Why Do Russians Tolerate Broken Infrastructure?

Ukraine has sought to undermine Vladimir Putin’s “special operation” by bringing the war into Russians’ homes, namely by destroying infrastructure. As a result, there are occasional shortages of fuel for cars, and home heating does not always function.

The Ukrainians’ tactic seems sound in itself, but Pekka Toveri (National Coalition Party), former Chief of Intelligence at the Finnish Defence Command and now a Member of the European Parliament, reminded of one problem. According to him, “in a dictatorship, the risk of going out into the streets is great, because if you are not shot, you will spend decades in a prison camp.”

For this reason, Russians can endure the kind of misery that would lead to massive riots in Western countries. The choice is easy, since—as Toveri put it—“the alternative is a bullet in the forehead.”

It remains to be seen what the winter will bring. In the best-case scenario, heating failures and cold homes will eventually lead to a popular uprising and the collapse of Putin’s regime—along with peace for Ukraine. In the worst case, Russians will direct their anger toward Ukraine, and the people will unite more firmly than ever behind Putin’s “special operation.”

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Ukraine Got Permission to Strike – But Where is the Target?
Will Trump Finally Stand Up to Vladimir Putin?
Is This the Start of Putin’s Final Countdown?

Green Politician: "I'm Glad We Never Gained Real Political Power"

The Finnish politician Satu Hassi has served as a minister, a Member of the European Parliament, and the chairperson of the Green League. In other words, she has been one of the most prominent politicians of her generation.

Satu Hassi is known for her work in the Green Party, but as a young student, she was a member of the governing body of the Socialist Student League, the student wing of an extreme leftist and pro-Soviet faction within the Finnish Communist Party. In effect, she was involved in what could be considered the most dangerous political movement in independent Finland—one that, if it had come to power, might have led to Finland becoming part of the Soviet Union.

This group, known as the taistolaiset (after a leading figure in the movement), at its peak held 13 seats in the Finnish Parliament, making it a serious political force that enjoyed strong support from Leonid Brezhnev’s Soviet Union. One of the first political statements made by the student movement run by this faction—which included Hassi as a member—was to endorse the 1968 occupation of Czechoslovakia. That stance arguably says more about the movement’s political character than a thousand words ever could.

* * *

Now retired from active politics, Satu Hassi has returned to the public eye and spoken about her thoughts from that time. According to her, “perhaps we had heard too many wartime hero stories from our fathers and wanted to fight our own heroic war—in this case, against imperialism.”

In her interview, she also admits to having drawn “foolish conclusions” after embracing Marxist-Leninist ideology, and she reflects: “I’m glad we never gained real political power. The taistolaiset were only strong in certain cultural organizations.”

She also acknowledged noticing injustices during visits to the Soviet Union, but chose not to speak about them even with fellow ideologues. Instead, she closed her eyes to the things she didn’t want to see.

Hassi’s confession as a former Member of the European Parliament is interesting in many ways. First, admitting one's own mistakes is relatively rare—but in her case, the value of that admission is diminished by the fact that it came only after she had left politics.

Second, Hassi did not distance herself from totalitarian circles after making her observations. Instead, she joined the Green Party as a standard-bearer of its left wing, which eventually displaced the economically liberal politicians who had initially led the party. In other words, she never truly grasped the societal harm caused by the concentration of political power and centrally planned economies, and remained a supporter of a totalitarian societal model until the end of her political career.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Why Finnish Youth Are Abandoning the Green Party
Why Does the Political Green-Left Lie, and Why Does It Resonate with the People?
The Green Movement is Withering – And That’s Not a Bad Thing

Donald Trump Has Unleashed a Dangerous Development

The Finnish Member of the European Parliament and General Pekka Toveri stated on social media that "it seems quite clear that the USA will no longer receive intelligence from the West except in a limited manner. It is not worth revealing one’s own sources to Putin’s henchman."

So, this is where we have arrived in just over a month of President Donald Trump’s presidency. There are still nearly three years and eleven months to go, so one must watch with considerable dread what will happen during that time to the unity of Western countries and their ability to resist Russian and Chinese efforts to expand their own power.

