Category Archives: Sweden

Reflections on the European commons conference

Posted on 15/03/2015 by campaignerkate

My article about the International Association for the Study of the Commons (IASC) European conference in Sweden has appeared in the IASC’s Commons Digest, winter 2015.  I reproduce it below. ‘Do not be afraid to go out on a limb.  That’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Access, campaigns, common land, commons, International Association for the Study of the Commons, Open Spaces Society, Sweden, Woods and forests | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Commons under threat worldwide

Posted on 04/01/2015 by campaignerkate

The pleasure of an international gathering about commons is to discover that our English and Welsh commons are just a small (though vital) part of a very big picture.  Commons are global—land, water, air, knowledge—and boundless.  But the common denominator is … Continue reading →

Posted in campaigns, common land, commons, International Association for the Study of the Commons, Sweden | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

A pretty nice office

Posted on 29/12/2014 by campaignerkate

‘This is my office’ said the representative of Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget (SCA), the Swedish company which manufactures wood and paper products.  She was standing in a clearing in the forest near Vindeln, Sweden, and it looked a pretty nice office … Continue reading →

Posted in Access, Sweden, Woods and forests | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Found in translation

Posted on 27/12/2014 by campaignerkate

I have only just got around to translating (with computer aids) the words on a memorial stone which I photographed at Vindeln, Sweden, last September.   The translation is (roughly): ‘In memory of local volunteers who actively contributed to the government’s announcement, … Continue reading →

Posted in Access, campaigns, commons, Dartmoor, Sweden | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The brain of the power station

Posted on 21/12/2014 by campaignerkate

‘This is the brain of the power station’, said Örjan Karlsson, head of maintenance at Skellefteå Kraft’s Finnfors hydro-power plant in northern Sweden. He pointed to a 1990s clunky computer of the type we had all forgotten.  It seemed extraordinary that this … Continue reading →

Posted in commons, International Association for the Study of the Commons, Sweden | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Birch-tree town

Posted on 18/09/2014 by campaignerkate

Umeå in Sweden is known as Björkarnas Stad, the City of Birches.  In June 1888 the eastern part of the city was devastated by fire and in the restoration which followed, silver birch trees were planted along the avenues, apparently … Continue reading →

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Finding the fruit

Posted on 16/09/2014 by campaignerkate

Do not be afraid to go out on a limb.  That’s where the fruit is. With these perceptive words, Camilla Widmark opened the third European conference of the International Association for the Study of Commons (IASC) today in Umeå, Sweden. Camilla, … Continue reading →

Posted in campaigns, common land, Elinor Ostrom, International Association for the Study of the Commons, Sweden | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Guardian’s inconsistencies

Posted on 15/09/2014 by campaignerkate

Last night we heard that the former Swedish prime minister, Frederik Reinfeldt, had conceded election defeat.  The news came through at about 10pm.  This morning The Guardian newspaper doesn’t mention it. On 9 July, rather later in the evening, Sergio Romero … Continue reading →

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