RE: Idiot Trump8 Mar 2025 06:43
Slug predictably misrepresents Sweden’s economic history because he just swallows what he's told to like a good boy 😉
Sweden’s period of rapid growth before 1970 was not due to "small government and an open economy"—it was also due to strong public investment, worker protections, and a corporatist model where labor, business, and the state cooperated. The Swedish welfare state was already expanding in the 50s/60s, contributing to high levels of social mobility and stability, which helped businesses flourish.
The economic slowdown Sweden faced in the 70s and 80s was not unique. The oil crises of 1973 and 1979, along with global stagflation, hit nearly all developed economies. The UK, the US, and Japan also struggled. Blaming Sweden’s welfare state alone is a dumb as we've come to expect.
The claim that "wealth and businesses fled" is also bs. Kamprad moved IKEA’s headquarters to avoid taxation, but Volvo, Ericsson, Scania etc continued to thrive. Business benefited from a highly educated workforce, strong infrastructure, and stable social environment... Who built that?
The financial crisis of the early 1990s was not caused by socialism, numbnuts, but by poorly managed banking deregulation in the 1980s, hence credit bubble then 'pop' - collapse. Sweden responded with temporary nationalization of banks—a move more socialist than neoliberal—which stabilized the economy.
The idea that Sweden “ended the socialist experiment” is also horses**t. Sweden still has one of the highest tax burdens in the world, with a VAT of 25% and income taxes that pay for healthcare, education, public services etc. Yet it remains one of the richest, most innovative, and happiest countries globally. Go figure!
If anything, Sweden proves the idea that high taxes and public spending inherently harm growth is tosh. Slug is just thick as mince, and has again chosen a subject he doesn't know enough about and got his pants pulled down. He'll run to teacher now, as before.
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