Finland Finnish Swedish minority Immigration multiculturalism Political Correctness

Something for Aunt Astrid to Ponder…….

Election time in Finland is almost upon us, and Finland’s Minister of Immigration, Astrid Thors believes she sees a rise in “xenophobia (google translation)” within the ranks of Finland’s Perussuomalainen Party, (True Finns).

You know, when a politician or a political party wants to stanch debate about its immigration policies, the best, tried and true method is to call that someone or group racist(s), or at least allude to their being one. Here’s some background to the story.

YLE: Finland’s Minister of Migration and European Affairs Astrid Thors says she fears the ‘True Finns’ party might adopt a more xenophobic policy. In an interview given to the paper Aamulehti, Thors said she saw similarities between the party and other populist groupings in Austria and in the other Nordic countries.

She added the parties had mutual contacts noting that people with sharp anti-foreigner views were among the supporters of the True Finns party. Thors said it was possible to prevent the formation of ghettos in Finland by putting more resources into integration measures. She called for a rise in the current sum of 30 million euros earmarked for promoting the integration of foreigners into Finnish society.

You see, for these socialist propogandists and supporters of multiculturalism, anyone opposed to their own eventual colonization -through mass immigration policies that are in force in many of the member states througout the European Union- can only be a racist. Full stop. No need to argue or explain your policies any further, the debate has ended, only racists raise the issue at all, tolerant people do not.
Such thinking is of course a lot of hooey, only a simpleton, in my opinion, would believe such a thing. No matter how much and how often a candidate stresses his/her affirmation that immigration is not neccessarily a bad thing, that it must be reasonable and in the peoples best interest, and with all of the full ramifications known and discussed fully in advance, that person can expect a full vilification for bringing the subject up at all.
Well one of the candidates on the list for munincipal elections in Helsinki, Jussi Halla-aho, takes exception to being called a racist, whether it’s done directly or by innuendo, and refuses to be intimidated by the likes of “Auntie Thors”. This is the same woman the TT has blogged about time and again. She hails from the ranks of the Swedish People’s Party (RKP).
Let it be known that the RKP is very steadfast and careful in protecting its Swedish speakers’ rights in Finland, and most of all, keeping the Åland islands as a Swedish speaking haven, which is in every respect a sovereign state of its own, but without a standing army. One wonders if Astrid Thors’ immigration policies extends to the shores of that island retreat as well, or is it just the Finnish mainland that’s free for societal experimentation?
Enter Halla-aho, who states inSomething for Aunt Astrid to Ponder“: “Our Immigration and Europe Minister, Astrid Thors says in today’s Aamulehti (Tampere newspaper) that she’s concerned about the True Finns anti-immigrant stance:

Thors: There are individuals in the True Finns’ base support group and candidates, who are very negative towards foreigners. This is particularly visible in Helsinki.”
Who were the people left unnamed Aunt Astrid was referring to? The direct cause of Thor’s opening remarks, are of course, the fact that the RKP is threatened with an election defeat, and True Finns an election victory. In particular, Thors and the RKP are uncomfortable with the fact that if the poll predictions are true, the RKP will be losing a perennial place in local government, to the True Finns.
Actually, there’s no reason for concern. Because we live in Finland, it is clear that the RKP’s representation in all the major influential organs will be secured at all cost, even through an emergency law. But with this post however, I would like to correct Astrid’s misunderstandings about the True Finns’ “anti-immigrant stance” and to give her both, some good advice and tips about where the True Finns’ rise in support ´come from, and accordingly what has led to the RKP’s decrease in support.
The RKP is historically a one issue lobbying group. Its support has been constant, because it received votes from the greater part of the Finnish Swedes. There is nothing bad in this. It is good that the minority will be able to defend their own (perceived) interests by concentrating their voice and their resources. The shadowy side of the issue is that since the RKP is a single language lobbying organization, it does not have any kind of potential for growth. By spearheading a multicultural-like languaged policy independently, the RKP can only stand to lose…
a) …All Finnish Swedes are not in anyway supportive of multiculuturalism and unfettered immigration.
b) …Finnish speaking supporters of multicultuarlaism and unfettered immigration don’t vote for the RKP. Why? Because they have the Greens and the Vasemmistoliitto (The Left).
My own base support, or at least that portion of whom I know, are comprised of Finnish Swedes. Not all of them are former RKP voters, but the greater portion are. The reason, for why they have changed from the RKP to the Persusuomalainen party, (or at least for PS list of candidates) is Astrid Thors. This kind of voting shift is in itself easy to understand, but as easy to understand, is why Thors doesn’t understand it.

