Sweden Greens are not the twins of the old left

The document asserts that the Swedish Green Party is ideologically independent of the Left Party, despite Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt's characterization of them as 'Siamese twins'. Gahrton highlights a key policy difference in education: while the Left Party seeks to 'abolish the entire free school model', the Greens support 'educational alternatives' and 'parental participation' provided there are strict controls. He further argues that the primary modern political divide is not between left and right, but between 'growth-fanatical materialists' and 'green, alternative thinkers' who prioritize the living environment and global solidarity over material gain. While the Green Party advocates for a 'green-red alternative' to replace the centre-right Civil Alliance in the 2014 elections, Gahrton maintains that green thinking is a unique global ideology distinct from classic left-right frameworks.

• The Swedish Green Party differs from the Left Party on education policy; the Greens support the free school system's goals of parental participation and local roots with strict controls, whereas the Left Party wants to eliminate the model entirely.
• The author contends that the fundamental ideological divide in modern politics is between those who prioritize material growth and those who prioritize the environment and global solidarity.
• The Green Party seeks to establish a 'green-red alternative' to the centre-right Civil Alliance government in the 2014 elections, though this is a tactical alignment rather than an ideological merger with the traditional left.
• Green thinking is described as the only new ideology to successfully emerge globally in the last fifty years, now recognized in political science research alongside classic left-right ideologies.

APA

Gahrton, P. (2012). Sweden Greens are not the twins of the old left. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/sweden-greens-are-not-the-twins-of-the-old-left/

Chicago

Gahrton, Per. Sweden Greens are not the twins of the old left. Green European Journal, 2012. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/sweden-greens-are-not-the-twins-of-the-old-left/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Gahrton |first1=Per |title=Sweden Greens are not the twins of the old left |publisher=Green European Journal |date=21 August 2012 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/sweden-greens-are-not-the-twins-of-the-old-left/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{gahrton2012sweden, author = {Gahrton, Per}, title = {{Sweden Greens are not the twins of the old left}}, publisher = {Green European Journal}, year = {2012}, month = aug, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/sweden-greens-are-not-the-twins-of-the-old-left/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }