Lisa Magnusson: A porn king in the municipal hall is not the worst

As soon as Lars Eriksson in Jokkmokk comes up, everyone giggles. Understandably enough: It is undeniably both an unexpected and, yes, comical contrast when something as bureaucratic gray as a municipal manager is revealed to have made porn - on an international level, moreover (SVT Norrbotten 4/11).

The evening papers have of course been quick to publish pictures where the act itself has been censored, but not the most private: the face of the municipal manager with flushed cheeks. Now he is forced to resign with immediate effect, it is referred to as a pure security issue.

"He has been involved in meetings with the Armed Forces, and even if what was discussed there is a public document, we do not consider it serious to be important pieces of the puzzle for a foreign power," says Roland Boman from the local party Framtid in Jokkmokk Municipality (FJK) to SVT Norrbotten.

It is a strikingly flimsy justification: public documents are, after all, already public. It's hard to let go of the idea that this is about something else: that it might still be uncomfortable to have a porn king in the municipal hall. Or that the rulers already wanted to get rid of him, that the porn was just a thank you excuse. He himself is in on the latter in SVT's interview.

Where is the limit for what elected officials must report?

Regardless, the story raises an important question of principle: Where is the limit for what elected representatives should have to report?

Take swinging, which seems to be something of a folk sport, if Expressen's incredibly diligent coverage is to be believed. Should this hobby already be discussed at the job interview? Hrm, well, it may happen that I appear in some member registers.

And what about revenge porn? Should it be declared? There are some photos circulating out there...

Given that today's young people have grown up on the internet, almost the entire generation Z will also smoke (DN 17/5 2025). How many of them haven't sent nude pictures and sex chat?

I would honestly argue that everyone who uses the internet has digital baggage that is not suitable for the general public. And if someone, against the odds, always only said and did things that could withstand public scrutiny - wouldn't this, frankly, be the most disturbing thing of all? Who wants such an inhuman boss?

Of course, positions that are sensitive require a respectful airing of the wardrobe, and by being open at a discreet early stage, the recruit does not have his private life exposed to public view later. But this only applies to sensitive services. Everyone else should really be left alone.

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