This was also noted by Swedish Lieutenant Colonel Joakim Paasikivi, who stated that "it is becoming increasingly clear that the United States cannot be trusted, and the less interest the U.S. has in supporting other countries, the more its influence diminishes... This means that we have returned to the era of imperialism, where large, powerful nations believe they can divide the world among themselves. This is a dangerous development."

It remains to be seen what will happen in global politics in the coming years. At this point, the only certainty seems to be that the world will look very different a few years from now than it did just a month ago—and certainly not for the better, even if Europe manages to unite its efforts. Not to mention what happens if the continent's leaders fail to do so.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Too Many Finns Share Trump’s Inability to Comprehend
Europe Needs Leadership and Urgent Defense Actions
Political Rhetoric Like Trump-Zelenskyi’s Has Deep Historical Roots

Changing the Clocks Reduces Trust in the European Union

The European Union will once again switch to standard time tonight. This happens despite the fact that 84 percent of Europeans would prefer to completely abandon the foolish and costly practice of changing the clocks twice a year.

I call it costly because it has been proven to cause fatigue, impair memory, concentration, and attention. In addition, people’s reaction times slow down, increasing their likelihood of making mistakes. This raises the risk of accidents and mishaps—and these errors don't improve work quality either.

On the other hand, there is no demonstrated benefit to the clock changes themselves. To understand this, one must be able to distinguish between the act of shifting the clocks back and forth and the impact of time zones on people. Even though daylight saving time might suit people well, its benefits could be achieved simply by a permanent shift to a later time zone—meaning the abandonment of the shift back to standard time.

Despite all these well-known facts, the clocks are still being adjusted. And the reason is none other than the inability of the European Union and its member states to implement a decision that has already been made in 2019.

Therefore, I would like to ask Ursula van der Leyen and the other members of the Commission, as well as the Members of the European Parliament, how they think this inability fosters people’s trust in the Union or its effectiveness in promoting the well-being of its citizens.

And yes. I am well aware that my question is rhetorical, and that every single European knows the answer. And the real answer to my rhetoric certainly doesn’t help promote the good things for which the EU was created.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
The EU Is Suffocating Under Double Bureaucracy
EU Decision-Makers Did the Bear a Disservice
During the Eurovision song spectacle, the incompetence of EU officials was revealed

General Pekka Toveri, the Chair of the European Parliament's Delegation for Ukraine

I have occasionally written about the Finnish General Pekka Toveri (example, another), who was elected as a Member of the European Parliament in the last elections. That’s why it was interesting to notice that he has now become the chair of a the European Parliament's Delegation for Ukraine. 

The delegations of the European Parliament are its official representatives, and they are part of its foreign relations. The task of these delegations is to maintain and develop relations with non-EU countries and international institutions.

After being elected, Toveri informed Finns that "the planning of the delegation's work program has already begun, and I am optimistic that we will achieve important things. The agenda will include, for example, discussions on sanctions and the EU's role in peace negotiations. At some point, the delegation will also begin assessing what needs to be done for Ukraine’s EU membership, but our most important task at the moment is to focus on how the EU can help Ukraine win the war."

This is a good starting point. The Finnish general undoubtedly has much to offer to the Ukrainians as they fight their war, as well as to European decision-makers who are willing to help a pro-European state that has become a target of Russia's aggression.

However, it remains to be seen how interested EU leaders ultimately are in helping Ukraine achieve victory. And whether they can cooperate effectively to ensure the failure of Vladimir Putin's imperialist plans.

One can only hope this will happen because Putin won’t stop at Ukraine if he can interpret the war as a victory. If that were to happen, the next to suffer would likely be another one of Russia’s neighboring states, and the game wouldn’t end until the Western countries finally decided to put a stop to it by presenting a strong enough counterforce to Putin’s army. That’s why it’s better to do this now in Ukraine rather than later.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Will Russia Test NATO's Article Five?
Finland and Western Europe: Effectively at War
The most effective Russian agent in the UK

Will Russia Test NATO's Article Five?

Member of the European Parliament, General Pekka Toveri, has considered the possibility in his latest blog post that Vladimir Putin might test NATO's reaction to an attack limited to one of its smaller member states.

In his writing, he called this possibility the "Narva scenario," where the Russian army would cross a border under some pretext - similar to the Mainila shots that started the Winter War with Finland - for example in the Estonian border, and threaten to use nuclear weapons if the Western military alliance acted according to Article Five to defend its member state.

