The cracks in the Perussuomalaiset (PS) party are widening as the latest Kai Haavisto-James Hirvisaari scandal proves. The PS has reached a dead end with its present band of politicians. With the complicity of the near-silence of other parties, no other political group in modern Finnish times has created so much resentment and hatred towards others like the PS.
No matter what the PS does, it is a rambunctious party ready to die by the sword after living so eagerly by the sword.
If I could paint a cartoon that would depict the present situation, I’d draw Haavisto and Hirvisaari as a two-headed stick of dynamite joined by a lighted fuse. All around them would be PS members, including Soini, getting ready for the loud explosion.
Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja sheds light on a blog entry where the PS is today.
He writes: “The spirit that [Timo] Soini opportunistically freed from the bottle by accepting extremist [candidates] of the Suomen Sisu [association] to run for office will soon permanently tarnish the ability of the party to cooperate with other ones and may even soon threaten Soini’s position as party leader.”
EuroMP Sampo Terho, together with PS strongman Matti Putkonen, are another example of how lost the party is. Both proposed a plan how Finland could save 3.15 billion euros. While the usual culprit of development aide was mentioned, it was surprising that Terho and Putkonen suggested raising VAT, a PS policy no-no.
Soini has distanced himself from the proposal.
Terho is chairman of the Suomalaisuuden liitto, an association taken over by right-wing extremists which, like Suomen Sisu, see cultural diversity and immigration as a threat to Finland.
One matter I have never figured out is why politicians like Tuomioja and the media still see Soini as a “good guy” victim if he signed a pact with the devil? Soini is nothing more than the good cop but we mustn’t forget that he’s still a cop.
Finland’s stance on Soini reflects how out of touch it is with its immigrants, visible minorities and its ever-growing cultural diversity. It’s perfectly fine to socially exclude, bash and insult immigrants and visible minorities in this country as long as you don’t treat white Finns the same way.
The PS, with the blessing and silence of other political parties in Finland, blames immigrants and visible minorities for most if not all of the country’s problems. Sensible people understand that the issue is much bigger. Large multinational companies relocate to countries where they can exploit workers by paying lower wages.
Greedy corporations are the ones stealing jobs, not immigrants.