It sometimes became a very heated debate where words like "bluff and archery activities", "lie", and "hypocrisy" flew around.
What we have seen and what has been reported in recent weeks about a very sophisticated and aggressive sales of lottery tickets to elderly people, it raises the question of whether this is how Swedish democracy should be financed, says Niklas Wykman.
He is addressing the Social Democratic Party leader Magdalena Andersson and asks if the Social Democrats will refund money to elderly people who may have felt deceived. Wykman also describes it as the Social Democrats creating a gravy train for themselves in the legislation.
It is a reasonable demand that one steps forward, answers, and takes responsibility.
"Does not belong here"
The Social Democratic Party group leader Lena Hallengren admits that the information that has come out in the media about the company Kombispel is serious. Unethical sales methods are not something the party stands behind or should occur, she says.
But the Minister must have lived under a stone if he hasn't noticed that my party quickly made decisions on a number of powerful measures, continues Hallengren.
She emphasizes that the agreement with the telemarketing company was terminated, the CEO was dismissed, and the entire board had to leave.
We are doing our part to correct what has gone wrong.
She also strikes back at the claim that the Social Democrats had "rigged" the legislation. The exceptions in the law apply to public benefit purposes, and thus also include such things as sports activities and the temperance movement, she says.
There have been no exceptions for lotteries linked to the Social Democrats – a lie that I hear the Minister is working hard to continue spreading.
Goose or ostrich
Christian Carlsson (KD) wondered why the Social Democrats should continue with lottery activities at all and if Lena Hallengren is "a goose, where everything just rolls off?"
I don't know if Christian Carlsson is an ostrich and has stuck his head in the sand throughout this entire debate. I have said twice that we will not continue with telemarketing sales, countered Hallengren.
There is now an investigation on the government's table to either tax or completely ban party-political lotteries.
The investigation's proposals are still being negotiated, but if politics is to listen to the voters, it is a ban on party-political lotteries that applies, says Tobias Andersson of the Sweden Democrats.
Dagens Nyheter has revealed how the Social Democratic Party's lottery company Kombispel, via the telemarketing company Effective Communication, sold lottery tickets to people who likely did not understand the terms of purchase, such as that lottery subscriptions need to be cancelled.
Employees have described sales methods as "harassment".
Since May 2022 until September 2024, Kombispel has been reported 28 times to the Consumer Agency, and 18 of these concern telephone sales.
In 2023, the lottery activities generated 9.8 million kronor for the Social Democratic Party's party funds and 6.3 million for the youth association SSU.
