Start / Sweden in Focus / What makes sweden a place worth celebrating

What makes Sweden a place worth celebrating?

43 min • 10 juni 2023

In the latest episode of our Sweden in Focus podcast, host Paul O’Mahony is joined by panelists Richard Orange, James Savage, and Becky Waterton.

This week we discuss:

Sex lies

Fact check: Has Sweden really recognised sex as an official sport?

Drought fears

IN MAPS: What the drought could mean for Sweden this summer
Fire bans as Sweden braces for another week of tinder-dry weather
How to stay safe during the heat in Sweden this summer

Day trips

Discover southern Sweden: Five of the best day trips from Malmö
Five of the best day trips to do from Stockholm
Five great day trips to do from Gothenburg

Weak krona

EXPLAINED: How could Sweden's latest inflation news affect your finances?

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Zlatan Ibrahimovic retires

'It's the moment to say goodbye': Zlatan Ibrahimovic retires from football

Multiple identities

ARCHIVE: Why it's time to celebrate Sweden's diverse identity

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Senaste avsnitt

Family reunification to get harder in Sweden, and is now a good time to buy property?

13 juli 2024 | 17 min

'How can Sweden leave behind a citizen who was sentenced to death?'

6 juli 2024 | 22 min

Almedalen special: Why does Sweden make life so hard for foreign talent?

29 juni 2024 | 24 min

Anger over prisoner swap with Iran, and how strawberries fuel Sweden's gangs

20 juni 2024 | 19 min

Sweden's most offensive words and a bad night for the far right

15 juni 2024 | 26 min

Three parties risk European elimination as Sweden goes to the polls

8 juni 2024 | 14 min

Is Iran using Swedish gangs in its proxy war with Israel?

1 juni 2024 | 20 min

How can Sweden get more immigrants in leadership roles?

25 maj 2024 | 24 min

INTERVIEW - Sweden's labour migration clampdown will harm green transition: Green Party leader

22 maj 2024 | 39 min

Sweden Democrat troll factory scandal grows and Taylor Swift hits Stockholm

18 maj 2024 | 25 min

How will lower interest rates affect your life in Sweden, and how likely is a 4-day week?

10 maj 2024 | 15 min

Why do we get a day off for Ascension and who's the new joint leader of Sweden's Green Party?

4 maj 2024 | 13 min

How can Sweden attract and retain skilled foreigners?

27 april 2024 | 30 min

How a Swedish nepotism scandal highlights poor recruitment practices

20 april 2024 | 17 min

50 years of Abba, children’s residence permit row, Sweden regressing on rule of law

13 april 2024 | 21 min

Gender law splits government and will there be a Swedish pope?

6 april 2024 | 20 min

How happy are Swedes?

30 mars 2024 | 15 min

Waffle Day, terror arrests, Christian Democrats and Sweden Democrats in war of words

23 mars 2024 | 16 min

New migration numbers and why a Swedish kids' magazine ignores prudish parents

16 mars 2024 | 15 min

INTERVIEW: 'Lots of kids growing up in Sweden are not allowed to feel Swedish'

11 mars 2024 | 43 min

'Better late than sorry' as Sweden joins Nato, and will Norwegians sing for Sweden?

9 mars 2024 | 23 min

What do Swedes think of Russia and Ukraine? And bloodied 85-year-old beats ski record

2 mars 2024 | 18 min

The dreaded orange envelope, book tips, and how will Nato membership change Sweden?

24 februari 2024 | 18 min

What are the best tips for making friends in Sweden?

21 februari 2024 | 26 min

Skiing tips, politics for immigrants, and plans for stiffer work permit rules

17 februari 2024 | 28 min

What makes dating in Sweden so hard (and how to succeed)?

14 februari 2024 | 24 min

Semla bun frenzy, anti-Semitism in Sweden, and why a Gucci cap could get you frisked

10 februari 2024 | 24 min

New work permit system, Macron's Sweden visit and who are the Sami?

3 februari 2024 | 27 min

Top politician wants to ban Islamic symbols, and is Sweden prepared for cyber attacks?

27 januari 2024 | 30 min

Centre-right collapse explained, and why do Swedes drink so much coffee?

20 januari 2024 | 32 min

Why are politicians warning 'there could be war in Sweden'?

13 januari 2024 | 23 min

What's coming up in Sweden in 2024?

6 januari 2024 | 25 min

What were the stories that defined Sweden in 2023?

30 december 2023 | 39 min

Christmas travel, new political party rumours, and how can immigrants get jobs in Sweden?

21 december 2023 | 30 min

Cheaper home loans, immigration costs, and plans for a compulsory 'Sweden course'

16 december 2023 | 26 min

'Networking is the key to everything in Sweden'

9 december 2023 | 36 min

How a call to demolish mosques sent shock waves through Swedish politics

2 december 2023 | 31 min

Permanent residency under review and will cost of living in Sweden soon drop?

