By Enrique Tessieri
Will we see in the comming weeks a gentle hello-goodype-thank-you-ma’m kiss from True Finns chairman Timo Soini to the xenophobic wing of the party? A total of six people who signed the xenophobic Nuiva manifest last year got elected to parliament. The best-known of these are Jussi Halla-aho and former Finnish State Railways (VR) employee James Hirvisaari.
I personally would be pretty surprised if Soini allowed these far-right crusaders get a dominant position in the party. They could be the very ones that can challenge Soini’s leadership and force the party to implode.
We’ll know the answer to what kind of kiss Soini will give these far-right representatives if the True Finns form part of the next coalition government.
The other four “Nuiva gang” members that got elected are Vesa-Matti Saarakkala, Juho Erola, Olli Immonen and Maria Lohela, who isn’t too fond of Muslims.
Is this the same imploding that you predicated would happen to the True Finns pre election .
If that is the case then lets hope so a few more seats would push them into second place.
That tactic of trying to discredit them did not work pre election and can not see how it will work post election. Unless you are just saying this to help to your own comfort zone .
Hi 18/04/2011, if you are fair you would admit that the True Finns are pretty much a tinder box of different ideologies. One of these veins is the far-right anti-immigration wing blessed by Suomen Sisu and another one is the former Rural Party (SMP). Doesn’t look ideologically very harmonious to me. Anyone who has Alfred Rosenberg’s book on his shelf as a source is pretty out-of-touch with the times. Wouldn’t you agree?
You mentioned True Finns members being associated with Suomen Sisu before the election and what negative effect did it have on the performance of the True Finns yesterday ? (None) .
So why mention it again when it has no relevance to the True Finns as True Finns voters do not seem to have a problem with a small amount of True Finns members having a association with Suomen Sisu .
So are you saying that the Christian party should not be allowed to stand in elections as believing in a god is out of touch with the times, because in modern Europe theology views through science and self thought are been show to be incorrect.
More likely the kiss of goodbye is to your multiculturalist magazine articles, especially if the Kepa funding is cut.
—More likely the kiss of goodbye is to your multiculturalist magazine articles, especially if the Kepa funding is cut.
You scored on the first comment but I don’t understand this one. Who is funding me? I have been employed all my life and have never been on the dole. I am lucky. So, for a person like you to come and tell me that my funding will be cut really scares me. I find my inspiration to write these columns from people like you. Thank you!
Hei Allan – I know what you mean about this multiculturalist funding – I mean, if we didn’t fund it through taxes, no-one would bother to say hello to anyone from another culture, would they (unless we are selling Nokia’s, and then it’s okay)?
Personally, I say hello to every foreigner (and Swedish-speaking Finns) I meet, in my colourful language of course, because then I can go to Kepa and tell them I’m doing multicultural stuff and they give me loads of money. I mean, those people who believe in multiculturalism are just liberal wimps tellings us what to do, and afraid to admit that foreigners are not like us.
I mean, foreigners should be like Finns when they come here, because why should we change? I mean it’s our culture, isn’t it, and you cannot change your culture, can you? Except them of course, they can change theirs! I mean, I feel like I’m losing my Finnishness looking at all these foreigners in Finland, and then there is all them Muslim men hanging around on street corners telling me to go home and beat my wife – I mean, I don’t need to be told to do it, I do it anyway! And the way they treat their women, it’s terrible, isn’t it.
Well lets put the financials into simple maths.
Kepa (the development aid people) gets funding from the government. Kepa publishes a glossy magazine. They invite authors to write articles and pay for these.
Then Kepa gets a cut in funding. No more money to publish the glossy magazine. No more articles bought. How exactly does the cut in funding not effect authors?
So, unless you write and publish pro bono, the government and funding cuts have an effect – maybe not directly but indirectly.
I dont know Mark, here in the UK there are some prejudices against going into hot rooms naked and drinking vodka and a few other interesting things. Theres no Finnish tv, newspapers, food or actually anyone to talk with. Must be because of xenophobia. I need to go cork a bottle, strip naked and yell perkele on the main street. After all, I moved to the UK to live just as I did in Finland.
