antakaa äänenne / nato-niinistölle ja tulette mykiksi
A Katainen Perkele post.
The evening news says the new budget will be painful but necessary. Necessary for whom, it doesn't say. You say one word, the national word, and the dog leaves the room. An election leaflet promises lower prices, more jobs and, somehow, better roads. The same face promised the same roads four years ago. You fold it into a neat square and level the kitchen table with it. In the sauna, three men who haven't spoken in forty minutes hear that fuel duty is going up. One says "perkele". The other two nod. It's the longest political debate the town has had all year. A brown envelope from the tax office: two reference numbers, a QR code and the phrase "you may be entitled". You are not entitled. You owe 340 euros. Perkele. **Why it caught on:** Jyrki Katainen led Finland's National Coalition Party and was Prime Minister from 2011 to 2014, and perkele, once the name of an evil spirit, is Finland's most famous swear word. Every country needs a way to grumble at whoever is in charge, and Finland's comes with its own national curse.