Populism is a good way to win elections but an impossible way to govern. Eugene Robinson How far will right-wing parties like the Moderate Party of Sweden go to make a pact with their political devils? How much populism and empty nationalism led to the demise of UK Prime Minister Liz Truss? These are valid
Read on »Posts Tagged: nationalism
When countries become nationalism addicts and junkies
Xenophobia tends to pile up. Like blacks in the United States, Finland’s “black” problem is Russia, and from the 1990s, Muslims. In the 1980s, when I lived permanently in Finland, and about 12,000 foreign nationals were living in the country, the racist undercurrent that flowed like a mighty river was ever-present. It reminded you whenever
Read on »Center Party’s Pylväs cannot resist and swallows the “sweet” pill of racism
Center Party parliamentary group leader Juha Pylväs went on the rampage Wednesday: “We certainly need in Finland skilled foreigners who can live off their work,” he was quoted as saying in Helsingin Sanomat. “We don’t need surfers and parasites that seek a better standard of living.” While we could consider Pylväs’ statement in foul taste, Center
Read on »The new PS board is a tinderbox and a liability to their political goals
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED While some reporters are hoping for the downfall of Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s government, they are also rooting for the Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, whom they see as a shoo-in to lead or be a member of Finland’s next government after the 2023 parliamentary elections. If you look at the reporting of the
Read on »Piia Kattelus-Kilpeläinen: Put another fascist feather in my PS cap
Piia Kattelus-Kilpeläinen is the latest example of the bedfellows of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party. The councilperson from Seinäjoki, where she works as a police officer, offers an odd New Year’s greeting, all with a fascist Lapua Movement, Lapua like, (1928-1932) pullover, an ax, and a chain. A publicity stunt of a media-hungry person craving for
Read on »Adam Al-Sawad: Missä menee sivistysvaltion raja?
Nationalististen tahojen kerätessä suosiota Suomessa, kohtaa Suomen poliittinen kenttä yhä useammin skandaaleja perussuomalaisten poliitikkojen toimesta. Yhdessä skandaalissa kannatetaan “eliminointia” ja tuhopolttoja (Turtiainen, 2015) tai levitetään räikeästi väärää tietoa rasistisin tarkoitusperin (Purra, 2020), toisessa vitsaillaan murhattujen tummaihoisten kustannuksella (Turtiainen, 2020) tai väitetään vielä elossa olevien tekevän kouluista eläintarhoja (Halla-Aho, 2007). Puolueen sisältä paljastuu tasaisin väliajoin kytköksiä
Read on »Finland’s speaker of parliament stokes the white Christian flames of “us” and “them”
Conservative National Coalition Party speaker of parliament, Paula Risikko, was quoted as saying in Senäjoki-based daily Ilkka that she is concerned about the role of Christians in Finland. “Was it easier before to be religious,” she was quoted as asking in Keskisuomalainen. “For example, it’s not as easy today to bring one’s religious views at
Read on »Blue Reform MP Simon Elo: Let’s make discrimination official in Finland
Even if the Blue Reform*, which is an offshoot of the Islamophobic Perussuomalaiset (PS), wants to change the constitution so that non-Finnish citizens would get paid less social welfare than Finnish citizens, the suggestion by MP Simon Elo exposes to the tee the racism of his party and hatred of migrants. Blue Reform, like the
Read on »Finland’s lost decade flirting with racism, fascism and the Perussuomalaiset party
Sampo Terho, minister culture, sport and European affairs, was elected on Saturday to chair Blue Reform, a Lilliputian party that split from the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* after their plush ministerial jobs were on the line after Jussi Halla-aho was elected PS chairperson in June.
Read on »Timo Soini’s fall from grace and the legacy of planting the political seeds of bigotry and racism in Finland
One lesson we could learn from former Perussuomalaiset (PS)* chairman Timo Soini is that the right balance between flattery and speaking in code will get you everywhere, well, almost everywhere. You can win big elections like in 2011 and ride, albeit momentarily, the crest of the popularity wave until you hit the wall in disgrace with your fingers badly burned.
Read on »Finland’s government to tighten again immigration and asylum policy
The desperation New Alternative* or Blue Reform, the faction that split from the Perussuomalaiset (PS) to keep their jobs as ministers, must be huge. Minister for European Affairs, Culture and Sports Sampo Terho announced Thursday that the government plans to tighten immigration and asylum policy laws in the face of the Turku attack, according to YLE News.
Read on »Why Migrant Tales will continue to call the “Finns Party” the Perussuomalaiset
At the end of our stories we have published a short footnote explaining why we don’t call the Perussuomalaiset (PS) its official English-language name. We have changed the footnote to take into account that the PS comprises of two factions. Are these blocs any different from the old PS? If so, how?
Read on »Is there such a thing as a “new” and “old” Perussuomalaiset party?
