Jimmie Åkesson Is Sweden’s Most Widely Accepted Politician

Today I read an interesting piece of information on social media. According to it, Jimmie Åkesson (Sweden Democrats) is the most widely accepted politician in Sweden.

It therefore seems very much as if our western neighbor is beginning to wake up to reality. But the question is whether it is already too late.

This can be examined, for example, in light of the numbers of ethnic backgrounds residing in Sweden that have proven to be problematic.

Information on this is provided, for instance, by Wikipedia, according to which in 2023 Sweden was home to, among others—by country of birth—approximately 200,000 Syrians, just under 150,000 Iraqis, 86,000 Iranians, 68,000 Somalis, 67,000 Afghans, 56,000 Turks, 49,000 Eritreans, 29,000 Lebanese, and 28,000 Pakistanis. And, of course, all of their descendants.

Out of the total population of 10.5 million people, around 7.6 million are ethnically Swedish, and the rest were born in countries other than those mentioned above, the most significant of which are Finland, Poland, the countries of the former Yugoslavia, and India. Of children, only about two thirds are still ethnically Swedish.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Two Men Sentenced for Raping Underage Girls
Is Finnish Broadcasting Company Yle Using Taxpayer Money to Mislead?
The Left Wants to Grill a Swedish Minister Over His Son’s Past – What’s Really Behind It?

The original blogpost in Finnish:
Åkesson on hyväksytyin ruotsalaispoliitikko

Concern About the Future Is Growing in Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin held his annual media spectacle, the propagandistic rambling of which was reported with varying emphasis by the Finnish media (Yle, Helsingin Sanomat). This morning, I then came across a post on social media by the Ukrainian Anton Gerashchenko, who is known for sharing his views, and whose content may have been more important than any information conveyed by Finnish news organizations.

According to him, as many as eight percent of the questions submitted for the program concerned Russia’s economic crisis, making it the third most popular topic—previously it had not even made the top ten. People wanted to know when the “bad period” of the economy would end, when price increases would stop, and why the government is raising value-added tax.

Sixteen percent of Russians also wanted to know when their standard of living would improve, and 21 percent were interested in when the war would end. These are likely rather uncomfortable questions for Putin.

* * *

In the same post, Gerashchenko also said that according to a recent opinion poll, 39 percent of Russians believe that the economic situation in their regions will worsen, compared to 33 percent a year ago, 34 percent in 2023, and 29 percent in 2022. The share of Russians who believe that life in Russia will deteriorate next year has also reached its highest level since 2022 (17%).

In other words, the consequences of the war in Ukraine are increasingly beginning to show in Russians’ everyday lives, even though—at least so far—there have been no visible (or at least serious) protests against the war. It remains to be seen at what point ordinary Russians’ concern about their own situation will lead to visible resistance against Putin’s war policy.

Or will it ever?

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Peace in Ukraine Would Be a Risk to Putin
Why Do Russians Tolerate Broken Infrastructure?
Is This the Start of Putin’s Final Countdown?

Finns Give Their Government a Green Light to Ban Face Coverings

According to a new public opinion survey, 54 percent of Finns support and 26 percent oppose banning face coverings in public places and public services. This view is especially common among supporters of the Finns Party (92%), the National Coalition Party (70%), the Centre Party (62%), and the Social Democrats (54%). Thus, only the supporters of the left-wing parties (the Greens and the Left Alliance) are, on the whole, opposed to such a ban.

In fact, support for banning face coverings among different parties is even higher than the figures above suggest. For example, 14% of National Coalition supporters did not express an opinion, meaning that only 15% of them opposed the idea. Moreover, among those Green Party supporters who did state a view, around one-third supported a ban on face coverings.

There are at least two main justifications for prohibiting face coverings. First, they complicate criminal investigations.

Second, wearing a face covering is not always voluntary, since in certain cultures women are forced to cover their faces against their own will. Therefore, a ban could promote gender equality and the rights of girls and women.

That is why I now ask whether Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s (NCP) government, together with the Social Democrats, could ensure that the will of the people on this matter is implemented as soon as possible. Drafting such a law should be fairly straightforward, as Finland could follow the example of countries such as Norway, the Netherlands, or France, where such bans are already in effect.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Managing Societal Change with a Growing Muslim Population
A young woman skiing in a swimsuit caused a controversy among women
Did police have the right to strip women

The original blogpost in Finnish:
Hallitus sai kansalta valtakirjan kasvojen peittämisen kieltämiselle

When Should We Recognize the Independence of Palestine?

