Party leaders in Stockholm debate the city's nightlife and alcohol legislation

The question of a more vibrant Stockholm has been a topic of discussion during the election campaign.

In a debate between the party's group leaders in the city, a clear difference quickly became visible. The moderates' Christofer Fjellner highlighted club owners, entrepreneurs and companies as those who actually make the city more fun. The Green Party's Lars Strömgren instead emphasized the city's responsibility to support cultural life.

The same dividing line between the various parties returned several times during the debate:

- A living city is not created in City Hall but by all the people who have commitment and entrepreneurship, says Jonas Naddebo (C).

- It is important that we support cultural life in order to be able to open new stages and rehearsal rooms. We have 20 new live stages in Stockholm this term, says the Social Democrats' Emilia Bjuggren.

Although the moderators' questions were largely about alcohol and nightlife policy, there were several parties that downplayed the importance of alcohol.

Alexandra Mattson (V) insists that the alcohol issue must be treated with particular caution. She pointed out, among other things, that violence increases with alcohol consumption, and that it is therefore not surprising that changes must take time.

The Liberals' Gulan Avci disagreed.

- Of course, we have to take responsibility and take into account that special groups can end up vulnerable. But telling adults how to manage their alcohol consumption is a holdover from the 80s, says Avci.

The Christian Democrats' Nike Örbrink used a concrete example to criticize the city's position on alcohol issues:

- It is not the case that my beer increases from 4.2 to 6.0 percent just because I carry it myself for a meter, says Örbrink about the ban on bringing a beer from the bar to a satellite service.

The debate took place at the nightclub Trädgården, which, due to a threat of closure, was at the center of the debate about a vibrant Stockholm. Fjellner used the location in one of his arguments:

- You can have fun without alcohol, but if you look at Trädgården, the prerequisite for running this business is also that you can sell alcohol. If you don't understand how much of the culture and what makes Stockholm fun depends on the city not messing around when it comes to alcohol legislation - then you have no conditions to make the city more fun, says Fjellner.

The Sweden Democrats' Gabriel Kroon also joined the discussion about the role of alcohol.

- I don't think that Stockholm will become a more lively city because Jonas (Naddebo) gets to sup until ten o'clock instead of three o'clock, he says after a discussion about extended opening hours.

- Basically, lower municipal taxes are needed so that people can consume, clear guidelines for companies, and that Stockholm is safe and secure, says Kroon.