The Tundra Tabloids has heard from reliable sources that there are indeed some voices within the True Finns, that could be considered as being against any kind of immigration whatsoever, as well as not being simply against Muslim immigration but from Africa in general, and their minority vision or agenda (within the PS) for what Finland should become or look like, needs to be given the stiff arm. Halla-aho is most certainly not one of those fringe voices.

It is also true however, that there are many within the ranks of the SDP, Vasemmisto (the Left) some Greens, as well as the Finnish Communists who view mass immigration (open borders) to be a really neat thing. Most likely its due to the misguided notion of helping to prop up the shrinking Finnish welfare state, as well as the added benefit of acquiring a serious voting block as well.

Politicians and their supporters who promote the full colonization of their own country through mass immigration, because they are loathe to discuss the need for boosting their badly needed numbers by an increase in the birth rate, should be given the very same stiff arm treatment as well. But you know who will get the cold shoulder and the stiff arm, those who reject all immigration, not those who view mass immigration as an acceptable ideology.

The are already some serious warning signs visible for the Swedish Peoples Party, the traditional accepted notion that all people filling public institutions should have an equal command of the Swedish language, is slowly eroding due to multiculturalism.

YLE: “The Finnish National Board of Education has withdrawn a demand requiring from immigrants proficiency in the Swedish language. Until now, immigrants have been required to have knowledge of Finnish, Swedish and a third language to pass examinations in public sector customer service proficiency. Examining boards have also failed candidates without skills in Swedish.

Although the integration and education of immigrants has been widely discussed, many unreasonable obstacles still stand in their path on the way to the job market. In some cases, a university degree is a passport only to menial work. In the public service, many immigrants also fall foul of a compulsory demand to have proficiency in Finland’s second official language, namely, Swedish.

Several institutions of higher education have been following to the letter instructions issued by the National Board of Education demanding adherence to a long standing requirement for immigrants to have proficiency in Finnish, Swedish and a third language.However, the Board has now rescinded the requirement for compulsory Swedish and promises to correct injustices caused by the earlier ruling.

The handwriting is on the wall, and if Finland’s Minister of Immigration and of Europe does not wish to see her own party and station in Finnish society go the way of the Dodo bird, she better wake up and smell the coffee before it’s too late. She and her party is being served a mighty big warning, and it’s not coming from the Persussuomalainen party (True Finns) but from the people she’s helping to bring into Finland in masse. KGS

2 Responses

  1. The best way to counter that stupid ‘racism’ slur is to indicate that one might sue for libel (or slander) for those allegations.

    Since libel and slander are punishable under the law, that tends to work well. That makes it easier to return to meaningfuld debate, which an election should be about in the first place, not a collection of smears.

  2. I’m afriad it is completely factually incorrect to say that SFP works to keep Åland Swedish-speaking and without military service. SFP, like the other Finnish parties, does not even exist on Åland. Åland has its own seperate political parties, whom they vote for. So, SFP does not even have any members on Åland. The best they can hope for is some votes in presidential and EU elections (for the first time this year, the non-socialist Åland parties are placing a common candidate on SFP’s list, due to the need to get every single Swedish-speaking vote out in order to secure a Swedish-speaker’s election after Finland loses one MEP). In all other elections, Åland electors can’t even vote for SFP.

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