I’m certain that when historians and political observers study the present parliamentary term 2011-15, they will come to a conclusion: Never since the 1950s have our Nordic institutions and values come under such a threat. Who will they name as the culprit? Wrong, not the Perussuomalaiset (PS),* but our indifference and lack of leadership.
How can you not consider this period a gloomy one for Nordic values such as social equality and participatory democracy?
The 2003 parliamentary elections, which saw the rise of people like Tony Halme with Timo Soini’s blessings, speak volumes about the ever-growing space given to intolerance and xenophobia in this country.
Who was Halme (1963-2010)? He was a politician who didn’t hide his hatred of migrants and minorities. Halme called former President Tarja Halonen a lesbian on a radio talk show.
After the likes of Halme, we saw a few years later the rise of a new generation of PS politicians like Jussi Halla-aho, Olli Immonen, James Hirvisaari, Juho Eerola, Teuvo Hakkarainen and many, many other of the PS, who sought political gain with their xenophobic messages.
What kind of a party is the Perussuomalaiset? Check out this quotes here.
What value, apart from spreading neoliberal views and encouraging hatred and suspicion of migrants and minorities, have they given? Zero value.
Remember Tommi Rautio, a PS councilman, who said he’d give a medal to a cold-blooded murdered after he shot in cold blood a migrant at a pizzeria, wounded the owner before taking his life?
Remember the membership applications by Ulla Pyysalo, a PS parliamentary aide, and councilman Tuomas Olkkonen to the neo-Nazi Kansalinen Vastarinta? Remember Teeum Lahtinen, the PS councilman of Espoo, who “liked” the Nazi group’s Facebook page?
All of the above are or were members of the PS, the party that is hoping to lead Finland into the new century.
Everything suggests, however, an election upset for the PS in April 2015. Over three years of this party’s antics in the opposition should be enough proof that the PS would destroy rather than strengthen our Nordic democracy and values.
Their statements, draft laws and actions speak for themselves. They are clear proof that they aren’t only an open threat to Finland but especially to migrants and minorities.
Let’s send them back in April 2015 to the minor political leagues where they came from and belong.
* The Finnish name for the Finns Party is the Perussuomalaiset (PS). The English names of the party adopted by the PS, like True Finns or Finns Party, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and xenophobia. We therefore prefer to use the Finnish name of the party on our postings.
Migrant unemployment in Finland is 2-3 times higher than the national average, which stood at 10.7% in May.
Every migrant, expat and minority in Finland has anecdotes to share about how difficult or easy it is to get work in this country.
In the early 1980s, shortly after I moved to Finland, I was given the following advice by Tauri Aaltio, the late head of Finland Society, an expat association. “You’ll never get a job in academia in Finland,” he said.”But you speak languages, you’re well-mannered, you’d find work in the restaurant and hotel business.”
I never followed Aaltio’s advice but forged instead my own career path the best way I saw fit. Career advancement for me meant short stints abroad to get work experience.
Even if I have been hired as a staffer abroad, I never have had that privilege in Finland.
It’s a good matter that we’re debating discrimination issues in hiring.
Let’s hope that something positive turns out from this very important humble step in the right direction.