their lectures of very high quality, they enrich the everyday life of the individual, but they also ensure that there is a meeting place specifically for knowledge, conversation, and the development of the democratic society. Obtaining knowledge and being able to ask relevant questions about the latest in research builds a secure society. The volunteers at Uppsala Senioruniversitet contribute to this to the highest degree. That they are able to continue developing their activities together with other study associations is of great importance.

Mr. Speaker! A risk for the educational nation Sweden, said Minister for Employment and Integration Johan Pehrson yesterday at the press conference where he, together with Minister for Education Lotta Edholm, commented on the PISA survey and the deeply worrying declining figures for Sweden's part. I share that concern. But if we want to be an educational nation, we must learn throughout life. Hence comes my great and warm commitment to adult education. More people should see that.

Having access to culture throughout the country is of great importance for cultural creators and for the audience. If it is to be possible, it is not possible to overlook the important role of association life and civil society. If one overlooks them, the community center is not there. Then there is no one to unlock the door when both artists and the audience knock. Artists have often started their careers precisely through the education of the study associations and folk high schools and received their first gigs at the study associations' cultural events. Do not saw off that branch! Let it grow and get new buds!

Learning throughout life and being curious about the latest is good not only for popular education; it is also good for public health.

Mr. Speaker! Another area that we in the Center Party want to push a bit extra on is digitalization. Therefore, the Center Party has in its budget presented proposals for increased efforts for digitalization in several areas within culture, for example theater, dance, music, the Institute for Language and Folklore and the central museums - to name a few. We see and must learn from what is currently happening in connection with the war in Ukraine. There, one truly sees the importance of digitalization in order to be able to preserve one's cultural heritage and rebuild it.

Mr. Speaker! Otherwise, I wish that we as soon as possible receive a sustainable solution for our national stage, the Opera. I wish that one gets a building that makes our fine opera accessible, functional, and open for both old and new audiences.

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

Jonas Andersson (SD)

Mr. Speaker! The question of arm's length distance has been debated extensively in cultural policy in recent years, not least here in the chamber. I think that is good. The concept is significant in cultural policy. At the same time, the parties are obviously not entirely in agreement on what it should mean in practice.

Centerpartiet writes in its budget motion that the division of the budget allocation for folkbildningen into two parts - one for studieförbund, one for folkhögskolor - should be rejected in order to secure the principle of arm's length distance. I believe that Centerpartiet is abusing the concept of arm's length distance. It is remarkable how they use it in their budget motion.

Mr. Speaker! What does the Centre Party actually mean? Why would a division of two large budget appropriations in the billions in the state budget for two different types of activities threaten the principle of arm's length?

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

Catarina Deremar (C)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you for the question, Jonas Andersson!

The primary reason is that popular education should be free and voluntary. Therefore, the Government Offices should not point out that these funds shall go to this part of popular education, and these funds shall go to another part of popular education.

We have a system, which has functioned well, where we strengthen popular education by not having that incentive. One will, in fact, end up in a situation where one favors one's own part. That can destroy one or the other.

I mean that both parts were truly needed for us to have a strong, free and voluntary folk education.

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

Jonas Andersson (SD)

Mr. Speaker! One must conclude that the system has really not functioned well. Several speakers in the debate have raised the enormous problems we have unfortunately seen in the folk education policy.

In the budget, the appropriations to the study associations and the folk high schools constitute very large shares of the total appropriation for the expenditure area, even though the Sweden Democrats and the government are quite rightly moving forward with a reduction of the appropriation for the coming years. To divide budget appropriations in this way is very far from restrictive micro-management, so I actually do not understand why the Center Party is bringing out the arm's length card in this case. The Center Party has obviously started using the term arm's length as a kind of politically correct cliché without thinking about what it is one writes in the documents one submits to the Swedish Riksdag.

Mr. Speaker! Does the Centre Party not see that one risks totally diluting cultural policy concepts, such as the principle of arm's length, if they are misused in this way? Does the Centre Party think that the people's elected representatives in the Riksdag should not have opinions on appropriations in the state budget regarding the cultural area?

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

Catarina Deremar (C)

Mr. Speaker! I think Jonas Andersson mixes up the concepts of arm's length distance and free and voluntary quite briskly. They are two different parts. That we are to keep an arm's length distance to culture is one thing – that is something we should indeed continue with, and we must constantly discuss what it actually means. The free and voluntary folk education is another part.

This is, however, a slippery slope. What will be the next step when it comes to governing popular education? What plans are there from the government's and the Sweden Democrats' side? It is a matter of striking a balance here, and I do not want to see this division. I want the free and voluntary popular education to remain intact in the role it has today.

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

Jonas Andersson (SD)

Mr. Speaker! Today we are therefore debating the Committee on Culture's report on expenditure area 17 in the state budget, which is culture, media, religious communities and leisure.

I would initially like to express my support for the committee's proposed decision in the report.

The folk education system in the form of study associations and folk high schools is significant for Sweden. For example, for those who feel that they have not fit into the regular education system, the folk high schools can be meaningful. Given the different educations they offer, the folk high schools can naturally also be a first choice.

Study associations can contribute to strengthening and developing people in many different ways. It can, for example, involve learning a new language through study circles or taking a hunter's exam. It is knowledge that one can then carry with them for the rest of their life, and it is clear that it is valuable. There is no doubt that adult education can do much to form and educate the Swedish people.

Mr. Speaker! Those who have followed the media reporting and the public debate on education in recent years can nevertheless state that much revolves around the problems that exist in the area – major problems that emerged clearly and gained momentum during the years when the Social Democrats governed Sweden.

In 2020, an enormous scandal erupted among the study associations in Järvafältet in Stockholm, which gave further momentum to the debate. Following investigations, a massive and systematized cheating among the study associations emerged. It concerns rents that have been paid out two or three times, and it concerns grants that have been distributed to courses that have never taken place and for participants who do not even exist. In recent years, we have been able to see countless headlines in the media about cheating and other problems at the study associations, while the issue has moved higher up on the agenda here in the Riksdag and in politics in general.

Fraud with tax money is not the only problem among the study associations. We also actually have problems with Islamists and gang criminals having infiltrated Swedish folk education in their own ways. Recently, it was highlighted that ABF, the largest state-grant-eligible study association with strong links to the Social Democrats, had serious criminals working at youth centers in Botkyrka. There were bulletproof vests, drugs, and weapons at these youth centers. The Vårbyn network sat and played video games on the sofas. It also followed from this that the chairman of the municipal executive board in Botkyrka was ousted with support from forces from ABF and the gang criminals.

Another major problem among the study associations is, unfortunately, as I mentioned, Islamism. We unfortunately have in Sweden a state-grant-eligible study association named Ibn Rushd, with connections to the Islamist network of the Muslim Brotherhood. It receives tens of millions of kronor a year from the state, and also in many municipalities and regions, it receives grants. Sverigedemokraterna is working hard to put a stop to grants to Islamists. It is a self-evident matter.

Mr. Speaker! After the 2022 election, the Tidö Agreement was concluded, as is known, and in it there is a point regarding popular education – something that the Sweden Democrats see as important after all the problems we have had among the study associations. There is now a majority in the Swedish Parliament to clean up the chaos that the red-green mess left behind in popular education policy. Based on the point on popular education in the Tidö Agreement and within the framework of the Sweden Democrats' cooperation with the government, much has happened in the field of popular education during the past year.

