Search

Jarmo Friman wrote that the rapidly changing social media messages distracted attention from what he saw as the ongoing farce in the United States. He described the president's posts as completely soft and downright false. According to Friman, there has also started to be shame or fear among those who previously strongly supported Trump and the MAGA movement, and the president's actions are no longer hailed as brilliant political chess. #politiikka #USA #some (translated)

Saara Huhtasaari wrote that Sanna Marin had been in Italy promoting her book and told Corriere della Sera that she would likely not run for office unless Russia attacked Finland. In that case, according to Huhtasaari, Marin would have said she was available. Huhtasaari interpreted the statement as positioning herself rather than expressing a willingness to be a victim. According to her, Marin implied that conventional political work did not match her capabilities and that only a crisis threatening Finland's existence would be a sufficiently significant task. Huhtasaari compared this to the scale of historical leaders such as Kekkonen, Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Lee Kuan Yew, and George Washington, using the metaphor of the "Napoleon syndrome" to describe the phenomenon. She specified that she did not mean it as a diagnosis. Huhtasaari also criticized the contradiction between Marin's book discussing hope and the self-image conveyed in the interview. She argued that the role of politics was to build structures that functioned without a single politician. As examples of such builders, she mentioned Lee Kuan Yew, who influenced Singapore's development, and Mart Laar, who made economic and institutional decisions in post-independence Estonia. Huhtasaari believed that there had not been similar builders in Finland for decades and that Marin did not belong to their ranks. According to Huhtasaari, statesmen did not announce in advance when they would return to politics, but either did their job or stepped aside. She criticized Marin for traveling to present her book, which discussed decisions made behind closed doors, and for associating a potential return with Russia's attack. Huhtasaari described this as a fantasy of seeing herself as a historical exception. #SannaMarin #Politiikka #Historia (translated)

Riku Ranta wrote that he thought Marin would have understood that she had been a good politician for a time and aimed for her own career. According to him, however, Marin seemed to consider herself a wartime stateswoman. https://t.co/lyvYjZbOxh #politiikka #ajatukset #Suomi (translated)

Mari Rantanen wrote to Niilo Heinonen and Otto Juote that, in her opinion, the publication of the list was not a political decision but a decision by the Supo that the KHO had upheld. She criticized the National Coalition Party for being erratic and urged it to stop the "nonsense." #politiikka #Suponpäätös #Suomi (translated)

Henri Vanhanen wrote that Volodymyr Zelensky was ready to hold elections in Ukraine if Vladimir Putin agreed to a 60-day ceasefire. Vanhanen noted that this was not a new concession, as Zelensky had made the same proposal in February and required sufficient security guarantees to hold the elections. Vanhanen interpreted the proposal as a message to Donald Trump, who, in his view, had repeatedly questioned Zelensky’s position and called for elections in Ukraine. According to Vanhanen, holding elections would require the United States to get Russia to stop hostilities for a sufficient period. He found it contradictory that Ukraine was being asked to hold elections in the midst of an invasion, while Russia had not agreed to a ceasefire that would allow for it. Vanhanen also pondered how strong Trump’s pressure on Zelensky had become, referring to Trump’s recent statements regarding Ukrainian leadership. He believed that the replacement of the Ukrainian president should not become a substantive goal of peace negotiations, but rather that Ukrainians should choose their own leader. According to Vanhanen, Trump should have used his influence to promote a ceasefire rather than forcing Ukraine to defend the legitimacy of its democracy. #Ukraina #Zelenskyi #Trump (translated)

The day's Bureaucrat described the political situation in the United States as tragicomic. According to him, the Democrats could have won the presidential election by nominating a candidate who was conventional in intellect and demeanor, but they failed to do so. #politiikka #Yhdysvallat #presidentinvaalit (translated)

