A View On Finland

Mellow Greetings.

I've had lots of fun posting items about Finland in the original Shaniaforums.com site.

Unfortunately, for the time being, that thread is out of reach.

Therefore, I'm starting up a new one here - with the first critical article from The Financial Times:




The Financial Times - Editorial - August 23, 2011 10:42 pm


Collateral damage


There has been much talk about solidarity among eurozone governments as they strive to resolve their sovereign debt woes. But as leaders seek to navigate the ever narrower straits between the politically intolerable and the economically suicidal, the gap between rhetoric and action has widened.

There is little solidarity evident in the latest initiative by some creditor countries to shake down Greece for cash collateral with the aim of securing their commitments to Athens through the obligations taken on by the European financial stability facility.

True, the political pressure on creditor governments to limit their exposure to the troubled southern periphery has been mounting as the economic picture has soured. But the preferential deal Finland has struck with Athens is simply destructive of the wider objective of assisting Greece.

In return for Helsinki guaranteeing EFSF loans, the deal requires the Greeks to deposit cash into an account that would be invested in triple A assets. These would have a face value sufficient to collateralise Finland’s exposure. The deal has been structured as a bilateral agreement and may not require eurogroup approval. While tweaks may be possible, Helsinki maintains that without collateral, further aid is a political impossibility.

As a plan this is unworkable. Since Athens would need to set aside some money borrowed from the EFSF simply to secure the Finns, it must find more money in total. With privatisation proceeds elusive, this could come only from other eurozone countries.

Unsurprisingly, these states resent Finland’s free ride. Several, including Austria and the Netherlands, maintain that they will demand similar arrangements if Helsinki’s deal stands.

And this simply will not fly. What might be feasible with just Finland – which would account for about 2 per cent of the package – would cease to be so if more widely extended. The resulting increase in Greece’s already significant debt burden would simply accelerate its downward spiral.

This initiative only encourages those market participants who believe eurozone governments have lost the will to solve the problem. For clarity’s sake, Finland must make up its mind whether it supports the Greek package or not.

After each eurozone solution, markets have swiftly returned to their default setting of disbelief. Were Finland to withdraw from its July commitment to aid Greece, it would just confirm investors in their cynicism.




My view:

There's a struggle over power within the Social Democratic Party in Finland. The current leader, Jutta Urpilainen will be ousted from her leading post within a year, to be replaced by a more Euro-favorable-Lipponen-supporter.

Not that Jutta, the current Minister of Treasury, herself was ever really Euro-critical. It was just expected from her to do some good, for Finland first. And she made the huge mistake, that it would be in anyone's interest - the voters - the country - the European Union.

No. She only managed to increase Euro skepticism, drive further division between European countries and confuse the financial markets.


Realizing being a scab, forgetting the legacy of solidarity, must be a shocking realization for any "labour" party leader.


John -

Helsingin Sanomat:


Extensive lemming migration under way in Lapland



Migration of the species set to continue until mid-October



Finland’s northernmost province of Lapland is currently witnessing the largest Norway lemming (Lemmus lemmus) “During the weekend plenty of lemmings were seen on the streets of the Norwegian towns of Alta and Bugøynes”, explains professor Heikki Henttonen from the Finnish Forest Research Institute (Metla).

”Nevertheless, this present migration is not on the same scale as those witnessed in the 1970s, when masses of lemmings were seen as far south as in Rovaniemi and Kuusamo.”

According to Henttonen, lemmings migrate each year from the moist summer regions to drier wintering areas. At times the lemming population multiplies nearly exponentially, which forces the rodent to seek living space from more and more farflung areas.

The migration of the species continues until mid-October, when lemmings will be seen in Lapland nearly everywhere. The phenomenon is expected to subside next year, coinciding with the collapse of the vole population.


John -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBO_cz2TPfo


John -

Headline in today's paper:

Sex workers oppose ban on buying sex services


John -

Associated Press - 2011-09-15 01:09 AM


Finnish lawmaker's remarks spark call for ouster


The leader of Finland's opposition party is demanding the suspension of a lawmaker from its parliamentary group for suggesting that the Greek financial crisis should be solved with tanks.

Timo Soini, who heads the Finns _ formerly known as the True Finns _ party says Jussi Halla-aho should be expelled from the group for a month because he "cannot accept the comments" that Halla-aho posted Wednesday on Facebook.

