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[Owlbread]

I watched the so-called "Challenger's Debate" (so dubbed by our PM) last night and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Again though I keep hearing people in the press, actual journalists, as well as random people from the general public making comments about Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood's strong Welsh accent. Why is the media climate in this country such that hearing a Welsh accent on TV is a novelty?

[Erkki]

2 days to Finnish parliamentary elections. The current PM party, liberal right wing Kokoomus, is likely to drop to position 3 or 4 while Keskusta(literally The Center) almost surely gets the PM seat and gets to form the government.

Regardless of who gets to the government we will hopefully get a better government; the previous one was by far the most incapable and indecisive one we had ever had. My guess is that since Keskusta hates Kokoomus more than SDP, the government will be formed by Keskusta, Social Democrats, Left Alliance and the Swedish Peoples Party.

[Grim Portent]

I watched the so-called "Challenger's Debate" (so dubbed by our PM) last night and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Again though I keep hearing people in the press, actual journalists, as well as random people from the general public making comments about Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood's strong Welsh accent. Why is the media climate in this country such that hearing a Welsh accent on TV is a novelty?

Because Wales is possibly the biggest example of British domestic policy not working well for the past 50 years and letting the Welsh on TV outside of comedy runs the risk of making that fact better known perhaps?

[Owlbread]

Yeah. I think I agree with you there. I'm constantly surprised by just how terrible the situation is in Wales at times with social deprivation and poverty - our media keeps it hidden from us in Scotland.

[Sheb]

Hey, Erkki, could you maybe tell us more about those various parties and their policy? Also, I remember reading an article about "Joining NATO no longer taboo in Finland" a few days ago. Will the election influence this? Is it an issue at all?

[SirQuiamus]

Hey, Erkki, could you maybe tell us more about those various parties and their policy? Also, I remember reading an article about "Joining NATO no longer taboo in Finland" a few days ago. Will the election influence this? Is it an issue at all?

I already prepared a post, so here you go:

Spoiler: FUK YEAH GENERAR ERECTION (click to show/hide)

...no, I'm not all that excited, and here's why:




Centre Party – right-wing conservatives. The current chairman (and soon-to-be PM) hails from a prudish Lutheran revival movement.

National Coalition – rabid neoliberalists.

True Finns – bigots and all-round asshats.

Social Democratic Party – centre-left "socialists." Some of their MPs are openly hostile towards left-wing politics.

Green League – nominally left, but traditionally known as "the Park Department of National Coalition." 

Left Alliance – ineffectual parlour leftists.

Swedish People's Party – "National Coalition: Swedish Edition."

Christian Democrats – fundies.

As you can see, that map looks badly skewed towards the lower-right corner when party support is taken into account. Ever since SDP jumped on Blair & Schröder's Third Way Bandwagon in the nineties, Finnish politics has been more or less broken – just like in the rest of Europe. Although people often label the Nordic countries like, Totally Left, we are not all that different politically.

Re: NATO
National Coalition is the most NATO-friendly party and Left Alliance is totally against it, but all the other parties are mostly on the fence, and polls are not indicating overwhelming public support. It's not exactly taboo, but it won't happen during the oncoming term. (I'm personally hoping that it'll never happen.) 

[scriver]

You'd think the Swedish People's party would tend more towards Swoumi nationalism?

[SirQuiamus]

Googling for "Swoumi" gives you all kinds of weird results, but I don't think we have any of that around here.

[scriver]

Swedish Finns, Swoumi :v

[Erkki]

Re: NATO
National Coalition is the most NATO-friendly party and Left Alliance is totally against it, but all the other parties are mostly on the fence, and polls are not indicating overwhelming public support. It's not exactly taboo, but it won't happen during the oncoming term. (I'm personally hoping that it'll never happen.)

Hey, Erkki, could you maybe tell us more about those various parties and their policy? Also, I remember reading an article about "Joining NATO no longer taboo in Finland" a few days ago. Will the election influence this? Is it an issue at all?