When it comes to popular education, democratic conditions for state grants to civil society are crucial. A bill in this area will land on the Riksdag's table during this parliamentary term, and the Sverigedemokraterna are, of course, pushing the government to ensure that there are sharper formulations in this bill than in the original from the Social Democratic government. We do this so that not a single tax krona ends up in the pockets of dangerous forces such as, for example, gang criminals, fraudsters, or Islamists.

The Sweden Democrats and the government have since the election tightened the guidelines for the Folkbildningsrådet (National Council for Adult Education). The requirements set by the government regarding control and follow-up are becoming much tougher. The Sweden Democrats and the government have also, since the election, produced additional directives for the ongoing folkbildningsutredning (adult education inquiry).

For us Sweden Democrats, it has been important to ensure that we get proposals on the table to strip the Folkbildningsrådet of the responsibility to distribute state grants and instead transfer it to a proper authority. This is something that we have motioned for in the Riksdag for many years. It is about putting a stop to the cheating and other problems.

The Sweden Democrats fully support the proposal to reduce the grant to student unions in the state budget. Next year, we will reduce the budget allocation by 250 million kronor, a reduction that in year three amounts to half a billion kronor. It is about priorities in tough economic times. The Sweden Democrats also argue that student unions have much to prove when it comes to whether they can manage the large economic amounts they have historically received.

At the same time, the state budget contains an investment in the folk high schools with 100 million kronor next year. The hope is that this will contribute positively to the skill supply in the Swedish labor market.

Mr. Speaker! The Sweden Democrats and the government parties are on the right track in the work to restore order and clarity in the folk education policy.

(Applause)

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

Magnus Manhammar (S)

Mr. Speaker! I thank Jonas Andersson for the speech. It is good that we are talking about popular education and that the subject is given much time here today.

Not everyone may know it, but historically, at least many of us know that popular education is what underlies our democracy in Sweden. Without popular education, we would probably never have achieved universal and equal suffrage in Sweden.

I would have wished that the fantastic TV program *Historien om Sverige* had managed to reach the 1800s and the 1900s, because then perhaps more in this chamber would have known what folk education has meant for our democracy and how it is the reason why we stand here today in a free and democratic society. If all parties had known that, perhaps these cuts to folk education would not have been made. Let us therefore hope that the parties that are now cutting back on folk education will watch *Historien om Sverige* and change their view, so that these appropriations can be restored next year!

I might not say that I enjoyed it, but I looked at what it looks like if you Google the word "förskingring" in combination with different study associations. I Googled "förskingring" and "vuxenskolan" and got 2,030 hits. I then Googled "Ibn Rushd" and "förskingring" and got only 262 hits. Then I Googled "ABF" and "förskingring" and got 3,860 hits. Finally, I Googled "Sverigedemokraterna" and "förskingring" and got 25,400 hits.

I think it is quite striking and shows what this is about. It is about a smear campaign from the Sverigedemokraterna side. It is about things that are not correct. I have screenshotted case after case of Sverigedemokraternas various embezzlement stories, and there are even Sverigedemokratiska MPs who have had to resign due to embezzlement. Should we therefore demand that Sverigedemokraterna should have no compensation at all? No, Sverigedemokraterna is a party that has received votes from the Swedish people. Therefore, you shall also be here, Jonas Andersson.

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

Jonas Andersson (SD)

Mr. Speaker! That was an exciting reply from Magnus Manhammar, I must say.

If it is googled politics that the Social Democrats are placing on the table of the Riksdag, it would surprise me greatly. I would say that as an opposition party, it is probably better to use the Riksdag's investigative service as the basis for its politics instead of googling. I believe that allows one to present a more serious and well-founded policy here in the chamber.

As Magnus Manhammar says, we have had enormous problems when it comes to folkbildningen. We have previously heard here about the figures from the National Audit Office, which has audited 370 arrangements. They concluded that in 44 percent of the audited cases, there was a lack of documentation to pay out money. It is, therefore, on an enormous scale. It was in almost every second case that there was a lack of documentation to pay out money.

It surprises me that the Social Democrats do not take it more seriously. They governed for years and had every chance to straighten this out, and that applies to all study associations. It applies to ABF, which the Social Democrats have close links to, but it also applies to Ibn Rushd and all the other state-subsidy-eligible study associations.

Then my question to Magnus Manhammar is: Why did the Social Democrats in government not do more to put a stop to the cheating? If you had managed your cards, we would not have needed to take the measures and adopt the proposals that we are doing now here in the Riksdag.

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

Magnus Manhammar (S)

Mr. Speaker! I thank you for the question.

The truth is that a proper review of the study associations' activities has already been carried out to have every possibility of uncovering embezzlement. I have here an 18-point list of everything that the study associations have done, and it was before the 2022 election. It was, therefore, at the time when we were in government.

There are requirements for register cross-referencing, and there is currently an activity underway that I had wished the Sweden Democrats themselves had. Then, one might not have had the same type of embezzlement within their party. There are requirements for digital attendance lists and digital signing as well as an effective action package for the music activities - it is point by point. It is one of the most organized and carefully reviewed activities that exists today.

I am saddened to hear the Sweden Democrats, and I am even more saddened to see the policy that the Sweden Democrats have had passed in Sweden's Riksdag.

Studieförbunden and folkbildningen are the backbone of Swedish democracy. The Swedish parties are part of civil society and should be and are also a part of folkbildningen. To cut back on folkbildningen is to harm and undermine Swedish democracy. It pains me in many ways that this is happening right now. People are talking about a slaughter. When it comes to how the cuts will hit their activities all around the country, it is approximately one-third of the activities that will disappear in the coming years.

About a month ago, one of Sweden's ten study associations announced that they will be closing down their operations. It is a very hard blow to civil society and to democracy in Sweden. I regret that this is happening.

I had hoped that we could have a serious discussion about what is happening, not a blackening, but rather a discussion about how important folkbildningen is for Sweden.

(Applause)

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

Jonas Andersson (SD)

Mr. Speaker! The Social Democrats said here from the rostrum that study associations would be the backbone of Swedish democracy. I am aware of what role folkbildningen played for the growth of democracy and for the introduction of universal and equal suffrage in Sweden. Certainly, an important contribution was made then. That is a self-evident fact. But I believe it is dangerous to be as naive as the Social Democrats and Magnus Manhammar seem to be in the question and believe that what applied 100 years ago also applies today. The Social Democrats have, moreover, been naive also in many other policy areas. We have heard that.

State grants for folk education go to gang criminals at ABF's youth centers in Botkyrka, state grants for folk education go to Islamism and the study association Ibn Rushd. It goes to fake study circles, to activities that have never taken place, and to other fraud and deception.

Mr. Speaker! When it looks so bad among the student unions, is it not a threat to our democratic values in Sweden rather than something that strengthens the democratic values? I think the Social Democrats should take that home to their parliamentary office and reflect on it a bit.

(Applause)

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

Magnus Manhammar (S)

Mr. Speaker! I am glad that this debate on culture is taking place today, and I am glad the more times we can talk about culture and not least about popular education, which I intend to delve a little further into here right now.

