For 130 years, the Swedish labor movement has gathered on May 1 to demonstrate and manifest strength and unity and demand an end to injustice.

But the corona pandemic has effectively put a stop to this as well and this year all demonstration trains were canceled. Instead, many chose to speak through social media.

Prime Minister Stefan Löfven gave a televised speech to the nation where he put all party politics aside. Not unexpectedly, the speech was entirely about the center of coronas and its effects on society.

Appealed for endurance

Stefan Löfven addressed all citizens, rather than their own party sympathizers. We go through this trial together as a country where we hold together, was Löfven's core message.

The prime minister also emphasized that it will take a long time for life to return to normal and he appealed for endurance to limit the spread of infection and protect risk groups.

That Stefan Löfven chose this approach, essentially without party political funding, was probably a wise choice. Of course, it is also about adapting to the mood in the country, but has also proven to be a path that has led to increased confidence and increased public support.

Very common for Sjöstedt and Thorwaldsson

Anyone who had hoped for adventure on a traditional May First speech by the Prime Minister with classic Social Democratic agitation and attacks on the "right" was probably disappointed. For that audience, however, LO's chairman Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson had more to offer. It was probably also the agreed distribution of roles between the two of them. Löfven would be the statesman, Thorwaldsson the agitator.

For Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson, the last first May century was LO's chairman. He resigns at the LO congress in mid-June. Similarly, Jonas Sjöstedt today held his last first May speech as party leader for the Left Party.

Just Sjöstedt's and Thorwaldsson's speech had much in common. Both see the corona crisis as a turning point in Swedish politics, where the political left should move forward and liberalism is pushed back.

In essence, it is more of traditional left-wing politics with collective solutions, additional multibillion investments in municipalities and regions, criticism of private alternatives and permanent increases in health insurance and A-cash, to name a few.

Parliamentary mathematics has not changed

In a time of national crisis with interpersonal solidarity and cohesion, it is no wonder that LO and V draw these conclusions on how politics will develop in the future. A stronger social democracy also means a better starting point for those who want to move politics to the left.

But the reality right now looks a little different. Despite the corona crisis and high confidence in Stefan Löfven, parliamentary mathematics has not changed since February, before the corona crisis struck the claws in Sweden.

There is still a right-wing majority in economic-political terms in the Riksdag. Neither the bourgeois parties nor the Sweden Democrats seem to be interested in moving Swedish politics to the left. And it does not look any different in the context of the January collaboration. The Center Party and the Liberals are perhaps the most liberal parties of the Riksdag. That they would suddenly abandon their ideology and the policies they pushed through is not very likely. In that case, it will instead become a dispute over what political path Sweden should take after the corona crisis.