25 november 2023 | 33 min

How is Sweden reacting to the Israel-Hamas war?

18 november 2023 | 27 min

Who were Sweden's first inhabitants and why do more people want guns?

11 november 2023 | 31 min

Swedish model under threat, and which party leaders are doomed?

4 november 2023 | 35 min

Your questions answered on Sweden's new work permit rules

28 oktober 2023 | 31 min

Why a terrorist targeted Swedes, and does the far right run Sweden now?

21 oktober 2023 | 37 min

INTERVIEW: Why didn't the Social Democrats fix Sweden's school segregation problems?

18 oktober 2023 | 40 min

Work permit holders appeal to Sweden to let them stay

14 oktober 2023 | 36 min

Immigrant fears over work permit rules and Sweden moves towards more surveillance

7 oktober 2023 | 28 min

Shocking week of gang violence, and why northern Sweden needs foreign workers

30 september 2023 | 37 min

How will the budget affect you, and why is Sweden's gang violence escalating?

23 september 2023 | 33 min

King’s 50th jubilee, and must Swedish citizenship be ‘protected’?

16 september 2023 | 32 min

What immigrants think of Sweden's migration shift, euro debate, and stinky herring

9 september 2023 | 35 min

Why does Sweden allow Quran burnings?

2 september 2023 | 33 min

Will new renting rules fix Sweden's housing crisis?

1 juli 2023 | 33 min

Why Swedes take such long summer holidays (and why we all should)

24 juni 2023 | 30 min

Midsummer tips, smoke-free Sweden, and how Stockholm can learn from Malmö on gun crime

17 juni 2023 | 40 min

What makes Sweden a place worth celebrating?

10 juni 2023 | 43 min

What you need to know about Sweden’s planned permanent residency tests

3 juni 2023 | 34 min

How the Swedish health system works (and doesn't work)

30 maj 2023 | 22 min

Lifestyle trends, Swexit talk, and how good is Swedish healthcare?

27 maj 2023 | 37 min

How can Sweden make its schools less segregated?

23 maj 2023 | 41 min

Summer getaways, lower food prices, and Swedish schools explained

20 maj 2023 | 33 min

Is democracy really under threat in Sweden?

12 maj 2023 | 37 min

Interview with Swedish Migration Agency boss, Part 2

9 maj 2023 | 29 min

Interview with Swedish Migration Agency boss, Part 1

6 maj 2023 | 39 min

INTERVIEW: Why is Sweden scared to talk about racism? Part 2

2 maj 2023 | 34 min

Why is Sweden scared to talk about racism?

29 april 2023 | 39 min

INTERVIEW: Is Spotify ready for the Swedish model?

27 april 2023 | 28 min

INTERVIEW: Is Klarna ready for the Swedish model?

25 april 2023 | 13 min

Learn Swedish the rude way, and how foreigners are unionizing Sweden's tech sector

22 april 2023 | 41 min

INTERVIEW: The past, present and future of Sweden's zero-tolerance drug policy

15 april 2023 | 37 min

Easter traditions, threats to democracy, and Swedish attitudes to drugs explained

8 april 2023 | 31 min

Price wars, nudity, and why has Sweden gone cold on climate change?

1 april 2023 | 40 min

Swedish gangster rap, property market turbulence, and who’s Chris O’Neill?

25 mars 2023 | 35 min

Swedish language reform controversy, and who are all the Skarsgårds?

18 mars 2023 | 39 min

Part 2: How the Sweden Democrats are flirting with the extreme right

14 mars 2023 | 29 min

How the Sweden Democrats are flirting with the extreme right

11 mars 2023 | 40 min

How important is it to learn Swedish?

4 mars 2023 | 42 min

Interview with Ukraine's ambassador to Sweden, Part 2

28 februari 2023 | 13 min

Work permits, defence volunteers, and what is Sweden doing to aid Ukraine?

25 februari 2023 | 42 min

Bonus episode: How can Sweden do more to help struggling households?

21 februari 2023 | 30 min

Why is Sweden the worst-performing economy in the EU?

18 februari 2023 | 40 min

Welcome to Sweden? Interview with migration minister Maria Malmer Stenergard

11 februari 2023 | 42 min

Bonus episode: How can Sweden put a stop to fatal gang shootings? Part 2

7 februari 2023 | 33 min

How can Sweden put a stop to fatal gang shootings? Part 1

4 februari 2023 | 34 min

Bonus episode: How Sweden became a paradise for billionaires, Part 2

31 januari 2023 | 17 min

How Sweden became a paradise for billionaires

28 januari 2023 | 39 min

Dual citizens' loyalties, new sleeper train, and a green game changer in Kiruna

21 januari 2023 | 35 min

Money-saving tips, migration law updates, and why is the King so annoyed?

