Are politicians betting on the future? - election debate on Sweden's ability to harness IT in society

Watch our election debate, where political representatives of the parliamentary parties debate the consequences and political priorities of our digital society, afterwards here on the web.

We live in a world where the use of information technology plays a crucial role for society and for competitiveness. Sweden has a prominent global role in this respect, but at the same time we cannot live on old merits. How Sweden manages to utilize IT, including telecommunications, in business, the public sector and households is crucial. In the run-up to the autumn elections, we therefore consider it very important to show how the parties view these issues.

Representatives from parliamentary parties debate the consequences and priorities of our digital society; Is there an interest and understanding of the issues ahead of this year's elections? Are there any political differences? How should Sweden achieve the government's stated goal of being the best in the world at taking advantage of the opportunities of digitization? These are some of the issues that were highlighted during Wednesday's debate. The debate was based on a survey answered by all parliamentary parties and their youth associations.

Participants in the debate:
Anders Ygeman (S)
Jens Holm (V)
Lars-Axel Nordell (KD)
Henrik Ishihara (C)
Maria Ferm (MP)
Christer Winbäck (FP)
Ulla Hamilton, Mayor (M)

Moderator: Magnus Höij, Editor-in-Chief, Internetworld

The debate will be opened and summarized by Bo Dahlbom - a well-known debater and lecturer on the importance of IT and the Internet as a transformer of society, as well as a professor at the IT University of Gothenburg, initiator of the IT research institute Viktoria and long-standing advisor to the government on IT policy issues.