Is there such a thing as a “new” and “old” Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party? If you ask Prime Minister Juha Sipilä and Minister Petteri Orpo there is. But if you are a migrant, asylum seeker or minority in Finland, it’s doubtful that you would make such a difference.
Read on »Defining white Finnish privilege #34: Building a political career on privilege and nativist nationalism
Social Democrat MP Satu Taavitsainen found herself in a lot of hot water this week after she published a picture of herself in Instagram wearing a fake Sámi dress. While this is a no-no because minorities like the Sámi may see it as cultural appropriation, an MP like Taavitsainen should know better.
Read on »How racism and suspicion have ruined Finland’s centenary celebrations of 2017
If there is a party pooper in this year’s centenary celebrations it’ll be ourselves: the politicians, the urban tales, prejudices, racism and suspicion that has raised its head with ease in Finland as of late.
Read on »Che’s corner: Don’t turn into a racist!
There is a fine line that separates patriotism from racism. Patriotism is love and devotion to one’s country. A sense of patriotism is any affiliation to the homeland and to work for its best interests of its people. Every person cares for his home and does everything possible to live and enjoy a decent life with his family.
Read on »Brexit: Stoke the fires of natonalism and you’ll get burned
After the United Kingdom decided Thursday to exit from the European Union, the question remains: why? In many respects, the answer to that question is a similar one that you hear in some European countries why such-and-such country has seen the political rise of populist anti-immigration party. Finland is a good example of the latter. The
Read on »YLE poll: Support for PS of Finland takes another dip to 9.8%
A poll commissioned by the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) revealed more pain for the nationalist populist Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party, which saw its support plummet below 10% to 9.8%. The party that gained the most in the poll were the Social Democrats, which saw their support rise by 2.4 percentage points to 20.7%.
Read on »Perussuomalaiset woes deepen as Sebastian Tynkkynen reelected chairman of the Finnish party’s youth league
The problems of the nationalist populist Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party got worse Sunday after its third vice president, Sebastian Tynkkynen, got reelected by a clear majority to head the party’s youth league.
Read on »Olli Immonen and the PS: I dream of a country that is inclusive, not racist and extremist
I’ve been traveling during the last weekend until Monday in northeast Argentina, where the Finns established a colony in 1906. I had limited access to the Internet but when I read what Perussuomalaiset (PS) MP Olli Immonen wrote on his Facebook a cocktail of sadness mixed with concern overcame me.
Read on »Is Finland on the path of becoming an isolationist, nationalistic and xenophobic country?
Finland hasn’t been itself for a number of years, especially after a populist Euro-skeptic and anti-immigration party, the Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, rose to the political major leagues in the 2011 elections.
Read on »Get ready for even harder times in Finland if you are a migrant or minority
I remember right after the 2011 parliamentary elections, when the Perussuomalaiset (PS) won 39 from 5 MPs previously, that some weren’t worried. “You’ll see,” one person said. “It’s only a matter of time before they implode.”
Read on »Finland election result: No evil lasts 100 years
No hay mal que dure 100 años. The saying in Spanish means that since a human doesn’t live for 100 years, his or her evil cannot last that long. One day it will end when the person dies. Even if the PS is not a human per se, the damage it has inflicted on Finland
Read on »The ballot box in Finland has shown a very different picture of PS support than opinion polls
The interesting matter to watch on election day is how well the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* will do and will it succeed in capturing undecided votes, which amount to about 40%, according to some predictions. There is another matter that baffles some observers as well about the today’s election: Why does the PS continue to be the
Read on »Finnish NCP youth league gives thumbs down to cultural diversity
Remember the proposals that the Youth League of the National Coalition Party (NCP) made last year concerning the type of society they’d like Finland to be in the future? Some of the many proposals that raised eyebrows and created quite a media storm back then included plans to scrap the Ombudsman for Minorities as well
Read on »Too many Finnish politicians and parties are ignorant of their country’s migrant and refugee history
-titta, en finne igen i fyllan! -satans finjävlar! -look, (a) drunken Finn! -damn Finnish devils! The infamous saying, en finne igen, yet another Finn, can be found in Urban Dictionary. The statement was used by Swedes to claim that Finns are “violent, primitive savages” because some have issues with learning Swedish and alcohol. After World
Read on »Why do we consider Timo Soini to be “a good cop” if he brought all these “bad cops” to power?