“So are you saying that the Christian party should not be allowed to stand in elections as believing in a god is out of touch with the times, because in modern Europe theology views through science and self thought are been show to be incorrect.”
If you have a problem with the far right standing in elections then that also means you have a problem with religious parties standing for elections .
In your view the far right are are intolerant , oppressive to people who are different to them , and follow ideals which could lead to genocide of. Then are religious parties no difference to far right parties because they share the same views and have committed the same acts.
So why would be be against France baning the Burka when you should support it, as All religion has no place in modern Europe because of it it intolerant behavior towards others and being out of touch.
–If you have a problem with the far right standing in elections then that also means you have a problem with religious parties standing for elections .
Even though I would never vote for the KD I’d choose them a million times over the Sweden Democrats and Danish People’s Party. It is not my view that the far-right is intolerant it is the view of many. Far-right parties have a pretty bad reputation in Europe for what happened in Nazi Germany and in the former Yugoslavia, where one group started to impose its ways on the other.
Could you tell me how the far-right is “tolerant of others.” How do you think it maintains our liberal western values?
To comment on the topic of this thread above the line, a couple of points are noticeable.
The first is that just about all of the PS parliamentarians are strongly in favour of reducing income differentials. There is now a very considerable majority in Parliament as whole who have declared this objective, which translates into maintaining public services and income transfers based on progressive taxation.
The second is that Timo Soini has already announced that if PS joins the government, then it may nominate ministers who are not Members of Parliament. Obviously all political parties have this option, but it is significant that Soini has called attention to it so soon after the election and before the horse trading stage has even begun. At least this could be understood as part of the kiss-off suggested above.
Let’s put some humour in these discussions 🙂
http://vimeo.com/18320427
But if you are genuine about creating a society free from divisions then you should challenge all groups including religious ones and not just political ones . Because at the moment you only seem to be focusing on the far right which makes you seem prejudiced towards a certain group, whilst not challenging other groups who views would stop you creating a tolerant society.
I’m against far-right groups that preach intolerance. A culturally diverse society cannot function if their is intolerance. Thus there should be mutual acceptance, respect and equal opportunities. Do you think that the True Finns preach intolerance? Do you think James Hirvisaari and others would have been accepted say, for example, in Kokoomus or the Social Democrats?
If you want to to just focus on the far right that that is your choice. But would least admit that intolerance can come from other fields like religion, class system , from different ethnic groups who are not white European. This way it shows you know that intolerance is not a creation of the European far right . Because you mentioned what the True Finns have said but I do not think you have not mentioned Päivi Räsänens views on gay people which is an intolerant view which is driven not by race but by religion
Certainly I condemn Päivi Räsänen’s views of gays. Think of how many people must suffer and hide who they are or feel ashamed of themselves? It is suffocating and counterproductive. The problems of society begin when one group tries to dominate everything. Society is diverse in many ways. People can choose and fit in where they wish and do so without fear of being persecuted. Mutual acceptance is paramount.
Maybe in some ways this has been a very clever play by the boys in Kokoomus. To any one with a brain it is obvious that Soin and co. can and could not run or be part of a governement. There policies will never work in reality..what policies?..anyway. They have to play with the Eu and so on.
Soini and co have basically been sawing off the branch that they are sitting in just to get into government but now they are in real trouble because they might have to make actual decisions and if it is based on their policies then they are screwed.
On another note I am actually really disapointed with Finns…well 1 in 5 anyway. I honestly thought they were not this stupid. Shame.
“On another note I am actually really disapointed with Finns…well 1 in 5 anyway. I honestly thought they were not this stupid. Shame.”
William, dont be….
I live in Finland and our problem is that we are too much inside EU.
It has done nothin usefull with normal people in here, only some “elite” with Kokoomus and Keskusta parties have gained, most of normal people suffers here with high taxes, less jobs and pressure from EU`s rules.
I am not against multiculture but i do think that it is not solution to take refugees from other countries, instead to give them help directly when they are still in their homecountry.
It is not realistic to believe that these bailouts will change the Europe, these money are going to help banks and investors, so we are not stupid….
