Citizenship

 Citizenship is a legally binding and reciprocal relationship between a state and an individual.

In Sweden, we used to have permanent residence permits, but these have now been phased out. Previously, there were actually no special requirements for becoming a Swedish citizen. It was quite easy to become a citizen—as in the case of a friend of mine—even without knowing a single word of Swedish.

Naturally, you couldn't have been a terrorist, a murderer, or the like—but, as I said, it’s quite straightforward.

The problem has been that when individuals commit very serious crimes, we have not been able to deport them.

The conservative government has now introduced several changes; for instance, it will be possible to revoke Swedish citizenship if, for example, an individual commits very serious crimes.

This has not been well received by the political left—including the Green Party, the Centre Party, the Social Democrats, and the far-left.

One has to ask why, and unfortunately, I have no answers. They believe they have answers and talk about

a police state, a dictatorship, etc.

They compare Sweden to North Korea or East Germany—but is that really the case?

I looked into it, and naturally, some details might be incorrect—that’s just how the trails of information go—but by and large, I believe it’s accurate. Let’s take a look:

(It will be a long post this one so beer with me)

Approximately one in five countries worldwide has introduced or expanded the possibility of revoking citizenship on grounds of "disloyalty, national security, or terrorism."

United Kingdom: Under the British Nationality Act, the Home Secretary may revoke citizenship if deemed conducive to the public good—for instance, in cases involving terrorism or national security—even in the case of individuals who were British by birth.

Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, France: can revoke citizenship on grounds of treason and disloyalty. Denmark has applied this in cases involving terrorism, high treason, and—since 2021—gang-related crime.

Germany, Austria, Estonia, Finland, Italy, Latvia—all belong to the group that has expanded the law.

Australia: The Australian Citizenship Act 2007 allows for revocation in cases of fraud or if the individual has acted against Australia, and now also via a court as part of a sentence for serious crimes.

Many countries, such as Japan and South Korea, do not allow dual citizenship, and a citizen of these countries cannot be deported.

However, it is difficult to become a citizen of these two countries. Very difficult—and if you have committed relatively minor crimes, such as theft, fraud, etc., you cannot become a citizen.

The Left makes a lot of noise, yet many people don’t understand—not even our neighbouring countries.

There are many who want to see change but end up being attacked; again, why?

I know that citizenship might not be comparable to other things, but you lose your driver’s license if you drive while impaired, for example.

You get fired from your job if you commit a crime or violate a code of conduct.

You can lose your membership in an organisation on similar grounds, yet the political left refuses to acknowledge this when it comes to citizenship.

Taxes!

There is a political party that has sought to cut taxes on petrol and diesel the most—and has actually done so—and is now labeled "extreme" by a journalist at a major evening newspaper.

"This climate policy is extreme and dangerous, and the other conservative parties ought to abandon it," says the journalist.

The electrification of Sweden is important, of course, but right now we do not have enough electricity. We see this particularly during the cold months in Sweden. At my workplace, our electric vehicles do not perform well; they cannot handle the longer delivery routes, and they often end up stranded by the roadside.

Our farmers have no electric tractors or combine harvesters, and those of us living in apartments cannot charge our cars where we live.

I spoke with our housing cooperative and an electrician about installing chargers in our garages, but received this answer:

Too expensive and not feasible right now. All the wiring needs to be replaced, and the area's electrical distribution boards must be upgraded, as they do not provide sufficient capacity.

Then there is the issue of us not having enough electricity.

When the wind doesn't blow—no electricity.

When our rivers are frozen—no electricity.

When there is little sunshine in winter—no electricity.

Nuclear power? That has essentially been shut down here in Sweden by the socialists.

So, what does this journalist think we should do, then? Well, he doesn't say, but perhaps he thinks we should take our Green Party seriously?

Here are some of their proposals:

Every parking space should become a charging point

In their "folkel" (people's electricity) package ahead of the election, the Green Party proposed that every parking space should serve as a charging point for electric cars, in order to increase the use of electric vehicles and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Sounds good ha?

Criticism focused on the cost and the practicalities of implementation in older garages and in rural areas.

The aviation tax

The Green Party pushed through a tax on international travel amounting to 11 dollar  for trips within the EU and 27 dollar for trips outside the EU. 

Critics have described the proposal as odd because the tax is the same regardless of the actual flight distance within the EU, and because emissions are global while the tax is levied only in Sweden.

Meat tax and meat-free day

The Green Party  has proposed a tax on meat and spearheaded "Meat-free Monday" initiatives in public kitchens and schools. The idea is that products harmful to the environment should be expensive. 

The criticism: the state should not dictate what people eat. No why should they!

Concrete tax / climate requirements for construction

Proposals for a tax on cement/concrete and a requirement for climate declarations for all new buildings. Concrete accounts for significant emissions, but the construction industry warned of sharply rising housing prices.

So, who is the one who is extreme?

Why so anti and why so pro!?

 For 100 years in Sweden, the Social Democrats and the far-left have done a great deal to oppose the Church, with the aim of establishing a secular state—a goal in which they have succeeded. They have politicised the so-called Church of Sweden (the Lutheran church) to ensure that it does not grow.

The church in Sweden—across all denominations—is currently experiencing explosive growth; I suspect this is the reason why, though that’s not what I want to talk about today—even if it is a far more enjoyable topic.

No, what I want to talk about—and what I have discussed before—is: Why the Left is so anti-Christianity, yet pro-Islam.

If you feel the same way and are expecting an answer, you will be disappointed, because I have no answers. I only know what they are doing.

I spoke with two people who are on the political left and have served as local politicians, and they couldn’t provide an answer either. They are atheists and believe they treat all religions the same way—but it’s clear that they don’t.