Yeah, only KOK is openly pro-NATO, and since majority of the population is against NATO membership I doubt that will be put to a vote any time soon. Some of the the very parties that are openly pro-EU have people who are openly hostile against NATO and its European members claiming they are just USA's minions. Double standards yay. If it was put to vote the result would be a firm NO and it wouldn't be discussed for another dozen years at least.

However, recent events have(understandably) risen NATO's popularity somewhat but amongst the population the miracle of Winter War and "defensive victory" of the "separatively fought along Germany" Continuation War are still living are doing well. As if Finland was somehow impervious to everything bad happening in the world and we could just bury our heads in sand snow. Many don't take Russia seriously and many of those who do prefer to understate the threat (economical, political, military) and are downright hostile towards politicians who actually say things the way they are. As was seen just last week. For whatever reason the parties at the Left are more pro-Russian (if one can use that word) than the others, despite today's Russia itself being anything but leftist. Ghosts of the 1970s...

I'm not a great fan of NATO membership myself either considering the alliance has countries such as Turkey in its ranks(and to a lesser degree, USA). But I do not think we can just continue not doing anything either - a nation this small cannot afford to make mistakes. Our military is, compared to the size of the population, very strong, but theres only so much it could do against Russia's hybrid warfare let alone an all out attack. We are already aligned to Europe and in EU and I'd wish that development to continue, even with its drawbacks. First step could be a close alliance with Sweden, although I think that too is unlikely.

[scriver]

Don't worry, Finland, Sweden's got your back!

*Continues selling weapons and technology to all sides behind Finland's back*

"separatively fought along Germany"

xD

[SirQuiamus]

For whatever reason the parties at the Left are more pro-Russian (if one can use that word) than the others, despite today's Russia itself being anything but leftist. Ghosts of the 1970s...

That kind of lingering nostalgia towards the Great Eastern Neighbour is mostly limited to old communist fuddy-duddies. As far as I can tell, the Left is very much against Putin and in favor of sanctions, but our distrust of Uncle (DRONE WARFARE YAY!!) Sam is equally unwavering. If you are worried about a new period of Finnlandisierung, you should be keeping an eye on Centre Party and True Finns. The former party has an impressive track record in that department, and we can expect just about anything from the latter.         

[Erkki]

"separatively fought along Germany"

xD

Yeah, that really is a thing here. "Erillissota" = separate war. Nevermind the facts.

For whatever reason the parties at the Left are more pro-Russian (if one can use that word) than the others, despite today's Russia itself being anything but leftist. Ghosts of the 1970s...

That kind of lingering nostalgia towards the Great Eastern Neighbour is mostly limited to old communist fuddy-duddies. As far as I can tell, the Left is very much against Putin and in favor of sanctions, but our distrust of Uncle (DRONE WARFARE YAY!!) Sam is equally unwavering. If you are worried about a new period of Finnlandisierung, you should be keeping an eye on Centre Party and True Finns. The former party has an impressive track record in that department, and we can expect just about anything from the latter.   

Very true, although its not just lingering nostalgia IMHO but also the reluctance to do anything or even present opinions out of fear(of Russia or of losing support, or both).And now, Centre's Sipilä getting the PM seat and everything...

[MonkeyHead]

Yeah. I think I agree with you there. I'm constantly surprised by just how terrible the situation is in Wales at times with social deprivation and poverty - our media keeps it hidden from us in Scotland.

This is why the Tories will NEVER have any sort of following in the post-industrial heartlands of Wales. Thatcher literally ripped the heart out of communities which may have been poor, but they had jobs. After that, whole towns had NOTHING, and the person to blame is deeply rooted in our sense of identity. Yes, we may be the first truly "post industrial" nation (not that we wanted to be...), but as a very junior partner in a union as centralized as the UK, this counts for very little.

[mainiac]

Never is a very long time in politics.