DEBATE: I Am a Green Conservative – Where Are the Rest of You?
Among us greens, the feeling is that conservatives hate us. But we should have many things in common, writes Fredrik Olsson.
DEBATE. As nearly half of Sweden's political field proudly calls themselves conservative, one wonders where the green conservatives are.
Where are those who don't want to demolish houses only to build identical ones, who want to invest in upgrading our existing railways, and who see waste and ecological collapse as the same problem?
Do Sweden's conservatives only focus on immigration and crime?
We live in a rapidly escalating era of throwaway culture, consuming more resources for products of declining quality and lifespan. This waste and accelerating pace should awaken and gather some conservative forces.
For it surely can't be conservative to desire ugly sweaters from China or technology programmed to collapse within two years. Or, for that matter, increasingly unattractive houses of poorer building quality. Or a model where high-quality built-in kitchens are discarded for uglier, inferior ones to raise rents?
Swedish debate would benefit from some conservative thoughts on what it is they actually want to preserve.
From a green perspective, the feeling today is that we are largely hated by those who call themselves conservatives.
Strange when we should have so many ideological touchpoints in thoughts about stewardship, preservation, and the intrinsic values of nature and culture?
It would be nice to have conservative forces that actually stand up for the idea that a sustainable society is best built on already exploited resources. Perhaps a shortlist could get a conservative to raise a hand and agree or say that the conservative ideology's foundation is completely misunderstood?
The railway we have should be repaired and maintained.
The water and sewage network should be fixed so that water reaches the tap and waste reaches the treatment plant.
The growing number of cars in cities should be spread out over the day to make existing infrastructure last longer. Today, we have overcapacity almost constantly but congestion when everyone travels simultaneously.
Existing green spaces and nature should be protected and preserved, not just as resources but for their intrinsic value.
We should meet as much of our housing needs as possible with existing buildings. Now, large parts of the million program are endangered, and in some conservative circles, there are calls for demolition to build new and try again. A new round with much more expensive houses of poorer quality than when the existing ones were built.
Local and small-scale food and beverage production should be protected and developed.
Small-scale and local self-sufficiency have both intrinsic and societal value.
Art and culture are an important and central part of society's mission.
Beauty and quality are central values worth protecting, preserving, and investing in.
Swedish debate would benefit from some conservative thoughts on what it is they actually want to preserve. And you conservative voters might demand a few more green thoughts from your potential representatives?
By Fredrik Olsson
green debater and former green municipal councilor