"She's young, she's committed." "She's competent and she's a woman." "Give her a year." "Charlotte Ekeblad?" "This is Tove Munch, the PM's secretary." "That was the Prime Minister, he wants me for Minister for the Environment." "You must have been surprised when Viksten called." "We all were." " My, that's a short skirt." " They wanted a woman for the job." ""Is she as intense as they say?" Yes, I am pretty intense." " Another letter has arrived." " File it." "Some more wine, Mrs. Minister?" "Please let me know the next time you plan to ignore my brief." "Time for a reality check." "That's right, I'm the boss." " I don't know if I can do it." " Remember M. Albright: "Interrupt."" " "Don't just wait for your turn."" " Do you go here often?" " So my ex-girlfriend is a minister." " It's like facing an invisible wall of tired old men." "It's a fabulous interview." "She couldn't get better PR." "Based on the novel by Hanne Vibeke Holst" "Get up." "You already knew that he isn't a serious journalist." "It wasn't exactly an interview." "I... confided in him." " In Jesper, your former lover?" " It's been 13 years." "My calendar is booked solid." "I'm constantly making decisions." "Everything's been so hectic." "And I felt kind of lost." "I needed to talk to someone." "You weren't there and he was." "That's not fair!" "I'm here for you." "For our family." "And you blame me for not being available?" "Christ..." "I'm sorry." "He needs a fresh diaper." "And I've got laundry to do." "I'm Louise Kramer, the assistant of the Minister for the Environment." "Unfortunately, she is unable to attend your 25th anniversary in Göteborg." "No, I'm sorry." "Thank you." "Goodbye." "Press conference at Harpsund after government session" ""Tired old men"..." "You're doing your best to become unpopular." "You were a student-body president at school, weren't you?" " How did you know that?" " You're just the type." "How nice to be reduced to a stereotype at 7 in the morning..." "So, what kind of type are you?" "What do you know about the new budget?" "What's Gert's plan?" "For question A, I say "nothing"." "And for B, "no idea"." " You must have heard something?" " Nothing more than you have." "Here's the latest report from Standard  Poor." "For anyone who has difficulties reading graphs," "I can tell you that they have downgraded Sweden's credit rating." "That means that the Swedish economy is weaker than it has been for 20 years." "In other words, it's high time to tighten the proverbial belt." "That goes for all of us." "As a newcomer, I cannot claim any responsibility for the situation, but I take these figures very seriously." "And I also accept the challenging task we face." "I'm not merely hopeful, I have utter faith in the fact that we will improve these conditions." "What are you really saying?" " Growth." " Increased growth?" " Sustainable growth." " This will lose us the election." "We're not going to lose anything." "TO THE MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT" "File it." "If you let him do his thing, it usually works." "But you're moving too fast." "Some people expand in a vacuum." "Just carry on." "Come on, don't take it personally." "What should I do?" "Gert is so damn patronising." "Jens!" "Don't touch that." "He's putting the remote in the toilet." "Either he doesn't like women, or he doesn't like me." " Viksten would like to have a word." " I'll call you back later." "A breath of fresh air is nice." "And it keeps you away from the cake, too." "Don't try to seem superior." "According to the press, you claim that your colleagues lack vision." "And that they're not as honest as you." "If there's any truth in that statement, there might be a reason for it." "They might have been forced to yield for the good of the group." "Government work is teamwork." "Everyone has to give up their principles in the name of the group." "That's why it causes resentment when someone acts like they're more of a free-thinker, or claims to be more civic-minded than their colleagues." " Is that clear?" " Yes." "I never thought of it that way." "No, I realise that." "You're an individualist, Charlotte." "For better or for worse..." "Viksten speaking." "I'm out on the jetty at Harpsund." "Yes." " Everyone has to cut back." " My budget has been cut by a billion." "We are facing the biggest economic crisis since the 70s." "If productivity increased by 2 %, then we can achieve growth amounting to 0.2 percentage points." " Is this because of that article?" " "Tired old men"?" " Then what is it?" " Politics." " A reversal of a parliamentary decree." " We're facing an economic crisis." "We have to make our way out of it." "That's the