It is also obvious the non-action of the government on what their plan for the Finnish-Riussian border needs to be addressed.
Just keepiing the Saimaa Canal closed costs the Finnish economy millions, now even billions if road transport is added to it. Not to mention the disrupted family lives from which the largest immigrant community in Finland, its Russian speakers, are suffering due to the government’s, in security terms dubious, and indefinate border closure.
The government refers to secret intelligence that there is a security threat at the border. This has gone on for over a year now and the reasons remain secret. One can only conclude that the continued secrecy is really because there is no real evidence and the embarrassment potential-if that is revealed- keeps mounting. Some day the government will have a lot of explaining to do.
SDP leader Antti Lindtman’s incapacity as a leader is stunning, matched only by his cowardly whipping of his MPs to vote for the ridiculous Pushback Law- ridiculous because it throws into question the whole idea that Finland is a champion of human rights or even the basic tenants of its own constitution. All because of the same undefined fantasy of a border threat.
Lindtman’s past behaviour explains why Kiljunen had to step down because the SDP leader has made it clear his own party would not back him if the SDP leader had anything to say about it.
In fact its unclear if the SDP is nowadays willing to do anything significant to provide the kind of opposition politics the parliament needs and the Finnish people deserve in these troubled times.