Britain & Sweden

So far Sweden has avoided the onslaught of Thatcherism. It could be argued that England needed a ten-year dose of Thatcherism. But it is doubtful whether Sweden did. Sweden's union bosses and captains of industry had been running a good tight ship doing the job that Thatcher's Canadian generals (McGregor and Day) were brought in to do in the 1970s...a job that saw the demolition of the steel and coal (MacGregor) and ship building and automobiles (Day) industries. The final act took place last year with the sell-off of the no-future automobile industry to the ever-gullible Germans.

But for all that, Britain and Sweden are now moving on parallel tracks. The Next Swedish Model could be remarkably similar to New Labour's Third Way. But only if New Labour's offshore islands are broken down into Swedish-sized chunks with England as six Swedens or a dozen Finlands or even a couple of hundred Icelands instead of a 44 million colossus. It is sensible for Scotland and Birmingham to strive at being World Number One at something. And it makes sense to call on their worldwide web of blood relationships to help them. 'New Labour. New Castle!' is a worthy slogan. But 'New Labour New Britain!'? Never. 

While the Swedish Model was failing in the eyes of the Swedes themselves, the English have subjected themselves to twenty years of market madness. Are we really sure that the true Swedish golden age has not been from the oil crisis until the present day? Avoiding what might have been wins no headlines but might yield greater happiness for a greater number of people.

In England those twenty years of Thatcherism have allowed reforms to be put in place that were designed to be 'irreversible'. The country now has an opted-out business class deeply committed to the harsh market individualism which so uniquely benefits them.

Other values - of public service, altruism, justice, even fair play - have withered. The task of rebuilding public institutions and of changing the British business culture is immense. It is now almost second nature to distrust any form of public initiative. The English are consumers rather than investors. Takers of whatever Topside chooses to dole out. And the belief that nothing can alter their fate has been drilled into the English over two decades and now sits deep.

How well the Swedes have done to escape all this? How fortunate Sweden has been to allow the lingering afterglow of their Swedish Model to provide them with an alternative during the time Milton Friedman and his Chicago boys were opening up Chile to the spivs and hustlers of the global casino. It could have happened to Sweden.