bottom line." "What about biological diversity...?" "Ballooning interest rates will ruin people." "So tell them we don't care about growth, because we put a higher priority on the survival of moss in Hälsingland!" "Shall we continue?" " We both share the same objectives." " Really?" "The environment and the economy don't have to be in opposition." "In the best of all worlds everyone is happy and rich." "Well, if 5 % of the population on earth would start sharing the wealth." " Revolution." " Evolution." "I would like you to give me a straight answer." "Yes." "I would have done the same thing to Sören Bergwall." "Only he wouldn't have cared." "Our top story centres on the budget negotiations held at Harpsund." "We would like to inform you as to the result of our negotiations." "Why is Charlotte on the steps?" "She's their hostage." "...will ensure growth and continue to boost employment rates." "I'll let our Minister for Finance Gert Jacobsson take over from here." "We are approaching the elections with a realistic and pro-active stance." "Unemployment rates will go down." "Charlotte Ekeblad, what are you doing here?" "Have you joined the ranks of the "old men" now?" "I'm here because I support the Minister for Finance's proposal." " What does it involve?" " Getting Sweden back on its feet." " Is that all?" " Could we all go inside?" "I'm freezing my behind off." "Hello, Thomas." " Look at the baby..." " He's asleep." " He looks more and more like his mum." " Only she never sleeps." " When are you going back to work?" " I don't have a job." " What about you?" " I'm on sick leave." "No one can stand me during these hormone treatments." "It's hard on the boys when things don't go as planned." " Everything will be fine, Maria." " I hope so." "Take care." "No wonder Gert makes cuts when we have little Miss Celebrity here." "Right, you can't take her seriously I'll call you back." "Should you really be exposing your minister like that?" "She runs roughshod over all the decisions we've already made." "That's damn unprofessional." "Charlotte can be a bit impulsive, but that's a strength as well." "You're disappointed, aren't you?" "You thought he'd appoint you, but he chose her instead." " That must be hard to swallow." " I'm the wrong gender." "Forget it." ""Official report No. 342."" ""The presence of methyl tert-butyl ether in wastewater."" "Is there a sequel as well?" "Do you really have to read it all?" " Couldn't you just sign it?" " You've been watching too much TV." ""What are you going to do tomorrow?" "Well, when I'm done with the chores,"" ""I guess we'll go to the playground." "It's lovely there this time of year."" ""Good night, Thomas." "Sweet dreams."" "I'm Magdalena Rosling, from Amelia magazine." "This is the only time slot I had available, I'm afraid." "Some people feel that I waste my time on trivial matters." "But according to a British study, women who have had children have a lower concentration of toxins in their blood." "That means that these toxins were passed on to their foetuses." "And there's nothing trivial about that." "Your husband's name is Thomas?" "And you have two children?" " Please don't publish their names." " No, I understand." " Your parents must be proud." " My dad, at any rate." " Could I interview him?" " No, he's dead." "He died in an accident." " And your mother is...?" " A nurse." " She's in Nigeria, at an orphanage." " She must be pleased?" "She's not impressed by titles." "She's been a great mother to my sister and me." "Are you and Lisbeth close?" "Did you see the new Minister for the Environment on TV?" "What do you think of her?" "She'll close us down." " If she has her way." " It's not her call." "When will Sweden ever become a country we can take pride in?" "Importing dirty coal power from Poland...!" "Our product is clean." "It won't be easy to get rid of us." "I hope the high price of electricity scares the Greens this winter." "I know what we can do next winter." "We can find out who voted against nuclear power." "Then we turn off their electricity and they can sit and freeze in the dark." "You and I have a future together." "We'll be representing the Nuclear Power Industry's Environmental Committee." "We're going to Stockholm to see the Minister for the Environment." "What the heck was her name?" " Would you rather sit with the girls?" " And network?" "I'll sit here." "Congratulations on another front page:" ""Freezing her behind."" " Are you envious?" " No, I'll be getting press too." " Not about your behind, though." " I'd rather focus on the issues." "That's a good call." "Then again, you're not exactly in the spotlight." "Even though we voted them into office, we