A poll commissioned by Helsingin Sanomat, Finland’s largest-circulation daily, and conducted by Suomen Gallup showed that close to 60% of Finns now feel that the country should not increase the number of immigrants. The corresponding percentage three years ago was 36%.
These types of polls, in my opinion,are very one-sided and help keep alive negative attitudes and scapegoats to blame the recession. They are also carte blanches to insult more vociferously other groups since “it is ok to be racist during a recession” rather than in an economic boom cycle.
Heikki Evarsti, a social policy professor at the University of Turku, believes: “As immigration is not yet any major phenomenon in Finland, relatively few Finns have personal contacts with immigrants, which is why individual citizens’ views have hardly had any significant impact on the public opinion.”
Certainly these types of surveys are welcomed by anti-immigration groups such as the True Finns and serve as a warning for other parties. The Helsingin Sanomat article says that other political parties are finding it highly tempting to follow the True Finns’ anti-immigration charge for fear of losing votes as parliamentary elections near.
I personally believe that in this decade as more immigrants come to the country and show with their work and determination their importance to Finland, attitudes will change very rapidly.
Those that jump on the populist anti-immigration bandwagon today are the ones that will, at the end of the day, lose the most. Keep a close watch on the parties and the politicians who vacillate opportunistically from one side of the fence to the other.
Finns are an intelligent lot. The last thing they will do is be spoon fed hatred and incomprehension by anti-immigrant groups and figures on personal messianic power-ego trips.
I think this poll is very important, this undoubtedly shows that Finland is living a very important moment in its life, and it must not be missed.
As I have been saying here, politicians are the same in everywhere you go. They main concern is the ballot box, and it should, elections are the most important instrument in a democracy. What it must the clear here is the role of politicians in our life. They work for us, not the other way around. Most multiculturalists will call populism when they decide to listen to the people, but that’s just their duty. Don’t let yourself be fooled by the liberal rhetoric that “live it to us, we know better than you”. Nop, we know better, it’s our children lives and if they don’t do in our way, we will vote for someone who will.
That been said what Finland needs in this critical moment is an equivalent of the Tea Party movement in US, we could, perhaps, call it the Sauna Party movement.
For you to have an idea of its power, Obama and the DEMs have been trying to push this ObamaCare for more than a year with no success. They love to blame it on GOP but the facts doesn’t add up. DEMs had majority in both houses during all this time, and they still have in the House, so the only thing Pelosi needs to do is call for a vote, then go nuclear in the Senate.
So, neither Pelosi or Reid ever needed GOP to approve this bill, but why it’s still not done after all this closed doors deals and arm-twisting? Because the DEMs never could count on their own party members. Why? Grassroots activism. Thanks to what? Tea Party movement. And it could have the same effect in Finland today.
So I challenge all the Finns reading this to start right now. Invite few people to a sauna party, preferably those who are sympathetic to multiculturalism. You could start with Kivisto’s definition, it’s good to show the utopia first, then you show some facts. The mainstream media from UK, France, Sweden, Australia and others will provide you with plenty of material. I guarantee you’ll change some minds. After that, you just need to challenge them to first – flood their politician with mails demanding the changes in immigration this country needs, and second – promote their own Sauna Party. This is a domino effect with terrific results.
It’s very important to notice that clarity and facts are on our side. Election is coming and you must take full advantage of it, the momentum is just right, and you may not have another chance like that. Look at UK or Sweden, once the damage is done, it’s very difficult to fix it.
Don’t let it happen to Finland. For the sake of your children, don’t let this opportunity passes by.
Hi Tony, long time no read. I guess you have been pretty busy at work.
It is great to see that you have a fighting spirit. I respect fully your concerns although I disagree with your analogy and conclusions.
Obama is only one man and for one man to change a country like th United States is more than a super-human task.
Thinking the HS-Suomen Gallup poll, it is kind of a non-brainer: certainly if a country is in a recession, people don’t want to fight harder for jobs. Does it show a negative attitude towards immigrants in general? Not really. People are only saying they are concerned about the economic situation.
