INTERVIEW: Is Klarna ready for the Swedish model?
In this bonus episode of our Sweden in Focus podcast, host Paul O’Mahony and panelists Richard Orange and James Savage are joined by Sen Kanner, union club chairperson at Swedish financial services company Klarna.Tune in as she tells us more about the process of unionizing a workplace in Sweden, how long it can be expected to take, how the tech sector differs from other industries, how much it matters that many tech workers are foreign, and what advice she would give others considering the same course of action.You can listen to part 1 of the interview in the previous episode.Related articles: Swedish word of the day: KollektivavtalINTERVIEW: 'Spotify is going to find that a union deal is a competitive advantage'INTERVIEW: 'Spotify need to realise they're a bigger player and should act like one'_Become a member of The LocalShare your feedback on Sweden in Focus Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
25 Apr 202312min
Learn Swedish the rude way, and how foreigners are unionizing Sweden's tech sector
Become a member of The Local__In the latest episode of our Sweden in Focus podcast, host Paul O’Mahony is joined by panelists James Savage and Richard Orange, as well as our guest this week, Sen Kanner, chairperson of the union club at Klarna. This week Richard tells us about a new TV investigation into alleged large-scale Russian spy activity in the Baltic Sea. Are Russian spy ships planning sabotage of energy infrastructure?We take a look at the spring budget presented this week by finance minster Elisabeth Svantesson and the political implications for the main parties. How Sweden’s new spring budget will affect your financesWe’ve all tittered at some point at a Swedish word that sounds similar to a word with a different meaning in our own languages. This week we’re especially focused on words that people with native languages other than English have been sharing with us.More Swedish words that just sound wrong in other languagesStaying with language, we chat about some alternatives to Swedish for Immigrants (SFI) classes. What are the alternatives to the free Swedish for Immigrants course?Two of Sweden’s biggest tech companies, Spotify and Klarna, are in the news right now over attempts by workers to convince management to sign on to collective bargaining agreements. In both cases the people behind the unionization drive are immigrants to Sweden. This week our guest, Sen Kanner, tells us all about the process at Klarna. Don’t miss:INTERVIEW: ‘Spotify is going to find that a union deal is a competitive advantage’INTERVIEW: ‘Spotify need to realise they’re a bigger player and should act like one’__SURVEY: Share your feedback on Sweden in Focus Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
22 Apr 202340min
INTERVIEW: The past, present and future of Sweden's zero-tolerance drug policy
Become a member of The Local__In the latest episode of our Sweden in Focus podcast, host Paul O’Mahony is joined by Johan Wicklén, a reporter with public broadcaster SVT and the author of a book on Sweden's war on drugs. Tune in for the second part of a wide-ranging conversation on everything from the history of Sweden’s zero tolerance drug policy to whether our guest thinks Sweden will eventually move towards liberalization like many other countries have done in recent years. You can listen to the first part of the interview in last week's episode. ARCHIVE - Is Sweden's zero-tolerance approach to drugs a failing model?__SURVEY: Share your feedback on Sweden in Focus Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
15 Apr 202337min
Easter traditions, threats to democracy, and Swedish attitudes to drugs explained
Become a member of The Local__In the latest episode of our Sweden in Focus podcast, host Paul O’Mahony is joined by panelists James Savage, Becky Waterton and Emma Löfgren. This week we take a closer look at what makes a Swedish Easter. Witches and herring: Seven traditions that reveal it's Easter in SwedenPODCAST: 65,000 bomb shelters, a Swedish teacher's tips, and Easter insults'Ash fart', 'fat pig' and 'long lazy': a guide to Sweden's Easter insultsWe discuss a new court ruling allowing demonstrators to burn the Quran, as well as terrorism arrests connected to the right-wing extremist Rasmus Paludan’s Quran-burning demo outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm. Sweden arrests five over suspected terror plot linked to Quran burningSwedish court: Police wrong to refuse permission for Quran burningPODCAST: Why Sweden experienced its worst riots in decades‘Police should have stopped Koran-burning demos after the first day’We examine a new survey that shows a majority of Swedes prioritize security over democracy. ARCHIVE - OPINION: To protect Sweden’s democracy, trust is not enoughFinally, and with the help of journalist and author Johan Wicklén, we delve into Swedish attitudes to drugs and how likely the country is to liberalize its policies. ARCHIVE - Is Sweden's zero-tolerance approach to drugs a failing model?How to argue without losing your Swedish friends__SURVEY: Share your feedback on Sweden in Focus Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
8 Apr 202330min
Price wars, nudity, and why has Sweden gone cold on climate change?
