Finland’s Perussuomalaiset (PS)* is a far-right whose loudest message are foreigners and minorities threaten the country.
It’s been a while since the PS won its historic election in 2011. While downplaying their victory and rise to the major Finnish political league, people like me knew that this spelled trouble for our democracy.
The PS’ is very good at ethnic- and migration-bating through far-right conspiracy theories like the great replacement. Riikka Purra and the PS want their followers to be constantly angry even if matters are not as bad as they claim.
A new row has erupted in government talks with the PS after Sebastian Tynkkynen asked his followers which YLE content is unnecessary. Mauri Peltokangas, a cantankerous politician who named the government “pitiful a**holes,” lashed out at the Swedish People’s Party.
“I want your opinion,” he wrote on Facebook. “is it really the will of the people that a minority party with a few percent of support should be allowed to fuck around and stir the pot in government negotiations when forming a government n Finland? Och samma på svenska (the same in Swedish).”
Figure 1: The far right and its subgroup: radical right and extreme right
Anders Adlercreutz, the chairman of the Swedish People’s Party parliamentary group, was quoted as saying in Ilta-Sanomat that Peltokangas’ words are concerning.
“It raises concerns about how to find a compromise,” said Adlercreutz. “Governments need to be able to function in all situations, and government negotations are usually the easiest phase. If you react in this way early in the negotiations, it is a cause for concern.”
