Will Orpo's Government Restore Finland to Sustainable Economic Growth?

The previous government of Finland – led by the exceptionally beautiful Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) – was unable to manage Finland's public finances. This became particularly evident after the COVID pandemic was over, and the public sector should have been adjusted to match the available funds.

However, this was not done, and during Marin's government, Finland's public debt rose from 69% of GDP in 2019 to nearly 76%. At the same time, automatic expenditures were built into the state budget – the largest being a new level of administration with elected representatives for wellbeing services – which also forced the new government, led by the uncharismatic Petteri Orpo (NCP), to live on borrowed money.

The current strict Minister of Finance, Riikka Purra (Finns Party), recently commented on the situation. According to her, "The tax-funded bubble is even worse than I thought before taking on these tasks. I often wonder in my office, where protests, shouting, and threats occur under my window, whether the taxpayer really has to pay for all of this. Sometimes for legitimate reasons, and sometimes just because some acquired benefit has to be given up again."

She also criticized the attitude of the left-green opposition, stating that "Instead of constructing even a slightly coherent alternative to the government's economic and fiscal policy, the opposition strikes, hits, and shoots in all directions with every possible means."

Despite everything, Purra still believes that Finland's economy will turn for the better. This, of course, requires bringing public spending under control, as well as the success of Finnish businesses – from small bars to heavy industry – in domestic and international competition.

There have already been a few positive signals in this regard. One example is the order received by a Finnish shipbuilder for a massive Caribbean cruise ship, and another is the better-than-expected success of pharmaceutical company Orion’s new innovation on the market. The forest industry, which is particularly important for the entire economy, is also expected to improve its results within this year.

However, the most important task remains bringing public spending under control. This requires significant changes, especially in healthcare, where the new administrative structure has turned out to be even more expensive than anticipated, and the costly salary agreement implemented during the previous government doesn’t help matters.

It remains to be seen whether Orpo's government will succeed in returning Finland to a path of economic growth, one that hasn’t been seen since before 2009, but is optimistically reflected in the linked graph. 

And in any case, the recovery of the Finnish economy would be welcomed in order to attract highly skilled labor from abroad. Or as Purra stated: "When it comes to real foreign top experts, they will come along with private sector-led economic growth. This creates high value-added jobs that foreigners will also want to pursue."

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Balancing the Books
The Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs apologized to the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs for the words of the woman who criticized the man who exposed his penis
Finnish horror gallery and reality

Sanna Marin´s decision benefits both her and Finland

Former Prime Minister of Finland, Sanna Marin (SDP), decided to leave the parliament because she got a well-paying job at an international company founded by the former left-wing Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom. The purpose of this company is to support politicians in combating the populism that has arisen as a result of the adverse effects of globalization.

Marin's decision immediately brought to mind the fact that this is a clear win-win situation. It's obvious that leaving the parliament for a high-paying position is beneficial for our former Prime Minister, but considering her track record as Finland's Prime Minister, it is also a great advantage for the entire Finnish nation.

On the other hand, it is also true that 35,628 people supported Marin in continuing to represent their interests as a Member of Parliament. The trust of these people has now been betrayed, even though a new female Social Democrat will take Marin's place in the parliament.

Johanna Vuorelma, a political researcher at the University of Helsinki, also noted that Marin's resignation request seems unpleasant, as it creates an image of a politician advancing their own career. This image is certainly accurate but not at all unusual.

It is quite natural that virtually every politician, like other people, seeks to advance their own career alongside their political goals and is willing to take on better opportunities if they arise.

In conclusion, I would like to point out, in Marin's own words, that she will continue to be a social democrat and will act based on the values she has worked with in the past. Apparently, this aligns well with her new employer, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, which originates from the British political left.

The original thought in Finnish:
Marinin lähtö eduskunnasta on onneksi sekä Sannalle että suomalaisille

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
The people long for strict economic policy
The Guardian misleads its readers
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin is quickly losing her national credibility

The people long for strict economic policy

Finland is a politically unique state. It is a stable democracy with nearly ten parties in its Parliament, which necessitates the involvement of multiple parties in forming the Government.

This system has led to relatively consistent politics, with abrupt policy changes being rare. However, such a change might be on the horizon in the ongoing Government negotiations, where instead of the previous left-leaning majority Government led by Sanna Marin, a program is being formed by political right-wing parties.

In this process, the parties do not populistically pander to the people or promise to distribute tax funds to various beneficiaries. Instead, the negotiators agree that the public finances need to be adjusted by as much as 10 percent of the state's entire budget—and they certainly don't hide it. One could imagine that the support for these parties would be plummeting among the public!

However, that is not the case, as indicated by the party support survey published today. According to the survey, the combined support for the parties involved in the government negotiations has actually seen a significant increase: the support for the two largest parties, the National Coalition Party and the Finns Party, has risen by a total of 1.5 percentage points, or almost four percent, compared to the elections a couple of months ago.