We just had an exchange of remarks which, among other things, concerned how important popular education has been for Sweden as a country. Without popular education, we probably would not have had any political parties in Sweden, at least not any democratic political parties, and without popular education, we would not have had free and universal suffrage in Sweden.

It is with pride that I speak about popular education. It is with pride that I visit study associations and the folk high schools around Sweden and see all the commitment that exists. It is with pride that I see the form of study that the folk high school is. It can truly help people who have been met with closed doors throughout their lives but who are suddenly met with open doors and an opportunity to realize themselves and find the way to a profession.

It is also with pride that I see how the activities of the study associations from north to south even save lives. There is activity that concerns heart and lung resuscitation for the elderly. There is activity, not least in my own county Blekinge, that concerns seamanship and navigation, which also actually saves lives. There is a fantastic activity for people with disabilities all around Sweden that plays a role.

I love folkbildningen, and I love Sweden. I love what we do together and do not want anyone to destroy it. I will return to it.

What I find so beautiful when I am out and meeting people at folk high schools is that there are very many who have received a second, third, or fourth chance. I believe that all people in Sweden are worthy of all chances in life. Life is a short moment. Let us make the best of it. Give us all possible chances to realize ourselves and be our best self.

When I last visited a folk high school, I met some people who were even a few years older than me. They were retraining to become study pedagogues and were incredibly engaged in it. Another person was going to become a social pedagogue and wanted to work with the homeless. He had been a successful entrepreneur his entire life but now finally wanted to retrain to follow his heart even more. He was almost finished and couldn't wait. He had already started volunteering for a shelter. I met people who had just arrived in Sweden. At the folk high school, they finally got to learn Swedish, and they did it together with a study association at the folk high school. It was Swedish from day one.

There are plenty of activities all over Sweden that are precisely folkbildning and the glue that makes Sweden strong.

When Sweden now meets representatives from Nato, many of the Nato representatives say that Sweden is a country that they really want as a member of Nato. There are many reasons for that, but one of the major reasons they say is that Sweden has a strong resilience against authoritarian trends and fake news. When one looks closer at what that resilience is, it is precisely that we have a strong civil society. And a civil society is a life of associations. It can be everything from chess clubs to sports associations and sea rescue. There are many fantastic activities in our civil society. And the civil society could not live without the blood that pumps in their veins. The oxygen is obtained through precisely folkbildning (popular education). It is folkbildning that makes the civil society so vital and actually exists in Sweden at all.

If one were to withdraw a third of the activities of the study associations, which unfortunately have been presented in the budget and to a large extent have already been decided, civil society in Sweden would be very weakened. Swedish democracy would be very weakened and our society very much poorer.

It is precisely the type of things that I myself have seen when I have worked with aid previously. I was in Russia, for example, when they tried to develop democracy after the Cold War. There were great opportunities despite everything. There were many people who were passionate about democracy in Russia and truly fought and sometimes even risked their lives through what they did. They wanted to build up exactly the kind of popular education that we have in Sweden. They wanted to build up a civil society, so that one could gain resilience against an authoritarian view of society.

I would have wished that more of us were working there at that time, and I wish that in the future more of us can work with civil society in Russia. It is actually the only long-term path to peace. We must achieve democracy in Russia and throughout the world, and we achieve that through a strong civil society, which becomes strong through precisely public education.

How do we view the future of popular education? I have thought a lot about that. I think we should look very positively on it together. It is a recession right now in Sweden and the world, and it is popular education, study associations and folk high schools that can transform society and make it so that people can find a new profession, change paths or further develop within the profession they already have.

We also see a threat to democracy in Sweden and the world, and popular education is the solution there as well. We should rather invest more in popular education right now. It is popular education that is the key forward and can make Sweden even wiser, stronger and wealthier.

I therefore wish to move for the approval of the proposals that we submit from the Social Democrats' side and of our view on this. I hope that we here in the Riksdag can receive support for this moving forward and obtain a majority that burns for popular education, just as we and, I know, very many others in this chamber and actually all of Sweden do. Popular education is fantastic!

(Applause)

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

Carl Nordblom (M)

Mr. Speaker! It is easy to promise more money when you are not in government and do not need to take responsibility for the economy. Cuts and slaughter are words we have heard from the opposition regarding the government's budget, and I want to start by asking a question to Member Manhammar. Does the Member have any understanding that perhaps even within the cultural sphere and folk education, priorities need to be made in tough economic times?

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

Magnus Manhammar (S)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you for the question, Member of Parliament Carl Nordblom! I naturally have an understanding of this. I have been a municipal politician and also a Member of Parliament for a while now and know exactly that one must make priorities.

But when one sees threats to democracy and also when one sees opportunities for people to retrain now that there is a recession, it is precisely investments in study association activities, folk high schools, and adult education that are the key. To cut back on what is the key moving forward is wrong in my opinion, and I would say it is wrong according to most professionals and researchers who look at this. It is adult education that is the way forward, so I hope that one might perhaps be able to change one's mind next year and not continue with the cuts to adult education.

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

Carl Nordblom (M)

Mr. Speaker! This government is truly taking responsibility for the economy in tough times. Again: People speak of slaughter and cuts, and we have even heard a poorer Sweden described here. These are not only harsh but also untrue words from the opposition. I wonder if the member is as harsh towards his own as he is towards the government.

Mr. Speaker! I am from Stockholm, and here we see real cuts, in public transport and in healthcare. Bus lines are being withdrawn, and eating disorder clinics are being closed. This is being done by the Socialdemokraterna and Miljöpartiet. I hope that Member Manhammar and the socialdemokraterna in the Culture Committee are just as tough internally, towards their own colleagues in Region Stockholm, as one is towards the government.

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

Magnus Manhammar (S)

Mr. Speaker! The policy that the Social Democrats stand for also involves injecting the right amount of more funds to the municipalities and regions - 10 billion more. With those funds, one would not have had to make these cuts in, for example, Region Stockholm. It is these funds that are needed.

It is tough times. It is clear that everyone needs to pinch pennies. But our government had a solution for this. It is our political conviction that in a recession, of course, one should hold onto the money, but one must also invest one's way out of the recession. One must create new jobs. One cannot stand with hands in pockets and hope that the world will get better; one must also do something.

Popular education is the way forward – everyone knows that. Everyone who has been unemployed knows that one must continue studying, educate oneself and find a new way forward – for oneself but also for society.

Thank you for the question and for the discussion, Carl!

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

Roland Utbult (KD)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Magnus Manhammar, for your speech! You are singing the praises of civil society, one could say. It was beautiful; it was almost musical.

But I missed something in your speech. Religious communities are part of our work in the Culture Committee. I did not hear a single word about what the religious communities mean. You sang the praises of civil society but did not say a word about the religious communities.

I read a social analysis in the newspaper Dagen. The Social Democrats, under the leadership of, among others, Member of Parliament Lawen Redar, have this direction for Sweden, as it is called. Magnus Manhammar is also part of a movement that has truly shaped our country for decades. Therefore, one expresses surprise. You are practicing a certain self-criticism, and that is good and healthy; we should all do that. One of the focus areas mentioned concerns culture, sports, and association life. But the role of religious communities is not mentioned in this report. They are only mentioned on some occasional occasions and then as warning examples of extremism. People have traveled around the country to meet representatives for different branches of civil society but have basically not met any from the religious communities.

