The Social Democrats have quickly changed the tone regarding a Swedish NATO application.

From categorically rejecting such proposals, a "dialogue" has now been initiated within the party.

At a press conference in April this year, Tobias Baudin announced that the Social Democrats will discuss the issue with party members around the country - and it will go quickly.

As early as May 12, the districts must have taken a position, and thereafter the party board must make a decision.

But the party leadership already seems to have decided that the party should advocate a Swedish NATO membership, says Karin Pettersson, cultural director at Aftonbladet.

She believes that this leads to a decision with weak legitimacy.

- I get the definite impression that the decision has already been made, on grounds that we as citizens do not know, she says.

- At the same time, you have a process, a kind of sham process, where you invite to different conversations and pretend that you collect views for the citizens.

Criticism from several quarters

She is not the only S-labeled voice that has criticized the process around the NATO issue.

Leif Pagrotsky, who has held several ministerial positions in S-governments, and the former party secretary Lars Stjernkvist have also expressed criticism that the decision is being hastened.

Karin Pettersson also criticizes that S "acts in panic" - and that the only reasonable explanation is that there should be a serious threat to Sweden even in the short term.

- In such cases, it is something that has not been brought forward and that we citizens do not know, she says.

Baudin: "No decision made"

The current party secretary Tobias Baudin does not comment on Pettersson's speculation:

- I can not comment on that, I absolutely do not have that information.

We have other grounds for this, including the process in Finland and the fact that the war is now raging.

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"We have made the assessment that we must keep a high pace on this issue," he says.

Baudin also turns to the image of a sham process.

- We have not made any decision, we have made the decision that we should have this security policy dialogue.