Londonward

I guess autumn is here, judging by the amount of rain. The temperature is a pleasant 15 degrees celsius even at night, though, so the rain doesn’t feel all that chilly. I just hope it will clear up by the weekend, as I’ll be attending a field course somewhere in Surrey, and wouldn’t want to do it while getting soaked.

Waiting for the bus up in Holborn at eight pm tonight, looking at the glistening streets and black cabs whizzing past made me think about living in London. Even then, a couple of London Prides downed with people from my department sloshing inside me, I really didn’t feel like I lived in this city. Yeah, I’m staying here. I’m starting to know my way around. I’m beginning to pick up bits of the accent and manner of speaking. It nonetheless feels like I’m just visiting, though.

It wasn’t planned, but we took a stroll through the drizzle to the local, “Jack Beard’s at the Plough”. Aside from some old chap we were the only customers, and obviously not part of the usual clientele. The landlord’s big dog growled at us from behind the bar, but was quickly silenced. I noticed they were serving Greene King IPA, so I asked for a pint. “It isn’t IPA, but it’s real ale, my friend brought up a cask from Hereford, from a microbrewery” he replied. I obliged, and he gave me a generous taster to make my mind up - something I very much appreciated. It wasn’t bad stuff: “very hoppy” in his words, quite sharp to my unaccustomed palate. Went down easy enough, though. Something called “Awed Bull” or something.

So there we were, the only customers in a little corner pub with Chartlist TV blaring top ten hits from the last ten years, enjoying pints and playing some pool. Not a bad way to spend an evening.

For £1.99 plus whatever you’re drinking, the breakfast they serve at J.D. Wetherspoon is surprisingly good value. It kept me going from 11 am right through to teatime today.

Saturday mornings in pubs are fun.

In the frenzy of the first week of inductions and introductions at school I joined the LSE Finnish society, among a host of other societies. I wished to show support for a new society, and having ties to the country didn’t hurt either. It was bound to be interesting to witness non-Finns experiencing a sauna for the first time.

Come the Annual General Meeting, I was surprised as to the number of Finns at the school. There was widespread interest from non-Finns, too, and plenty of them arrived for the meeting and the elections for a new committee. Before the official start of the meeting, the Finns, including the society president, were discussing some of the members. Apparently, a half-Finnish, half-American student had contacted the committee, expressing his earnest interest in serving this year. The problem, according to the older members, was that he didn’t speak Finnish, and apparently he didn’t know who Tarja Halonen was.

These were reasons enough to ridicule him and roll eyes. This person, genuinely interested in Finnish culture and his roots, had been shot down because “it’s easier that the committee all speak Finnish”.

Every other AGM I had attended had the previous committee members conducting official elections for all positions, with old members running for positions alongside new members. Here, last year’s committee had met previously and decided on positions they would take. In theory, anyone was free to run for any of the positions, but the committee presented itself as a ready-made block with several “open positions” that hadn’t been taken. The setting was far from encouraging for anyone wanting to make an attempt for any position that wasn’t “events officer”.

A person not present at the meeting was given a senior position on the grounds that “she deserves it, having founded the society”. If someone had wanted to run for her position, “she would accept being Secretary, but would very much like the other position”. What kind of democracy is that? Since when have democratic institutions been governed by those “deserving” of the position through some sort of seniority?

I’m sure there’s no need to mention that all the members of the committee are Finns, through and through.

To be honest, I felt disgusted, and refused a position that I was strongly urged to take up as a first-year student and a Finnish national. In an institution that prides itself on being the most diverse University in the country, committed to equality, solidarity and tolerance, I find the existence of a brotherhood of Finns that only presents a facade of tolerance while seeking to maintain limited access to the official business of the society unsustainable and unacceptable.

I heard from another, non-Finnish, student that she had met an American who is half-Finnish. I asked her whether he had joined the society, to which she replied that he had, but had been disappointed because “all they had talked about was drinking and sauna.” I added two plus two, and realized that he must have been the same person the committee had talked about. Maybe I should have told them that in actual fact, I’m only as Finnish as that poor guy. Would they have been so keen on me joining then?