SWEDISH MEDIA SPLIT OVER FRA ACT

A telling difference is beginning to show between Swedish newspapers in their approach to the FRA Act. While the socialist daily Aftonbladet has echoed the opinions of the socialist party, the more center-oriented Expressen has started a campaign against the FRA Act.

Through expressen.se readers can e-mail all members of the Riksdag who voted for the FRA Act or abstained from voting. Says Thomas Mattsson, chief editor for Expressen Digital Media: 'The prime minister says that he is hoping the debate will subside. But according to opinion polls a majority of the Swedish people think this law is wrong. And since these politicians are interested in having the government read the people's e-mails, we are now offering the Swedish people an opportunity to e-mail the politicians and voice their opinion about [the FRA Act].'

The difference between the protests against the FRA Act in Expressen and Aftonbladet is that the latter is carrying the water for the socialist opposition - who only wants to make nominal changes to the law and then keep it - while the former is decidedly against the law itself. The Expressen e-mail campaign is unprecedented in Swedish politics and is therefore unlikely to have any effect. Sweden's parliamentary system is solidly based on the political party structure and the parties, in turn, are run by a small group of party bosses. They set the agenda and those who stray from it are punished harshly. And since the party bosses within the center-right coalition want the FRA Act, nobody will bring ths law up for another consideration.

That does not mean that protests are in vain. They can hopefully make some members of the Riksdag reconsider their careers and make it a bit more difficult for the political parties to find new, suitably loyal candidates in the next election.