According to a recent opinion poll, 44 percent of Finns would like to recognize the State of Palestine. This group consists mainly of voters from the Left Alliance, the Greens, and the Social Democrats. On the other hand, on the political right, supporters of the National Coalition Party and the Finns Party are more opposed to the idea than others.

There are hardly any differences between age groups, but women are more inclined than men to support the establishment of a new state in the Middle East—despite the fact that women’s rights would likely not be realized there. Finland’s President Alexander Stubb, for his part, has stated that Finland should also recognize Palestine if the United Kingdom, France, or other major countries do so.

* * *

All of this reminded me of Finland’s own independence from Russian rule. The Declaration of Independence was approved by the Finnish Parliament on December 6, 1917, shortly after the October Revolution.

After that, Finland began seeking support for its independence from Western countries, but they were unwilling to recognize it. Support was first sought from Germany, which initially promised to raise the matter in the peace negotiations with Russia in Brest-Litovsk. However, this did not happen; instead, the Germans said they would wait for Soviet Russia to recognize the new state first.

Consequently, the Finnish government sent a request for recognition of independence to Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, France, and Britain. Recognition was not requested from Russia, as it was thought that it would be more inclined to approve the matter once the Western powers had already done so.

This hope turned out to be in vain, as the Western countries urged the Prime Minister to turn to the Bolshevik government of Russia, led by Lenin. The Finnish Prime Minister, however, was reluctant to do so, as he did not want to acknowledge the Bolsheviks as the legitimate rulers of Russia.

Eventually, on December 22, the Finnish Parliament decided to seek recognition not from the Bolshevik government, but from the Russian Constituent Assembly, which was expected to convene soon and where the majority was made up of Russia’s more moderate left-wing parties. Germany, however, intervened and pressured the Finnish government to approach Lenin’s Council of People's Commissars instead.

This is what happened, and Lenin did recognize Finland’s independence. He did so because he believed that supporting the right of national minorities to secede would further the Bolsheviks’ main goal—the spread of the socialist revolution. In his view, the separation should only be temporary, as he assumed that the small nations breaking away from Russia would later voluntarily rejoin either the Russian socialist federation or a broader worldwide Soviet union.

* * *

As for myself, when it comes to recognizing Palestinian independence, I believe the time is not yet right. After all, there isn’t even a theoretically independent Arab state in the Holy Land that would meet the criteria for statehood.

However, I would be ready to recognize Palestine immediately after Israel does. In other words, I would act in the same way that the Western countries did when they eventually recognized Finland’s independence.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Gambling Addiction and the Shadowy Instigator
The Complete Demilitarization of Gaza: What Would It Mean for the Palestinians?
Independence day of Finland now and 83 years ago

Shock in Berlin: AfD Surges, Merz Stumbles

It may come as no surprise that the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is taking the country's intelligence service to court over its classification of the party as a far-right group. What is a far bigger surprise, however, is that Friedrich Merz was not elected Chancellor in the first vote of the Bundestag, Germany's federal parliament, to lead a coalition government between the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats.

This is likely to be corrected in the second vote. More interestingly, the AfD has already called for new elections.

The reason for this is likely the party’s rising popularity, now surpassing that of all other parties. This is certainly not only due to the perception that the intelligence service’s classification is undemocratic. The protest mood has likely also been fueled by the fact that no attempt was made—even symbolically—to negotiate a coalition with the AfD, which came second in the election. That, too, can be seen as a sign of broken democracy.

That’s why it will be fascinating to see how support for German political parties evolves in the coming months and years. Will the AfD continue to grow in popularity, or will Merz’s government restore public trust in the traditional parties?

At least Merz has a good starting point: the debt brake has been loosened, and he has pledged to fix Germany’s infrastructure and armed forces with hundreds of billions in additional funding. On the other hand, if Germany's sluggish economy begins to noticeably affect people's standard of living, support could also rise for protest parties other than the AfD.

Aiempia ajatuksia samasta aihepiiristä:
AfD Under Fire – But Is Democracy the Price?
Good luck to Chancellor Friedrich Merz!
What will post-migration Europe look like in the future?

Good luck to Chancellor Friedrich Merz!

The coalition negotiations in Germany have been concluded, and as a result, the next Chancellor of the country will be Friedrich Merz from the Christian Democrats (CDU). His government is scheduled to begin its work in the early days of May. The coalition will include the CDU, CSU, and SPD, and with this, Merz sent a message to the President of the United States, stating that "Germany is back on track."