14 januari 2023 | 37 min

What's coming up in Sweden in 2023?

31 december 2022 | 18 min

Swedish news quiz 2022 - How well do you remember the year?

23 december 2022 | 32 min

Migration agency delays, far-right meddling, and Sweden's Christmas traditions explained

17 december 2022 | 42 min

Sweden's cultural canon plan and what it means for foreigners

10 december 2022 | 42 min

Why Swedes and foreigners clash in love (and how to make it work)

3 december 2022 | 42 min

Why does Sweden want to revoke permanent residency?

26 november 2022 | 35 min

Why doesn't Sweden gather data on race and ethnicity – and should it?

19 november 2022 | 42 min

Budget anger, Turkey deadlock, and can you pass The Local's Swedish citizenship test?

12 november 2022 | 40 min

Climate criticism, struggling Ukrainians, and work permit limits under fire

5 november 2022 | 32 min

Racism in Sweden, and how welcome do foreigners feel after the election?

29 oktober 2022 | 44 min

Does Sweden's new coalition deal threaten basic rights?

22 oktober 2022 | 37 min

How will the new government affect foreigners' lives in Sweden?

15 oktober 2022 | 36 min

Why foreigners are furious about 'humiliating' work permit delays

8 oktober 2022 | 32 min

Baltic gas blasts, key Swedish words, and how to keep living costs low

1 oktober 2022 | 30 min

Why does Sweden allow profit-making schools?

24 september 2022 | 44 min

What are the Sweden Democrats' plans for immigrants?

17 september 2022 | 43 min

What next for Sweden as far right catches scent of real power?

12 september 2022 | 31 min

Why is no one talking to immigrants in this election?

10 september 2022 | 48 min

Fighting crime, and how could the Sweden Democrats change Sweden?

3 september 2022 | 41 min

How to combat segregation, and is this Sweden's ugliest ever election?

27 augusti 2022 | 39 min

Parties target immigrant kids, and what are the Sweden Democrats' election prospects?

20 augusti 2022 | 45 min

What are the Swedish election pledges that most affect foreigners?

13 augusti 2022 | 38 min

Why Sweden is following Denmark on language tests and integration

6 augusti 2022 | 43 min

PODCAST SUMMER SPECIAL: the pocket book election, and doesn't Sweden want foreign talent?

8 juli 2022 | 40 min

PODCAST: Swedish holiday traditions, and why has the Centre Party plummeted in the polls?

25 juni 2022 | 35 min

What makes people move to Sweden (apart from love and money)?

18 juni 2022 | 39 min

Tensions rise in Swedish politics as crucial election looms

11 juni 2022 | 38 min

Sweden’s new work permit law: what are the pros and cons?

4 juni 2022 | 35 min

How Sweden’s flat hierarchies work (and attitudes to alcohol)

28 maj 2022 | 36 min

End of an era: What's next for Sweden after Nato application?

21 maj 2022 | 31 min

Why is Sweden getting tougher on immigration?

14 maj 2022 | 31 min

What is Sweden doing to combat Russian propaganda?

7 maj 2022 | 37 min

How will the global energy crisis affect life in Sweden?

30 april 2022 | 35 min

Why Sweden experienced its worst riots in decades

23 april 2022 | 26 min

Next stop Nato, healthcare tips, and are the Liberals doomed?

16 april 2022 | 29 min

65,000 bomb shelters, a Swedish teacher's tips, and Easter insults

9 april 2022 | 36 min

Beat the Swedish system, IndiskFika, and trouble over mines

2 april 2022 | 33 min

Arming Ukraine, rising Swedish prices, and ‘talent deportations’

26 mars 2022 | 31 min

Ukrainian refugees, Swedish for Immigrants classes, and does the typical Swede exist?

19 mars 2022 | 34 min

The Nato dilemma, what Sweden expects of us in a crisis, and how you can help Ukraine

12 mars 2022 | 33 min

New migration laws, a Covid recap and life in the Gothenburg archipelago

17 juli 2021 | 32 min

Coop cyberattack, the return of Löfven and personnummer havoc

10 juli 2021 | 34 min

Political misrepresentation abroad, language tests and Swedish stereotypes

3 juli 2021 | 32 min

The Left Party and Centre Party divide, rent control and why snaps?

26 juni 2021 | 32 min

Political crisis, reopening plans and a much argued over Swedish habit

19 juni 2021 | 31 min

Shrinking liberals, travel travails and the politics of timber - Sweden in Focus

12 juni 2021 | 37 min

Introducing - Sweden in Focus

9 juni 2021 | 1 min

What makes Sweden a place worth celebrating?

