Green Party spokesperson Åsa Romson made speeches on the Green Party today during the political week in Almedalen 2014.

July 2

Hello Almedalen and Visby beautiful!
Great fun to be here and speak to you, it's an important time for political discussions, it is a real election campaign bubble here in Almedalen.
I have already been involved in several interesting conversations and listened to a couple of good speeches. Yesterday's speech was very inspiring, I agreed with quite a lot actually. It was interesting, accurate and a lot of funny jokes.
I think he can be a good prime minister, he Özz Nûjen. Well, who did you think I meant?
Here at the scene spoke the Sweden Democrats, Jimmie Åkesson, it was not as funny speech. You who sit here every night throughout the week have already heard George and Stefan. And tomorrow will hear Fredrik ago Jonas, Jan and eventually Annie.
Six men, but only two women.
For the fact is we have it. Sweden is the only Nordic country never had a female prime minister, other listed Swedish companies have John as CEO than a woman.
In Sweden today, in 2014, men are still overrepresented in all places with power and money. While women in Sweden serves 3.6 million less than the average man in a lifetime.
And this suspicion is of course that when it is mostly white, heterosexual, middle-aged men sitting on the power, you run the risk that society built from the norm of white, heterosexual, middle-aged men, and it is wrong. For most of us is actually not just white, heterosexual, middle-aged men without people, you know, those who have equal dignity but are different in every possible way.
If this, I will speak tonight. If the standards for power and why the issues and perspectives that adult men think is important is 'big and heavy' while what young girls think and considered 'small and lightweight'.

A few weeks ago, a new cohort of pupils the school. Although some find it distracting with bellowing studentflak straight through town so must be acknowledged that there are few things that are associated with so much joy and optimism. Young boys and girls, full of energy, coming out in adult life.
But that is something that rubs in the picture there today. For while most of us in Sweden are doing better and better, so there are some who are deteriorating: young people with disabilities, young lesbian-bi-trans or queer people and very many young girls. Among these groups of young people is increasing ill health; self-injury and the need for care.
Never before have so many young people eaten so much anti-depressant pills now. It is a very scary, and unworthy, development.
We all know her, or someone who knows her. She seemed so strong and exuberant, but some time during school years or soon after wavered in energy and self-esteem. More and more young girls lose their footing, girls who have your whole life ahead of them are admitted to treatment centers instead of living their lives.
How has it come to this? It was this generation of girls who would get the world's best school, which would not be kept down by inhibiting könideal, who would dare to naturally take their rightful place. Where has it gone wrong? As a politician I must ask whose needs are what got control, we have obviously not succeeded in building a better society for these girls.
As a young girl, you are more stressed at school than boys. You have high performance demands on yourself which among other things is exacerbated by that you can not have a single bad day because of poor performance risk pulling down Ranked by stressed teachers.
As a young girl greeted daily by messages about how you should dress, how to behave and how you should look, making the stress of the body and appearance adds yet a burden impossible to live up to.
As a young girl, you learn that a no may not mean no when it comes to sex. Time and again you can read in the newspapers that the rape accused men acquitted even though the women said no.
No, it is no coincidence that young girls are disproportionately represented among those who feel bad, but underrepresented among those who sit in power.
Otherwise, Sweden had already introduced better teacher support instead of the new rating system with each new education minister.
Otherwise, we had already had a ban on sexist advertising.
Otherwise, we had already had a consent legislation.
It is time that we begin to value youth and girls as highly as adult males. Some call it extremism, I call it democracy.

EU election a few weeks ago gave a signal that the central political debate can focus on issues such as the environment, gender equality and anti-racism. I think it was healthy, it's all difficult challenges that provide important perspectives on how we organize Economy, Labour and Welfare.
But I hear that not everyone welcomes this new system. A party secretary excused his party's poor results with them instead of the environment and equality certainly had focused on "the big and important questions". **
Well, the planet's long-term survival and fair conditions for half of the population is not large and important issues? ... It's probably all on whose perspective you have.
If you let the young women decide it is clear that the threat of climate change and environmental destruction are two of the heaviest issues.
While the Alliance's future Commissioners, with a number of prominent scientists launched on this scene three years ago, said the same thing: the climate is our time critical issue.
But it is obviously for the groundbreaking for some to also take this into political power parlor.