But everyone can believe whatever he/she wants, i do live here and know what i am talkin about.
When you mention that Finns are stupid, you really should get your facts straight, we are one of most educate nations of world, our school system are top and people are very smart in average.
So i honestly dont think that you know what you are talkin about, but everyone can have opinions, no matter if they do not have any knowledge about it.
Best regards, Simple Finnish
–I live in Finland and our problem is that we are too much inside EU.
Nobody denies that the EU doesn’t have problems but don’t you think we have gained more in than out of the EU?
It’s pretty incredible how fast we forget the benefits. I know William and I know he didn’t mean it in that way. He was pointing to the reaction of the voters. Ok, that’s fine with the protest vote, it sucks, but we can live with it. A wake up call is good but we should not be carried away by it. If the bail outs in Europe are suspect, let’s weight the pros and cons. Nationalism is one of our worst illness facing Europe these days.
I didnt say all Finns are stupid just the ones who voted for the True Finns.my opinion. Of course I know how well educated the Finnish nation is. I know very well what I am talking about and I can tell you that if you think that the EU only gives money to the elite then you really need to open your eyes and see what funding has come to Finland. Farmers, education, road, tourism, schools god the list is endless. Also the Eu has and will greatly help Finnish businesses. The fact that you think it is bad is scary. Do you also understand that by bailing out this countries that the Euro will come out of this stronger ? The Euro is so young and mistakes have been made. The bailouts and supports are proving that the Euro can be strong in a global world. Wake up and smell the globalisation!
The True Finns live in a world of wonder if they think they can survive without playing ball in the EU or do anything about taxes. Watch and see what happens in the enxt few months.
Oh and I do live here also..pay my immigrant taxes and all that. Also getting a lot of EU funding that is used by students and companies in a rural town..hardly the elite.
I am not supporter of nationalism (as it worst form) and i dont want Finland away from EU, as i said in my previous message i only think we are too deep in it and we must take more control of our internal issues.
Nobody denies that EU has good sides too, globalization and business for example.
But i can assure you that Finland is not and never been helpless, we have our problems but we can resolve them by ourself.
And business with globally is not only because EU, if i remember correctly, we did business before joinin so that is not issue and off topic.
I do respect that opinions are invidual and i would not never say that EU is “bad” thing.
Only want to point that is has a lot faults and it will not work in future, changes must be made.
I am really suprised that some people did not see this comin, must be blind or in denial, i really cant see any other reason.
In Finland we have continous downhill from the day we joined EU, more taxes and euro did destroy value of our own money (Markka).
We are most expensive land in the world (taxes+prices of livin) and our work situation has been dropped to it is all time bottom.
Our schools have suffer (food is terrible, not enough teachers and equipments), our old people care is catastrophe and money seems be the issue?
So we have decide to give more money to other countries?
Because they did not care about their financial situation…
So that we could make euro strong?
That is not true, euro is not strong in Finland, if euro does gain more value, Finland will increase taxes and prices.
That dont make any sense and that is what have been happenin when we have been in EU.
So my personal opinion is that EU and Finland must change or we will need bailout too.
And i do pay lot of taxes too, as return my kids got bad food at school, taxes rise, everythin is more expencive and people with less money are gettin more poor….
Best regards, Simple Finnish
Der Spiegel missed its piece of news by a few days. If the news that Greece is using 8 billion of its emergency loan into buying military equipment the Persu would have gotten a tsunami win.
Unfortunately I have to agree with Touke. Things have gone worse, maybe not because of EU, but because of Euro. I do not believe Portugal will be the last country with this kind of crisis and after that EU will run out of bailout money. There will be European financial crisis in a 2-3 years tops and nothing can stop it. And this will also affect to Finland, no matter we help Portugal or not.
It is not only Finns who are sceptical towards EU, it can be seen in other European countries as well.
Pryceless!