In those Facebook comments, Halla-aho said a military junta was needed in Greece "to rein in the strikers and demonstrators ... with tanks."

Halla-aho, known for his controversial political blogs, was once charged but acquitted with incitement against an ethnic group for online comments about the Prophet Muhammad.



Halla-aho is one seriously frightening phenomena... an elected parliament member, who states that democracy is not the answer..?!?

- Actually... I'm more terrified about his supporters... * yikes *


John -

The Epoch Times - Sep 23, 2011


The Rise of the True Finns,
A Finnish Kind of Tea Party


Leader of the True Finns Party, Timo Soini reacts to the results
of the exit polls showing his party winning 18.7 percent at their
party election center in Helsinki on April 17.


By Aron Lamm


In Finland, a populist party, known simply as “The Finns” has risen with unexpected speed and force to become one of the country’s biggest parties, shaking up the political map. It is somewhat akin to a Finnish Tea Party, seeking to represent the country’s heartland and traditional Finnish values against the European Union and a government it says is out of touch with the people. But will its momentum last, or will it fall apart as a result of its diversity?

When the Perussuomalaiset party became third biggest party in the Finnish national parliamentary elections in April, it was the most resounding success for a new, populist party in Scandinavia so far. At 19.1 percent, it was only one percentage point from being the biggest party. After long negotiations, it opted to remain in opposition and not join a coalition government.

Perussuomalaiset translates as “the true Finns,” “the original Finns,” but after some deliberation they decided that their English name would simply be “The Finns.”

In a poll in August, their support increased further making them for the first time, the most popular party in Finland. Charismatic leader Timo Soini is a serious contender for the presidential elections in the spring of 2012.

However, the party has been criticized for being crass and chauvinistic in its rhetoric, and harboring extreme and xenophobic elements. Some see it as simply a container for all disgruntled Finnish voters, fed up with the consensus mentality brought on by broad coalition governments of traditional parties of decades past.

High-profile issues for the party are tightened immigration policies and strong criticism against the European Union, especially any tendencies toward a “united states of Europe.”

However, The Finns call for ending mandatory Swedish classes in schools, replacing them with a voluntary system, has also raised a few eyebrows.

Finland was part of Sweden from the Middle Ages until the early 19th century, and despite the fact that the Swedish-speaking minority makes up only about 6 percent of the population, all schoolchildren are required to take both Finnish and Swedish (which are linguistically about as closely related as English and Chinese) in school.

“The Finns are a part of a populist tradition in Finland, with roots going back to the 1960s,” said Lauri Karvonen, professor of Political Science at the University of Abo in a telephone interview.

Finland, a sparsely populated country of forests and lakes wedged between Sweden and Russia, was one of the last countries in Western Europe to emerge from an agrarian society. In just a few decades, it roared straight into the post-industrial era, on the backs of companies like mobile phone giant Nokia.

At times when the pace of change has become too fast, especially for the people in the Finnish heartland, populist movements have emerged. This happened in the 60s and again in the 80s. The Finns, formed in 1995, are the direct descendants of this tradition.

“When too many things become uncertain, and too much seems to be dependent on outside forces, like big multinational companies or the EU, some take comfort in a movement that speaks of traditional Finnish values, the idea of being Finnish, and how everything should be more like in the good old days,” says Karvonen.

A characteristic of many populist parties in Europe is that they are run by people who are “of the people,” with little or no political experience. Hanna Mantyla of The Finns fits the pattern. A 37-year old mother of two with a background in health care and social work, she is now a member of the national Parliament.

“I had not been a member of any other party before I joined The Finns. I come from a working-class family which was not politically active,” she wrote in an email. A pathos for social justice and skepticism toward the EU led her to get involved in politics.

To Mantyla, The Finns are a party that stands up for and listens to the ordinary citizen, as opposed to the traditional parties, who are loosing in popularity, because they don’t.

But skeptics describe party members as oddballs and malcontents at best and as xenophobes and extremists at worst.

The Finns have often been compared to far-right populist parties in other Scandinavian countries that focus much of their energy on stopping immigration, but according to Karvonen, The Finns’s core voters are a much more moderate crowd.

