One of the earliest examples took place in 1991, when then S-leader Mona Sahlin suddenly brandished a ball bearing during a debate on employment protection. She had received the ball bearing from employees at SKF in Gothenburg, she explained.
– It was the nicest thing they had, they said. They were proud of their work and that’s exactly where growth occurs, with these girls at SKF, argued Sahlin.
As I said, the ball bearing is just one of a long line of items that politicians have dragged into debates over the years. See SVT’s compilation in the clip above.