Sexist politicians must go

The Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) has a computer-animated political satire show called Itse valtiaat (fi), featuring familiar politicians taking part in alleged comic hi jinx. It has long been criticized for lacking any form of political content, instead opting for a character-based humour popular with young viewers. The breakout character among the pre-teen set was former Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen, presented as a grouchy and almost ape-like but ultimately kind-hearted. Lately the show has acquired a new political edge. Shows are actually topical and characters discuss current events in a satirical fashion. It has never been worse.

The problem is that the newfound topical content has come at the prize of hiring Aarno "Loka" Laitinen, a long-time Iltalehti columnist, as a writer. Laitinen has succeeded in inserting political rumours and such into the scrip. He's also succeeded in making all male characters sound like himself - hidebound chauvinists, that is - and the female characters have lost what little intelligence they used to have. His abysmal columns are quite idiosyncratic in their bitter sexism and it's supremely irritating to have the same retrograde screed coming out of the mouths of every frigging male politician on the show. They should go back to doing a children's show. The program still wouldn't be any good, but limiting people's exposure to Laitinen would surely be a positive thing in itself.