Henri Vanhanen wrote that Donald Trump's Russia policy may not have been guided by a coherent strategy. According to him, Trump made decisions one by one, seeking quick political gains, and then had to fix the consequences. In his assessment, Vanhanen linked Trump's diminished commitment to arming Ukraine, the energy price increases resulting from the war in Iran, and the recent diesel trade with Russia. He believed that trade could bolster the Russian economy and give Vladimir Putin a means to pressure Ukraine into halting strikes on Russia's oil refineries. Vanhanen also criticized Trump for condemning strikes that he claimed weakened Russia's war economy. Vanhanen noted that Trump’s administration had not sought significant new funding from Congress for arming Ukraine. According to him, previously agreed deliveries had continued, and European countries had purchased American weapons for Ukraine. He stated that Trump was not fundamentally on the side of Ukraine or Europe but was primarily pursuing his own interests. According to Vanhanen, Finland's security should not be built on the assumption that there is a plan behind Trump's decisions that would turn in favor of Europe. He urged preparedness for the possibility that U.S. aid could be delayed or smaller than expected, to strengthen the availability of defense equipment and air defense, and to deepen cooperation with Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Britain, Poland, and the Baltic countries. He also believed that Europe should be able to support Ukraine and maintain economic pressure on Russia by its own means. #Trump #Venäjä #Ukraina (translated)

Henri Vanhanen wrote that the agreement announced by Donald Trump with Vladimir Putin to bring millions of tons of Russian diesel to the global market would be very bad news for Ukraine. According to Vanhanen, the arrangement would give Russia new opportunities to earn from energy exports, even though its war of aggression in Ukraine would continue. Vanhanen assessed that the agreement could help Russia mitigate the economic impacts of the strikes on Ukraine's oil refineries. He wrote that the strikes had caused problems and fuel shortages for Russia. In his view, facilitating Russia's energy exports would also reduce the pressure on Putin to negotiate an end to the war. Vanhanen considered it possible that the promised deliveries might not materialize, as he claimed Russia's refining capacity had suffered from the strikes. Vanhanen speculated that Trump was aiming for lower fuel prices in the United States before the midterm elections, but questioned the agreement's impact on prices. He also found the political message of the agreement concerning: in his view, the Kremlin could present it as evidence that Russia is not isolated and that the U.S. president is willing to do business with it. According to Vanhanen, the agreement could place Ukraine's strikes on Russia's oil industry in conflict with Washington's fuel price objectives. He urged Europe to prepare for greater responsibility in supporting Ukraine and pressuring Russia, and maintained that Russia's war economy should not be helped to recover. https://t.co/gpRe9acHoW #Ukraina #Venäjä #Trump (translated)

Otto Juote wrote that, in his opinion, the YEL reform would not improve the situation for entrepreneurs during the current government term. He justified his view by saying that the law would not come into effect until 2028 and that it would not apply to any entrepreneur before the parliamentary elections in spring 2027. Juote argued that the timeline was politically intentional: according to him, the National Coalition Party could present itself as the initiator of the reform before the elections while avoiding responsibility for the consequences, which would only begin in the next term. He suspected that a blue-red government formed after the elections could annul or postpone the reform and anticipated that the SDP would demand its cancellation. Juote noted that no invoices based on the new model had yet been sent, nor had implementation decisions been made. According to him, the new parliament could repeal the law or postpone its entry into force with a simple legislative amendment, allowing the practices of the 2023 model to continue. He also questioned the information systems as an official basis for a delay extending to 2028 and assessed that the postponement would give the National Coalition Party the opportunity to leave the implementation of the reform to the next government. Juote claimed that the National Coalition Party did not want to reform YEL during any government term. #YEL #politiikka #uudistus (translated)

Kimmo Vaskelainen accused the SDP's Antti of lying during IS's Haapala's interrogation. According to him, Antti claimed that according to the constitution, the largest party in elections gets to form the government, even though Vaskelainen argues that the constitution does not grant such a right. He wrote that the position of the largest party as the initiator of government negotiations was based on established political practice, which could also be bypassed. Vaskelainen added that the social democrat's lying did not come as a surprise to him. #politiikka #Suomi #perustuslaki (translated)

Henri Vanhanen recalled working in the parliament in February 2022 when Russia launched its full-scale attack on Ukraine. According to him, Finland had not yet sent defense aid to Ukraine at that time. Vanhanen stated that he had suggested to the National Coalition Party’s parliamentary group that the government should be required to provide military assistance. Vanhanen wrote that Finland was sending its 35th defense assistance package to Ukraine and had delivered defense materials worth approximately 3.6 billion euros to the country. He described the support as a long-term national commitment that had been continued across government terms and party lines. According to Vanhanen, supporting Ukraine's defense was also necessary for Finland's security. He assessed that the repelled Russian attacks in Ukraine would reduce Russia's ability to threaten other countries in Europe. Vanhanen wrote that Finland's support should continue for as long as it was needed. https://t.co/SGRsbSx53P #Ukraina #Suomi #Puolustusapu (translated)