don't recognise them." "We went out and polled the general public." "Hello." "Do you recognise any of these men and women?" "The Prime Minister..." "They're politicians, I guess." "No, not a single one." " Are you sure?" " I don't know who they are." "I recognise her." "And that's the Minister for Finance..." "The Prime Minister and..." "Charlotte, the Minister for the Environment." "Charlotte Ekeblad." "She's fantastic, a superwoman." " What's great about her?" " We're on the same page." "Charlotte." "She's great." "Not exactly a high rate of recognition, what are the others doing wrong?" " What are you doing right?" " That was just a fluke." "Three high-profile months have passed since your appointment." "A choice that rubbed quite a few of your colleagues the wrong way." "That's an overstatement, but the media likes to promote that image." "You continue to ruffle feathers..." "What about the Kvällspressen article?" "I've said all I have to say about that article." "Being in office could make it harder to maintain your edge." " Are you still a hard-liner?" " I'm still loyal to the issues." " Is that really true?" " Yes." "But your budget was slashed by nearly a third." "That ought to make it hard to keep the promises made to the voters?" "Of course it does." "Your budget determines your clout." "So why did you accept the cuts?" "I wasn't in a good bargaining position after the Kvällspressen article." "I had no other options." "But I will make the best of the situation." "Naturally, I feel like my hands are somewhat tied." " Have you considered resigning?" " No." "Absolutely not." " You air your opinions freely." " I run up against so much opposition." "You take politics personally." "Men don't." "Viksten is unhappy with me." "It will do him a world of good." "All the others are his lap-dogs." " You speak your mind." " Maybe I shouldn't have accepted." "Guess what this is." "Oh my God, you actually kept it?" ""Dear Elisabeth Meyer,"" ""I've seen you on TV." "One time you had this dress with butterflies."" ""I have a question for you."" ""How do you change the world?"" " I was ten years old." " You still are, at heart." "She's terrific." "I figured she would fizzle out." "She knows her stuff." "She won't change the world of politics, but still." " She's great to write about." " The stories write themselves." "A journalist's wet dream." "Please don't get me wrong." "She can go all the way to the top." " We'll see when she gets divorced." " Is there trouble at home?" "Is there a man alive who can take being married to a powerful woman?" "Come to my office." "Sand!" "A meeting, in my office, right now." "Hold all my calls for the next hour." "Where's the fire?" " It's time for a fresh start." " With empty hands and happy faces?" "Everything said here must remain in the strictest of confidence." "Not to be a wet blanket, but why is that?" "If this leaks out I don't stand a chance." "I'm all ears." "I would like to instate a credibility council." "A council that would act as a pressure group and watchdog." "To ensure that the government makes good on their promises." "And finds out why if they don't." "If that leads to fewer promises, so be it." "But any promises made should be kept." "You're the Minister for the Environment." "You can't build houses on rotten foundations." "Are you trying to get back at Gert?" "This isn't about me, it's about democracy." "It's about restoring people's faith in humanity." " A stirring cry to action?" " Was my grammar all wrong?" " Am I insane, Sand?" " Yes." "But I like it." " Jakob?" " Sure." "I know I ought to be grateful for my kids, but I really want another child." "A baby." "I live for my kids, and now the boys are getting so big." " I miss being needed." " But Micke and the boys..." "It's not the same." "When the doctor told me I didn't have a single ovum..." "I felt like..." "I felt like such a failure." "And you were supposed to be in Uganda right now." "Well, what's so special about a sweaty office Kampala?" " Is it difficult for you?" " I had prepared for six months." "So it's like missing your plane." "But I have no regrets, we have the best Minister for the Environment ever." "I WAS DADDY'S GIRL" "Right..." " Maya, time to go home." " Come over to our place." " Not tonight." "We've got to go home and make dinner for Grandma and Grandpa." "Say bye-bye." "Come on." "Phone call for Lisbeth Olsson." " Lisbeth here." " Hi, it's me." " Congratulations." " Thanks." " Have you seen Amelia?" " I don't read that sort of thing." " There's stuff about Dad." " What did you tell them?" " The truth." " Your version of the truth?" "I'm too busy to talk right now." " I miss you." " Thank