Question name some liberal countries in the world. as far as i know, i think that norway, and finland are quite liberal, but what is your opinion? and i will admit that while italia, spain have switched over to a left wing govt, i dont believe the people are as left wing as a "conservative led" sweden.
Answer If by Liberal you mean Socialist, then the countries you have named are good examples. You can add France and Germany to the list, even England to some extent. All of these countries have a population that expect the government to provide them with things: Free health care, paid vacations, free education, early retirement, jobs (when they feel like working), living expenses, etc., etc.
Any country where the populace demands that the government provide more goods and services at no direct cost to the individual accessing those goods and services (taxes spread over the entire population would be an indirect source) could be considered Liberal/Socialist.
The new conservative government in Sweden is an anomaly that I don't think will last very long. From my understanding of the circumstances of the election the "Conservatives" (actually who are really Liberal/Moderate compared to U.S. conservatives) won by promising to "fix" the social welfare system, not reduce any of its benefits.
Unemployment in Sweden was close to 21%, and there were concerns that there would soon not be enough workers to support the "cradle to grave" public services that Sweden supplies. The Conservatives promised more employment so the system could continue. They may change some of the benefits, but that population still expects the free handouts to continue.