All this talk of the EU and the Euro would make one who didn’t have a clue think that without them a Western European is doomed. How does Norway or Switzerland survive when they are not involved in either? In reality their trade has not been affected and they are similar to Finland in that they are a small export country. The simple answer is the the whole concept of the EU and the Euro is a political agenda not an economic one. Economists all over the world said before, during, and now that the Euro cannot survive and be advantageous to all the countries who use it. A one size fits all cap principle just does not work in economies as they have different needs. Economies have to at times devalue their currency or raise interest rates to continue growth and when they cannot do that because the change would have to apply to all the other countries when we end up in a situation of the PIGS (Portgal,Ireland,Greece,Spain).
Also you will find that the richer countries in the EU (Germany,UK,France,Finland,etc.) give far more money away to Southern and Eastern European countries then they receive so in that aspect they making a huge loss (in the billions) that would have been much more beneficial if they invested that money in their own countries. You’ll see Portugal will not be the last country needing a bailout, Spain is next and maybe Italy in future.
—How does Norway or Switzerland survive when they are not involved in either?
Come on, Klay, you know the answer. Both a filthy rich: Norway has hydrocarbons and Switzerland has banks. You cannot compare these countries to Finland, even France.
Are you now against the euro and Eu? Oy vey Klay! What are you for apart from the ultra-nationalistic stuff?
Spending this week in London marketing couple of African investment opportunities to investment banks and institutional investors. A lot of questions thrown at me about the True Finns because everyone knows that I’m originally finnish and that I live back in Finland most of the year nowadays. What is interesting to note is that most of the investors agree that break up of the monetary union looks almost certain on a 5 to 10 year view. The countries are just so divergent in their structural economics that they need their on currencies and interest rate regimes to operate side-by-side. Floating exchange rates are a great self-correcting mechanism that also distribytes the losses/gains quite fairly (to the holders of the assets denominated in depreciating currency in case things don’t pan out too well).
Many respected academic economists have been saying this from the start, but this is the first time that the City is starting to take this as the consensus view. Before we get to currency regimes we will also need to see debt restructuring in Portugal and Greece (Ireland may get through). Currently we are playing a game where we see who is left holding the losing cards. Another important point…besides couple of regional European banks, the restructuring will not collapse many of the banks. The largest operators are well positioned to withstand losses on PIGS notes and actually look at any debt restructuring as an opportunity to acquire near bancrupt regionals when the default eventually takes place.
This was interesting, about Alfred Rosenberg, no natsism but a religion:
http://www.kirjasilta.net/santala/taivasten/saksalainen.html
I don’t know who your source is on Alfred Rosenberg. Just a few facts about him: He was an architect, born in Tallinn of German parents, and was responsible for the Eastern Territories under Nazi control. Under his rule, crimes against humanity were committed (see SS Eisenstein Gruppen). When he went to the gallows in Nuremberg he was the only high-ranking Nazi leader he didn’t say a word. His daughter has not given any interviews after her father’s hanging.
Possibly there hasn’t been enough said at school about the crimes committed by such people.
I recommend you read up on the Nuremberg Trials and get to know each of those that were on trial and sentenced. Another man turned to mice were Joacim von Ribbentrop and Ernst Kaltenbrunner.
Read the diaries of Rudolf Hoess, the commandant of Auschwitz up to 1943. There is an gruesome youtube video of SS commandant Amon Goeth.
The crimes these people committed is there under your nose.
>The crimes these people committed is there under your nose.
There are many other far more cruel people to read about… But I don’t like war stories.
And sorry, I was supposed to put that message to another place.
-‘Both a filthy rich: Norway has hydrocarbons and Switzerland has banks. You cannot compare these countries to Finland, even France.’
Oh yes I can. Finland may not be as rich as Norway or Switzerland but it isn’t far behind. But the point is they are similar in their economy structure relying on their exports mainly to Europe. As it has been shown not being in the EU or EMU does not affect trade to Europe if you are an European country as The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is a free trade organisation between European countries that operates parallel to, and is linked to, the EU.
-‘Are you now against the euro and Eu? Oy vey Klay! What are you for apart from the ultra-nationalistic stuff?’