How does the member view the lack of commitment to the religious communities? Is it merely a mistake that they are not included in the member's speech?

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

Magnus Manhammar (S)

Mr. Speaker! I would like to thank Member of Parliament Utbult for the question. I am very pleased by it. For me, the religious communities are incredibly important, and they are also for the Social Democrats. They are a part of civil society and popular education. For me personally, the religious communities have meant a great deal.

They have also meant a lot for the city where I live, where I myself have many times gone into the trenches with the religious communities locally to help the most vulnerable in society. I am very proud of the work they have done for the homeless, not least in Karlskrona, where I myself live. We also made major efforts together for the EU migrants who were about to freeze to death on the street. It was the religious communities who, together with some of us other people in social movements, ensured that it did not happen and ensured that they got food for the day and also helped many out of poverty and begging. They received work and the self-worth they were constantly seeking.

I believe, therefore, in the religious communities' fantastic possibilities, and I believe that I and Member Utbult agree on that.

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

Roland Utbult (KD)

Mr. Speaker! It is good to hear. I would like, for information, to refer to the newspaper Dagen, which covers this. It is described in the report that there is a lack of physical places to meet. In that case, one wants to inform that there are 6,000 church premises in Sweden. Every week, 500,000 people gather in the churches. There are 6 million people who are members of different religious denominations.

One wonders how this can be missed. Does it say something about Social Democracy? I don't quite think so because of the way you express yourself.

But we are the world's most secular country, and social democracy has contributed to this. You may disagree, but to miss this is, as it is stated in the newspaper Dagen, ignorant and outrageous. My final question will be: Where are you headed?

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

Magnus Manhammar (S)

Mr. Speaker! I thank Roland Utbult for the conversation. I really appreciate it.

We are heading in the direction that we also want to strengthen religious communities. We want to strengthen the entire civil society and folk education. A society without religious communities would be a poorer society. They mean a great deal and are part of the backbone of civil society. It is said that Sweden is the world's most secular society, but I believe that all people believe in something. I do not believe that anyone is completely secular without everyone having some faith, not least in human goodness. That is why we are here now. The religious communities gather many of us, but not all of us who believe. We believe in different ways, belong to different religions, and believe in different ways about making society and the world better. I agree with you regarding the religious communities. We believe in them together. Without them, our society would be much weaker.

When it comes to popular education, which I raised and which I work specifically with in the committee, religious communities are an important part. They provide a great deal of popular education, not least in things that are important for people such as language, how we take care of one another, and how we develop as human beings. Unfortunately, popular education is cut significantly in the budget, which also affects the religious communities. I know that Member Utbult also is passionate about popular education, so I hope that the government changes its view so that we can all here in the chamber together sing the praises of popular education.

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

Emma Ahlström Köster (M)

Mr. Speaker! We live in a completely unique time. Technological development is moving incredibly fast, and right now the first screen generation is growing up, the generation that has always had access to computers, screens, and smartphones. Technology has given this generation opportunities and advantages that no other generation before has had, but in parallel, new problems and new challenges are arising.

A more sedentary digital life affects our physical and our mental health. It changes our way of seeing ourselves and changes and affects our expectations and our way of working and communicating with each other. But no matter how digital we become, we are still physical beings who also continue to need to use and challenge our bodies. We need to see the sun's light, and we feel good by experiencing physical places with all our senses.

Finding a balance between screen time, physical activity, and real interactions is our individual responsibility. But of course, policy with information and initiatives should help us land correctly in this balance. It is therefore extremely pleasing that the government, despite tough and completely unique times, chooses to prioritize children and young people in particularly vulnerable areas and their opportunity for increased physical activity. It shows that the health of children and young people is a priority issue for the government and that one sees that there are groups within the group where some stand further away from taking part in a meaningful leisure time and activity.

Mr. Speaker! During the pandemic, we became more aware of how vulnerable society is. We have learned that we can no longer take things for granted. Meeting, socializing physically with one another, and traveling can be impossible in some crises.

The isolation was primarily negative, but it contributed to us seeking out nature more in a longing for stimulation and a change of environment. It had the fundamentally positive effect that we rediscovered the experience of nature. Never before have so many climbed up Kebnekaise, hiked along the fantastic Kungsleden, or acquired companion animals. The pandemic simply meant the rediscovery of home holidays with outdoor life and adventure in the Swedish nature in focus.

Even after the pandemic, we increasingly want to be out in nature, and more people want to stay home in Sweden during the long-awaited holidays. Outdoor life in the form of physical activity outdoors has positive health effects on both body and soul. But also more tranquil, individual encounters with nature provide opportunities for relaxation, recreation, and recovery. Being out in nature can contribute to reduced stress, strengthened cognitive ability, and improved mental health. It strengthens us and gives us more knowledge and ability to stay in forest, land, and mountains, which contributes to a more independent life.

Even though more people are out in the woods and fields and have realized and experienced the advantages of being out in the great outdoors, some challenges remain. There are still many people who do not have a relationship with the forest and the sea. Not everyone knows that the right of public access involves both rights and obligations, and there are children and young people who do not get to experience outdoor life during their upbringing.

Just because outdoor life is so important, not least for children and young people who need to be given the opportunity to learn to spend time in nature with everything that it entails, I have taken the initiative for an outdoor policy network in the Swedish Riksdag where politicians and relevant organizations can meet regularly. The goal is that we shall together formulate political proposals that contribute to more people finding their way to an active and purposeful outdoor life.

Mr. Speaker! I will also address the value of Swedish parasport. I believe that sport for people with disabilities can be summarized in the Nelson Mandela quote that forms the basis for the goals and work in Agenda 2030: Sport can change the world. The value of parasport in society is enormous. Children, young people, and adults with disabilities who participate in organized sport report that they have better self-esteem, more friends, better self-confidence, higher quality of life, and greater independence than those who do not participate in organized sport.

To create good conditions for sports, continuous efforts are needed in several areas and at several levels. For many people with disabilities, a healthy lifestyle is difficult to achieve on their own as they may be dependent on others in their vicinity or special aids. Perhaps they do not even know what opportunities exist in the local area. Here we must continue to create conditions.

Mr. Speaker! Sports are about strengthening individuals' identity, self-confidence, and the ability to build a healthy condition and lifestyle. Even though the journey is often more important than the goal, I become immensely proud when we reach sporting successes, and I believe you feel the same. Role models in sports inspire us all. Take Paralandslagets medal haul in cross-country skiing in Norway this weekend, what joy! They inspire and engage an entire country. I am therefore proud, satisfied, and happy that I, together with many of you, have initiated a network for specifically para-sports so that we can work with important health issues and disabilities within sports throughout the entire parliamentary term and beyond.

It has been proven that regular physical activity leads to increased self-esteem, general well-being, increased stress management and concentration ability, and improved memory. Physical activity can also function as a counterweight against depression, aggression, and anger. It also reduces mortality in cardiovascular diseases. Increased physical activity, especially at an early age, is therefore seen as a potential for increased well-being throughout life.