Naturally, the government's effectiveness remains to be seen, but it will certainly not be helped by the fact that Germany's economic growth is expected to slow to almost zero in the near future. On the other hand — as we have all noticed — at least the trade war between the US and the EU, previously threatened by Donald Trump, has for now been called off by both sides.

According to Merz, the incoming government plans to significantly increase the country's defense spending and will also provide comprehensive support for Ukraine.

Domestically, the government faces pressure from the AfD, whose support has recently risen to match that of the CDU/CSU according to the latest polls. 

However, it remains to be seen how the government's policies, especially its program described as critical of immigration, will affect the popularity of different parties in the coming years.

What is clear, however, is that for the EU, the success of Merz’s government in both domestic and foreign policy would be important. Therefore, it is only fitting to wish him success in his new role.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
What will post-migration Europe look like in the future?
Will Tomorrow’s Elections in Germany Be a Turning Point?
Afghan's Rampage in Germany Signals the End of the Value-Liberal Era in the EU

The Free World Needs America’s Leadership Now

It has been difficult for us Europeans to understand why Donald Trump has been so popular among American voters. Of course, he has made some good decisions regarding immigration and the excesses of value liberalism, but on the other hand, his foreign policy endangers the unity of the Western world in the face of China and Russia and leads to a decline in the standard of living on both sides of the Atlantic.

Naturally, we do understand that behind this lies the economic self-sufficiency stemming from the greatness of American society, which slows down the impact that closing borders has on the daily lives of ordinary citizens. And, of course, the DEI/woke movements that have eroded American society from within during the Democrats’ time in power, and which many have grown thoroughly tired of.

According to recent information, however, it now seems that even for Americans, enough is enough. This is indicated by a fresh poll showing that 50.2 percent of Americans disapprove of the president and his administration’s actions, while only 46.4 percent approve. Even Elon Musk has noticed that Trump’s actions are becoming costly for him personally as well.

It remains to be seen how Trump will respond to these numbers — and how that will affect how he leads the country in relation to the rest of the world.

Right now, the most important thing would be to express strong support for Ukraine, both in words and actions. This is because Russia has just launched its spring offensive, and its success would be in no Western country's interest — least of all the USA’s, since Putin and Xi seem to have found common ground and, for the first time since the end of the Cold War, pose a significant security threat to the Americans.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Number of Predators is Increasing in Russia
Has President Trump Lost His Grip on Reality?
Economic Decline Awaits Americans as Trump Imposes Tariffs

Why Finnish Youth Are Abandoning the Green Party

As my esteemed readers know, Europe is undergoing a major shift as the once-fashionable value-liberal trend is coming to an end. The clearest sign of this development occurred across the Atlantic, where power shifted from the Democrats to Donald Trump’s Republicans.

In Finland, this change has been reflected in the declining support for the Green movement in recent years. Since its inception, the party has been particularly popular among the youth, which has made it difficult for its support to fully materialize in elections. Nevertheless, just six years ago, it managed to secure 11.5% of the vote in the parliamentary elections—about two percentage points less than what opinion polls had predicted.

Less than a month ago, polls indicated that the party's support was hovering just below 10%, marking a roughly 25% drop compared to six years ago. Even more intriguing, however, was the so-called "youth election," in which those not yet eligible to vote could choose their preferred party.

Contrary to everyone’s expectations, the Green party did not perform well; instead, its support remained at a modest 10.5%. In other words, the party is no longer more popular among young people than among the general population.

The phenomenon likely stems from Finnish youths’ concerns about their future. They see and experience firsthand that the Finnish education system no longer functions as it once did. Furthermore, the rapid accumulation of state and municipal debt—exacerbated by the previous red-green government—as well as the public sector’s increasing entanglement in identity politics, do nothing to advance Finland’s economy or secure a better future for young people.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Why Does the Political Green-Left Lie, and Why Does It Resonate with the People?
A Major Victory for the Freedom Party in Austria's Regional Elections
The Green Movement is Withering – And That’s Not a Bad Thing

Is the UK's Democracy Facing an Existential Crisis?

In the UK, a petition was launched to call for a General Election. Its proposer believes that "the current Labour Government has gone back on the promises it laid out in the lead-up to the last election." The Government needs to respond to the request because it has obtained more than 2.6 million signatories in just a few days.