It is also pretty interesting that these types of polls are being conducted. What purpose do they have? To show how racists some Finns are? To show that some Finns hate globalization? To show that some Finns want to turn the hand of time back to the “good old” days of the cold war? I personally think the poll shows concern about the economy and a dash of apprehension about the future (immigration). Moreover, Tony, you should know better than anyone else that we live in a globalized world. Have you ever sat to think what it implies? For one it has revolutionized our view of nationhood, diversity, cultures and our role within these. If you want to live in a country that has not been affected too harshly by globalization you would have to go to Bhutan, Mongolia, or to Old Crow in the northern Candian territory of Yukon.
haha this is funny. There are anyway no immigrants in Finland. What do they expect if they stop immigrants coming to Finland? More jobs? You can’t get anyway a job in Finland if you can’t speak Finnish (except you are really lucky). And if you get a job then it’s is a low level job which nobody wants to do or a high level job which most people will not be able to perform because they don’t have the skills.
Hi xyz, exactly! Does this poll show that there is a critical job situation in Finland or not? I think it does but it is funny some conclude that this no-brainer poll is an example of how much Finns don’t want newcomers in their society. And, anyway, how many Finns have computers and access to the Internet? Almost everyone I would suspect.
What critical job situation?
Finland has again record amount of unemployed.
How would importing MORE unemployed ever sort this mess out?
Finland does not need immigrants, unless those immigrants employ themselves.
Finland needs jobs. And first Finland needs existing unemployed to fill those jobs and THEN perhaps there is need to import more people.
And even then Finland does NOT need people from underdeveloped parts of the world where people cannot read or write and do not have proper education.
Because we do NOT need more welfare leeches in Finland. And that is what those people are, even if they are studying in Finland.
As for Globalization. If you Enrique want to live in multiculturalist nation, how about you gather all your multiculturalist friends and move to place where it exists instead of trying to push it to us Finns who do NOT want it here.
–Finland has again record amount of unemployed.
A record amount? Far from it. In the early 1990s it came close to 20%. That is a far cry from 9.5% in January.
Yeah but you just don’t get it that not every immigrant is from an underdeveloped country.
And even then…why do they need to read and write for a cleaner job?
With 400 EUR per month there is no leeching at all. All the money stays in Finland. Even in case for students…they only get free education but they also need to pay for rent and food and this is not financed by Finland. So Finland actually benefits in having international students and it creates jobs for teachers as well.
Yeah and I know plenty of Finns who get free education in other EU countries as well.
Today is flag day in Finland – Day of Equality 🙂
-“Yeah but you just don’t get it that not every immigrant is from an underdeveloped country. ”
If you are not from underdeveloped country, have decent skills and actually bother to use your brain. As in, getting your credentials recognized in Finland and learn the language…
You got nothing to whine about!
If you fail either in having starting capabilities or use of brains, you are failure who whines here that Finns are racists.
-“And even then…why do they need to read and write for a cleaner job? ”
Oh, I do not know. TO FIGURE OUT FUCKING WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS!
Do you think there is going to be someone holding your fucking hand every day whole day to tell you what notes are related to your work and what they tell you?
You ARE aware that post-it notes are used for commonication with cleaners don’t you?
-“With 400 EUR per month there is no leeching at all. All the money stays in Finland. Even in case for students…they only get free education but they also need to pay for rent and food and this is not financed by Finland. So Finland actually benefits in having international students and it creates jobs for teachers as well.”
Teachers are there with or without foreign students. In fact, our school system is producing too much people as it is.
As for students, you are correct for those coming with student permit. I admit, I should perhaps be more clear, but I have repeatedly said that I have no problem with foreigners coming to Finland for studies with proper permits and actually study.
Or immigrants who come to fulfill a job and are prepared to adjust to Finnish society instead of expecting Finnish society to adjust to them.
But real issue are for example refugees or “beach lions” imported by elderly ladies who have poor if any education.
Those become leeches of community, even more when they are permitted to bring 20 “familymembers” who, again, have no skills of any use for Finland.
And this is record amount of unemployed during Finnish Euro-time.
“With 400 EUR per month there is no leeching at all. All the money stays in Finland.”
