Sweden in Focus The Local

This week: Jimmie Åkesson talks about demolishing mosques, the latest on the Tesla strike, Sweden’s Advent celebrations, solutions journalism, and why some criminologists think it’s time for Sweden to ditch zero tolerance on drugs.
Host Paul O’Mahony is joined this week by The Local's Emma Lögren and Richard Orange.
Here are links to some of the stories we discuss:
Tesla strikeInside Sweden: How will the Tesla strike end?Tesla sues Swedish state agency over number plate blockageAdvent Julmys: How to get into the Christmas spirit like a SwedeSwedish word of the day: adventSolutions journalismSeven things we've learned about adding a solutions focus to reporting on migrationAs Europe comes out of lockdown, what lessons can be learned from Sweden?Drugs INTERVIEW: The past, present and future of Sweden's zero-tolerance drug policySweden DemocratsSweden Democrat leader calls for mosques to be demolishedWhy Sweden's far-right leader is showing his radical sideWhy the Sweden Democrats are still a far-right partyLISTEN: How the Sweden Democrats are flirting with the extreme rightARCHIVE: Islam 'Sweden's biggest threat': far-right leaderSwedish habitsHow to handle these 10 maddeningly Swedish passive-aggressive habits

Host Paul O’Mahony is joined this week by The Local’s Becky Waterton and Richard Orange, and we also have an interview with Northern Lights tour operator Chad Blakley.
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Here are links to some of the stories we discuss:
Eurovision How to get tickets for Eurovision in MalmöHow much can I charge if I rent out my home on Airbnb in Sweden?Permanent residency EXPLAINED: What do we know about Sweden’s plans to withdraw permanent residency?Flat hierarchies OPINION: Why Sweden’s flat hierarchy can make people seem boringLife expectancy IN DATA: Why do people in Stockholm live the longest lives in Scandinavia?Northern Lights‘I found the American dream in Swedish Lapland’How to take the best pictures of the Northern LightsPoliticsLeft Party and Sweden Democrat congressesHow to take the best pictures of the Northern LightsCost of LivingSweden’s central bank leaves interest rate unchangedSwedish food prices 26 percent higher than two years ago – which items are worst affected?How much will life in Sweden cost you in 2024?

In this week's episode: practical Swedes, saying hej to strangers, dithering Liberals, Sweden awaits central bank decision, climate movement split over Greta Thunberg's Palestine support, how Swedish attitudes to Israel-Palestine have changed over the years. 
Host Paul O’Mahony is joined this week by The Local’s Emma Löfgren and Richard Orange, and we also have an interview with the author and former ambassador Mathias Mossberg.
Here are links to some of the stories we discuss:
Fitting in
Ten signs you’re becoming more Swedish than the SwedesSaying hi
Swedish city launches campaign to get locals to say ‘hi’Politics
Family in focus as Busch kicks off November congressesGreta Thunberg
Greta Thunberg slammed over pro-Palestinian statements at climate rallyIsrael-Hamas war
How the Israel-Gaza attacks became party politics in Sweden

This week on Sweden in Focus: TV history show provokes debate, far-right leader gives speech in Arabic, Sweden's media subsidy system explained, surviving November, and how a wave of international arrests is affect Sweden's gang conflict.
Host Paul O’Mahony is joined this week by The Local’s James Savage and Becky Waterton, and we also have an interview with Expressen’s crime reporter Katrin Krantz.
Here are links to some of the stories we discuss this week:
History of Sweden 
OPINION: Why are racists in Sweden angry at history?ARCHIVE: Who were the first Scandinavians?Sweden Democrat speech 
OPINION: Åkesson’s speech may be in Arabic, but it’s for Swedish speakersSwedish media subsidies 
Mentioned at the end of this article: 
EXPLAINED: Swedish newspapers and how they workSwedish November survival
How to love November in Sweden (no, seriously!)Baby, it’s mörv outside: Sweden’s 13th month is hereIs this Swedish Christmas trend the secret to happiness?Heartwarming story about Gothenburg’s public library goes viralGangs
Who’s who in Sweden’s gang conflict?

In this week's Sweden in Focus we discuss: industrial action hits Tesla and Klarna, fears that new salary requirements for work permit holders will undermine the Swedish labour market model, how an oil spill and new fishing quotas have put the Baltic Sea in focus , and an ill-tempered battle for control of Sweden’s Green Party.
Host Paul O’Mahony is joined this week by The Local’s James Savage and Richard Orange.
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Here are links to some of the stories we discuss this week:
Strikes
Tesla threatens to bring in strikebreakers as Swedish workers strikeINTERVIEW: Is Klarna ready for the Swedish model?Historic strike called off after Klarna signs collective bargaining agreementWork permits
‘Irresponsible experiment’: Swedish business leader slams higher work permit thresholdARCHIVE: Is the Swedish Model the fairest of them all?Baltic Sea
Clean-up after Sweden ferry oil spill could last ‘up to a year’Politics
Poll misery for the government and the warring GreensIs the Green Party’s past to blame for its current problems?

This week: Halloween, Nato, cable damage in the Baltic Sea, popular TV shows, and we answer readers' questions on Sweden's new salary requirement for work permit holders. 
Host Paul O’Mahony in Stockholm is joined from Malmö by The Local’s Emma Löfgren and Becky Waterton.
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Here are links to stories we discuss this week:
Halloween
Opinion: What can Sweden learn from embracing the American Halloween tradition?All Saints
Swedish word of the day: allhelgonadagenNato & Baltic security 
Turkish president sends Sweden’s Nato application to parliamentSwedish government: ‘External force’ damaged cable between Sweden and EstoniaSwedish TV series 
Are Swedes funny? Explaining the many types of Swedish jokes– includes regular panelist Richard Orange‘s opinion on På spåret.Swedish reality TV show brings Swedish-Americans back ‘home’Work permits
‘We’re losing the life we built in Sweden’: Work permit holders dread uncertain futureWho will fill Sweden’s labour gap when immigrants leave?Reader question: Can I meet Sweden’s new work permit threshold by working multiple jobs?What counts as salary under Sweden's new work permit threshold?Correction: A previous version of the podcast incorrectly stated that OB-tillägg can never be counted as salary. It can, if it is regular and mentioned in your employment contract. We apologise for the confusion.