I’m not completely against them, all I’m saying it that they are not the be all end all, there are alternatives. But I do resent legislation commissioned in Brussels and having to be adopted by EU countries as some of the policies are outrageous such as prisoners being allowed to vote and refugee quotas. Countries should be sovereign and allowed to rule themselves and draft their laws. Enrique you may think I’m a far right winger but it really depends on the issue. For example I’m for abortion, for the welfare state, against the death penaly, atheist, and for ID cards. All these are considered liberal and left wing policies that I completely agree with. Immigration though I certainly am to the right but as I said don’t judge me on that alone.
After the elections some people are worried by Finland’s reputation. Well let me tell you this, as we all know China has no democracy and a terrible human rights record, so next time you go shopping a find a nice set of clothes or an electronic product do you check to see if it’s made in China? And if it is made in China do you then refuse to buy it and try and find a similar quality item (and probably more expensive) based on principle and reputation? (thought not!) So please let’s not over exaggerate. Anyway when a country like Finland votes in a Black MP and openly gay to boot I think you can pretty much conclude that it is a tolerant country. Can you see the same happening in Italy, Spain, or any Eastern European country in the near future? Highly unlikely.
Klay, I think you have to be careful about telling what the media should write and (this is one I’ve heard a lot especially where democracy is in low supply) “they don’t understand our reality.”
Finland is the first European country in Europe that gave women the right to vote. It is today a successful welfare state country that has improved its human rights record from the cold war. Did you know that one sore spot in human rights for Finland in the cold war were Soviet refugees. Finland returned Soviet refugees and did not grant them the right to asylum. There were some brave border guards who turned a blind eye and allowed these refugees to keep on walking to Sweden, where they’d get asylum.
Last year in February I wrote a an article that appeared in Apu. It was one of the first articles in Finland that highlighted a former Soviet citizen’s story on what happened to him after he was returned to the USSR in the mid-1970s. I was even able to talk to the border guard that caught him and his three friends.
Even if some Finns and Timo Soini may be pissed at what the international media writes about the True Finns, they know they are being watched. This keeps politicians in line and our democarcy healthy.
Klay
Norway is a member of the European Economic Area. With the exception of instruments governing agriculture and fisheries, it is obliged to comply with all Community laws governing trade within the single market. However, it is not consulted when these laws are prepared, nor can it exercise any veto in matters requiring unanimous agreement of Member States. The outcome is that much of Norway’s official policy is effectively determined in Brussels without reference to Norwegian interests.
For example, Norway will not be consulted on further enlargement of the European Union. It must respect and enforce Community provisions in competition, public procurement and dozens of other far-reaching policy areas, even when these have unreasonable impacts under the special conditions of this country.
But you were saying that Norway’s trade has not been affected by its satellite status in relation to the European Union…
Switzerland and Liechtenstein have largely thrived through a Nevada-style approach to inter-State relations, particularly with respect to services for the very wealthy. Much as Nevada offers legalised gaming and prostitution to wealthier residents of California, Switzerland and Liechtenstein provide banking services to wealthy Europeans who are keen to hide their money (including some highly infamous gold with a curiously high mercury content – or is that another urban myth?).
It seems that the Swiss government can be bought through wealth and influence. In one case that I was involved in some years ago a wealthy Swiss man came to Finland with his girlfriend from an African country who turned out to be travelling on a forged EU passport. The Finnish police detained the woman concerned and began proceedings to expel her to her country of nationality. This unpleasant situation was resolved after a few days when the Swiss man used his connections to arrange a Swiss passport for the woman. Iceland (another EEA country) did something similar when ex-World Chess Champion Robert J Fischer wound up in comparable circumstances in Japan and was threatened with criminal extradition to the USA. Fischer had some influential friends in Iceland and this was enough to secure Icelandic citizenship in a hurry, bypassing all normal naturalisation procedures.
It is possible for small nations to survive and even thrive in this way if they are willing to sacrifice a large measure of their autonomy and self-respect (remember Haitian divorce and the Liberian merchant navy?), but if you consider this in any way admirable, then your moral credibility is shot to hell. That’ll be 5c please.
Klay
Neither of these matters has anything to do with Brussels. You are bullshitting yet again.