Senaste avsnitt

Is your Swedish good enough for university? – Quiz 11

Can Sweden's migration minister survive scandal of son's extremist links?

Is your Swedish good enough for university? – Quiz 10

Is your Swedish good enough for university? – Quiz 9

Almedalen special: Swedish red tape vexes Ukrainians

Fit in or stick out? How Sweden changes you

Good news at last for work permit holders in Sweden

Sweden's new alcohol law: 'Freedom reform' or flop?

Red cottage nightmares, and is Sweden’s support for Israel crumbling?

Why Sweden is making it illegal to order OnlyFans sex

How Swedish immigration rules fuel 'chronic anxiety' for foreign researchers

Why Johan Forssell wants to change Sweden's 'weird' immigration system

How Sweden tightened immigration after the 2015 refugee crisis

Why Sweden celebrates spring with bonfires and songs

All about Eves: Why Sweden celebrates holidays a day early

What the fika! How Swedes are reacting to sky-high coffee prices

Will Sweden's 'poor conduct' law muzzle immigrants?

Why immigrant tech workers are challenging Sweden on citizenship

Why thousands of foreign workers risk expulsion from Sweden

Classified documents scandal gives Sweden's prime minister a huge headache

Why are politicians fighting over Sweden's multiculturalism?

Why is Sweden such a trusting society?

How is Sweden reacting to Trump's seismic shift on European security?

Why post-Örebro gun control split the Sweden Democrats

What we know about Sweden's worst ever mass shooting

How to speak Scanian like a southern Swede

Is your Swedish good enough for university? – Quiz 1

What makes Sweden one of the world's most innovative countries?

Will Sweden's new citizenship rules put foreign workers off?

Buckle up for more Swedish immigration curbs in 2025

Sweden in 2025: From reader predictions to new immigration rules

Sweden in Focus end of year quiz 2024

'It's not Christmas in Sweden without a culture war'

What do Syrians in Sweden think of calls for them to 'go home'?

What we know so far about Sweden’s plan for fewer new citizens

All you need to know about Sweden's planned new 'snitch law'

Curb your immigration: Swedish politicians ramp up the rhetoric

Why Tesla and striking Swedish unions are still deadlocked one year on

What does a Trump victory mean for Americans in Sweden (and everyone else)?

Could backing Israel seriously become a condition for Swedish citizenship?

Why Sweden's tax-and-spend makeover has split the political left

What are the sure signs you definitely live in Sweden?

Are Jimmie Åkesson’s gang leader links damaging for the Sweden Democrats?

Why Sweden's begging ban debate feels a decade out of date

Why Sweden risks blowback from 3-month limit for jobseekers

What are Sweden's budget priorities for immigrants?

What words from other Nordic languages do all Swedes know?

Can Sweden's new screen guidelines stop the endless scrolling?

Should fathers be allowed to 'give away the bride' at Swedish weddings?

Why Swedish 'child soldiers' do dirty work for Danish gangs

Strange noises Swedes make that you won't find in a dictionary

Why an award-winning businessman risks deportation from Sweden

How Sweden's stricter immigration rules are hurting the games industry

How wage requirements for foreign workers are hitting Sweden's startups

What do foreigners value most about living in Sweden?

Family reunification to get harder in Sweden, and is now a good time to buy property?

'How can Sweden leave behind a citizen who was sentenced to death?'

Almedalen special: Why does Sweden make life so hard for foreign talent?

Anger over prisoner swap with Iran, and how strawberries fuel Sweden's gangs

Sweden's most offensive words and a bad night for the far right

Three parties risk European elimination as Sweden goes to the polls

Is Iran using Swedish gangs in its proxy war with Israel?

How can Sweden get more immigrants in leadership roles?

INTERVIEW - Sweden's labour migration clampdown will harm green transition: Green Party leader

Sweden Democrat troll factory scandal grows and Taylor Swift hits Stockholm

How will lower interest rates affect your life in Sweden, and how likely is a 4-day week?

Why do we get a day off for Ascension and who's the new joint leader of Sweden's Green Party?

How can Sweden attract and retain skilled foreigners?

How a Swedish nepotism scandal highlights poor recruitment practices

50 years of Abba, children’s residence permit row, Sweden regressing on rule of law

Gender law splits government and will there be a Swedish pope?

How happy are Swedes?

Waffle Day, terror arrests, Christian Democrats and Sweden Democrats in war of words

New migration numbers and why a Swedish kids' magazine ignores prudish parents

INTERVIEW: 'Lots of kids growing up in Sweden are not allowed to feel Swedish'

'Better late than sorry' as Sweden joins Nato, and will Norwegians sing for Sweden?

What do Swedes think of Russia and Ukraine? And bloodied 85-year-old beats ski record

The dreaded orange envelope, book tips, and how will Nato membership change Sweden?