Taking The Floor

This is an 8 minute short film that was first screened in the 2017 film festival in Tampere, Finland.  It is an edited version of an actual Tampere city council meeting where a proposal to construct a tramway was discussed.  It recently resurfaced on social media after Sanna Marin’s appointment as Finnish PM.  She was the chairperson of Tampere city council at the time of that meeting, and features prominently in the film.  In some quarters, the film was cited as an example of her management capabilities.  However, what particularly stood out for me (as well as the makers of the film, I guess) are the comments of councillors who opposed the construction of the tramway.  Here’s a selection:

Injuries caused by bus wheels are always less severe than those caused by tram wheels.

The tram cannot dodge a suddenly appearing pedestrian, child, cyclist or a car.

The whole main street will be turned into a never-ending tram.

When the tracks wear out they need to be maintained.  This will release heavy metals.

Trams are undetectable because of their coloring.

There are also some general, but equally priceless comments.

I have already made up my mind.  Don’t confuse me with facts or reason.

I have personally visited Wall Street and they have a big bull with huge testicles that you should grab for wealth.