All of this reflects the dissatisfaction that Finns feel towards the left-wing government led by Sanna Marin, which they believe has brought Finland's public finances to the brink of disaster. It also provides assurance to the negotiators that the citizens have confidence in their firm economic approach.

Previous thoughts on the same topic: 
The Guardian misleads its readers
Elections in Finland enlight journalistic views
Reducing taxes, enhancing export and paying the governmental debt

The Guardian misleads its readers

The internationally acclaimed Prime Minister of Finland, Sanna Marin, has decided to step down as the leader of the Social Democratic Party of Finland. At the same time, she announced that she will not seek a position as a minister in the upcoming government or run for president.

I have previously expained that despite her international success, Prime Minister Marin has been an inadequate leader. While she is certainly able to present herself convincingly, in the last few years she has been unable to maintain Finland's economy in good condition. Additionally, she has displayed inappropriate behavior by attacking her coalition partners and encouraging voters from other left-wing parties to vote for her own party.

Therefore, it was incomprehensible that the Guardian got excited about writing about Finnish misogyny in Marin's case. If this were the case, could the top three candidates in the elections have been women, or not?

It remains to be seen what kind of government will come to Finland in the coming years. However, it is clear that the voters did not want a new left-wing government: after all, the environmental and left-wing parties only received a third of the votes. And the same amount of seats in the Parliament.

Therefore, it would be appropriate for Finland to have a government that represents the will of the people, with the two largest winners of the election, namely the National Coalition and the Finns Party. It should also be noted that the latter party is not associated with the right-wing ideologies of the parties in the 1930s as insinuated by the Guardian. Instead, it is a conservative and market-oriented popular movement.

Previous thoughts on the same topic: 
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin is quickly losing her national credibility
Elections in Finland enlight journalistic views
A notable difference between Social Democrats in Sweden and Finland

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin is quickly losing her national credibility

Formerly admired by the world, the Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin is quickly losing her national credibility in politics. One significant step in this was her unfounded promise to donate Finnish fighter jets, which will be decommissioned in 2026, to Ukrainians.

It was surprising that the Prime Minister returned to the issue earlier this week and got retired Major General Pekka Toveri to comment on the matter. According to him, "sometimes it would be better to admit a mistake and learn from it rather than getting oneself deeper into the mud". He also confirmed the earlier mention by the Commander of the Finnish Defense Forces that the current fighter jets will be used until the end of their life before they are replaced.

Another strange thing that has been seen in the ongoing April parliamentary election debates is that the Prime Minister has started shouting at her competitors (an example) in a way that is not usually seen in the rather restrained Finnish politics.

Such behavior does not inspire any trust in ordinary people in Finland, let alone in the case of a prime minister seeking to continue in the country's leadership. Therefore, it is quite easy to predict that Sanna Marin does not have a very good future in our country's politics - and that after the elections, she will do everything in her power to get a well-paying position in the EU. Perhaps her undoubtedly considerable beauty will help in that.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Did the Finnish Prime Minister promise Hornet fighter jets to Ukraine?¨
Reducing taxes, enhancing export and paying the governmental debt
The beautiful PM of Finland has driven herself into a trouble

Did the Finnish Prime Minister promise Hornet fighter jets to Ukraine?

The national TV-channel of Finland showed in their main news today Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) speaking to the press, saying, "I was a bit surprised by the strong reaction it got here in certain circles at home. Perhaps this shows that elections are always around the corner. Other parties have taken some liberties, for example, putting words in my mouth that I have never said."

Of course, it is possible that someone has put words in Marin's mouth, and I will not comment on that. However, in this situation, it is important to repeat exactly what she said in Ukraine. Therefore, I will copy the central content of Marin's statement from a newspaper's article where it was published word for word.

Firstly, the Prime Minister said that "we know the schedule for our future fighter jets, how we will get them to Finland, and yes, I think we can also have a discussion about the Hornets, whether it would be possible to transfer them to Ukraine." Additionally, she stated that "Finland is in an interesting position precisely because we have made the decision on a new acquisition, and we have existing equipment and can, of course, evaluate the use of that equipment".

Based on those comments, dear reader, you can draw your own conclusions on how Marin's words are meant to be understood, and how they have been interpreted by the listeners.

In my opinion, with those words, Marin clearly and unambiguously informed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukrainian people that Finland is in a position to both transfer Hornet fighter jets and is considering doing so - she even emphasized this twice.

And I can't possibly believe that Zelensky, nor his people awaiting aid, could have interpreted our Prime Minister's words in any other way. Nor do I believe that Marin intended them to be interpreted differently than how I have written.

We can only speculate on the reasons for Marin's statement. Perhaps she acted in good faith and genuinely wanted to transfer Finnish fighter planes to a people in dire straits. And perhaps she wanted to initiate a discussion on the matter domestically.

Or perhaps she has become fond of the immense admiration she has received worldwide for repeatedly taking a strong stance in support of Ukraine during the ongoing war. And maybe she thought that her interview in the midst of the war would generate more of the same - who among us hasn't enjoyed those moments in life when we have basked in someone else's expressed admiration.

