I’m taking my first summer holiday in two years (since you don’t get paid vacations for your first year at a new job), so I’ll probably be about as lazy and uncommunicative as I have been for the past few months. Only more sunburned.

We’re heading to the lake for a few days tomorrow, although to be brutally honest I would rather stay at home by myself. I think a lot of Finns talk big about loving solitude but time at the lake is hugely more social and a way bigger drain on my spoons than normal life even is. Still, it’s nice once you’re there, and I do like a good swim. Hopefully this mad-good weather holds.

My writing has been in the absolute fucking toilet the past couple of months, but I’m working on the second story of Anthology 4, which I have tentatively titled The Clown God. Guess what the running theme of the four stories will be!

Still, with the #SPSFC to prepare for, chances are I’ll be doing more reading and reviewing than writing for the rest of this year.

In other (political) news, the vile piece of crap at the head of the True Crims party has announced he won’t be standing again, which means the bigot party will need a new human shit-stain to be their face.

All cathartic abuse aside, he’ll still be a fixture in Finnish politics and there will always be a new face for populist bigotry. Most interesting thing I’ve seen about this change is that he has written a statement listing the real and honest reasons for his departure, but it has been sealed behind a ten-year embargo and will only be read in 2031.

Riiiight.

So I’m willing to bet that the reasons are (including but not limited to):

• Finland / the world is currently not ready for effective bigot party rule, ie. there are too many libs and greenies around getting in the way and it makes him look ineffective.
• Within the next ten years populism, nationalism, isolationism and the normalisation of hate will continue to rise, until it is practically invisible. Climate collapse and the utter dispossession of the working and middle class (let alone those below the poverty line) will assist this trend.
• His press release will basically just say “I told you so” about whatever happens in the next ten years, and claim that he would have been able to stop it and also that it was brown immigrants’, other immigrants’, LGBT+ and their supporters’ fault, in that order. Maybe the gays first, he really fucking hates the gays.

Oh well. I’m just glad he might be in the news a bit less now.