The chairwoman of the Swedish Writers' Association, Anja Gatu, believes that the Minister of Culture's priorities indicate "a lack of interest" in culture and in engaging with people who think differently.
"This spring, we invited her to our podcast on current affairs. She declined. It's clear a minister has to sift through the options, but she has time to participate in dog and training podcasts," says Gatu.
According to Gatu, the biggest cultural reforms will instead come from the Ministry of Education: mandatory school librarians and support for school textbooks.
Gatu believes that the Minister of Culture has shown greater interest in discussing business policy and also criticizes Liljestrand's defense of budget priorities for defense and efforts against gang crime.
Culture is seen as a kind of luxury product that we can indulge in only in times of peace and stability. It is remarkable that even the Minister of Culture does not understand how fundamental culture is in times of unrest - and can argue for it -
The role of the state
The state's diminishing role in the already existing cultural infrastructure has become clear, says Gunnar Ardelius, Secretary General of Sweden's Museums.
What role should the state have? That is the big question.
The museum sector's other major challenge over the four years has been to defend the independence of museums, according to Ardelius, who emphasizes that the state has "a very important role as a guide."
The museum sector has been drawn into the culture war, he says, citing Björn Söder's (SD) criticism of the Medelhavsmuseet's exhibition on "Nakba" - the Palestinians' flight in 1948 - as an example.
There is ignorance and incompetence on the part of politicians.
"Unprotected"
Andreas Johansson Heinö, political scientist and publisher at the market-liberal think tank Timbro, points out the cultural canon as the Minister of Culture's strongest card.
He sums up a term of office in which the level of ideological conflict has been raised - but not in the way many feared.
Before 2022, many were concerned about a Sweden Democrat cultural policy. It turned out to be rather distinctly moderate.
The Minister of Culture has wanted to "hammer in" that she is not the industry's representative, but the voters' protection against an industry that constantly demands more money, he says. The criticism has been partly from the outside.
There is always a risk of being perceived as not caring about the culture as such. But she has seemed quite unfazed by it. I think she has enjoyed that conflict.
