Welcome to September 13, 1976.
Six days before the Social Democrats lose government power for the first time in 44 years.
The parties' advertisements are limited to a full page where the People's Party leader Per Ahlmark stands cautiously smiling under the headline: "This is what we mean by social reforms without socialism."
A sample:
"We want anyone who gets sick to be able to turn to the same doctor every time.
We want to give women the same opportunities as men.
We want to give small businesses more opportunities to survive."
One wishes there was a touch of nostalgic shimmer to the points, given that they have fifty years on their necks, but the only thing that evokes melancholy is Ahlmark's crumpled gabardine suit.
His appearance was such that he resembled an uncle when young, and when he became an uncle he looked boyish.
After the election victory, he becomes Minister of Labor and Deputy Prime Minister. Just one year later, he loses a close relative, falls into a deep depression, leaves politics and begins a writing career that includes, among other things, a novel and three poetry collections.
The biggest space in DN's "election special" is devoted to the old center leader Gunnar Hedlund, who branched into the election movement to give support to his successor Thorbjörn FÀlldin.
Hedlund warns about the employee funds.
Wikipedia describes them as "an economic-political proposal in the 1970s that was pushed by LO and the Social Democrats. The proposal aimed to redistribute economic power from private business owners to the employees by having parts of the companies' profits be funded in funds controlled by the trade union movement".
The 76-year-old Hedlund says:
"I in no way want to accuse leading social democrats of wishing for the downfall of freedom. But I have the opinion that a completely or largely nationalized business life will take a toll on freedom, whether you like it or not."
Only in the 80s, when the Social Democrats were back at the helm, were the employee funds launched. A watered-down version, but it was enough for large family-owned companies such as Ikea, Tetra Pak and H&M to leave Sweden and only return when s-leader Ingvar Carlsson promised to scrap the employee funds.
"Take care of freedom," says Gunnar Hedlund. Those are big words.
The reportage from the GDR is crowned by a three-column photo of a construction crane. Which is as suggestive as it sounds
On the international pages there is a report from a country where the words are grim reality, more specifically East Germany. Tord Johansson has visited Brigade 7 Oktober, "one of the many stormtroopers in the GDR's frontal attack against the housing shortage".
The brigade consists of forty assemblers who every two weeks erect the frame for a new five-story shabarak. "And so they will continue until at least the year 1990. Then all residents must have a modern or modernized home. The party has promised that."
Perhaps the brigade made it twelve miles east to EisenhĂŒttenstadt, which I would drive through thirty years later. A sea of ââtenements that were abandoned mangrant after the fall of the wall. Endless tin blocks, flaming with corpse stains. Like a scene from a disaster movie.
Tord Johansson talks to the "guys on the morning shift" and learns that the buildings may stand still for several weeks. "Slow, centrally controlled plans make contacts with suppliers difficult. Delays and inaccuracies occur. Materials and equipment are missing. Waste occurs. But the sacred plans must still be met, preferably exceeded. At least on paper. This can take on comical expressions at the turn of the year and other accounting occasions. Buildings are made pretend to be redone immediately."
The conversation with the "lads" stops when a recently promoted colleague enters. "Next fall he will go through the mandatory year at the party school," writes Johansson, "and then the way is open for further 'work in the service of society'. The sights are set upwards."
And in BorlÀnge, Olof Palme ends his tour with the words:
"Never have the bourgeois appeared so divided at the end of an election campaign as this time."
Read more texts by Bengt Ohlsson.
