Lehtinen's useful privileges

Lasse Lehtinen, the Finnish socialist MEP, author and sometime presenter of Finland's version of ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' (Haluatko miljonääriksi?, since you ask), was made a freeman of the City of London on Friday (21 September). In times gone by, the freedom would have bestowed on the holder all sorts of useful privileges such as being able to drive a flock of sheep across London Bridge and wander around with an unsheathed sword. But nowadays being a freeman is just an excuse to turn up for posh dinners and participate in elections with a very low turnout – so not much different from being an MEP. Lehtinen's honour seems to come from his friendship with John Stuttard, who is currently the Lord Mayor of the City of London and is a fan of all things Finnish. Lehtinen's socialist colleagues might note that when Margaret Thatcher was prime minister, Stuttard worked as a Downing Street policy adviser, thinking up ways to privatise Britain's nationalised industries. The socialists might also observe that along with the freedom, Lehtinen has been made a member of one of the London livery companies, or guilds. In medieval times, the guilds controlled certain trades in the city, preventing those who were not members of the guilds from trading inside the city. The outsiders were referred to as ‘aliens'. It's the kind of behaviour that the European Commission now tries to discourage, with such measures as the much contested services directive. Lehtinen was a strong supporter of the directive, much to the irritation of his French and Belgian socialist counterparts who feared the advent of hordes of Polish plumbers. Ironic then that, the Finn has been made a member of London's Worshipful Company of Plumbers.