March 2, 2007
THERE'S ONLY ONE MODEL:
Sweden unveils major privatisation plans (James Savage, 2nd March 2007, The Local)
Sweden's government on Friday presented a bill to parliament to sell state holdings in six companies, including the owner of the Absolut Vodka brand. [...]Posted by Orrin Judd at March 2, 2007 12:46 PM"The overarching goal of the government's policy is to create the conditions for more jobs and expanding companies," Financial Markets Minister Mats Odell said in a statement.
"One way of achieving this objective is a clearer division of roles between the private and public sector," Odell added.
The centre-right government, which came to power after ousting the Social Democrats in general elections in September 2006, had announced the most extensive privatization programme since the 1990s as part of its election platform.
The Swedish state has majority or minority stakes in 57 companies which together employ 200,000 people.
The government also plans eventually to sell state holdings in other listed companies, such as the Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) airline, as well as unlisted groups such as the electricity company Vattenfall.
In December the government also announced plans to deregulate the country's 35-year-old pharmacy monopoly by January 2009.
There is a superb article in the current (February 2007) issue of the New Criterion, "The Anglophone Century" by Keith Windschuttle, reviewing Andrew Roberts' "The History of the English Speaking People's Since 1900." http://newcriterion.com/archives/25/02/the-english-speaking-century/