Arto Koskelo said he wants to see Purra as prime minister. He said he would completely lose faith in humanity if Purra turned out to be a mediocre compromiser in her role, an indifferent politician to her values, who seeks to please an imaginary average. #PurranPääministeri #Politiikka #UskonKysymykset (translated)

The Day's Bureaucrat wrote sarcastically that the recipient had apparently prepared for the interview by browsing women's magazines. According to him, however, the future prime ministerial candidate was not being asked for lifestyle tips, running performances, or bathroom selfies associated with social democratic prime ministers, but for political statements and thoughts on correcting Finland's economic downward spiral. In the end, he stated that he understood that the recipient had not understood the matter. #politiikka #Suomi #talous (translated)

Jari Sarasvuo criticized the government's actions as slow and insufficient in the face of the country's threatening situation. He wrote that the right-wing had expected the government to take a more vigorous and dynamic approach and to show more courage. According to him, the correction of YEL was still a thing of the future. Sarasvuo also accused the government of coddling a privileged elite and questioned why the support for the Finns Party was growing and at whose expense. He admitted that the government had done a lot of good, but said it was no longer enough. Sarasvuo wrote that the abolishment of the National Agency for Education would have sent a message that wrongdoing has consequences. He praised the decision to end political harassment strikes as a good start and urged the government to continue on the same path, to act more quickly, and to move more boldly to the right. #politiikka #koulutus #tulevaisuus (translated)

Elina Hiltunen thanked for the support she received and said she understood that things might have looked unusual from the outside. She claimed to have angered certain political entities, which she said were trying to discourage and silence her. Hiltunen stated that she had not given in or stopped speaking, which she said had led to new attempts to pressure her. She asked why these entities saw her as such a significant threat. #politiikka #vapaaehtoisuus #yhteiskunta (translated)

Venla Manninen wrote that, in her opinion, there was evidence presented regarding the effects of mass immigration on Western countries and that the situation in Germany, France, and Britain, as well as statistics on sexual crimes, unemployment benefits, prisoners, and gangs could not be ignored. She believed that the differences between parties were evident in how willing they were to address the problems of immigration. According to Manninen, the Finns Party was the only credible party to solve these issues. She criticized the green-left for focusing on multiculturalism and stated that the Social Democrats had voted against nearly all of the government's immigration tightening measures. She also highlighted the border security law, claiming that six social democrats, including the party's vice-chairman, voted against it. Manninen criticized the Centre Party for its lack of direction and noted that the party had announced it was aiming for 40,000 net immigrants per year in this electoral term. She described the National Coalition Party as contradictory: according to her, the party spoke about deporting criminals while simultaneously wanting tens of thousands of immigrants for low-wage jobs. Manninen argued that only a small portion of labor immigrants found employment in jobs requiring special skills and that nearly all directed towards low-wage sectors. Manninen believed that the Finns Party was advancing Finland's and the Finns' interests and dared to say things that, in her opinion, other parties did not acknowledge. However, she pointed out that no party could change laws on its own. She stated that without the Finns Party in government, concrete legislative actions would not be taken to address immigration issues, and instead, tightening measures might be lifted and rules loosened. #maahanmuutto #Suomi #politiikka (translated)

Dennis Mitzner criticized the foreign minister's statement, in which he said that Finland is strongly committed to a two-state solution. Mitzner questioned whether the mention was necessary and believed it placed the statement, along with the mentioned 1,200 murdered Israeli citizens, in a political context that weakened the statement. He wondered whether Hamas would have started the attack even if the Gaza Strip, which it governs, had been part of an independent Palestine. According to Mitzner, the attack could have been even broader and targeted Israel's largest settlement centers from the West Bank. #Suomi #Palestina #IsraelinKriisi (translated)

Matias Turkkila wrote that in the studies commissioned by Yle, it had appeared to be effective and reliable. He claimed that Yle was avoiding investigating its own politicization because it would already know the result in advance. According to Turkkila, the study would reveal the same as the previous EVA research, which he said had shown Yle's strong left-wing bias. He added that Yle's efficiency practically meant the production of effective, apparently left-green colored political content. #Yle #mediatutkimus #luotettavuus (translated)