In the government's budget, sports and leisure activities are in particular focus. We do not believe that it is the entire solution to the polarization that exists regarding children's and young people's leisure activities and opportunities for sports. But we see the reality and believe that the money that is now being allocated to meet this great need is a step in the right direction.

(Applause)

In this speech, Magnus Resare (M) agreed.

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

Anne-Li Sjölund (C)

Mr. Speaker! Civil society builds the entire country and is the backbone of our democratic society. Associations, networks and federations based on volunteerism are more important than they have been in a very long time.

We need to take care of and secure the development opportunities for civil society. Within sports, outdoor life, and folk education, there is the power to create a breeding ground where people can develop. That people meet and create understanding for one another makes everyday life function better. It brings people closer together, and that is a strength in itself.

To say that sports and outdoor life contribute to a vibrant countryside, increased safety in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas, reduced involuntary loneliness among the elderly, and better integration and public health, and so on, is to kick in open doors. Everyone knows this. What politics needs to do is to tear down barriers and clear the way for the power of development – simply to facilitate and create opportunities.

When statistics show that children and young people are moving less and less, we need to take it seriously. In the long run, it is worrying. When families cannot afford equipment and training fees, or when it costs too much to get to the training, obstacles are placed in the way on several levels. It affects the children, the families, and the associations, and it is not good for anyone. Add to that the complications with lack of accessibility for many with disabilities, and it is completely obvious that we can do things better.

For many sports, it is also more difficult to retain girls and women, and we need to do more so that sport can be a safe and inclusive arena for everyone. The deficiencies have consequences for equality in health and well-being.

That associations are also forced to decline new members due to lack of time or lack of space is an additional obstacle. Furthermore, naturally, specific requirements are placed on the accessibility and adaptations of sports facilities for persons with disabilities.

These are self-evident matters, and it is fundamentally a question of democracy and justice.

Mr. Speaker! A fundamental prerequisite for a strong association life is having access to sports venues. Despite historically good access to sports facilities, the conditions have changed over time. Many of today's slightly smaller sports facilities were built in the 60s and 70s. The investments that were made then have been an important foundation for the sports movement's positive development, but now we face the challenge of needing to renovate facilities in order to ultimately prevent closure.

Most of this we already know. It is to beat on open doors, once again. What was needed from politics is that we create these self-evident conditions.

Centerpartiet proposes a civil society initiative where we want to see a higher proportion of basic support in the state's grants. Increased free resources are needed so that the money can be used in the best and most effective way.

Sport is good for both physical and mental well-being. It is therefore important to find out the reasons why girls stop practicing sports earlier so that effective measures can be implemented. Centerpartiet believes that an investigation into what hinders equal sports should be commissioned so that Riksidrottsförbundet can, based on that, receive a clearer mandate to achieve equality within Swedish sports.

People with disabilities participate in sports to a lesser extent than others. Therefore, an investigation should be appointed whose purpose shall be to identify obstacles for people with disabilities and measures that instead facilitate participation and competition within parasport.

The design of the state's sports appropriations should be reviewed to make the results clearer in terms of accessibility to sports for children and young people from, among other things, gender equality, equity, and disability perspectives.

Finally: Now the opportunity for an Olympics and Paralympics in Sweden 2030 has disappeared. Sweden needs to continue to seek sporting events where the whole world comes to us. Major sporting events at home provide excitement and joy to the audience and can, with sustainable financing and local anchoring, also provide great value to the places where they are held. It would strengthen the sports movement, cohesion, and society in general throughout the entire country.

In conclusion, I refer to our special statement.

(Applause)

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

Runar Filper (SD)

Mr. Speaker! I begin by moving to approve the committee's proposal for a decision.

Today we are debating the Culture Committee's report - the culture budget, quite simply. I will focus somewhat on intangible cultural heritage and initiatives to promote reading.

The word cultural heritage is used not only for objects, buildings and archaeological remains but also for stories, norms, traditions and other intangible values that we inherit from previous generations. It is literature, art, memorials, knowledge and stories that we learn from our ancestors, food that we enjoy and much more.

We Social Democrats advocate for a broad cultural heritage policy where we focus on the preservation and development of the Swedish cultural heritage. It is about us standing behind preservation efforts aimed at preserving the cultural heritage for future generations, but also digitalization initiatives to make the cultural heritage accessible for the future.

The Sweden Democrats value intangible cultural heritage highly. Language and folk memories, place names and melodies, meals and holidays are just some intangible cultural markers that are often vital parts of our Swedish identity. The work that individuals, civil society, and for example the Swedish National Heritage Board, the Institute for Language and Folklore, and the Nordiska Museet do for the collection, preservation, and accessibility of our intangible cultural heritage in Sweden is invaluable in the present and for future generations. This applies to the Swedish cultural heritage, but also to other cultures that have a history and anchoring in our country, such as the Estonian-Swedish, Finland-Swedish, Tornedalian, and Sámi cultural heritage.

The Government's and the Sweden Democrats' priority to strengthen children's and young people's reading is necessary and long-awaited. Literacy promotion is extremely important for our children and young people. Through culture, children and young people gain connections to our history and our roots, meaning in the present, and visions for the future. In the world of books, they can be strengthened and find cultural identity.

Libraries constitute a unique place for book reading, knowledge seeking, and popular education. Reading promotes early language learning jointly in families where this important foundation is laid in a positive way.

Children should have the best conditions to take part in the world of culture and the source of joy, closeness, and capacity for imagination that book reading brings. When children are given early access to the rich cultural life that children's literature constitutes, they can also acquire knowledge that facilitates their participation in social life.

It is important to convey the fine cultural heritage we have, where reading of, for example, Astrid Lindgren and Elsa Beskow can enrich children's upbringing and sense of coherence.

Think of the significance that reading has had for generations of children through the book series Läseböcker för Sveriges barndomsskolor with Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige, Sörgården, I Önnemo and Vill du läsa of Elsa Beskow, which influenced an entire generation of Swedish schoolchildren with its rich fairy-tale world with colorful, exciting pictures that created curiosity and an interest in reading. They are still highly accessible today for many children.

We live in a time of increased digitalization, which is an important reason to invest even more in and enable book reading for children and young people, in a time when children and young people are more fascinated by tablets, iPhones, and everything of the sort.

Joint reading between parent and child deepens the important bond between them. The reading session enables time for reflection where the child gets to share their thoughts and reflections on the book being read. This moment can also open the door to fine and educational conversations between child and parent, between siblings and together with grandmother, grandfather, maternal grandmother or maternal grandfather. Vocabulary, imagination and creative ability are stimulated and developed. When children get to take part in different stories, it can help them to more easily understand life and their surroundings.

That the government and the Sweden Democrats are investing in reading promotion for children is a long-awaited and necessary initiative that I hope has come to stay. When we encourage book reading for children, we know that we are giving them a fine and good foundation for life.

(Applause)

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

Ewa Pihl Krabbe (S)

Mr. Speaker! It has surely not escaped anyone in this chamber that the interest in children's and young people's reading is great and has been debated extensively, and so also today. Yesterday we saw the results of the PISA survey 2022, so the discussion will surely continue.

