European Politics Thread

This is exactly what has just happened, as the European Commission has announced that it will not allow a European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) to challenge the secret trade talks it is holding with the US government, supposedly on our behalf.

The ruling is a slap in the face for the 230 civil society organisations from across Europe that have lined up behind the initiative, and the millions of European citizens they represent. The ECI is the only vehicle available to us to challenge the shadowy bureaucrats of the European Commission. Now even this seems to be too much scrutiny for them.

The negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) have become one of the hottest political topics across Europe. TTIP is effectively a new bill of rights for multinational corporations, granting them unprecedented powers and undermining vital labour, environmental and food safety standards in the name of 'free' trade.

TTIP is also a direct threat to our democracy, as the European Commission seeks to allow companies to challenge future policies introduced anywhere in Europe that could jeopardise their bottom line. The ECI, by contrast, was a fully democratic response. And the Commission has blocked it.

There are already huge movements of opposition to TTIP in most European countries. Trade unions and global justice groups have joined forces with environmental, consumer and digital privacy campaigners to confront the common threat that the negotiations pose.

Sweden's Social Democratic party, which on Sunday ended its longest spell in opposition in a century, faces a weak minority government after the far-right Sweden Democrats emerged as the third-largest party.

In his first speech after the election result, the incoming prime minister, Stefan Löfven, a former welder who built his career in the country's union movement, insisted the new government would be functional.

"I am ready to form a workable government for Sweden," he said. "The Swedish people have turned their backs against tax cuts and privatisations. The Swedish people demanded change."

Mariam Ismail Egal, a Social Democrat campaigner in Malmö, where 40% of people are from an immigrant background, said many in the city were "disappointed and frightened" that the Sweden Democrats had doubled their vote to more than 13%. "I think we are becoming more like France, and I think we will see a lot of conflict and division in our society," she said.

Jimmie Åkesson, the party's leader, was jubilant as preliminary vote counts came in. "We're the absolute kingmaker now," he said. "They can't ignore us the way they have ignored us over the past four years."

With more than 80% of the vote counted, the three main left-of-centre parties had won 43.7%, comfortably more than the centre-right Alliance's 35.3%, but still far short of a majority.

Löfven, who had not previously been elected to public office, struggled against more experienced opponents in the country's eight televised election debates. But his years of backroom union negotiations will be invaluable in forming a government strong enough get the country's budget through parliament in November.

In his victory speech, Löfven ruled out any cooperation with the Sweden Democrats, which, despite the efforts of Åkesson to rebrand it as a non-racist party, has its roots in the Swedish Nazi movement.

"Remember, 87% of Sweden didn't vote for them," he said to the cheers of the activists and journalists gathered at the victory party. "Even if the Sweden Democrats had even higher numbers, we would not cooperate."

Löfven hinted instead at deals with the two smaller parties in the country's rightwing alliance, whose combined 11.5% share would bring them close to a majority. "I want to say that the hand is extended to other democratic parties," he said. "Our country is too small for conflict."

Löfven's bargaining position has been strengthened by his party's unexpectedly strong result. The Social Democrats won 31.2% of the vote, higher than almost all surveys had suggested during the campaign, and ahead of what the party polled in 2010.

Its most likely coalition partners, the Green party, however, took just 6.8% of the vote, after polling above 10% for most of the campaign.

Fredrik Reinfeldt, Sweden's outgoing prime minister, said he would step down on Monday as PM and leader of the Moderate party. "The election is over," he said. "Sweden has made its decision. I will hand in my notice tomorrow. All these years under the Alliance have been fantastic."

Reinfeldt has been lauded internationally for the skill with which his government steered Sweden through the global economic crisis over its eight years in power. But within Sweden, it has faced complaints of falling standards of public services, particularly those operated by private companies under the country's welfare reforms.

Reinfeldt's minority government benefited from the tacit support of the far right, whose M Ps voted in favour of an overwhelming majority of their measures. But it has always refused any formal cooperation. Indeed, Reinfeldt began this year's election campaign with a call to Swedes to "open your hearts" to greater numbers of refugees.

Alte Not gilt es zu zwingen,

Und wir zwingen sie vereint,

Denn es muss uns doch gelingen,

Dass die Sonne schön wie nie

Über Deutschland scheint,

Über Deutschland scheint!