“There is a group of openly xenophobic people within the party, but they are not the majority. Basically, The Finns are OK with immigrants as long as they work and are not treated differently, but there are more extreme elements,” he said, mentioning the example of member of Parliament Jussi Halla-aho who has become known for making off-the-wall remarks that in some cases have been seen as downright derogatory.

Recently, Halla-aho suggested on Facebook that Greece should be ruled by a military junta, as was the case in the ’70s, to stop the riots and get its economy in order. He withdrew the comment but was expelled from the party—though only for two weeks.

Karvonen thinks this might be the just the beginning of the end for the party.

“Soini must have been a little surprised himself at the kind of crowd he brought into Parliament. I think he’s counting on having to get rid of quite a few MP’s,” he said, adding that he thinks the party, despite its success at the moment, is likely to fall apart over its internal differences and diversity. This has been the historical pattern for other successful populist movements in Finland, he indicated.

Mantyla, however, sees things differently. She dismisses the talk of division and is looking forward with great confidence to the presidential and local elections next year.

“It is clear that as MP’s we all emphasize different issues. For me, social policy issues are most important. But we have all committed ourselves to the platform of out party. ... The solidarity and spirit in the [parliamentary] group is excellent,” she said.

“I indeed believe that in the future we will be the biggest party in Finland.”





Yep, they want the "good old days" back... and, at least, all the clocks should be stopped immediately...


John -

Finance ministers Evangelos Venizelos of Greece and Jutta Urpilainen of Finland


John -

Jean-Claude Juncker: "Have you heared the latest joke about Finland?"


John -

Saving you own parties face over the needs of the general public ain't the way to do business The way things are going Greece is going to implode

True.

What we're saying, is that it's the wrong way.

The whole of EU shouldn't be held responsible for the errors made by the biggest banks in Europe => Santander, Deutsche Bank, HCBC, etc.


Why are people revolting..? - Because they stink on ice.


Fix it.


NOW.


John -

Our economy over here in Britain is pretty much screwed never mind helping anyone else

The Change begins... everywhere...


John -

Gonna be hard times for some if not most of the working class if stability is going to be found. Time the unworthy are left behind especially junkies etc

Norwegians pissed off with Finns on tourism:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lc3FxNXjBs0


John -

HELSINGIN SANOMAT - INTERNATIONAL EDITION - HOME - 18.11.2011


President Halonen urges Finns to dare defend victims of racism



Tarja Halonen
President of Finland


By Pekka Mykkänen


President Tarja Halonen wants Finnish party leaders, civil servants, and ordinary citizens to seriously tackle the racism that she sees “bubbling up” in Finland.

Halonen says that she was “slightly surprised” at the results of the poll published by Helsingin Sanomat last Saturday, according to which two-thirds of Finns felt that there is much, or a fair amount of racism in Finland. One in seven recognised or admitted to the existence of racism within themselves.

She felt that it was positive that citizens seem to have woken up to seeing racism as a problem.

“Of course it is unfortunate that there is racism in Finland, but it is good that people recognise it and are no longer blind to what happens at home.”

The survey revealed that supporters of the True Finns party, which won big in the previous parliamentary elections, were twice as likely to recognise racism in themselves as the nation on average.

“People who recognise racism in themselves have ended up voting for the True Finns. The True Finns have been seen as their way of reacting to some problems which they consider to be truly serious. I have said that the questions and problems can be the right ones to some degree, but the answers are wrong”, Halonen says.

According to the President, the current atmosphere requires everyday moral courage and defence of those who become victims of racism.

“What is decisive is our own everyday behaviour and everyday courage. It is often the first support that people who are targets of racism can get. However, I do not mean that it would be necessary to intervene in every argument, because it could be very dangerous. But there should not be a sounding-board from the public suggesting that racism is right.”

Tarja Halonen says in her interview with Helsingin Sanomat that she is concerned about the inflamed relations between the native inhabitants of the city of Lieksa in North Karelia and the Somali community there of about 200 people.

“On the question of whether or not racism is a problem here I would say that this situation is bubbling, and now and then a few bursts rise to the surface, which call for a quick response. But it is also important to see where the pressure comes from and to try to influence it.”

Halonen is worried that a culture that encourages plain speaking has led to a coarsening of the use of language. “There has been an acceptance of hate behaviour that would not have been considered appropriate before.”