you." "Take care." "Goodbye." " Where's Meyer?" " She's in Quebec." "Attendance is poor..." " I only have 20 minutes." " Let's hurry up and network." "How long have you been a member of the Party?" "I joined the youth section at birth, Social Democracy is all I know." "I did it all, attended summer camp at Bommersvik." "Gert Jacobsson was there too." "We're the same age." "Christina knows everything about the history of the Worker's Movement." " I joined in high school." " We're one big happy family." "Complete with the odd bastard." " I love the Party." " I love my husband." "Here you go... "Women in Parliament", have you seen it?" "Ivar and Roine wonder how our "faction" is coming along." "They always think we're plotting against them." " No sweet roll?" " I'm thinking of the election posters." " It's only a group picture." " Well, Charlotte has a high profile." " What are you going to use it for?" " Something big." "Hello, girls." "So here you are, gossiping away." "A credibility council?" "A contract with the people?" "It's a good thought." "Only it should have..." " It should have been our move." " We need support in the committee." " Give me three weeks." " I'll give you one." "Only if Charlotte stops saying that the Greens are impractical romantics." "I can't promise you that." "Move over, you don't use enough spices." "Grandma..." "Mummy says there were dinosaurs around when you were a girl." "Mummy was joking, Maya." "So how is our little Lotta doing?" "She works 60-70 hours a week, but she loves it." " The "old man" thing was unnecessary." " Don't bad-mouth your own." " And she's quite the camera hog." " You know what the media is like." "That's what I say." "Christina asked if I was making a guest appearance in the Party." "That's why you need to be a member of Parliament." "If you have your own voter base Viksten can't fire you after the election." "Isn't new blood good?" "Keeps inbreeding at bay." "Several of the older Social Democrats think that the new ministers who are hand-picked by the PM are letting the working classes down." " "Where has all the solidarity..." - "...gone?"" "But I have a working-class background." "There are no college graduates in my family." "That's a surprise." "What about you?" "Uppsala, physician, old money..." "It's easy to identify with the elite classes if you belong there, Sand." " My name is Henrik." " I know." "But I think of you as Sand." " Will you be going abroad?" " Of course." "Is Rodriguez still in charge?" " Look who's here!" " Hello!" " It's eleven o'clock." " And you're still here." "Come and sit down." "Let's toast our very own little minister." "Power becomes you." "Only leave our industries alone or they'll relocate to the Baltic region." " I'll get you a drink." " I'll come with you." " You knew they were coming." " Sorry, I forgot." "You smell like a bar." " You were supposed to be working." " I need to breathe too." "Two gin  tonics." "I was out with Henrik." "Sand?" "No..." " Have you ever seen an electric eel?" " Yes, I have." " Really?" " Sure." "Grandma." "You're not supposed to say stuff like that." "Daddy, no." "Daddy..." " How thick is your file this weekend?" " There is no file this weekend." "I thought I'd take some time off." "Maybe do some baking." "Don't, Mummy." "The stuff you bake is yucky." "What?" " Need some aspirin?" " No, why should I?" " Some coffee?" " Yes." "Fantastic." "It's on its back." "There." "Louise." "Come here." "Here's the first draft for the credibility council." " Some appendices are missing." " They're being copied." " That's confidential material." " It won't happen again." " Are you tired?" " No problem." "Why would you be tired?" "Have you seen my desk?" "Answering phones is like being on vacation." "I expect there's been too much travelling too?" "You're due for some vacation." "Louise will go to Amsterdam with me." "And you can cover the phones for her, it's like being on vacation." "I'm so glad I got to come along." "Sören never let me." "There's a special place in hell for women who don't help each other out." "She won't be back until Monday." "I'll take a message." "Charlotte Ekeblad?" "Could you spare a minute?" " Who are you?" " Read this." "Read it!" ""Two years ago an accident occurred on the Baltic Sea, on the MS Pandora,"" ""which carried a cargo of radioactive fuel."" ""I can prove that the government covered up the facts."" ""But I have been blocked." "I have been silenced by the government."" "Read it!" " File it." " In the nut file?" "Yes." " She breaks too many rules." " But she's popular." "She reminds me of Willy Brandt." "Both of them can make people interested enough to listen." " Willy