Stimulating children's interest in reading is a national matter, not only for schools but also for maternity clinics, child health centers, preschools, libraries and, not least, the adults who are in the children's vicinity. Many children have too few adult role models who read physical books. Statistics Sweden reported a few years ago that every third adult person never reads a book in their free time.

It also turns out that every other man never reads a book. Children's reading is connected to adults' reading. In particular, I believe that male role models in the family – father, grandfather, or maternal grandfather – can play an important role for a boy by reading with and for him. We know that boys fall behind in school. If we are to create a reading culture, we must involve both children and adults. Children do what adults do.

There are also geographical differences between the reading habits of children and young people. For example, there is a higher proportion of non-readers in large cities than in smaller towns and in rural areas. Then there is clearly a connection between a lack of reading and our digital age.

Children and young people in more resourceful households have better access to reading role models and more books, as well as read more themselves.

A readable country requires a first-class infrastructure for reading. Libraries are the cornerstone of that structure. Libraries do not only provide free access to books and information retrieval but are also living meeting places for knowledge and education.

Over the last ten years, approximately ten libraries have disappeared per year, and this library death is a threat to the vision of a reading-friendly country.

School libraries are a pedagogical resource for the entire school and improve and deepen the study results for our students. Therefore, it is pleasing that it is now proposed that staffed school libraries shall be introduced during the coming years.

Staffed school libraries will result in a boost for reading and education, but I am concerned about how the country will be able to be supplied with the large number of new librarians. Are new educational places being planned? I am worried that many teachers who are currently experiencing a heavy situation in schools will transition to librarian services. This is not uncommon already, and it would not be good for the schools, which already have it very tough.

Mr. Speaker! I shall now speak about outdoor policy. Outdoor life in Sweden is unique, with the right of public access (allemansrätten) which means that one can go almost anywhere in the forest, go ice skating in the winter, swim in all lakes that can be swum in, and enjoy beaches without being hindered by boundaries. We must be careful about this. It means a great deal for public health.

The appropriations for the management of valuable nature have decreased significantly, and we see how nature reserves and national parks all over the country are beginning to shut down parts of their operations because money is lacking for the management. Let me give some examples.

The construction of a wheelchair-accessible path to Njupeskär in Dalafjällen is being halted following budget cuts. The timber is available and lies ready along the entire path, but funds are lacking to hire a contractor to do the work, says Länsstyrelsen Dalarna. It is of course very unfortunate for those people who are dependent on a wheelchair to get out to the waterfall.

Skuleskogen National Park in Västernorrland has had its entrances open during recent years, to the great joy of all visitors. A month ago, the northern entrance was closed because there are no funds to manage the plowing. Likewise, a visitor center has been forced to close. All of this hits people's access to nature experiences.

In Skåne, where I come from, the reduced funding has led to major consequences for outdoor life with closed toilets and broken windbreaks, including in Söderåsen National Park. I am deeply concerned about this development, and with me are 65,000 members of the Swedish Tourist Association who have signed a protest against the government's cuts in this area.

Mr. Speaker! State support for sports is intended to give everyone the opportunity to exercise and engage in sports, promote good public health, support a free and independent sports movement, and provide the population with positive experiences of sports as entertainment.

In our elongated country, children, youth, and adults have very different conditions for practicing their sports. There is a lack of sports facilities so that all children and youth can have space to practice their sports. Many sports facilities are starting to become old and worn out and cannot be repaired. This applies in particular to swimming halls, sports halls, and ice rinks. I have seen it in the vicinity of where I live in northern Skåne. It is children and youth who cannot transport themselves who are affected.

To stimulate construction, the Social Democratic-led government implemented a coordination initiative of 80 million kronor and expanded the mandate for the Centre for Sports Research. This is not sufficient, however. The municipalities are requesting the possibility of co-financing for new construction and renovation of facilities. Therefore, it needs to be investigated whether a state sports facility fund can be established.

Mr. Speaker! The leisure card has already been debated by members Roland Utbult and Lawen Redar, but I still want to say that it is also of great importance that the views submitted by, among others, the Swedish Arts Council and the Agency for Youth and Civil Society Affairs are taken into account and that a review station is introduced one year after the introduction to ensure that the reform reaches all children in an equal way.

Therefore, Mr. Speaker, we Social Democrats stand behind our special statement.

(Applause)

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

Anna-Lena Hedberg (SD)

Mr. Speaker! I would like to begin by expressing my approval of the committee's proposed decision.

My party colleagues and the representatives for the Tidö cooperation have already profitably accounted for our budget in their speeches. As a completely new member of this fantastic committee, I have gained a completely different insight into the difficult work of balancing between culture, politics, and economy.

During my time at Kristinegymnasiet in Falun, we had a fantastic Swedish teacher who, together with our librarian, was involved in Dalateatern. They ensured that we visited the theater several times, among other things to see productions such as Selma Lagerlöf's Jerusalem, Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot, and Molière's The Imaginary Invalid. These are just some of all the theater visits we made with the school, and they have all left their mark on me and created an understanding and a desire to see and experience more.

But it was only last week that I realized how important this had been and what tracks it had really left. We were in a meeting with an interest organization, and the person we met spoke about how important it is that a young person gains an understanding of the entire theater experience and how it works practically to go to the theater. How should one sit? How do the breaks work? How do you buy a ticket?

But what struck me most there and then when I looked back was how important the experience itself had been for me, what an enormous lesson the experience of theater had been and of being part of something that I wanted to experience again. For these visits with the school have made that I have a longing to sit there in the darkness of the theater hall, spellbound by the music, the actors, the light and the sound, and above all the feeling of being one in the audience who laughs, cries, and immerses themselves in the feeling together.

Mr. Speaker! That I now, 30 years later, get to work with these issues is fantastic. But at the same time, I have realized the complexity behind the scenes. Who should be prioritized? What do the working conditions look like for stagehands and actors? It concerns local issues, state-owned theaters and privately owned theaters. There is so much more that I have not thought about.

The performing arts in Sweden today maintain an extremely high quality, and we have a fantastic range of different forms of performing arts, from simple theater productions in small private or municipal theaters to large theater productions of world-class Broadway quality. All of this ensures that we today reach a very broad audience in Sweden.

But, Mr. Speaker, the pandemic years meant that many of our young people completely missed the chance to experience the performing arts live, which is a huge difference compared to seeing it digitally. They completely miss the emotions that I spoke about earlier and that I experienced there in the darkness of Dalateatern.

Children and young people's encounters and future encounters with Sweden's professional performing arts scenes and how they consume these are of immense importance. These young people are our future audience. And it is important that we now review and follow this, which the government and the Tidö parties will do.

But at the same time, we are struggling with major problems, where savings have unfortunately been a necessity. And here, it is important that we work together. We must all pull our weight and get through this together.

Swedish performing arts are fantastic, and we shall safeguard that they are allowed to develop and live on for a broad audience. We in the Sverigedemokraterna have a will to work to strengthen the conditions and to work so that we can make theater accessible for children and youth - yes, for both old and young actually, since the performing arts and cultural life are a treasure to be shared with as many as possible. But we must take on that challenge together.

(Applause)

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

Kristoffer Lindberg (S)

Mr. Speaker! I would first like to state that I support the Social Democrats' special statement.

The cultural school has an incredibly important role in providing children and young people with opportunities for cultural practice.

