Finns are backing the government making difficult decisions

The problem commonly associated with democracies is that when the government has to make unpleasant decisions for public finances, voters tend to shift their support to the opposing parties. Thus, there is a temptation for leaders not to make economically sound decisions while in power.

In this sense, the situation in Finland is interesting. The right-wing government that came to power last summer has planned labor market reforms, cuts to public services, and reductions in income taxes to balance the state budget, which was heavily indebted during the previous government's term, and to revitalize economy.

These plans have resulted in widespread and ongoing political strikes opposing the reforms. Both trade unions and green-leftist parties are behind these strikes, and even according to citizen surveys, the protests have public support.

However, what makes the situation interesting is that in polls measuring party support, the government's popularity has not declined; instead, it is clearly on the rise. Based on this, it seems that Finns understand that their country's public finances are indeed in need of correction. Therefore, rather than abandoning the parties in power, they are actually shifting towards supporting them.

This bodes well for Finland's future, but of course, only if the ongoing changes by the government lead to results and the public remains supportive for long enough for the economy to turn back towards growth.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Correct minister, ridiculous facts
The people long for strict economic policy
Reducing taxes, enhancing export and paying the governmental debt