Actually, it reflects a lot of similar thinking across the Finnish political spectrum. They still think in classic Marxist terms, “the classes”, the “haves and have nots”, Which is nothing more than Marxist claptrap, divide and rule, class warfare mumbo jumbo.

It’s not the “haves” that are keeping the others from not having as much, but the government of Finland, that has kept an iron grip on the economy. Yes the Finnish government sporadically loosens its grip on the people’s pocketbooks, but its always more than willing to find, yet more inventive ways in fleecing the folk through other means. All this of course comes at the expense of the citizens’ individual liberties.

What this economic sociologist is doing, which YLE gives him the glowing opportunity to do, is to sow the seeds of resentment, against those who prosper, than against government policies that keep others, and society as a whole in servitude. KGS

Class Divide Growing Among Pensioners

YLE: The divide between rich and poor is growing sharper, particularly among Finland’s elderly. Divisions have grown among other groups too, and Finland is still a class society, says economic sociologist Pekka Räsänen of Turku University.

”We can no longer think that we are all happily middle class,” says Räsänen. ”Income differences have grown since the end of the 1990s.”

The new class divide in Finland particularly affects pensioners. Education levels and the size of pensions are among the factors affecting pensioners. Pensioners can be poor and sick, but on the other hand there are active older people with a disposable income.

In Turku’s market square, the differences are keenly observed.

”Yes, absolutely!” says Leena Sillanpää. ”Yes, it shows and it’s getting worse. The politicians should really come down from their ivory towers and and meet a couple of ordinary people.”

Middle class people — that is, white collar workers — are still doing well in Finland, according to Räsänen. The impoverishment of the middle class is partly a belief.

”Of course, we’re waiting for Nokia’s redundancies,” says Räsänen. ”And they are targeted at the highly educated. But statistics show that we have lost more of the working class manual workers’ jobs. ”

Räsänen worries that this is a neglected area.

”The lack of a complete picture is worrying,” notes Räsänen. ”We have the country branding group, which is establishing our image, but it does not provide a true picture of society as such.”