I don't know why we have that rule, but it seems to go way back. Only new elections I can find are when voting rights has gone through a large extentions in the beginning of the 20th century. As constitutional reforms needs to be voted on in parliament before and after a eleciton, parliament has after voting through the new voting rights dissolved itself and a new one has been elected with the new electorate to serve the rest of the term.

Ancient traditions, I guess?

I don't think the centre party will pay a political price. They are indespensible to forming a government, so they won't pay a price in parliament. And I doubt they will in the election either. They are an amalgam of the farmers party in the country side and young neoliberals in big cities. In the country side deregulation of rents isn't a big issue, because with ongoing urbanisation to the major cities, small towns tend to have low rents and a problem with getting tenants. So their voters there aren't supportive of the issue, but I doubt it is a dela breaker either. And the young neoliberals are obviously convinced that deregulation is the solution to all woes.

With the Liberal party polling to low to attract support votes and the Christian Democrats and Greens balancing on the 4% limit to stay in parliament, the Center party might very well mop up one or more parties in the centre, especially if there are two elections in a row. The Center party, the Moderates (that are conservative) and the Social Democrats are the three well-funded parties that should theoretically gain from exhausting opponents election funds. But that is theoretical, cause we never have new elections, so we don't know how the electorate would react.

Or actually we have new elections. But only when vote counters mess up. The votes are counted twice (election night and then automatic re-count) and if differences emerge between the counts that would move seats, the election is re-done. And then fewer vote, but generally it is about the same result. But then no party can be blamed for the inconvenience, so I don't think it tells anything.

See US Navy manual "Introduction to Terrorism/Terrorist Operations"

'Sapere aude'

Houses are for living, not for speculation. (Chinese proverb - 2021)

Easing of loans for businesses in China has been used to buy property. The CPC has announced it will crack down on this illegal abuse of Covid-19 funds.

'Sapere aude'

As the real economy stagnates, and the speculative economy blows bubbbles, catching rents in various forms is increasingly what is left. Saw recently that the Biden bipartisan economic plan contains "asset recycling", ie hand over everything to Wall Street and let them collcet the rents, because markets. But housing rents are the original rents.

In Sweden at least, the corporate think tank Timbro has been doing long term work in training young politicians of different stripes in neoliberal ortodoxy and grievance politics. If you are young and can't get a job (or the job you deserve) who is at fault? Obviously it is old people who has seniority and crap, get them out and you can get a job! If you are young and can't get an apartment, who is at fault? Obviously it is old people who has rent control and crap, get them out and you can get an apartment!

Naturally, the economic rules that keep unemployment in place, make sure that all expansion of teh economy goes to the big cities with predictable lack of appartments etc etc, can not be questioned. What are you, some kind of socialist?! Do you want people to die in the Gulag?!

One small item in the American system that seems to work fairly well is the requirement that the president get an absolute majority in the electoral college. That has pretty much squelched third parties, which some argue is bad. But it has also allowed us to maintain a 4 year regular term length even in some pretty chaotic situations, which seems to be good on the balance.

A weird system you have there! In any other system a 116 to 173 vote counts as a loss! Still I suppose it allows some parties to maintain their distance while tacitly enabling the government. Do voters not see through this?

Index of Frank's Diaries