In the budget proposal for this year, the state development grant to municipalities that operate cultural schools was reduced from 200 million kronor to 100 million kronor. We Social Democrats propose that the level should remain at 200 million kronor. It is a very small part of the funding of the cultural school, which is municipal, but it is important money. The cultural schools rarely have any large budget. Resources are often tied up in premises and staff. In such a situation, it makes a big difference to be able to receive resources that can be used for development.

Follow-ups conducted by the Swedish Arts Council show that the grant has been used to develop the culture school activities with new forms of cultural expression and new teaching methods to reach children and young people who do not usually seek out the culture school. We consider this to be positive, and we want to see more of it.

Mr. Speaker! Due to the strained finances of the municipalities, there is a great difference in the offerings and conditions of the cultural schools, which leads to unequal conditions for children and young people in different parts of Sweden. Some municipalities have introduced extensive and free-of-charge activities. In other municipalities, the cultural school may instead be entirely dependent on a single enthusiast. In a few municipalities, there is no cultural school at all. And some municipalities have chosen to raise the term fee, which primarily affects the children and young people who grow up under difficult economic conditions.

During the week, we have also been able to see the reporting that over 90 percent of the municipalities are now flagging that they are forced to make cuts to their cultural schools.

Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting the Kulturskolerådet together with some of you here in the chamber. We spoke about the importance of the culture school and the challenges ahead. It emerged from these conversations that 40,000-50,000 children are in a queue to participate in the culture school's activities. That is a figure that I think we should take with us, as well as the unequal participation. 81 percent of the students in the culture school have at least one parent with post-secondary education. There is also an underrepresentation in the participation of students with a foreign background. The Social Democrats want to expand the conditions so that more children and young people can find the culture school's fantastic activities and to broaden the participation.

Mr. Speaker! The need for national coordination, legislation or non-legislation, and competence supply has been a constantly recurring discussion when it comes to the culture school. Even though the culture school is a municipal responsibility, it is also a national matter. We therefore want the government to investigate the question of how the state can contribute to strengthening the culture school in Sweden, including what concerns the competence supply issue. The need for culture school teachers is very great in many places. Is Kulturskoleklivet sufficient to meet the challenge faced regarding the competence supply?

But we also want the government to investigate the question of whether we can, in a better way than today, secure all children's opportunity to participate in the activities of the culture school, regardless of where in the country they live and regardless of their family's economic circumstances. We believe that such an investigation could form the basis for a conscious and long-term policy that creates the conditions for culture to become a natural part of the everyday lives of more children and young people.

The municipal cultural school reaches children and young people across the country - far from all children, but many. But it also has the potential to reach more and contribute to more children's and young people's development and opportunity to explore their creativity.

(Applause)

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

Louise Thunström (S)

Mr. Speaker! When I was a teenager, around 16-17 years old, quite lost, incredibly provocative and searching for identity, as one often is during those years, I received a request from one of my teachers. He wanted me to familiarize myself with Persian culture and literature. I became even more provocative and upset, protested, and could not at all understand what the point of it would be.

But then my wise teacher said that in order to be able to fly, one needs both roots and wings. And that is exactly how it is. It is when one has knowledge of and feels pride in one's roots and one's heritage that one can and also wants to embrace a new culture and new traditions.

During this autumn and winter, I am following SVT's series Historien om Sverige for entertainment. It is a program series that has been produced in collaboration with experts in many different fields and with the help of amounts of historical documents and objects.

Boiling down 15,000 years of history into 10 hours of TV time is naturally no easy task, but the series has become the most streamed on SVT Play since they began conducting online measurements. Furthermore, viewers have started to become more interested in history overall as a result of the program.

It is very exciting that individual events and films can increase people's interest in culture and history. It is not the first time we see it happen. Jan Guillou's novels and the films about Arn attracted many visitors to Skaraborg, and the number of visitors to The American Museum of Natural History in New York increased sharply when the family comedy Natt på museet was shown in cinemas.

Mr. Speaker! We Social Democrats want to reintroduce free admission to state museums. We believe that the museums, our jointly owned institutions of knowledge, should be open and inviting activities for us all. Free admission enables more people to take part in our cultural heritage, and this is particularly important in an economically tough time when museum visits are not prioritized by the country's families with children and retirees. It is also important in a time when accessible culture and the museums' role as pillars of society are becoming increasingly important.

We Social Democrats also consider it important that more groups than those already accustomed to museums come to the museums. The goal fulfillment when it comes to participation is too low. It is still the case that culture is to a greater extent accessible to those with high education and good finances. Free admission does not solve the entire issue of participation, but it is in any case a good and important starting point. Actively lowering thresholds and making culture accessible to more people are political priorities for us Social Democrats.

Mr. Speaker! I also want to speak about our world heritage sites. Sweden has 15 world heritage sites. They are the country's, and part of the world's, most unique natural and cultural heritage. They have all been designated because they have an irreplaceable universal value.

The Swedish state submits an application to UNESCO for a new Swedish World Heritage site to be designated. This is done based on the World Heritage Convention that Sweden participated in and signed in 1985. With that signature follows a number of commitments. The World Heritage sites in Sweden are not 15 monuments that are to be preserved, maintained, and protected from wear and tear. They are in every way living, engaging World Heritage sites that contribute to social development, knowledge, cooperation, tax revenue, sustainability, and last but not least, joy and pride.

Today, long-term, sustainable management and coordination of our world heritage is lacking. There are simply no resources to carry out operations. The operations that do take place are driven by project funds, some regional funds, some municipal funds, and a large amount of voluntary work performed by passionate individuals all around our country.

Mr. Speaker! We need to address the coordination and funding of our world heritage sites. Sweden cannot rely on voluntary work to take care of the 15 world heritage sites which, de facto according to the World Heritage Convention, are the country's and part of the world's most unique cultural and natural heritage. They are the state's responsibility.

The World Heritage strategy is good. The action plan is also good. But everything becomes toothless without economy. And without activity, the world heritage sites are left without life.

Before Russia's war of invasion in Ukraine, discussions on the protection of cultural heritage have tended to focus on areas outside of Europe. Unfortunately, with the global situation we have today, we need to work with increased force on plans to protect our cultural heritage here in Sweden. The Swedish National Heritage Board was given the assignment by the government this spring to investigate the conditions for a national cultural protection council. It is now proposed to be placed under the Swedish National Heritage Board.

The investigation shows that a major task is to physically protect cultural objects through both relocation, i.e., that they are moved, and other protective measures for objects that are not relocated. The Government does not yet seem to have made a decision on, and if so when, a new national cultural protection council shall be established. We want the Government to promptly resolve that issue.

We must also not lose sight of the fact that the importance of culture for society in crisis and war encompasses the entire cultural sphere. In connection with high alert and war, it can, for example, be about culture as an enabler of free freedom of expression, democracy, health, and well-being. Work therefore needs to be done for the inclusion of the entire cultural sector. One possibility could be that one or more authorities are given a mandate to investigate the needs for and the forms of this.