Today we know politicians, scientists and citizens about global environmental problems than ever before.
We know that a growing part of the Baltic seabed is made up of dead stinking mud. We know that dangerous chemicals are all around us already from what we are in the womb.
We know that weather disasters smash communities, forcing millions of people to leave their homes as climate refugees. We know how the drinking water supply in many Swedish towns threatened and that large parts of central Gothenburg could soon be under water. We know that drought and extreme weather can knock out large parts of the earth's food supply.
So we see on the news how scientists dry notes that our children and grandchildren will have to deal with a global catastrophe if we do not act immediately ...
And in the next TV clips we see the Prime Minister or the finance minister to stand and say that it's too expensive, too difficult and too hard to do anything about it. Or as foreign minister: "In 50 years, we are all still dead."
So speak leaders who have given up, who do not want to assimilate available knowledge and act responsibly. All the energy spent on explaining why it is not possible, why there is no point, so all ideas are bad.
I have said it before, climate screaming right now after the political battle horses, but these three men is more like a bunch of recalcitrant donkeys.

The researchers suggest that measures in the next 4-5 years is crucial. We can not do globally to reverse the emissions curve downwards within 4-5 years aggravated situation radically. Then we get a warming that reinforces itself when the Siberian tundra thaws, when the oceans get warmer and when the snow melts at the poles and no longer can reflect the sun's rays.
These vital 4-5 years coincides with the term of office we face. It is when we make the final decisions.
Sweden will invest in climate-friendly rail and public transportation, or continue to build highways?
Should Sweden be a voice for tougher climate policy in the EU, or continue to push for more coal?
Sweden will assume its share of responsibility for the consequences of climate change in poor countries, or Sweden will continue to dodge the bill?
Sweden will do everything to world leaders develop a climate summit in Paris next year, or will we continue to hope that other countries will resolve it for us?
There are the questions that voters decide in September. That is why the upcoming elections must become a climate choices.

On the way here to Gotland, I passed Rosenbad on the way to the central station. And there outside Rosenbad I saw something green that was pressed in a dustbin.
* picks up the green jersey *
Do you remember this?
No, maybe it's a long time ago now, but once worn this sweater in fact by Fredrik Reinfeldt.
It was in January 2007. The Conservatives would become "the new Environmental Party" and Reinfeldt wearing a green sweater. He visited the waste disposal facilities, studied the melting of ice and went on climate summits. Just when it seemed indeed as Reinfeldt acknowledged that climate change is one of the major political issues. But then, when we were all expecting us hear about the moderate proposals to stop climate emissions, then there was silence.
Then, it has been silent from the Conservative leader in parliament, in television debates and here in Almedalen. Instead of presenting serious climate policy proposals as dedicated Alliance today all the energy to dismantle the Swedish climate and environmental policy, and to criticize the Green Party. It does not hold.
I think you Fredrik Reinfeldt to think about. I leave your shirt here, and hope you pick it up tomorrow, when it is your turn to stand here on the scene, that you put on the back and, like the warhorse you see you, give me and the Green Party a match in climate policy!
A responsible climate policy is about putting children and children's right to good life first. To modernize Sweden so that the good life is also durable giving a clear answer on where new jobs must grow.
Sweden has the best conditions to take the lead in global climate adaptation. We have large areas of forest and agriculture, we have both on land and at sea lots of windy areas for wind power. We have some of the world's most innovative company. We have a high level of education, we have world-class research and we have an environmentally aware population.
The only thing we really lack is a government that sees these opportunities and that all this can also provide jobs.
It provides new jobs in Sweden when we are expanding the clean energy from the forest, the sun and wind.
It provides new jobs in Sweden when we are producing more organic food at home instead of importing.
It provides new jobs in Sweden when we renovates million programs and builds homes.
It provides new jobs in Sweden when we invest in modern rail service where trains rolling and arrive on time.
It creates new jobs and innovations, as we from politics suggest that the climate issue must be resolved.
The economy is constantly changing. Right now it's about adapting to a world in which emissions must be down, and where we need to use limited resources smarter and more efficiently.
So it has been throughout the ages. Old jobs are replaced by new ones. Old businesses and industries have been replaced by new small and growing industries. It is as Sweden's economy has evolved and been competitive.
Not by constantly cling to the old. But by being first with the new.
But before you go there you have to know where you want and let the key players get clear, long-term rules.
We Greens are clear about our goal of a sustainable society. The Green Party is willing to join hands to provide business opportunities where it pays to climate change investments. It's so children's life chances put first.

There is an unwritten rule in its development policies in order to improve children's living conditions should invest in women. Women are also a better template than men for good climate policies.
Male emits more carbon dioxide than women. Men eat more meat, go more car, flying more and are less interested in changing their behavior to protect the environment.
Very simply, one can say that climate change caused by rich men, but affects poor women. It's the same pattern, whether we look at Sweden, Europe or the world.
Today's passive climate policy is to set lazy men's interests are primarily women and children.
It must be questioned.
What is there to say that the man sitting alone in his SUV to be given a higher priority than the woman who takes the subway to the job every day?
What is there to say that the man flying on a business trip must have its own airport in the middle of central Stockholm while the female students do not have a place to stay?
And what is there to say that the Swedish man's right to eat meat every day goes before the Sudanese woman's right to avoid climate catastrophes that destroy his crop?
Climate change shows that the world is in urgent need of a feminist politics.

