It was the budget debate in the town Hall in a week. I was there for a moment and thought back on my debut in 1984.
I was relatively new as a reporter on the Stockholmsredaktionen and got the monitor the culture and sports/fritidsfrågorna. It would sit like a glove for me, which had a history at both teaterredaktionen and sportredaktionen.
But to sit on the pressläktaren in the council chamber in the city Hall was something completely different than doing it at the Zinkensdamms IP or in the eriksdalshallen, stockholm.
it is a break for coffee in the half. Then win either the one or the other team. It can be a tie, but in 1984, I noted that neither the one or the other team won the debate. Not even a draw, but a hefty extension. Coffee break was just to forget.
in 1984, there was no time limit, so the politicians were allowed to talk until they had argued finished, and the only thing you knew was that the eight hours allocated to a new report by the budget would not be enough. Not by a long shot.
the Culture and sport did not get the same amount of time despite the fact that the questions are important for well-being.
I was thinking, raised as I am in a sporting family. But I cheated on me. A large part of the debate came to be about whether it would be nolltaxa or not in the city centers. Important question, sure, but when the politicians were up and waving the same argument for the third time, I had the urge to hold up a red card and insist on matchstraff.
once, I think it was at the end of the 1980s, when the culture would be “the last topic of the day” I knew it would be late. It was liquid time, and the debate started around 23.30. I sat alone on the pressläktaren, but despite the fact that the deadline had passed, I wanted to stay on because “my” issues would be discussed.
It was late. It was målfoto that I got home before the morning paper. The following day was a new debate in the rådskorridoren, I was stopped by a politician who was as tired as I am. It is your fault that it was so late, ” he said. Had it been the plot of pressläktaren had no one bothered to go up in the pulpit and we had come home in time.
Hygglo!