This is a peculiar case, as the election that transferred power from the Conservatives to the Labour Party took place only last July 4th — just four and a half months ago.

This demonstrates that Keir Starmer is facing exceptional dissatisfaction in the UK. One likely reason is the heavy-handed manner in which his government dealt with Britons protesting against criminal immigrants in late summer. It even released actual criminals from prison to make room for political detainees.

There is also data to back this up. According to surveys, a majority of the public was already dissatisfied with Starmer’s administration by September. In a recent poll, 28% of the public hold a favourable view of Labour, compared to 49% who view the party unfavourably.

However, other parties are not faring well either. Reform UK has the highest favourability rating of any party, with 27% holding a favourable view of the party and 46% unfavourable, while the figures for other parties are even worse.

It is therefore necessary to ask whether the UK's democracy is facing an existential crisis where no political solution satisfies the citizens. And one must hope — if this is indeed the case — that the politicians of the island nation find a way to address the situation while respecting the principles of democracy.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Predictions Based on the Opinion Polls in the UK
Why Were Violent Protests Acceptable for George Floyd but Not for the UK Child Murders?
Elections in the UK: A Shift Toward Hand-Waving Politics?

The Green Movement is Withering – And That’s Not a Bad Thing

The Green movement has gained strength since the 1970s in many countries. At the same time, it has transformed from an environmental movement that defied the traditional left-right classification into a broadly left-wing radical movement.

In many countries, this development has led to a decline in support for Green parties. For example, in Finland, the party reached its peak popularity in August 2017, with as much as 17% of eligible voters backing it. Today, however, its support has dropped to just 8%.

This has resulted in the rise of less left-leaning figures within the party, who continue to advocate for environmental issues but are more cautious toward far-left ideologies. An example of this is when three Green politicians – including the party's relatively new chairperson – proposed investing in Finland's defense industry.

This immediately sparked a backlash, casting doubt on the party's future. The Green youth organization declared that the defense industry does not represent Green values or "jointly agreed" policies.

The chair of the youth organization further stated that "sustainable, just, feminist, and human rights-based foreign policy is the core of Green security policy. Therefore, we are deeply disappointed with the party leadership's statement and do not support it."

Since the future of established parties – such as the Finnish Greens – is always reflected in their youth organizations, it seems that the fate of Finland's environmental movement will be to wither away along with other far-left movements. This is not a bad outcome for ordinary Finns or even for the environment.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Are Finns pragmatic and practical people?
Finnish Society Adopts Medieval Characteristics
The Green Movement of Finland is Lost

Finns Feel Sympathy for Ukrainians Because They Share a Similar Experience

Most Finns feel compassion towards Ukrainians who have been forced into war against Russia. This is largely because Finland found itself in a similar situation in 1939 when Joseph Stalin's Soviet Union agreed on a sphere of influence division in Eastern Europe with Hitler's Germany. The Winter War broke out, which united the entire Finnish nation just 21 years after the end of the civil war.

Therefore, it was interesting that according to a recent opinion poll, as many as one in four Finns would like Finland and other Western countries to send armed troops to Ukraine. This is a surprisingly high figure even though the number of opponents is higher, about 40 percent.

One in three men supported sending troops, but only one in six women. In addition to women, people over sixty also viewed the idea unfavorably.

When viewed from a political perspective, the supporters of the political right, that is, the National Coalition Party and the Finns Party, were the most in favor of sending troops. The greatest number of opponents were among the supporters of the Social Democrats and the Centre Party.

However, the fact is that official Finland will not send even a single soldier to fight in Ukraine, even though it has provided fairly generous material aid. Instead, voluntary Finnish soldiers are already fighting in Zelenskyy's army against the "old enemy."

In practice, Ukraine's future will largely be determined by who wins the U.S. presidential election and what the winner thinks about the matter.

If the winner wants to withdraw American support from Zelenskyy's army, the Ukrainians will find themselves in a difficult situation. European arms aid is unlikely to be enough to win the war, and the country will be forced to make an unpleasant peace with Russia.

Such a situation would also unite Finns and Ukrainians, as this happened after the Winter War. A large part of Finland was cut off and made part of Russia, largely because the Western powers—mainly Britain and France—did not come to help despite their promises. 

This decision by the Western powers had unfortunate consequences, as Finland, disappointed by the Western countries, joined Hitler´s Germany when it attacked the Soviet Union in 1941. Finland only disengaged after stopping Stalin's army's major offensive in Southeastern Finland in the summer of 1944.