She feels that it is worth considering whether or not guidebooks should be distributed advising people not to laugh at racist jokes.

“The methods are not simple. They take time and require a broad common culture of action. For instance those taking part in online discussions could actively bring out the view that racist positions are not acceptable, that they do not lead to anything good, and they are not the right answers.”

Halonen said that she feared in advance that attitudes toward the Roma would take a negative turn as a result of the widespread negative publicity received by Roma beggars.

The fear proved to be well founded.

In the Helsingin Sanomat poll, 37 per cent of the people took a negative view of the Roma.

“This has happened here in Finland and in other parts of Europe. The conclusion that can be drawn from this is that actions with which the status of the Roma in their countries of origin could have been quickly and significantly improved have signally failed.”

The President chews over the Roma question for a long time with a feeling of frustration. She admits that she herself failed when she tried to influence the presidents of Romania and Bulgaria - the leaders of the countries of origin of the Roma.

“The answers that we are able to give here in the countries where they come to are all more or less bad. But it is not enough to deny the problem - we need to find at least reasonably good solutions.”

Early next year before the end of her term as president, Halonen plans to raise the issue when a group of European presidents gather together in Finland.

“We need to take a humane attitude toward individuals, but that does not mean that we should accept professional begging.”




COMMENTARY: True Finns have issues with reality


By Pekka Mykkänen


Timo Soini found fault with Helsingin Sanomat, Jussi Halla-aho criticised the President, and Reijo Tossavainen lashed out at the President, Helsingin Sanomat, the Centre Party, and the city of Kauniainen.

The interpretation of the True Finns party concerning the poll on racism published on Saturday by Helsingin Sanomat makes for frustrating reading.

It underscores the party’s attempt to turn its journey into a continuing narrative of victimhood, its inability to take the racism of many of its supporters seriously, and its tendency to place blame outside itself on everything that concerns the attitudes of the supporters of the True Finns.

Presidential candidate and chairman Timo Soini labelled the scientific poll, which represents the entire nation, as “tendentious”, and refused a request from Helsingin Sanomat for an interview.

An astounding 51 per cent of supporters of the True Finns agreed with the statement that “people belonging to certain races simply are not suited to live in a modern society”.

The percentages of the supporters of other parties agreeing with this statement were as follows: the Centre Party: 34%, the SDP 30%, the National Coalition Party 25%, the Green League 13%, and the Left Alliance 12%.

At its grimmest, the reaction of the True Finns points to a disappearance of a common foundation of reality and the atrophying of the ability to learn.

Polls conducted by TNS Gallup are among the most accurate surveys available in Finland.

In the United States, the tendency to reject science and reality is exceptionally strong at the moment.

In that country political decision-making is almost at an impasse.

Serious research is utilised selectively; inconvenient truths are tossed in the rubbish-bin or lost in the sandstorms of outcries raised about supposed scandals.

In the United States, the truths promoted by both conservatives and liberals alike are distorted by their own media outlets and research institutes.

When the shared building blocks of reality are rejected, society is placed on a crooked path.

Opposing sides in political disputes and in issues of values are content to buttress their own points of view in their own echo-chambers whose walls are further reinforced by the internet.

Debate, and as a consequence, society itself becomes balkanised, inflamed, and sick in matters of opinion.

The figures in the HS poll indicate that racism is a serious characteristic that affects society on a broad level, in which there is denial of the basic human value of people who are different.

It is not about one party.

Let us feel ashamed about our common racism, and let us do something about it.



John

www.howtomarryafinnishgirl.com


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"Does Finnair have a direct flight from Helsinki to your heart..?"



John -

Winter has FINALLY arrived to Finland:




John -

Beautiful

I wanna come see Finland

Bleacher Report - December 15, 2011


Kiira Korpi:

The Sexiest Pictures of Our Favorite Winter Sports Hottie




By Zack Pumerantz


Figure skaters may be known for their sensual movements on the ice, but few have excited the sports world like Kiira Korpi.

She may be the 2007 and 2011 European bronze medalist, 2010 Trophee Eric Bompard champion and a two-time Finnish national champion, but this Finnish star is seemingly garnering more attention for her beauty than her athleticism.

While skating is in her blood as the daughter of a coach, posing is seemingly in her future.

Here are the hottest pics of our favorite winter sports babe.

