Juha Ristamäki
The outings of fundamental Finnish influencers obviously have their purpose, writes Juha Ristamäki.
PS chairman Riikka Purra and parliamentary group chairman Jani Mäkelä at the party’s summer meeting. Marko-Oskari Lehtonen / IL
In the summer of 2023, the newly elected government of Petterin Orpo (kok) was shaken by racism. However, under Orpo’s leadership, the board continued to thrive and has since been welded together by, among other things, large-scale cuts and labor market reforms.
The situation within the government is still relatively calm, cooperation between the four parties has been successful at least for now. Restlessness and mistrust have, however, grown recently.
The ministers of the government have been moderate in their statements, but the waves hit reasonably high in the government’s leeches. Many wonder what this is due to.
The Fundamental Finns, who sit in high positions, but not in the government, seem to test the nerves of Orpo and the coalition, but also of the RKP members, quite deliberately.
By this I am referring, for example, to the belittling statements of Jani Mäkelä, the chairman of the parliamentary group of basic Finns, regarding acts of racism or, for example, Finnish business leaders.
Mäkelä has said that he considers the previous summer’s racism uproar “an off day” and the actions that followed it as “posturing campaigns”. Mäkelä “doesn’t like Finnish business leaders.”
Orpo has had to comment on both comments, and has not liked them.
Within the coalition, especially PS group leader Mäkelä’s exits have been watched with wonder. They are considered a problem, especially racist flirting.
It has been asked whether Mäkelä has the approval of Riikka Purra, the chairman of Basic Finns, for his speech. They don’t know that except the core group of basic Finns, but something can be concluded from the fact that Purra has not seen Mäkelä’s words as a matter of fact.
At the end of last week, the second vice-president of the PS and the chairman of the administrative committee of the parliament, Mauri Peltokangas, opened up again on social media about “the dialect of Mogadishu”, “camels and flying carpets”. Purra commented on this update on social media by joking about the cheap price of gasoline.
Of course, these outpourings of basic Finnish influencers have their purpose.
First of all, they are supposed to arouse the party’s supporters and get the poll numbers up. They aim to show that the PS is still strictly a party critical of immigration, which also does not value “posturing campaigns” related to racism.
Secondly, they are meant to remind the supporters that the PS is not a poodle of the coalition in the government, but rather jumps on the nose of the prime minister if it wants to. Basic Finns know very well that the parties that have been in government with the coalition have often not fared very well in terms of support.
Thirdly, tough talk drives the media, which reports on it and creates topics of conversation. When discussing bad business leaders, immigration, racism, internal security or the eastern border, it suits the PS much better than a discussion about, say, ending health centers in the provinces.
Fourth, the weaker Orpo looks, the stronger Purra looks.
The situation is difficult for the coalition. At the moment, however, it has no choice but to continue government cooperation with basic Finns.
Many issues related to the labor market, for example, are still being prepared, and the balancing of the state’s finances is only visible during the government’s evening prayers. Even a possible tax reform cannot be put together except with the current right-wing foundation.
The center is too small to be able to replace the PS, and it makes no sense for the SDP to assume government responsibility in this situation, at least not without elections.
So Orpo and the coalition swallow their anger and continue with the government sky with the basic Finns. If and when the departures of basic Finns continue, it can be predicted that towards the end of the election period we will already be on the verge of separation.
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