It is to be hoped that history does not repeat itself in this matter, and that Ukraine can rely on Western aid long enough for the aggressor to be subdued. Then, the Ukrainians can peacefully build their own future as they wish and are able to do.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Stalemate in Ukraine
Ukraine can and will stop Putin
A woman's logic, Putin's test, and the Netherlands' change

Finns want a border law

According to a recent opinion poll, a clear majority of Finns support a new border law that would better counter Russia's hybrid warfare. The idea was backed by 62 percent of respondents, while only 17 percent opposed it.

This means that of those who expressed an opinion in the poll, 78.5 percent were in favor of enacting the law. And this is a very large majority. In other words, Finns want a new border law.

President Alexander Stubb also supported the law, stating that "according to our intelligence, Russia is capable of moving migrants to our border who are not traditional asylum seekers but people used as weapons and instrumentalized. Over a thousand in a few hours."

Hopefully, this information will sway those Social Democratic MPs who have so far opposed the law change, and perhaps even some representatives of the Greens or the Left Alliance.

Of course, there are no guarantees, but at least I wouldn't want to be the MP who ended up supporting Vladimir Putin's efforts to use masses of people from developing countries as a hybrid weapon by flooding them across our eastern border. And in doing so, helped one of the cruelest dictators of our time to undermine our organized society and its security.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Putin's useful idiots in Finland
Immigration issue
Mass immigration is the greatest concern for EU youth

Two out of three Palestinians support October 7 attack

According to a recent opinion poll, as many as 67 percent of Palestinians still approve of the events of October 7, during which groups of Jews were murdered and raped, and hostages were taken. As a result, the war in Gaza continues.

This demonstrates to the whole world that Palestinians have not excluded terrorism from the means they use to destroy Israel. And this, of course, does not encourage the Jewish state to negotiate the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

Therefore, it is easy to predict that the war in Gaza will not end with serious negotiations for the creation of an independent Palestine. Instead, it will lead at most to some sort of theater, where Israeli representatives are merely pretending to negotiate, and Palestinian leaders are gathering sympathy points from gullible Westerners.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Norway and Ireland are awarding the terrorists a prize
Palestinian responsibility
Palestinians: acknowledging facts is the beginning of wisdom!

Mass immigration is the greatest concern for EU youth

Finnish political media reported that a survey conducted in March revealed that the greatest concern among European youth is the mass migration directed towards our continent. This is considered the biggest worry by 36 percent of the 5,874 German, French, Polish, Greek, Spanish, and Italian youths aged 16-26 who responded to the survey.

The concern over mass immigration is particularly high in Germany, where it is the biggest worry for half of the survey respondents. The restriction of immigration, on the other hand, was most supported by Polish and Greek youths.

Although the survey included many other questions, I highlight only immigration here. This is because it shows that the planned tightening of asylum policies by Finland's current government aligns with the views of the continent's youth.

This is a good thing in itself, but it also shows that the ideologies of young people continue to change from generation to generation, just like other fashions. The key point here is to understand that the prevailing fear of the future will - for the next ten years only - guide population policy in the same way that the previous generation's fear of climate change and its consequences has shaped political actions in recent years.

On this basis, the demographic future of the European Union - and consequently its societal development - looks somewhat brighter than before. In the best case, the youth's concern, combined with the weakening dependency ratio, may even lead to a long-term increase in the currently low birth rate.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
A woman's logic, Putin's test, and the Netherlands' change
The Finns rewarded a mass murder with 213,000 euros
Getting asylum in Finland becomes significantly more difficult

A woman's logic, Putin's test, and the Netherlands' change

A Finnish media company, MTV3, has conducted an interesting survey. According to it, all Finns, regardless of gender, consider foreign and security policy, as well as internal security, to be very important issues in the European elections.

However, while supporting Ukraine is very important to men, women do not seem to care much about whether or not Ukrainians are supported in their fight against Putin's invaders. Instead, women consider it very important to prevent the rise of the far right and to combat climate change, whereas men are not as interested in these issues.

Based on this, it can be concluded that there will be significant differences in the voting behavior of men and women. Specifically, women are likely to support red-green candidates much more, while men are more likely to vote for candidates from the right side of the political center.

This is, of course, not surprising, as previous studies have shown that women tend to lean left more often than men. Nevertheless, their indifference to the fate of Ukrainians surprised at least the undersigned.