In the latest episode of our Sweden in Focus podcast, host Paul O’Mahony is joined by panelists James Savage, Becky Waterton and Richard Orange. This week we kick off with a few current talking points in Sweden: the weather's still bitterly cold but at least the Easter break is coming up; why a post-match football interview sparked a racism row; and should Sweden follow Denmark's lead on Brexit Brits?What changes in Sweden in April 2023?As food prices hit record highs we look at why a price war has finally broken out in Sweden's supermarkets. Swedish grocery giants to cut prices on hundreds of itemsWe discuss why Hungary is still keeping Sweden waiting on Nato as Finland forges ahead.Hungary calls on Sweden to address ‘grievances’ to end Nato spatWe talk about how comfortable Sweden is with nudity and whether attitudes have changed over time.How to get naked in Sweden without embarrassing yourselfAnd finally we dig into a report this week from Sweden's climate watchdog predicting that government policies will cause emissions to increase for the first time in two decades.Swedish government’s new climate policies ‘will lead to rising emissions’__SURVEY: Share your feedback on Sweden in Focus Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1 Apr 202340min
Swedish gangster rap, property market turbulence, and who’s Chris O’Neill?
In the latest episode of our Sweden in Focus podcast, host Paul O’Mahony is joined by panelists James Savage, Becky Waterton and Richard Orange. This week we’re talking about why the Swedish state may soon find itself in court over its alleged climate inaction. Swedish court to hear young people’s climate lawsuit against the stateAfter our chat with crime reporter Diamant Salihu a few weeks ago we go deeper on Swedish gangster rap and look at how close some of its most successful practitioners are to the gang violence they depict. ‘Supply and demand, motherfxxker!’: The real violence behind Sweden’s gangster rapINTERVIEW: ‘Everybody in Sweden who buys cocaine should know the money is used to buy bullets’We’ll give you some background on Chris O’Neill, the British-American husband of Princess Madeleine as the couple prepare to move back to Sweden. The difficulties of moving to Sweden as a non-EU spouse… even if you marry a Swedish princessARCHIVE: A look at Swedish royal fiancé Chris O’NeillWe have an interview with the United States’ ambassador to Sweden, Erik Ramanathan, about his impressions of Sweden and the strength of the countries’ bilateral relationship. And, finally, we’ll see what the forecast is like for the Swedish property market, and why foreigners are busy snapping up summer homes. ‘New era’: Swedish bank warns interest rate could hit five percentForeign buyers snap up cheaper Swedish holiday homesSeven gorgeous Swedish holiday homes for less than a million kronorHow to get the best rate on your mortgage in Sweden__SURVEY: Share your feedback on Sweden in Focus Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
25 Mar 202335min
Swedish language reform controversy, and who are all the Skarsgårds?
In the latest episode of our Sweden in Focus podcast, host Paul O’Mahony is joined by panelists Becky Waterton and Richard Orange. In this week’s episode we discuss how the fallout from the recent banking sector turmoil might affect savers in Sweden. How safe is your money in a Swedish bank account?What’s going on with Nato? Are Hungary and Turkey are going to let Finland and Sweden in?‘Increased chance that Finland joins NATO before Sweden’: PMIs it time to dispense with ‘de’ and ‘dem’ in written Swedish and instead embrace ‘dom’? DE/DEM: Is Sweden about to carry out its biggest language reform in 50 years?In a week when the Christian Democrats’ party secretary was fired after another senior figure in the party filed a police report against him, we look at how the scandal has played out so far and how the party has handled it. Swedish MEP comes forward as accuser in Christian Democrat ‘me-too’ caseLIST: Sweden’s biggest seven ‘me-too’ casesIn the latest instalment of our ambassador series, we have an interview with Canada’s ambassador to Sweden, Jason LaTorre.We also look at who’s who in the the Skarsgård acting dynasty before rounding off with tips for some of our own favourite Swedish films. SKARS-GUIDE: Who’s who in Sweden’s Skarsgård acting dynasty?__SURVEY: Share your feedback on Sweden in Focus Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
18 Mar 202338min
Part 2: How the Sweden Democrats are flirting with the extreme right
In this special bonus episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast, we hear more from our guest Jonathan Leman, a researcher with the Expo Foundation, which monitors and exposes far-right extremism in Sweden. Host Paul O’Mahony is also joined by panelists James Savage, Becky Waterton and Emma Löfgren.In this episode we continue our chat about the far-right Sweden Democrats' interactions with the more extreme fringe of the nationalist movement. We discuss the Sweden Democrats' increasing climate scepticism and their intervention to block LGBTQ cultural events. We also talk about the party's stance on Russia's invasion of Ukraine and whether their renewed ties to the far-right alternative media ecosystem represents a security threat. EXPLAINED: Why the Sweden Democrats are still a far-right party‘It’s incredible: We have effectively got through the Sweden Democrat migration policy’__SURVEY: Share your feedback on Sweden in Focus Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
14 Mar 202328min