Mr. Speaker! The security policy situation also highlights the importance of securing data and defining what constitutes socially important information. Sweden needs a new, modernized archives legislation. The current legislation is over 30 years old and was created in a completely different era. It is not adapted to the digitalization of administration and society. In a digital world, it is more complicated who owns and takes responsibility for data. We Social Democrats therefore urge the government to, based on the archives investigation's report, come forward with a proposition in this area.

Mr. Speaker! In today's society, we face a number of challenges that require a progressive view of cultural heritage. Cultural heritage is not just a matter of buildings but also living and, above all, changing narratives about people and their experiences. We must not forget that the paintings at the Nationalmuseum were once provocative contemporary art. I call for a more dynamic understanding of cultural heritage.

We Social Democrats see cultural heritage as a resource for social development. This means that we do not only preserve cultural heritage for its own sake but also because it can be an engine for growth and employment and a force for community building.

(Applause)

In this speech, Kristoffer Lindberg and Lawen Redar (both S) concurred.

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

Lars Mejern Larsson (S)

Mr. Speaker! I had looked forward to a conversation with the Minister for Culture regarding the future of visual arts in the whole country, but unfortunately, she is not here. I nevertheless want to be generous and share an experience I had this summer. It was a walk on a vast summer meadow through a grove of trees where ten pavilions with Swedish and foreign artists were scattered in nature.

Imagine surprise upon surprise with colorful installations that touch or provoke! Gravestones move around on their own while keeping the lawn tidy. The exhibition continues indoors with nature's presence in art, now in the barn Paleis Oranjestraat with its three floors filled with artistic experiences.

This year, a total of 14 artists from six different countries left their mark. A life-sized Indian elephant and video, photography, image and textile art, to name a few. All with the common message of highlighting one of our greatest issues of destiny: climate change.

Many are now wondering where I was. I was in Värmland, Mr. Speaker, outside Sunne. A stone's throw from Selma Lagerlöf's Mårbacka lies Alma Löv Museum, which exhibits contemporary art. The museum originated from an art project created by Marc and Karin Broos. It is now run by Stella. This year, the museum can be awarded the Stora turismpriset for its efforts to attract tourists to visit Värmland and to spread culture in the country.

It is, however, a bittersweet experience, as the future of art galleries in the countryside is uncertain. Already in January this year, a report from the industry organization Bildkonst Sverige showed that the situation looks bad. It is tough for independent exhibitors who work with contemporary art, as previous support from the Arts Council, municipalities, and regions risks falling away.

Small independent exhibitors contribute to important work to ensure that there is access to contemporary art throughout the country. In times of crisis, such as the one we are in now, it is important not to cut back but rather to invest in culture. It is that which unites us and holds us together.

Mr. Speaker! Municipal and regional politicians are faced with unreasonable choices when we have a government that has sat region after region in a healthcare crisis. Late last night, the chair of Kommunals, Malin Ragnegård, testified that the austerity measures are now being implemented and the pressures within welfare are increasing. One is forced to prioritize. The government's cuts to the regions will specifically affect culture.

Alma Löv Museum is not alone in struggling with a strained economic situation. This affects everyone. Framtidens Kultursverige demands that we politicians take our responsibility. When will we understand the importance of culture and realize that it is a growth engine for our entire country if only the conditions are given?

Merry Christmas, Mr. Speaker!

(Applause)

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

Carl Nordblom (M)

Mr. Speaker! I would like to mention a few words regarding the situation surrounding the strongly increasing antisemitism we see today in Sweden. The levels we see of Jew-hatred and threats against our Jewish minority are the most serious in a very long time.

That this situation could even have arisen in Sweden is a failure and a shame for politics and all political parties. It is possible to politicize this situation. It is possible to point fingers and highlight examples to pressure a political opponent. But, Mr. Speaker, I do not think that is worthy of the serious situation we have now had and are in an acute need of handling.

Last week it was reported that half of Sweden's Jews have discussed or considered leaving Sweden. In Gothenburg, the synagogue has closed its operations because they cannot guarantee their members' safety. I don't think I even need to comment on the situation in Malmö. In Denmark, the military is being deployed to protect Jewish institutions.

Mr. Speaker! Once again: The situation for Sweden's Jews is the most serious in a very long time.

We also know today where antisemitism comes from. It comes from the far-right and the far-left. It comes from radical Islamists. But it also exists among ordinary people. It exists among people who come from countries and cultures where antisemitism is a normalized part of society. It can never be accepted that one comes here to Sweden and brings these values with them. But we also know that antisemitism exists in Sweden among people whose families have lived here for generations and generations. It exists in schools and not least on the internet. It must be fought just as hard, Mr. Speaker, in schools and workplaces as in social media.

I can feel a great sense of security that our government takes this issue with the utmost seriousness, for example through increased million-level support to Forum för levande historia but also the extra 10 million that the government gave in the autumn to Judiska Centralrådet for security-enhancing work, in addition to all the other processes that are now ongoing in the Government Offices and in the ministries.

But I believe at the same time that we all must realize that this is a crisis that requires full unity and political cohesion from all parties - government and opposition. Sometimes events arise that require one to set party politics aside in order to jointly solve the task. This is needed right now. It is needed for all of Sweden's Jews, who are now walking around with anxiety and knots in their stomachs. But it is also needed for Sweden. A Sweden without its Jews is a poorer Sweden. A Sweden without Jewish culture, presence, and history is not a complete Sweden.

I hope that Sweden in the future is not only a country that is spoken of for increased antisemitism and the emigration of Jews. I hope that Sweden in the future is also a country known for its strong and growing Jewish presence and a country where Jewish culture flourishes and is an obvious, prioritized and natural part of society.

(Applause)

In this speech, Magnus Resare (M) agreed.

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

Lawen Redar (S)

Mr. Speaker! This will probably not be a reply in the sense of a rebuttal, but rather an expression of deep appreciation for Member Carl Nordblom, who, among other things, through the Riksdag's network against antisemitism, invited us to a kippah procession and a ceremonial reflection that we were part of in Bankhallen today.

It is alarming how things look. We hear in conversations with the Jewish Central Council Sweden and various other actors - a member of the World Jewish Congress in Sweden among others - that powerful measures need to be taken to push back the racism that is growing in our country and the hate crimes that we see have truly grown after the terror attack on October 7. The figures I have been made aware of are alarming. In the month of October alone, reports of hate speech against a group with antisemitic motives increased by 46 percent.

I believe that what the member is expressing here today is wise: that we should not throw stones in these issues, which are so alarming. Racism must be pushed back from all political parties. I think that what the member is doing here today is welcome, that is to say, extending a hand so that we should work on these issues across party lines, intensify the work and take necessary initiatives.

Among the things we stand behind are the 10 million extra that is directed towards security measures for Jewish congregations. But we see significantly more needs, not least regarding children and young people in school and the research basis that needs to be strengthened so that we can direct the interventions correctly and properly. Moving forward, we will also need to target other groups who are subjected to racism in society, not least Muslim groups who also feel an increased threat. But against the background of what has been highlighted here today, I would like to thank for the speech that was held in the rostrum by Carl Nordblom.

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

Carl Nordblom (M)

Mr. Speaker! I do not have much to add, to be honest, other than that I agree with Member Redar's contribution. I believe we have much to gain from cooperating here and not splitting.

The deliberation was hereby concluded.

(A decision was to be taken on 7 December.)

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