After all, Russian invaders have committed brutal sexual and other violence against Ukrainian women and even children wherever they could. Unfortunately, it seems that the old saying "a woman is a wolf to another woman" applies in this context as well.

It also seems that Finnish women have not fully internalized that a Russian victory in Ukraine would also jeopardize Finland's security situation, as it would show that the Western countries are ultimately not ready to defend their allies. Therefore, a few years after a possible victory in Ukraine, Putin might very well test whether the same logic applies to NATO countries as well.

In this context, it is likely that Finland would not be the first test target, but Putin's army would more likely test NATO's reactions in a militarily weaker country such as the Baltic or Balkan states. Nonetheless, it would be best to stop the Kremlin's megalomaniac dictator in Ukraine rather than let him even dream of challenging the Western allies.

* * *

I don't know what Dutch women think about their country's security policy or Ukraine, but there is, in any case, a political revolution happening in the Netherlands regarding immigration policy, as four parties, led by Geert Wilders' Freedom Party, have agreed to form a government. If they manage to agree on a common program, it will have significant consequences for the security of Dutch women.

According to an afternoon newspaper - Ilta-Sanomat - "the parties promise, among other things, to declare an 'asylum emergency' in the country, under which the government intends to take exceptional measures to temporarily restrict asylum rights and family reunification, as well as cut social benefits for asylum seekers". In other words, the appeal of the Netherlands among social-based asylum seekers will significantly decrease from the previous level.

Interestingly enough, according to the same article, the Freedom Party is also set to perform exceptionally well in the European elections. This contrasts with the situation of its counterpart - the Finns Party - in Finland, which, according to polls, is expected to achieve at best mediocre success. In this respect, it is interesting to note that the Dutch party is clearly more national-conservative than Purra's group – in leftist rhetoric, "more far-right".

Previous thoughts on the same topic: The procrastination of Western countries is paid for with the blood of soldiers Attitudes towards immigrants are not becoming more positive in Western countries History of Finland XI: Finnish democracy and gender equality for women

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

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

Elections in Finland enlight journalistic views

Finns will vote for the members of their national parliament in early April. Accoprding to opinion polls, the Conservative party (21.6 % of those, who told their opinions) is the most popular one followed by Social democrats (19.3 %) and True Finns (18.4 %), the latter one being a more conservative but economically slightly less market oriented right wing party compared to Conservatives.

Today also another opinion poll was published. According to that, True Finns were by far the most popular one among those, who will vote for the first time. Their share of told opinions was a remarkable 35,9 %, whereas the secondmost popular Social democrates were favored by only 16,7 %. 

Interestingly though, the main newspaper in the country, Helsingin sanomat, had the latter opinion poll made. And that it published its figures in an unusual way for gallups measuring popularity of political parties - namely, including also those, who did not tell their opinions. 

In this way, the share of opinions to True Finns was lower than it would have been, if expressed in a normal way (as above) - "only" 28 %. As Helsingin sanomat is well known for its disgust for true Finns, this way of presenting the results was probably made by purpose. That is, by an intention to make their popularity among youngsters to look smaller. 

I am not saying that politics in Finland would be exceptionally dirty nor media would be highly corrupted. But definitely journalists are trying to support their favorites as much as they can (another example). And therefore those entitled to vote should be cautious, when following the media stream on politics.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
The beautiful PM of Finland has driven herself into a trouble
Misuse of taxpayers´ money in Finland
An ignorant mediahouse failed again in historical facts

  

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 Finnish army is respected by Russians

The opinions of Russian people towards its neighbors are always interesting. Especially if they concern your home country. At the end of April, the popular science and technology publication Ferra published a report about the Finnish army. 

At the end of the report was a survey for readers, where the answer was given by clicking one of four options. The question was: “if Russia for some reason launched a ´special operation´ against Finland, the result would be…”

The most popular option was “worse than in Ukraine”. It received 30 percent of responses.

Option “NATO would have joined the conflict and World War III would have begun” was the second most popular, and received acceptance from 29 percent of Ferra readers.

Option “better than in Ukraine” was clicked by 14% of respondents, with the fourth option receiving the same figure was “roughly the same as in Ukraine".

Thus, it looks like Finnish army enjoys considerable respect among Russians. And NATO is considered as a support for our country already now, although Finland is not yet even a member. These are interesting opinions in a country where propaganda in overwhelming and truth lies somewhere between the written lines.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Russian army not comparable to western military services
Obligatory military service gains support
Why a journalist was unaware on the number of Stalin´s victims?