Lost in Ikea

Paul Evans has been. He has my sympathy - just entering the building has the effect of making you feel like a laboratory rat.

He ponders the question as to whether Sweden's high suicide rate is related to the collective national guilt they surely must feel for having invented such an evil place.

Well, I think we can all agree that it should be but I reckon it's not so much guilt as despair at the futility of it all. I mean, they have political stability with a fully-functioning democracy, clean streets, low levels of crime and public services that are the envy of the world. And what do they do with this 'freedom from necessity'? Produce Volvos, really boring tennis players and bloody Ikea that has pieces of furniture called 'Dave' or 'Hergen-Slergen'.

That and the fact the sun comes out for only 20 minutes in the winter would be enough to make you think, what's the point of it all? You can't even have a drink without taking out a second mortgage. I'm astonished their suicide rate isn't higher than it is.

Swedes in happier days. More difficult to have as neighbours but much less boring.