nej means nej

WORKERS, OCTOBER 2003 ISSUE

In Sweden's hard-fought euro campaign, the government and big business (Volvo, Scania, Ericsson and Sweden's main newspapers) and, shamefully, most of Sweden's trade unions, backed entry.

The Economist estimated that the yes side probably outspent the no side by five to one. Other estimates in Sweden put the figure at seven to one. The Economist reported that the Yes side used the large resources they had at their disposal to produce 'endless billboards, pages of newspaper adverts and streams of leaflets'.

The opinion polling companies also did what they could to help the Yes cause: Gallup's opinion poll just before polling put the Yes side ahead by 1%; Ruab's poll put the Yes side ahead by 0.2%.

Yet on 14 September, on an 81% turnout, 56% of Swedes voted against joining the euro, 42% for. Even the foul murder of Foreign Minister Anna Lindh did not sway the Swedish people from the patriotic choice. No European nation has ever yet voted for the euro.

In Britain, workers are 2 to 1 against. Blair's 'Britain in Europe' campaign was already falling apart: his man Simon Buckby is leaving it next month. Now a British Yes in a referendum looks even more unlikely, and Blair looks even more isolated.