A square peg in a round hole
Anssi Vanjoki was fined €116,000 after being caught doing 75kph in a 50kph zone! In Finland, speeding fines are linked to your salary, personal circumstances and the amount by which you exceed the limit.
I learnt this after picking up a cool €350 fine for breaking the speed limit by 12kph. It would have been twice that only I told them I had five kids and was making only a quarter of what I was on! Finnish people are as straight as an arrow, and have utter respect for the law. In Finland, you don’t break the rules. If you do, you’re expected to pay your dues. My Finnish colleagues were disgusted when I informed them I had no intention of paying the fine as I was heading home a fortnight later. That ticket could still be in the glove compartment of that hired Nissan for all I know! Here, if you’re caught driving at 120kph through a built up area, with no seat belt on, and whilst on the phone to the wife, never mind paying a €116,000 speeding fine, we Irish will use every trick in the book to avoid a couple of penalty points. As a society, we have a very lackadaisical attitude towards the law and authority. I’m no different, especially when it comes to my sport of choice. Hypocritically we don’t like to judge ourselves in the same way we judge others. Cute hoorism touches every part of Irish society and with the proverbial wink and a nudge we are all happy to get one over. Again, this is rife within the GAA, and few of us can honestly say we are exempt from accusation. With particular reference to the acceptance of suspensions, it is shameful the extent some will go to avoid a period on the sidelines. Now, if you’re innocent of the charge you have every right to appeal, God knows I can’t preach on that one, but like the Finns, players and management should be man enough to accept the penalty when guilty as charged. However, the punishment should fit the crime no matter what time of year it is and the ridiculous, and very often unbalanced, time-based suspension system the GAA persists with does not help.
