Here is an unusually large number of notices. They concern:
1. last week's PSA conference;
2. the Nansen Colloquium in Manchester;
3. a chair in Scandinavian Studies at University College London;
4. the Danish Social Democrats' new leader;
5. a new, feminist Swedish party;
6. welcome to new members of the list.
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1. PSA CONFERENCE. Thanks to all who took part - as paper-presenter, discussant or member of the audience - in our two panels on Scandinavian politics in Leeds last week. I thought they went very well.
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2. NANSEN COLLOQUIUM IN MANCHESTER...
...on the subject of 'Promoting Peace', to be held on Tuesday 3 May 2005 in Manchester, as part of the Nansen Series. The colloquium is to be hosted by the Manchester European Research Institute (MERI), Manchester Metropolitan University, in cooperation with the Royal Norwegian Embassy in London as part of the Series celebrating Norway's centennial as an independent nation.
Using experience from the Nordic region and the United Kingdom, the utility of 'peace processes' will be examined, using examples of the Balkans, Africa and Sri Lanka.
Speakers and discussants include: Vidar Helgesen, State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Elisabeth Rehn, former UN Under-Secretary-General, Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Bosnia and Herzegovina; Miles Wickstead, DFID, London; Alyson Bailes, Director of the Stockholm Peace Research Institute; Geir Lundestad, Secretary of The Nobel Peace Prize Committee and Director of the Nobel Institute; Sverre Lodgaard, Director of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs.
The organizer is Clive Archer, Director of MERI, from whom more details can be obtained (c.archer@mmu.ac.uk).
The University Association for Contemporary European Studies can be found at http://www.uaces.org/
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3. A CHAIR IN SCANDINAVIAN STUDIES...
...is being advertised by University College London. "The successful candidate will have a distinguished international reputation in any area of Scandinavian/Nordic Studies." Further details can be found at UCL's website (www.ucl.ac.uk/hr/vacancies/adverts/AY1.html).
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4. NEWS: NEW LEADER OF THE DANISH SOCIAL DEMOCRATS
Last night, party members elected the first woman chair of the party organisation. "Gucci" Helle Thorning-Schmidt won 53% of the votes to the 47% obtained by her more leftish rival, Frank Jensen.
If anyone has time to write a quick commentary on the election, on Thorning-Schmidt and on the state of her faction-ridden party, please send it to me, and I'll gladly post it on the list.
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5. NEWS: FEMINIST PARTY IN SWEDEN
Since last week, and after months of rumours, Sweden has a new player, a "Feminist Initiative" (www.feministisktinitiativ.se), that aims to field candidates at the next election, in 2006. Not surprisingly, the group's leading figure - though formally, she's just one among 15 members of its executive - is Gudrun Schyman, former Left Party leader. Indeed, although there's been no programme worked out yet, the executive's members have a clearly radical-left profile. Perhaps slightly more surprisingly, the Initiative seems to want to build up a traditional-looking party organisation, with paid-up members and local chapters.
With the left bloc already struggling in the opinion polls, the Social Democrats, the Left and the Greens are all obviously unsettled by this newcomer. And, with the launch of yet another new entrant, a "Healthcare Party", apparently becoming likelier, we could be in for some fun in Swedish party politics.
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6. NEW MEMBERS OF THE LIST
Welcome to several new members of the list. The idea is to use it for sending out news, commentaries, book reviews, requests - whatever, really, as long as it has something to do with Nordic politics, public adminstration or international relations. If you have something for distribution, just send it to me, and I'll do the honours.
There is also a group meeting in the pipeline, some time this year. Further information will follow in due course.
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Best,
Nick.
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Dr Nicholas Aylott, research fellow (docent/forskarassistent) | Department of Political Science, Umeå University | www.pol.umu.se
Please feel free to forward this message to anyone who might be interested.
To join the Scandinavian Politics mailing list, send a message to me, the convenor (nicholas.aylott@pol.umu.se). If you want to send something to the list, or if you don't want to receive these occasional messages, just let me know.
