services that are produced in this country every day. There are telephones from
Ericsson, cars from Volvo, chickens from Scan, and shipments from Kiruna to
Skövde. That’s the Swedish economy, and it’s just as strong or weak today as it was
a week ago.”
He paused for effect and took a sip of water.
“The Stock Exchange is something very different. There is no economy and no
production of goods and services. There are only fantasies in which people from
one hour to the next decide that this or that company is worth so many billions,
more or less. It doesn’t have a thing to do with reality or with the Swedish
economy.”
“So you’re saying that it doesn’t matter if the Stock Exchange drops like a rock?”
“No, it doesn’t matter at all,” Blomkvist said in a voice so weary and resigned that he
sounded like some sort of oracle. His words would be quoted many times over the
following year. Then he went on.
“It only means that a bunch of heavy speculators are now moving their
shareholdings from Swedish companies to German ones. So it’s the financial
gnomes that some tough reporter should identify and expose as traitors. They’re
the ones who are systematically and perhaps deliberately damaging the Swedish
economy in order to satisfy the profit interests of their clients.”
Then She on TV4 made the mistake of asking exactly the question that Blomkvist
had hoped for.
“And so you think that the media don’t have any responsibility?”
“Oh yes, the media do have an enormous responsibility. For at least twenty years
many financial reporters have refrained from scrutinising Hans-Erik Wennerström.
On the contrary, they have actually helped to build up his prestige by publishing
brainless, idolatrous portraits. If they had been doing their work properly, we would
not find ourselves in this situation today.”
Blomkvist’s appearance marked a turning point. In hindsight, Berger was convinced
that it was only when Blomkvist went on TV and calmly defended his claims that
the Swedish media, in spite of the fact that Millenniumhad been all over the