After the chaos surrounding the citizenship referendum, Parliament's old agreement has broken down. Now all MPs are expected to be forced to attend - and the situation is described as a total breakdown.
After an emergency meeting of the parliamentary parties, it is clear that the offsetting system no longer works. The informal agreement, which has been used for decades to balance absences, has completely collapsed according to several parties.
– We note that because the Sweden Democrats acted as they did yesterday, the offset agreement is terminated, it does not exist, says the Green Party group leader Annika Hirvonen after the meeting
Everyone has to show up
As a result, the entire Parliament may now need to be present for every vote. Moderate group leader Mattias Karlsson describes the situation as a pure breach of trust between the parties.
– At the moment we don't have an offset agreement because we don't trust each other. So next week I think we will be in place all members, he says.
The Social Democrats also confirm that the system is out of play and open up for a complete end to deductions in the future.
– There will be no set-off system in Parliament next week, says the group leader Lena Hallengren.
The drama that broke the system
The background is the close vote on stricter citizenship requirements. There the political savages voted Katja Nyberg and Elsa Widding with the opposition on a crucial issue of transitional rules.
To secure the outcome, the Sweden Democrats chose to allow two previously discharged members to participate in the vote. The result was a one-vote victory and the collapse of the old system.
”Senseless reactions”
Leader of the Sweden Democrats Jimmie Åkesson dismisses the criticism and argues that the party acted to reflect the election results.
”I note completely unprecedented reactions after yesterday's vote in Parliament. The Social Democrats and the rest of the opposition claim ’coup’ and ’cheating’”, he writes.
A system fundamentally changed
The system has existed for over a hundred years and is based on parties voluntarily setting off votes in absentia. Now that trust is gone, and several parties warn that it may be difficult to restore the system.
In practice, this means a new reality in Parliament: every vote must be secured, every time.
So now MEPs actually have to be on the JOB when decisions are made that affect the population?
Halledudanedå.
Take away 349 tax-funded LATMASKS. Every time they have a vote there are more empty chairs than full ones.
Do as in Switzerland, direct democracy.