After nine years in office, Labour has governed for three more years than any of its predecessors. Yet it has a long way to go to match Europe’s most successful party, the Swedish social democrats, who face elections this September. They have been in power for 12 years in a row, but uninterrupted rule has been a habit for them. They have been in office in more than 60 of the last 70 years, and at one point ruled for over 30 years in a row.
Sweden is a different country, of course, and we should recognise that it is not possible to somehow import the Swedish model into Britain. But as Labour seeks to renew in office and become the natural party of government, are there transferable lessons of political strategy, as distinct from policy, that it can learn from the sustained electoral success of the Swedish social democrats?
First, there is the need for a progressive narrative which connects economic and social policy. At the heart of the social democratic argument is the idea that a strong welfare state complements and is a prerequisite for an enterprising economy. A commitment to an active labour market policy, childcare and work-life balance is not a barrier to economic success but can support it. As Goran Persson, the Swedish prime minister says: ‘The welfare state contributes to people’s freedom and enterprise. It is people who are secure, that dare to try their wings.’
Second, the Swedish social democrats have spent the last three quarters of a century building progressive institutions: an inclusive pension system, universal childcare, and strong parental leave provision. In Britain, the NHS is rightly seen as a central achievement of the 1945 Labour government. The current government is building progressive institutions, such as Sure Start, which not only provide support for parents and children, but create new centres for community life and build social capital. These institutions hard-wire progressive values into the fabric of society and are unlikely to be dismantled or undone. Labour needs to build other enduring institutions, with the modernisation and renewal of, for example, libraries and youth services.
Third, the Swedish social democrats recognised a long time ago that the welfare state needs to cater to the needs of the majority of the population, not simply the minority. This is the right thing to do, as Labour has recognised since 1997 in policies on children’s support and pensions. It gives the majority a stake in the success of progressive institutions.
Fourth, never become the party of the status quo. Labour should celebrate its achievements, but the history of the Swedish social democrats is of a party that has recognised continuing injustice and inequality and tackled it, always based on its progressive analysis of the condition of the country.
Fifth, the Swedes have recognised that the wider movement, including a strong and engaged trade union movement and other social forces, is what sustains social democratic parties in office. Labour needs to think too about how it can build and sustain a wider movement in this country: not just the Labour movement and party, but reaching out to environmental, development and other groups.
Above all, the Swedish social democrats have a vision of the good society, based on an ethos of security and social cohesion which they have continued to nurture and sustain with argument, analysis, policy and politics. They have shown that the central task of politics is to argue for and win support for a vision of the good society. By continuing to do this in the years ahead, Labour can keep winning progressive arguments and make Britain a fairer, more just place.