Coded gray.

Thursday 11 September 2003


OMG they killed Anna Lindh!

The bastards! But which bastards?

For my overseas readers, I guess I have to mention that they killed Anna Lindh, Sweden's minister of foreign affairs. Well, actually it seems to have been just one man who killed her, in the mall, where she was walking alone and unprotected, as is the custom here in northern Europe. People don't usually kill people here. And they usually don't have a reason for it either, unlike in some other countries.

The murderer is still not caught, indeed his identity is not known beyond a vague description. So we don't know if he was a lunatic acting on his own twisted impulses, or part of a plot. We do know however that it was three days till the referendum over Sweden adopting the common European currency (Euro) or not. And Anna Lindh was probably the most popular proponent of changing the country's currency. It may seem strange to be overly excited over the pictures on your money, but it has a pretty strong symbolic value. Voting yes to the Euro generally means a vote of confidence to the European Union as such. And Swedes don't have a lot of that confidence.

Anyway, three days before the referendum, there was still around 10% NO majority. The votes of sympathy after this murder is almost certain to ensure a YES majority, although we don't know how much. This raises the disturbing question: Was she killed by an opponent of the Euro who was too dumb to understand the effect, or a proponent who was smart enough to understand? In the latter case, it is not at all certain that the man acted on his own ... or that he will ever be found.

Prime Minister Göran Persson stands to gain the most from this tragedy. Although he refused to speculate in his political future after a NO victory, he would have been weakened, and his political career marred. The next prime minister was generally expected to be Anna Lindh ... yes, the one who is now dead. Persson has not just refused to postpone the referendum, he has actively encouraged people to vote to show that the Swedish people is not cowed by terror. And of course, those who vote for this reason and not from a conviction on the issue are not likely to vote against the will of the deceased.

Sadly for all conspiracy lovers, the Swedish PM simply does not have the power to have people assassinated, much less a prominent member of his own party. Sweden does have a secret police, but it is not particularly bloodthirsty and is more under the command of the parliament than the prime minister anyway. Sweden is a constitutional monarchy and does not really have a strong executive branch like some republics have.

Of course, other nations may be less reluctant to kill Swedes, but few if any have a motive to do so. And those who might, would probably prefer a car bomb or some such.

After 17 years, we still don't know for sure who killed the Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme. Perhaps this will happen again. But that is a price the Scandinavian countries may be willing to pay to enjoy the spectacular personal liberty and having politicians that are simply ordinary people doing a job.


Yesterday <-- This month --> Tomorrow?
One year ago: War and rumors of war
Two years ago: Remember this day
Three years ago: Monoculture
Four years ago: Loosening my religion

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