Brandt was attractive too." " Wasn't he a bit overweight?" "I don't mean literally." "He was very charismatic." "Aren't you exaggerating Charlotte's appeal?" "She has an enormous impact." "She's efficient." "She's accomplished more than Bergwall ever did." ""Interdependence is a dominant fact in our times."" " Willy Brandt." " It still applies." "Imagine leaving such an impression on history." "And no, I haven't bought myself an estate, if that's what you think." "And I'm not resigning." "I have visions to fulfil when we win the next election." "Then, we'll see." "It all depends." "Whether Ivar Hellenius is ready to take on the challenge." "Now we can present this proposal at the next session." "You must have worked around the clock." "It smells like a fiasco..." "Do you have something to add?" "There are enough superstructures." "That monster EU and the bastardization of democracy is enough." " Why didn't you say anything?" " I've tried." "You wouldn't listen." "What do you have against me?" "Why don't you tell me?" "Are we supposed to commit suicide all because you have PMS?" "It's me." "Gert?" "It must be my lucky day." "I'm glad you enjoy my company." "Was it really wise to get rid of Jakob?" "We didn't click." "What happened?" "Oh, well." "Silence can't be misquoted." "Hello." " Where's Meyer?" " With Putin." "We may be out of a job come autumn, but other issues bother me more." "Public faith in democracy." "A loss that's hard to recoup." "That's why I propose a credibility council that would be a watchdog to ensure that political promises were kept and be a link to our regular citizens." "Fine words, but there is no base in reality." "It would smack of Big Brother." "And be expensive." "We have to reclaim our credibility." " That's a media phantom." " Pure imagination." "Isn't this just for show?" "People want better schools and better health care, not castles in the air." " A vote isn't worth much today." " Yes, it is." "Then nuclear power would have been phased out by now." "We just lost the election." "It's difficult when one of the players on a team pulls in another direction." " The proposal requires an increase..." " How would you know?" "How would you know what it costs?" "It's a bastardization of democracy." "Yet another superstructure." "The big monster EU is enough." "They knew." "Jakob." "Bloody Jakob." "This is your office." "Charlotte's going through a rough time." "Her proposal for a credibility council wasn't popular." "The janitor was out of A's." "Why the resistance?" "Against the credibility council." "It's a bastardization of democracy." "A minister who criticizes their government doesn't get off lightly." "Eva Edin, press secretary." " Kamal Prasad." "No wonder people despise politicians, they look down on regular folks." " Charlotte caught a lot of flak." " Persuasion is the best route." "The proposal had no real foundation in the committee." "No wonder they were upset." " How old are you?" " I'll be 28 in September." " Are you single?" " That's none of your business." "Have you had any media training?" "10 years at Kvällspressen, 14 years here." "I've learned that anything new is intimidating." ""No" is a knee-jerk reaction even when a yes would take us further." "Charlotte!" "You do know that I didn't leak?" "I know it wasn't you, Sven." "I can take the fact that Jakob doesn't like me, but not the betrayal." "And now the whole thing's down the drain." "It's one of the best proposals I've ever heard." "I know what to do." "Charlotte Ekeblad." "Four minutes." "Mr. Speaker, Sven Årheim has asked me to develop the concept of a credibility council." "It's one thing to formulate a strategy in a campaign program, but it's entirely different to create an action plan." "I was up north in Norrland for four days, in Norsjö." "My fears were confirmed, politicians make ordinary people feel powerless." "That means us." "There's an abyss caused by broken promises that is so great that in a few years voting participation may mirror the US." "How few voters can you have and still call yourself a democracy?" "The only way to overcome this is to show our voters respect." "That's what credible means to me." "A credibility council." "The Social Democratic Messiah." "Are you going to save the government?" "Well, last week I was Judas, so I'm getting a bit confused." "You Social Democrats are odd." "You want to stimulate bureaucracy in favour of growth." "Charlotte is splitting your ranks." "But I won't complain, the voters will have their say." "Time to go job-hunting?" "We'll have a new government come autumn." "Hello?" "Hi..." "Five minutes." "I'll see you downtown." "And Jakob..." "No window table."