So what do I think?

Yesterday, our prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt gave his summer speech out in Vaxholm. Fredrik was covering three main priorities for next year:

• Lowering income taxes even further. This will, hopefully, temporarily secure Sweden's recent place as number two in the world's taxation league. Perhaps even a step towards place number three?
• A "future" package including infrastructure investments and basic research. I'm curious as to how the government will choose to spend those research money.
• A "safety" package with more money to the district attorneys, Swedish courts et cetera. Also an increase in spending on public psychiatric care.

Fredrik also discussed the cultural challenges that can occur in families where children are being torn between the values of their families on one hand, and the values of friends and school in secular Sweden on the other.

To me, the speech was both substantial and inspiring. Sure, a substance about the direction of the Moderate's politics was expected, and the content was not surprising. But to me, the more subtle parts were even more important. Fredrik explains, that much of the weakened support during the past two years is a natural effect from the initial phases of the reforms that has been put in place. What Fredrik didn't say outright, is that we're going to have to be very much better over the next two years in showing all the positive effects from these reforms.

I agree. A couple of friends who heard my introduction of the prime minister, was surprised that I didn't use the opportunity to mention any of the issues of importance for me or for Vaxholm. But Fredrik's summer speech is about his politics, not mine or the local politics in Vaxholm.

So, what would I have said?

For starters, I would stressed the importance of making Sweden a better country for entrepreneurs. And I would have been enthusistiastic about the opportunities that we in Sweden still have to turn ourselves into a leading country for new technologies and services in the world. I'm more and more afraid each day, that much of our welfare actually relies on foundations built decades and even over a century ago. And the exciting things that happen in (Fenno-)Scandinavia, are increasingly happening in our neighboring countries.

And I would have talked about the Baltic Sea, and the importance of making sure that it stays alive both today and in the future. This will require a huge effort of all the countries around the Baltic Sea, and we'll have our best possibility to drive this agressively during our upcoming chairmanship of the EU.