Minister
Jan O. Karlsson's tenure as minister was far from smooth, his relation with the local press was troublesome, often attributed to his late father, who also was a high ranking social democratic politician, who died of a heart attack during an interview with a journalist. In spite of a number of minor political scandals - he, among other things, referred to George W. Bush as "that damn Texan old man" ("den där jävla texasgubben") and abruptly murmured (with a microphone attached to his jacket) "now we better see an end to these gay issues" (nu får det väl vara slut på de här bögfrågorna) during a SIDA conference - he was able to maintain the trust of Prime Minister Göran Persson and keep his place in the Cabinet. His appointment as acting Minister for Foreign Affairs following the death of Anna Lindh on September 11, 2003, was a short term solution. Changes in government, effective on October 10, forced him to resign his post.
Read more about this topic: Jan O. Karlsson
Famous quotes containing the word minister:
“[T]he dignity of parliament it seems can brook no opposition to its power. Strange that a set of men who have made sale of their virtue to the minister should yet talk of retaining dignity!”
—Thomas Jefferson (17431826)
“Just let him be minister if thats what he desires, but without his brother and his brother-in-law.”
—Franz Grillparzer (17911872)
“He had a gentleman-like frankness in his behaviour, and as a great point of honour as a minister can have, especially a minister at the head of the treasury, where numberless sturdy and insatiable beggars of condition apply, who cannot all be gratified, nor all with safety be refused.”
—Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl Chesterfield (16941773)