The left has been criticised, quite justifiably, for the misguided positions of decades past. But almost all of those now hauled into the dock of history simply wanted to build a better world and were naive. It often strikes me as unreasonable and a little absurd when I am called to account for events in some other country that occurred before I was even born.

At the same time as the chairman of the Left Alliance is asked for a confession regarding matters from decades ago, nobody calls to account those who only a couple of years ago blindly placed their faith in completely free markets.

I’M on strike. I got the idea from the truck drivers, bus drivers, stevedores, baggage handlers, flight attendants and probably a few other professions I have since forgotten about. It’s too hard to keep track. Anyway, striking is a very Finnish thing to do. Since previously I haven’t had the opportunity to go on strike, now seems a good time to start.

MY demands are simple. I told the managers of the Helsinki Times I deserved a cost-of-living raise three times higher than the actual cost-of-living increase. That seems to be what the other strikers are asking, so this is also my demand. In response, management demanded that I stopped drinking heavily prior to negotiations. Touché.