Reading between the lines, I sense a fear of Islam—a fear of what might happen if one questions it.

Could it be fear?

Many countries have designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation. Most of these countries are in the Middle East, but they also include Russia, Austria, and the United States.

During a recent vote in the European Parliament, many opposed such a terrorist designation. In Sweden, this included politicians from the far-left, the Social Democrats, and the Green Party.

Not surprisingly, it’s horrible.

The same parties are now in strong agreement on a total boycott of Israel.

And the same parties now want to fast-track a massive construction project—potentially the largest mosque in the Nordic region.

Yep, a mosque—not the largest church or synagogue in the Nordic region.

Once again, it is the same parties that now want to introduce blasphemy laws in Sweden.

These are laws that the Social Democrats abolished in 1976, on the grounds that the Christian Church should not receive special treatment and had to accept being openly criticised.

Now, they want to introduce such laws to protect Islam.

Violence in primary schools!

 Things have been chaotic in Swedish schools for quite some time now. I remember when our son was in the middle grades—there was shouting and disorder during lessons. Some students refused to obey, and so on.

It got much better when we placed him in an international school. The rules were stricter and the students obeyed. It was a study environment

However, this was about 20 years ago, and I know that in some schools, things have gotten worse. Some schools are attended exclusively by foreign-born children, and academic achievement levels vary. Many fail to obtain the full grades required for entry into upper secondary school.

This is tragic, but it has been known for a long time. No political system has managed to address the problem, because, as I have said before, no one dares to talk about the elephant in the room.

So, if it’s nothing new, why am I bringing it up now?

Well, yesterday I read about something I never thought I’d see: classes in the lower primary grades at many schools that are experiencing a great deal of unrest. This unrest manifested in the following ways:

An entire team of staff at a school in Vaggeryd Municipality has gone on sick leave after the violence from primary school pupils became so calculated.

Sharpened pencils and scissors are being used as weapons by a handful of students at Östra School in Vaggeryd Municipality.

Sharpened pencils and scissors used as weapons as they fight each other and their teachers. They kick and scratch the teachers, stabbing them with these sharpened pencils. Several teachers have had to seek medical attention. Terrible news—but what is most horrifying is that these are primary school pupils.

These students are between 7 and 9 years old. What!

The teachers say there’s nothing they can do. Sure, I know—there are laws, but there’s also common sense—and a good, hard slap across the cheek.

What has happened to my country!?

Not listening!

 

In the past, company management teams actually listened to the staff—if not a great deal, then at least a little. They listened to experts, specialists, union representatives, and safety officers.

Top executives certainly did exactly what they wanted back then too, but they did take input on board. Now? Now they don’t listen at all. They just do their own thing.

In area after area, they just keep pushing ahead. It’s as if they’re trying to force a square peg into a round hole. They are determined to make it work.

This behaviour comes at a high cost—in terms of money, energy, and time—and causes frustration throughout the organisation.

They are often forced to back down, but by then, the damage is already done.

The problem is that they lose trust, as well as staff engagement and belief in the company.

Does this sound familiar?

Unfortunately, it is the same with our politicians.

They listen to the people during election years. They make promises. Everything is going to get better. No one is going to be worse off.

They squabble over figures, over who did what—or who didn't.

For the remainder of the term, politicians do not listen to the people.

Like management, they try to force that square peg into the hole.

They bombard us with changes that are not for us, but against us.

Just as in the workplace, the people have lost hope, faith in the future, and engagement.

You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant." — Matthew 20:25-26, also Mark 10:42-45, Luke 22:25-26

For Jesus, authority is not top-down, it's bottom-up. A politician's job is diakonos — servant, like a waiter at a table. When he stops listening, he flips the model back to "lording it over" people. That is exactly what Jesus said NOT to do

Jesus said this about the religious and political leaders of His day, the Pharisees:

"They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them." — Matthew 23:4

When leaders don't listen, they don't feel the weight of the laws, taxes, and rules they make. The people get crushed, while the leaders stay comfortable.

So in Jesus' logic, what happens when politicians och managers stop listening?

The people suffer under heavier burdens, they lose trust and scatter, and the leaders lose their moral legitimacy and store up judgment for themselves.

That's why His alternative was radical: the greatest must be the servant of all.

Rape

 For quite a long time now, the number of rapes in Sweden has been increasing. These are most often so-called stranger rapes.

This is statistically established, although the way we measure it in Sweden may differ from the methods used in other countries. In Sweden, each instance of rape is recorded as a separate case. For example:

if a man in a relationship rapes his partner five times over the course of a month, this would be counted as one rape in other countries, but as five in Sweden.

Rape, assault, violence—regardless of the form, it is reprehensible and serious; but what we have seen recently is truly terrifying.

For a year now, reports of rapes and sexual molestation involving our elderly have been pouring in. They continue to live in their own homes but receive assistance with cleaning, cooking, laundry, personal hygiene, and more from the healthcare sector—so-called home care services.

Right then and there, these elderly women were victimised. Women aged between 80 and 95.

Quite frankly, it’s absolutely appalling.

It has been established that, in most cases, it is men from the Middle East who carry out these acts.

Yesterday, I read in the newspaper about yet another horrific rape—this time involving a woman who was dying at a hospice (a facility for end-of-life care), where she was raped in her bed. The man was caught in the act and fled the scene; he subsequently crashed his car and was admitted to the very same hospital.

The woman died from her illness a few hours later.

But what can one say? It is so truly awful that I cannot find the words. How could someone—like this man—do such a thing? What should the punishment be? How do we protect our elderly and the sick? Why did things turn out this way? I am left speechless.