Enjoy.


http://bleacherreport.com/articles/984398-kiira-korpi-the-sexiest-pictures-of-our-favorite-winter-sports-hottie


John -

There are times when human cloning absolutely should be allowed.

The Washington Post - 01/03/2012


Finnish fisherman upside down on ice (video)





By Elizabeth Flock


Ice fishing is generally a long and solitary affair, with hours spent waiting for a bite as a rod dangles through an chisel-made hole in the ice.





But a small group of Finnish fisherman have their own interpretation of ice fishing, as seen in a video posted from their recent adventure at Lake Saarijärvi in Vaala, a municipality in eastern Finland.

Instead of sitting atop the ice, these fisherman dove beneath the surface, and fished while standing upside down on the ice. As they breathe, bubbles from their mouths flow downward.

Watch the incredible video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIs00QjiJZQ


http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/finnish-fisherman-upside-down-on-ice-video/2012/01/03/gIQAFovsYP_blog.html


John -

3 News / RadioLIVE - Tue, 27 Mar 2012


Finns lash out at Gerry Brownlee



New Zealand's Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee


By Dan Satherley / RadioLIVE


Anger is mounting over Gerry Brownlee's comments about Finland and its people.

Last week said the country has worse unemployment than New Zealand, has a high homicide rate, low education and no respect for women.

Mr Brownlee made the comments after Labour leader David Shearer called on New Zealand to follow in the Scandinavians' footsteps, through "innovation and talent".

But Mr Brownlee replied, saying: "I think we need to understand a few things about Finland. It's unbelievable isn't it, that you'd ... make a speech saying, 'I want New Zealand to be like Finland,' which has worse unemployment than us, can hardly feed the people who live there, has a terrible homicide rate, hardly educates their people and has no respect for women."

A Finnish talk show host has come out swinging against not only Mr Brownlee, but New Zealand as a whole.

Tuomas Enbuske broke into English on his show last night, addressing Mr Brownlee directly.

"I’m not sure what time it is over there… so I don't know if you're eating your third breakfast or your fifth dinner right now. But looking at the pictures we've seen here in Finland, we're pretty sure you're eating something."



Watch the video (warning - explicit language) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVd4eCDZe_k


He goes on to say that, "looking at Gerry Brownlee, you can see New Zealand has a very strong culture. An extremely strong barbecue, beer and car driving culture."

Enbuske goes on to list many of Finland's achievements, saying New Zealand's only invention is "the game for white men called swindle the land from the Maori and then f**k them in the ass."

And he goes on.

"We have Kimi Raikkonen, you have sheep. We have Linus Torvalds, you have sheep. We have the Angry Birds game. You have sheep. We have Alvar Aalto, you have sheep. We have Nokia, you have sheep… the list is long, because there's a f**king enormous number of famous Finns, and you're sheeps [sic]. Thankyou, greetings from Finland."

Minister-Counsellor for the Embassy of Finland Juha Parikka says the comments are ridiculous, especially those about women.

"As far as we know, Finland is one of the world leaders in what comes to women's rights, and has been that for the past 100 years."

Mr Parikka has yet to receive a response from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The Christian Science Monitor also looked at Mr Brownlee's claims, and found them wanting: http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Stefan-Karlsson/2012/0326/Is-New-Zealand-the-new-international-bully

He said Finland's unemployment rate was higher, but "the difference is hardly dramatic". Finland also has had much stronger economic growth, not only recently but over the last decade.

Finland's GDP is around 20 percent higher than New Zealand's, and there are no food shortages.

It's homicide rate is 2.0 per 100,000 people, barely higher than New Zealand's 1.76.

Mr Karlsson also claims international comparisons show Finland's education system to be stronger than New Zealand's, and that women in Finland have equal rights.

"Brownlee's assertions about Finland are in other words all completely untrue except for the ones about unemployment and homicides, but even in those cases he exaggerates the difference," writes Mr Karlsson.


http://www.3news.co.nz/Finns-lash-out-at-Gerry-Brownlee/tabid/1607/articleID/248166/Default.aspx



I haven't seen such a nonsense news item about Finland in years - hilarious.


John -

At the Nuclear Security Summit held in Seoul, South Korea:

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has today apologized to Sauli Niinistö, the President of Finland, over the recent comments made by New Zealand's Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee.


John -

John -