Thats not all and no it doesnt.
“Even in case for students…they only get free education but they also need to pay for rent and food and this is not financed by Finland. So Finland actually benefits in having international students and it creates jobs for teachers as well.”
Get yout “facts” correctly, rent and food is partially financed by Finland.
Students need to show they have 6000e/year to live and education alone costs more than that + subsidied housing and food so where is profit?
Interestingly enough, Jussi Halla-aho replied to that one in HS’s letters to the editor and, surprise, he’s denouncing the question as a hypocritical one:
http://mediaseuranta.blogspot.com/2010/03/hsmielipide-jussi-halla-aho-enemmisto.html
–Interestingly enough, Jussi Halla-aho replied to that one in HS’s letters to the editor and, surprise, he’s denouncing the question as a hypocritical one.
The question, should Finland have more immigrants, is a loaded no-brainer question. At the best it shows what HS thinks about the issue. If you ask any citizen of any country if there “are enough immigrants” or “should we bring more” the answer will normally be negative. Do you hear countries saying that they have too few immigrants? Finland is a prime example: 2.7% have non-Finnish passports.
hannu: so where does the 400 eur end up then? You can hardly live with this amount of money in Helsinki. Better spend money and educate some motivated foreign students rather in drunks who never work their whole live at all.
When I applied for jobs in Finland I got to hear the same crap…that I am only in Finland to exploit the social system. Why do I apply for a job If I want to enjoy this great social wellfare system? They have a stupid attitude towards foreigners and thats why foreigners find it hard to get a job there. No wonder that they consider them as lazy.
I think i posted it already that the amount of immigrants in Finland does not even come close to the amount of Finns living abroad. what are they doing abroad if Finland is such a heaven? Honestly, I would just shut up talking bullshit about immigrants just by comparing the amount of Finns living abroad with the amount of Immigrants living in Finland. If Finland would not be part of the EU I am quite sure unemployment in Finland would be even higher because Finns would not be able to work in other countries.
-“I think i posted it already that the amount of immigrants in Finland does not even come close to the amount of Finns living abroad. what are they doing abroad if Finland is such a heaven?”
First of all.
PROOF!
I demand proof of this claim.
You are apparently using number of Finns who have ever migrated out of Finland as opposed to amount of immigrants right now in Finland.
By same idiotic logic I could say that Country X has no population because over history there has died more people than exist in that country. (thought this is much harder claim due to our exponential increase, but still true for some small nations)
Finland today is a heaven, as proven by statistic fact that more people are moving IN than out.
In past, situation has been different. But if you insist on living in the past, be my guest. After all, we know you have no other argument to stand up for you except trying to pretend that Finland today is same agricultural nation it was in 19th century.
–PROOF!
There are over one million Finns (first and second generation) that live abroad. Click on the link (in Finnish). Taking into account that there are about 140,000 foreign nationals in Finland, it means that there are ab out eight times more Finns living abroad than foreigners living in Finland.
Has second generation Finn moved out of Finland?
No, thus they do not apply.
And again, how many of them have moved out during modern age of Finland? Fraction.
Today, Finland receives far more people than leaves. Thus xyz is talking utter bs.
Strange that my girlfriend has to Finnish friends who moved to their boyfriends country?!?
Here an article about 20.000 Finns living in Costa del Sol:
http://www.hs.fi/english/article/The+Finns+of+the+Costa+del+Sol+feel+like+a+drink+when+the+sun+shines/1101981482830
Hardly surprising. There are plenty of wives in Finland who came from abroad. USA, Canada, France, UK…
Whole lot of them.
Females tend to move to country of their hubby.
Thats not true, I am male and moved to my girlfriends country 🙂
Tony: Your analogy of the situation is profound. You’ve learnt a lot from the teabaggers, who was it who said “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. Sauna Party movement is what we’ve been waiting for. Sauna Party is the change that we seek”.
I suggest you invite great thinkers, such as Sarah Palin and Ann Coulter as guest speakers, for the coming out celebration of the Sauna party. Seriously, if somehting is not done soon, it is the end of Finland as we know it, Finns have to act soon.
All the best!