The third option could be that Sanna Marin acted as the leader of the Social Democratic Party and believed that the strong support of Finns for the Ukrainian people could help her party win the elections in early April, if she promised that Finland would help where larger Western countries have hesitated. And thereby she could even get a second term as the country's most influential politician, that is, as the Prime Minister.

The situation becomes tragically comical by the fact that we don't really have anything to offer Ukraine. The Finnish Hornets will be used up in the Finnish Air Force and therefore wouldn't be of much use in Ukraine's fight against the Russians.

Former commander of the Finnish Defense Forces, General Jarmo Lindberg, tweeted about this, stating that "any retired aircraft has very few years left if everything goes according to plan. In addition, the spare parts inventory is of course being depleted, as there will be no need for parts in the future. Permission must be obtained from the USA for further use, but there is no remaining lifespan."

Unfortunately, I have to admit that while Marin gained great popularity with her internationally noticed appearance and convincing performances during the pandemic, her later period as the destroyer of national wealth and party princess has eroded my perception of her ability as Prime Minister. And this recent fighter jet opening certainly doesn't help - and I say this without any sugarcoating.

The original blogpost in Finnish: Sanasta Sannaa ja sarvesta miestä

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
A gift from the free world to Ukraine
Independence day of Finland now and 83 years ago
Finland after the Russian war in Ukraine
 

Reducing taxes, enhancing export and paying the governmental debt

Finland is a small country with a relatively high standard of living. According to a new report, that is largely paid by the efforts of export industry.  

The report points out that "contribution of the export industry to the Finnish national economy is approximately 47 per cent of the value added and approximately 42 per cent of the employed. In terms of taxes, the impact is approximately one third of the total tax revenue."

The report also lists elements necessary for the future success of export industry. They need a lot of new talent i.e. sufficient number of competent experts, courage to be creative by increasing research, development and innovation as well as long-term industry policy ensuring competitiveness for themselves. 

I do not claim against the report. It will, however, be interesting to see how the Finnish political apparatus will respond to the needs of its industry. During the last years it has only succeeded to ruin the public economy by spending considerably more money than taxes and other incomes would have allowed. And therefore the government debt has increased from 106 billion euros in year 2019 to 129 billion euros in 2022. 

The interests of that burden alone are estimated to triple in this year to 2,4 billion euros. To be covered by Finnish tax payers for nothing. 

Fortunately, this reality is well understood by the ordinary people. According to a recent opinion poll only 18 percent would like to cover public spending by additional debt instead of reducing public spending. And to improve the operating conditions of companies.

The next elections of the Finnish parliament will be in April. The opinion polls suggest that the two most popular parties will be Conservatives and True Finns. Both of which have promised to reduce governmental budget. In other words, people are now looking for a change to the current left wing government led by the beautiful prime minister Sanna Marin of Social Democrats. 

Taken together: next summer we will see, whether Finland will have a government program improving operating conditions of export industry, reduce governmental debt and retain the best parts of the Nordic welfare society so, that the political left will not make a comeback in elections 2027 to return the country back to the harsh economic position it is right now.

 

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Fair policy will build a strong Union
A notable difference between Social Democrats in Sweden and Finland
The beautiful PM of Finland has driven herself into a trouble

The beautiful PM of Finland has driven herself into a trouble

The beautiful Prime Minister of Finland - Sanna Marin - seems to have a problem in controlling her behavior during her free time. The list supporting this conclusion has grown quickly.

The first suspicious occasion was in May 2021, when the PM was found out to use tax-free meal benefit during her normal life at home. She had to pay her taxes afterwards.

In October 2021 Sanna Marin was celebrating in her official residency with some of her friends after an event with people in the music business. Afterwards it turned out that there had not been proper discussions - based on the agenda - even during the official part, but the focus was rather in drinking and community singing. 

The third case was in December 2021, when she was seen celebrating in a night club although she had been exposed to coronavirus. And even worse, she did not carry with her the governmental emergency telephone, which should follow her everywhere for the case of urgent need to get PM contacted. She was called twice during the evening...

The fourth case could also be interpreted as a positive thing, unless other cases would not prove otherwise. Namely, in June 2022 Marin was shown in television behaving notably wildly during an ice hockey game with a glass of wine in her hand. 

The last case was a set of videos, where Marin was dancing wildly and was obviously strongly intoxicated. However, the PM of Finland should be 24 hours a day capable of making decisions in surprising situations. According to the video collection she hardly was... 

The behavior of the PM have raised many questions. They all can be summarized with a simple question: is she capable to act as a PM of Finland or rather a safety risk to the nation she has been selected to lead?

Finland will have an election of the Parliament next spring. The cases listed above will probably be forgotten by then - provided that further cases will not appear. And I believe that PM will not leave her position voluntarily before that. 

However, the first impression on the effect of the latest misbehavior of the PM - that seems to be more serious than previously - will be obtained when new polls measuring popularity of political parties appear. That is, pretty soon.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
The pressure on Sanna Marini is growing, but will she and/or the government resign?? In Finnish, but translatable by google translator.