In such a case, NATO would have two options. According to the first, "Washington, Paris, Berlin, and London would start shaking, thinking they can't go to nuclear war for the sake of one and a half million Estonians. This would be a huge victory for Putin, and the entire NATO would crumble."

The second - and much more likely - option would be that NATO would act according to Article Five and destroy the Russian attacking forces. In this case, Putin's bluff would be exposed - and he would not use a nuclear weapon. 

According to Toveri, "Putin might lose a couple of thousand soldiers, but so what? Over a hundred thousand have already been killed in Ukraine. It would not affect his power. The gains are so great that the risk is worth it."

Toveri's thought experiment is frightening because the Narva scenario puts every Russian-bordering NATO country at risk. Though Finland, due to its strong army, is unlikely to be targeted, the risk is real for the Baltic countries - Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

Therefore, it would be important for NATO to show the Russian dictator already in Ukraine that it is not to be trifled with. And finally ensure that Ukrainians receive the weapons they need and the right to use them, so that the Russian military is unequivocally defeated in Luhansk, Donetsk, and Crimea.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Ukraine can and will stop Putin
Finland and Western Europe: Effectively at War
The most effective Russian agent in the UK

Finnish MEPs Saramo and Tynkkynen Engage in Social Media Clash Over Ukraine Support

Fresh Finnish Members of the European Parliament Jussi Saramo (GUE/NGL) and Sebastian Tynkkynen (ECR) have found themselves in a war of words on social media. It began when Tynkkynen stated that "yesterday, we voted in the European Parliament on a resolution regarding the need to continue EU support for Ukraine. The purpose was to renew the promise right at the start of the new term that the support will continue this term as well... The Left Group in the European Parliament had a different opinion. The majority of the group's MEPs did not vote in favor of the resolution."

Saramo responded to this with whataboutism, publishing a picture of Tynkkynen in Russia and a text saying, "Many have seen the attached picture of Sebastian Tynkkynen at a Putin propaganda camp in Russia. The picture was taken at a time when only the Finns Party in Finland admired Putin's authoritarian far-right regime."

Then came the surprise, as Tynkkynen admitted that he had indeed attended the camp, but he did so in cooperation with the Finnish Security Intelligence Service (Supo) to update its information on a Russian individual who also attended the camp. According to him, "It was an honor to serve my country in this way. Therefore, it is shameful that the left twists the matter the other way around - as if I had been working for Russia. Russia did not benefit from me in any way. The situation originally went quite the opposite."

It remains to be seen how the sparring between the two Finnish MEPs will continue. And whether the Finnish Security Intelligence Service will comment on Tynkkynen's claim - after all, it is generally known for not shedding much light on its operations to outsiders.

Aiempia ajatuksia samasta aihepiiristä:
Henna Virkkunen: Opportunist or Unsuitable Commissioner Candidate?
Marxist far-right and bullies
Challenges of democracy: Reflections on political violence and rhetoric in Finnish politics
 

Eva Kaili, unsurprisingly a Greek socialist

Greek Socialist MEP Eva Kaili, one of the vice-presidents of the European Parliament, is suspected for corruption and money laundering involving "a Gulf country". As a consequence, the Greek socialist party PASOK announced on Friday evening that she was expelled from its membership.

We do not know yet, whether MEP Kaili was corrupted or criminal, but I just want to remind about three things. 

First: she is a socialist. That is, she believes in a political theory that has never produced a decent society. In contrast, socialistic countries have always been known for their dual moral including corruption among the leaders of the system. 

Second: she is a Greek. That is unfortunate, because it reminds us that the problems in Greece a decade ago emerged from irresponsible economic leadership of the country. And that we - other Europeans - are still paying for the costs. 

Third: Greece was accepted as a member of the European Monetary Union despite it did not fulfill the criteria set. 

Taken the items pointed out above, I was not surprised to hear that a European Parliament vice-president suspected for corruption "happened to be" a Greek socialist. Not saying, however, that all other MEP´s would be incorrupted with 100 percent certainty.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:

Fair policy will build a strong Union
Share of EU recovery funds will turn attitudes more negative
The Center and the National Coalition Party are willing to donate our tax money to the EU