Doesn’t Perussuomalaiset (PS) leader Timo Soini bear responsibility for giving people like Jussi Halla-aho, James Hirvisaari, Teuvo Hakkarainen, Olli Immonen and a very long list of others a platform to spread their hatred and intolerance? Why does the media let Soini get off the hook so easily? Is Soini the culprit for anti-immigration sentiment and
Read on »Cultural and ethnic diversity are who we are
When you do everything possible to undermine diversity you end up letting out the genie out of the bottle. If we look at the political climate in Finland today with the rise of an anti-EU, anti-immigration and especially anti-Islam party like the Perussuomalaiset (PS) in 2011, it’s clear that the genie
Read on »Cultural diversity is unstoppable – it exposes Finland’s white privilege and intolerance
A Silminnäkijä television program exposed Thursday something we all knew: how you are treated in Finland depends on the color of your skin and ethnic-national background. Should this surprise us? What is more incredible? Is it the indifference of the police, bouncers and near-silence of society as people are openly discriminated right before our very
Read on »Why we call the Finns Party the Perussuomalaiset
Some may wonder why we don’t call on Migrant Tales the Perussuomalaiset (PS) by their official English name, the Finns Party. When I speak to people in English and mention the PS, they answer back by naming it the Perussuomalaiset. There was a lively discussion on Migrant Tales in 2010 on whether the correct translation
Read on »Statement by the Council of Europe’s Human Rights Commissioner: “Europe must combat racist extremism and uphold human rights”
Migrant Tales comment: This statement by the the Council of Europe’s Human Rights commissioner, Nils Muižnieks, is a good example of how racist anti-immigration groups are gaining more power in Europe. In Finland we saw the spectacular rise of the Perussuomalaiset (PS) party in 2011. Finland’s anti-EU, anti-immigration and anti-Islam voice got stronger in parliament. Matters
Read on »Margaret Thatcher’s New Right and Finland’s Perussuomalaiset party
As Perussuomalaiset (PS) leader Timo Soini promises that his party will become the biggest party in next year’s European parliamentary elections, which would give him a spring-board to score a similar election victory as in 2011, it’s still too early for the party to reveal how it would deal with its usual enemies like the
Read on »Maaseudun Tulevaisuus: Soini sees himself forming government after the 2015 elections
What are we to think and believe about Timo Soini’s opinion piece on Maaseudun Tulevaisuus, where he claims that the next government formed after the 2015 parliamentary elections will comprise of three major parties? Certainly Soini sees his party emerging as the victor and Finland’s next prime minister. Read Maaseudun Tulevaisuus news story on Timo
Read on »BBC’s HARDtalk: Soini defends decision to not sack Halla-aho
Perussuomalaiset (PS) chairman, Timo Soini, said on BBC’s HARDTalk that the five-year ordeal that lead to a Supreme Court ruling against PS MP Jussi Halla-aho for inciting ethnic hatred was enough punishment, according to YLE. Soini had promised previously to sack any member of the party if they were sentenced by a court for hate speech.
Read on »Abagond: What this blog has taught me about white people
Comment: Abagond is a very successful blog that debates issues like racism in the United States. We at Migrant Tales like to ask serious question about such a social ill as well. What about if we asked that same question as Abagond did in the headline? For me personally, Migrant Tales has taught me that
Read on »Our Finnish national identity in the new century
Glancing through a pile of documents and certificates my late grandfather (1892-1979) had is like entering a time machine. Two certificates catch my attention: a Finnish-language test in 1925 and another one when he changed his surname from Hantwargh to Harvo. Both documents offer us a glimpse of how a social construct like Finnish national identity was forged in the last century.
Read on »Nationalism, Fascism, Populism and Racism – a family of Kings or Thieves?
So, nationalism, fascism, populism and racism – ‘who’ are they are and do they share anything in common with each other? Here, I’m going to give a brief but hopefully pertinent overview. Are they Kings or Thieves? Maybe my conclusions will surprise you.
Read on »The role of nationalist populism in Finland
Like a new chapter of history book, each decade brings out its unique personality for the foreign correspondent. In the 1980s it was Helsinki’s special relationship with Moscow and in the 1990s the country’s full political and economic integration with Western Europe. The first decade of the present century was a lull where the country reaped the fruits of the right decisions made in the previous two decades. What kind of a child will the 2010s be?
Read on »The origins of modern Finnish xenophobia and racism
Modern Finnish racism has two sources: nationalism imbedded deep in our history coupled with low self-esteem.
Read on »A-Talk: What is wrong with the Social Democrats?
At least for me, the debate on immigration on A-Talk on Thursday was a disappointment. The only sensible persons on the show were Anni Sinnemäki of the Greens and Jyrki Katainen of Kokoomus. The two opposition leaders, Jutta Urpilainen of the Social Democrats (SDP) and Timo Soini of the True Finns were a disappointment filling the airways with hollow catchwords that reeked of populism, protectionism and heavy doses of obnoxious nationalism.
Read on »EDITORIAL: Finnish immigration debate
Is the present one-sided and passionate debate on immigration in Finland going to turn ugly? Minister for Foreign Affairs Alexander Stubb poured some needed cold water on the debate by stating that it “reeks of racism, nationalism, populism, and xenophobia.”
Read on »Finland also locks up asylum seeker children
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- A child in the Joutseno Immigration Removal Center.
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