Well, I mean just that. The Kenyan environmental activist, and Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Mathai said:
"We can not have sustainable development without fair development, and no equitable development without gender equality."
It hangs together. That's why we like climate policy can not hide equality in a ministry, and let the rest of politics as usual. It hangs together.
Feminism needs into account when we are planning the infrastructure. That is why the Green Party wants to invest in more trains, bus and bike instead of new highways around the cities.
Feminism must enter the labor market. That is why the Green Party wants to invest in shorter working in elderly care, so that the welfare of women may be able to discharge the same as men in the industry received.
Feminism must enter the tax policy. That is why the Green Party after 8 years of tax cuts would raise taxes for those earning more than 40,000, which is mostly male, to be able to spend more on welfare - the one that provides the basis for us to have equality in Sweden.
It is no coincidence that it was the women's movement that together with environmental and peace movement started Green Party 30 years ago. Feminism and green politics always go hand in hand.

Feminism and solidarity are part of green policies.
(Viewing the clock)
During that time, I agree, this number is forced upwards of 100 people to leave their homes to escape war and persecution in Syria. 100 people just at this hour.
We are now also seeing the crisis in Iraq. Not since World War II have so many people been on the run in the world. Over 50 million people are currently displaced. Not because they want to but because they must.
Half of Syrian refugees are children. Children who are forced to leave everything: the school, playmates, and in many cases even their family, to end up in a refugee camp far away from their home or in a small boat across a stormy mediterranean sea.
Sometimes it feels like we have not learned anything from history.
For instead of helping those fleeing so does the EU everywhere to shut them out. With high-tech border surveillance, razor blades fitted fences and increasingly brutal expulsions of those who nevertheless manages to get through the eye of the needle.
Judgment of history will be harsh on those who saw to it that the EU's inhumane immigration policy could continue. In retrospect, we ask ourselves, how could you let that happen? How could we continue to shut people out there even though we knew the terrible carnage that was going on in Syria?
For every day that passes without us doing anything about this, you risk more people dying on their way to Europe. Therefore, I and my European colleagues to green the EU for humanitarian passports and asylum visa that you can apply at embassies abroad, so people do not have to risk your life in small boats across the Mediterranean. EU border police force to save lives instead of shutting people out, and people in flight have to get a safe haven in Europe.
Sweden makes a bet on the home, but the act is still not clear in the EU, as the Conservatives and the Social Democrats block a policy of solidarity.
Yesterday Sweden took a step in the right direction. It introduced new rules making it easier for refugee children with special compassionate grounds to stay in Sweden. It was a small but important step in the right direction as I am proud that the Green Party gained with the current Alliance government.
When the wind blows cold winds in Europe when the Nazis and fascists marching in the streets, when people fleeing forced back to war and violence, then we will show green that there is a different path, a path towards more humanity, more humanity and more transparency. We will take every opportunity to continue.

The green movement has a clear mission for the elections in the fall: to ensure that the global decisive factors facing the climate, about equality in our country and of human dignity ports autumn on the agenda. Where they rightfully belong the home.
I know that there are some men in Swedish politics at all cost want these issues to be little side issues in the great political debate. There are men who keep our fingers crossed they have to the election in September will be just as gray as sad and as empty of vision as the end of the election campaign in 2010.
Including those responsible for the past eight years have paused the policy in the environment and gender equality, and of course ensure that no "wrong" things discussed in the election campaign.
But for young people in Sweden today is the election is not a matter of discussing the "right" or "wrong" questions. For them, politics seriously.
For the young mothers fleeing from Syria waiting for an opportunity to take their children to a safe place, for them politics seriously.
For young girls and women who are stressed by slim schools and workplaces and burn out, for them politics seriously.
For the young generation that sees how climate catastrophe comes closer, while the politicians are pointing fingers at each other instead of solving the problem for them is politics seriously.
We are many who refuse to let these issues disappear into the political periphery. We are many who see it as self-evident that the threat of climate change, gender equality and human dignity are an integral part of the economy, labor, justice and the whole policy.
Now we have to cope fight a few more months. For if Sweden is to tackle today's real challenges, climate threats, equality and human dignity are included in the policy parlor. I will do everything to ensure that it becomes so, as environmental activist, woman and anti-racist.
Thank you for listening!
